During the annual Alabama Agribusiness Council held this week in Orange Beach, county statistics detailing Alabama’s $70.4 billion economic impact of agriculture, forestry and related industries were released.
Gary Lemme, Director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, made the presentation and explains what this means for agriculture in the state.
County statistics detailing Alabama’s $70.4 billion economic impact of agriculture, forestry and related industries are now available at www.AlabamaAgImpact.com. The study revealed Mobile, Jefferson and Marshall counties are top three in the state for economic impact and jobs related to agriculture and forestry.
The new website details county-level data from the 2013 Economic Impacts of Agriculture and Forestry Study, including dollar value of economic impact and job numbers related to agriculture and forestry industries. It breaks down the top three commodities for each county.
“This will be a useful tool in bringing much-deserved attention to agriculture and forestry and how critical those industries are to our local economies,” said Leigha Cauthen, executive director of the Alabama Agribusiness Council. “Statewide, the impact of these industries is tremendous, but this new information really hits home with county impacts. In many counties, agriculture and related industries account for more than half of all jobs.”
Other county information includes number of farms, acreage and population. Data can be accessed at www.AlabamaAgImpact.com by clicking on county in the statewide map. The statewide study also is available.
Auburn University and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System conducted the survey with support from state agriculture groups and businesses.