Study Shows Ag Plays a Big Role in the U.S. Economy

A new study shows that agriculture plays a big role in the success of the overall U.S. economy. More than one-fourth of the nation’s job total and more than one-fifth of the nation’s economy are tied, either directly or indirectly, to the food and agriculture sectors. A coalition of 23 agriculture groups commissioned the economic impact study that came out last week. It’s the foundation of a new website called Feeding the Economy. Among some of the bigger report highlights, it shows that the total number of food and ag job come in at 45.5 million. The total wages amount to $2.06 trillion, with total taxes on the income at just over $913 billion. Agriculture exports total $154.4 trillion. The total food and industry economic impact is $7.06 trillion. Senate Ag Committee Chair Pat Roberts says people are more interested in learning about the food they eat, but folks in agriculture must also ensure those same people know the value of what farmers and ranchers do. “Everyone can benefit from knowing about the great contributions of agriculture to our economy, to our rural communities, to our security, and to our natural resources,” Roberts says. “We need resources like the Feeding the Economy Dot Com website report to better tell this story.”