SALEM — The Oregon Department of Agriculture has updated its list of the top 20 most valuable agricultural commodities statewide, with the nursery industry retaining the top spot.

There were, however, a few notable changes, including a first-ever appearance by industrial hemp.

Greenhouse and nursery plants remain king, earning approximately $1.3 billion in 2021. That was an increase of 10% over the industry’s value in 2020, and represents 22% of the total value of all Oregon agriculture.

An estimated 74% of nursery products are sold outside the state, making it a critical traded sector, according to ODA.

Cattle and calves came in second at $676.2 million, up from $587.8 million the previous year. Most animals are raised in eastern and southern Oregon, with Malheur, Klamath, Harney, Baker and Lake counties leading the way.

Grass seed jumped two spots from fifth to third place, at $639.2 million — a 28% increase over 2020. Oregon leads the nation in production of several cool-season varieties, including orchardgrass, ryegrass and fescue, and the Willamette Valley is known as the “grass seed capital of the world.”

Dave Losh, state statistician for the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, said he was pleased to see the value of grass seed bounce back after prices cratered around the 2008 recession. Prices are negotiated each year by the Oregon Grass Seed Bargaining Association.

“It’s been good to see the grass seed industry kind of recover,” Losh said. “They went through some tough times. Their commodity prices are coming back up.”

NASS works with ODA and the commodity commissions to come up with data for the top 20 list. Losh said the agency routinely surveys growers to determine acreage, production and value of certain crops and livestock.

“We have a regular survey program that we either quarterly or annually survey producers, and at the end of the year we put it all together,” he said.

The lag in publishing figures for 2021 is due to staffing shortages at ODA, Losh said.

Rounding out the top five are hay at $578.7 million, and milk at $550.6 million.

New to the list is industrial hemp, ranking No. 8 at $247.7 million. That beats potatoes, which came in at ninth place, and trails winegrapes at seventh place.

But hemp may not stay in the top 10 for long.

NASS released its annual hemp report for the Pacific Northwest on April 20. Oregon growers produced about 3.78 million pounds of hemp in 2021, most of which goes is used to extract cannabinoids from flowers — including cannabidiol, or CBD.

In 2022, production fell to 1.55 million pounds, despite acreage being roughly the same. The amount of indoor growing space did decline, from 1.7 million square feet to 858,094 square feet, according to the report.

Markets appear to be the biggest driver, with price per pound of hemp flowers dropping from $106 to $53.

That would put the overall value of Oregon hemp around $74.2 million in 2022, which would rank 17th on the top commodities list this year, just behind hops.

Despite the pullback compared to the initial hemp “rush” in 2018, Losh said Oregon is still “a major player” in the hemp market nationally.

“We have some folks who have been doing it for a while now, and know how to grow a quality crop,” he said.

Elsewhere in the top 20, winegrapes bounced back from a difficult 2020 beset by COVID-19, labor shortages, extreme heat and wildfire smoke. Winegrape production increased 53%, hitting a record 114,677 tons in 2021, valued at $271 million.

Milk, sweet cherries, hops and eggs all dipped in value. Cherries in particular fell from ninth place in 2020 to 18th in 2021, due in large part to a deep freeze that cut production.

Sweet corn also declined, dropping out of the top 20.

1. Greenhouse and nursery — $1.3 billion.

2. Cattle and calves — $676.2 million.

3. Grass seed — $639.1 million.

4. Hay — $578.7 million.

5. Milk — $550.6 million.

6. Wheat — $276.3 million.

7. Winegrapes — $271 million.

8. Hemp — $247.7 million.

9. Potatoes — $237 million.

10. Blueberries — $171.6 million.

11. Hazelnuts — $167.4 million.

12. Pears — $133.7 million.

13. Onions — $115.2 million.

14. Christmas trees — $110.2 million.

15. Corn (grain) — $80.5 million.

16. Hops — $74.3 million.

17. Sweet cherries — $72.6 million.

18. Dungeness crab — $67.1 million.

19. Apples — $66.4 million.

20. Eggs — $56.9 million.