Florida agriculture is a multi-faceted industry. We often hear about the major commodities in the industry, such as citrus and beef cattle, but there are many different sectors that help the industry to thrive. All of the sectors of ag in Florida are important, and there are some impressive ag statistics that bear sharing. Read the points shared in a Southeast Farm Press article on the surprising facts and figures offered by the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association about today’s Florida agriculture.
Florida Agriculture on a National Level
According to the article, Florida is the leading producer of eight major commodities. The Sunshine State is the largest producer nationwide of grapefruit, oranges, snap beans, tomatoes, watermelon, squash, cucumbers and sugar cane.
Florida grows almost 60 percent of the U.S.’s citrus and over half of the orange juice consumed by Americans. Similarly, one in every five teaspoons of sugar eaten by Americans is from Florida sugar cane. Florida also offers a strong sector in cattle and calves, dairy, broiler chickens, greenhouse and nursery products and aquaculture.
Impacts on Florida
Agriculture has a major impact on Florida’s economy. For one, it produces nearly $150 billion in revenue state-wide. Fruits and vegetables have a $12.24 billion impact, and citrus has a $10.7 billion impact on the state. Florida agriculture also creates $12.5 billion in business taxes paid to federal, state and local governments.
As to jobs, almost 15 percent of the jobs in Florida are created by agriculture. That amounts to over 1.5 million jobs in The Sunshine State from agriculture alone.
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.
