|
See Also: Washington Food Festivals
WASHINGTON Food Facts & Trivia
FARMS & FARMERS
Washington: land area of 42,540,079 acres.
Farmland is 14,972,789 acres or 35.2% of total land
Organic agriculture accounts for about 96,166 acres
Number of Farms: 39,284
Principle Farm Operators:
Men: 31,194 Women: 8,090
(2013 - USDA Economic Research Service: www.ers.usda.gov )
[2007-2008 latest available data]
POPULATION & HUNGER
Washington has a total population of: 6,830,038
Urban population: 5,999,471
Rural population: 830,567
Food insecure households*: 15.4%
Households with very low food security*: 6.2%
*Food insecurity - Limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.
Very low food security - At times during the year, eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake reduced because the household lacked money and other resources for food.
(2013 - USDA Economic Research Service: www.ers.usda.gov )
(Population & Food Security data: 2011)
Washington state produces more apples than any other state in the union.
Total U.S. apple production in 2009 was 19.1 million pounds. Washington state accounted for more than half of total production. (US Census Bureau, 2010)
The U.S. produced 10 billion pounds of apples in 2006, more than 1/2 were grown in Washington State.
Washington state grows more sweet cherries than any other state. In 2000 Washington growers produced about 95,000 tons of cherries.
(USDA 2000)
Kelso, Washington, is known as the Smelt Capital of the World.
In 2007 Washington adopted the Walla Walla Sweet Onion as the official State Vegetable.
In 1989 the Apple was adopted as the official State Fruit.
In 1989 Bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum) was adopted as the official State Grass.
In 1969 the Steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri) was adopted as the official State Fish.
In 1947 Washington adopted Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) as the official State Tree.
|
