(Salt Lake City) Prices across the top commodities produced in Utah remained stable throughout the winter months. Cattle and milk prices have started to trend upward in recent weeks, while other commodities have shown little or no early spring movement.

“Reports like this are very important to commodity farmers and ranchers whose livelihood can depend on staying current with pricing trends,” said Kerry Gibson, Utah Commissioner of Agriculture and Food.

Below is a brief wrap up of how Utah’s largest agricultural commodities faired during the first quarter of 2019.

Hay

2019 Alfalfa prices remained relatively stable through January and February with a state average $185/ton. Other hay types were reported at $140/ton.

Milk

Class III milk prices have slightly rebounded from a small dip in February. March’s average price was $15.26 per hundredweight and is trending upward.

Cattle

Overall sales of livestock has picked up during the past couple of months. For the month of March, the average price for a steer weighing between 300 – 900 lbs. was $153.00 per hundredweight. The average price for a heifer 300 – 900 lbs. was $131.00 per hundredweight.

Wheat

Utah wheat prices have remained stable over the past 3 months with the price of soft white wheat averaging at $4.49 per bushel, hard red winter averaging at $4.78 per bushel, hard red spring (DNS) averaging at $5.08 per bushel, and hard white averaging at $5.16.