The Economic Performance of Food-Manufacturing Industries in Idaho

As part of the global economy, agriculture and agribusiness of the State of Idaho have been significantly affected by the structural changes taking place in the food-supply chain. Constantly changing consumer preferences, new technologies, and globalization represent both challenges and opportunities for the food-supply-chain participants. The very diverse agriculture of Idaho provides a favorable market environment for agricultural producers and food companies to become involved in various food-manufacturing activities. This paper focuses on the quantitative evaluation of the economic performance of food-manufacturing industries in Idaho, using U.S. Economic Census data for 1997 and 2002. The results have implications for the strategic decision-making of the food-supply-chain participants and government authorities.Agribusiness,