Agriculture Alabama’s No. 1 Industry                                              

Agriculture relates to you. Less than 2 percent of Americans live on farms We all participate in agriculture. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. We take Agriculture for granted. Americans enjoy the safest, most affordable food and fiber in the world.

Alabama Employment Ag and forestry 21 % Construction 7% Utilities 4% Government 18%                                                                                           

Economic Output Ag and Forestry 21% Construction 6% Utilities 8 % Government 10 %                                                                                           

Where does your food $ go?                                                                                                             

Check This Out Americans spend about 10.7 percent of their disposable income on food 11.2 percent in England 14.9 percent in Australia 17.6 percent in Japan 24.5 percent in Mexico 51.3 percent in India.

Check This Out 90 % of the food consumed in the United States are produced by American farmers. Per capita income in the United States increased 48 percent from 1970-1997. Food expenditures increased only 23 percent Mostly due to an increase in the number of Americans dining out.

Check This Out It takes just 40 days for the average American to earn enough money to buy their food for an entire year. In contrast, it takes them 131 days to earn enough to pay their federal, state and local taxes for one year. Since 1978, the share of the American food dollar spent on processing and marketing has increased 180 percent.

Complete this Statement… Beef………………. It’s what's for dinner.

Beef Americans eat more beef than any other meat. 66 pounds per person each year. The average consumer spends just $178 for a year's supply of beef. That's less than 50 cents a day.                                              

Alabama Beef Facts Alabama's beef herd is valued at $690 million. 1.46 million head on 30,000 farms and ranches. Last year, Alabama ranchers produced 1.84 million tons of hay on 800,000 acres. Alabama's largest beef processor produces more than three million beef patties each day.

Alabama Beef Facts Alabama ranks 24th in beef cattle inventory. Beef by-products are used in a variety of items including gum, candles, paint and perfume.

Peanuts                                                             

Peanuts are grown in only these counties of Alabama.

Peanuts Peanuts are an excellent source of folic acid, which has been shown to reduce birth defects when taken by mothers prior to conception and during the early stages of pregnancy.

Alabama Peanut Farmers: Produce 206,000 acres of peanuts 448.1 million pounds $120.1 million

Peanut Facts Alabama ranks third in peanut production. Top producing counties are Houston, Geneva, Henry, Coffee and Dale. Peanut butter, at 20 cents per sandwich, is the most inexpensive source of protein in America.

Alabama Poultry Alabama's poultry industry can turn an egg worth about 15 cents into a highly nutritious, affordable, ready-to-eat specialty poultry product in less than 10 weeks.                                              

Alabama Poultry In 1999, Alabama poultry growers produced 971.2 million broilers. Farm Value $1.9 billion. 2.5 billion eggs Farm value $281.8 million.

Alabama Poultry Alabama ranks third nationally in broiler production. Georgia and Arkansas are #1 and 2. Alabama's top poultry producing counties are Cullman, DeKalb, Marshall, Blount and Coffee. 78,000 jobs. 43 percent of the state's farm cash receipts.

Alabama Poultry Poultry is Alabama's top agriculture export, with an export value of $266.7 million. The average American eats 238 eggs a year, including egg products. Per capita consumption of chicken is 55 pounds a year—no bones about it.

Horticulture

Horticulture The average American eats more than 700 pounds of fruits and vegetables each year, including more than 300 pounds of fresh produce.                                                       

Check This Out. Alabama ranks fifth in sweet potato production sixth in pecan production 11th in blueberry production 12th in peach production.

Farmer get: 19 cents for every 91-cent pound of apples 60 cents for a 10-lb. bag of potatoes ($3.56) 10 cents for every 94-cent pound of frozen french fries 33 cents for every $1.95 bag of potato chips 4 cents for every 56-cent can of tomatoes

Greenhouse, Nursery, and Sod. $230 million green industry.

Forestry Alabama forests directly provide employment for about 70,000 people with an annual payroll of $1.9 billion.                                     

Alabama Forestry Facts There are nearly 22 million acres of forest in Alabama 15 billion trees—more than 3,000 for every man, woman and child in the state.

Alabama Forestry 71 percent of Alabama's forestland is owned by private individuals. 6 percent is owned by corporations 5 percent is owned by the government 18 percent by the forest industry.

Complete this slogan. Cotton………….. The fabric of our lives.

Cotton One bale of cotton can make 1,200 men's T-shirts, 200 pairs of blue jeans, 700 bath towels or 313,600 $100 bills.

Check this out! Last year, Alabama farmers harvested 561,000 acres of cotton. Producing 625,000 bales valued at about $147.5 million. Alabama ranks “9” in cotton production.

Alabama Cotton Alabama's top cotton producing counties are Limestone, Madison, Escambia, Monroe and Lawrence.

Cotton For every $40 pair of denim jeans sold, the farmer gets $1.46. 41 cents for a $35 men's shirt. 45 cents for a $14 terry bath towel.

Coffee County Cash Receipts                                                                                                                                                                                                     Coffee County Cash Receipts Crops-$17,773,000 Livestock-$116,723,000 Forestry-$4,170,000 Total $164,141,000

1997 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE 788 FARMS 186,981,000 ACRES IN FARMS 237 ACRES AVERAGE FARM SIZE

Alabama State Ranking Cattle………………19th Eggs…………….… 19th Cotton…………..….16th Hogs…………….….11th Broilers…………..… 5th Peanuts……………...4th Milk ………………..4th

ALFA Alabama Farmer Federation Farming Feeds Alabama ALFA Alabama Farmer Federation