Business of Farming

How Big is the Ag Industry?

here are moments in life when an

Texperience will completely change your perspective about something. I almost hate to admit it took me this long to have my eyes opened about agriculture. Agriculture in Alabama is such a crucial part of our economy and our daily lives. We know farmers. We see farms and fields, and equipment. Produce stands dot the roadsides during the summer. Cattle grazing is a commonplace sight. Ag is everywhere and we may even take it for granted. But do we really appreciate the vastness of the industry in Alabama, or the nation or globally for that matter? It took some 40-odd years for this to click for me – in Ohio of all places.

Ohio, one of those nondescript states known for what? Buckeye trees, football, a few large cities, aviation, and a sitcom that proclaimed Cleveland rocks. Not necessarily vacation destination in my mind. For those from the state, I’d like to apologize for my misconception of your home because my perspective is forever changed about the state and, because of Ohio, my view of agriculture has changed. Agriculture is big, really big. Not just numbers of acres you read in a report big, but actually big. Miles and miles of rolling, uninterrupted corn and soybean fields big. The state has roughly 14 million acres of farmland compared to our roughly 9 million, but, unlike our smaller fields broken by tree lines, their fields seem to stretch forever as you drive. That’s what it took to get the point to sink in as to how big of an industry agriculture truly is in our state and across our country. Not just the country, but across the globe. In fact, agriculture encompasses approximately one-third of land use in the world!

From an economic standpoint, Alabama agriculture generates over $70 billion annually. For Ohio, 2016’s impact of agriculture was over $53 billion not including any forestry-related operations. Billions of dollars from

just two states. Nationwide, agriculture contributes over $1 trillion to the economy. Every year. I’m not sure I can even fathom this amount of money. Although, if anyone has that kind of money, I’ll gladly volunteer to see if spending your money will give me a true sense of the value of agriculture.

All joking aside, the value of agriculture isn’t just a dollar figure. That money represents employment, jobs to feed families, and money into the local economy to keep the rest of the businesses operating. Almost 600,000 jobs are due to agriculture in Alabama alone. One in eight employed in Ohio work in the ag sector. Across the U.S., there are 21 million jobs associated with the ag industry. That’s a tremendous number of jobs tied to farming. Not only does that money help raise families and support local businesses, but it also generates tax revenue that supports anything from roads to schools.

If the amount of the nation’s land in farming, or the tremendous number of jobs created, or the huge amount of revenue generated doesn’t get your attention, here’s another number: 333,310,170. That’s how many people in the United States depend on agriculture. That’s all of us, not just one state, not just a few states, we all rely on agriculture to survive. Agriculture employs many people, covers many acres across the country, and creates a lot of money for the economy, but it feeds us all. Ag really is a big business, and for all our sakes, let’s hope it stays that way.

INTERESTING AG INDUSTRY FACTS:

• There are 21 million jobs associated with the ag industry. • Nationwide, agriculture contributes over $1 trillion to the economy. • Agriculture encompasses approximately one-third of land use in the world.