Celebrate Contributions of the American Farmer

The week of March 21-27 is National Agriculture Week. Our great state of Minnesota has a perfect blend of ways to enjoy the outdoors, great communities, career opportunities and economic growth. One of the primary areas that Minnesota gains significant value is in agriculture.

This begins with the work of the American farmer who has evolved to become a professional in the area of producing commodities while using the latest in conservation and technology tools. We can acknowledge the hundreds of other career paths from veterinary, finance, engineering, manufacturing, processing, research, agronomy to education. But how does Minnesota agriculture stack up to other states?

Minnesota is clearly a production leader when we compare ourselves to other ag production areas. Minnesota ranks No. 7 in total value of agricultural production nationwide with a whopping $21.3 billion dollars of production annually. When we look at our Minnesota grown crops, here is how we compare the $12.9 billion of total production to other states: No. 1 in Sugar Beets, Oats, wild rice and red Kidney Beans No. 2 in sweetcorn and green peas No. 3 in soybeans, dry beans and sunflower No. 4 in corn and canola No. 7 in barley No. 9 in wheat, potatoes and snap beans When we look at Minnesota grown livestock here is our ranking nationwide:

No. 7 in total livestock cash receipts 8.4 billion dollars of production No. 1 in turkeys No. 2 in hogs No. 6 in red meat, cheese and honey production No. 7 in milk production No. 8 in cattle on feed The overall impact of Minnesota’s agricultural production, processing and forestry generates nearly $106 billion annually in economic impact to our state and supports almost 400,000 jobs. Minnesota is a leader when it comes to ag export value. Agricultural exports equal more than $7 billion annually and make up more than one-third of our state’s merchandise exports. Ag commodities exported from Minnesota farms are soybeans, corn, pork, dairy, wheat, beef and poultry products. Our leading trade partners that receive these commodities are China, Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Philippines, Columbia, Netherlands and many others.

We can continue to find many more reasons to highlight our success in agriculture. Minnesota is also home to a very active railroad system and barge terminals on Lake Superior and the Mississippi River. Minnesota has 18 ethanol plants that produce 1 billion gallons of ethanol annually as a renewable fuel source using locally produced corn. Minnesota also prides itself in an extensive university system that devotes itself to education and research in agriculture. High School ag programs and technical college ag programs flourish as careers in agriculture are in high demand. Minnesota is also home to Global agricultural companies: CHS, Cargill, land O lakes, Jennie-O, Hormel and General Mills. Rural communities and Greater Minnesota depend on agriculture for continued growth and stability.



Source: crowrivermedia.com