Idaho farm sales decrease 17 percent in 2009

(AP) — Idaho farmers sold $5.4 billion worth of products in 2009, down 17 percent from the year before. That's the largest single-year decline in more than 40 years.

The University of Idaho released the report on Wednesday

Net farm income dropped 47 percent to just over $1 billion from $1.9 billion in 2008.

Higher receipts for sugarbeets, barley, potatoes, onions, and greenhouse and nursery crops helped cover a dramatic drop in livestock sales.