Prepared by Stewardship America, Inc. For the Polk County Farm Bureau

1. Polk County’s Total Economic Output – By Industry 2. The Economic Impacts of Agriculture, Agribusiness & Mining 3. The Community Revenues & Expenses Generated by Agriculture, Agribusiness & Mining Compared with Other Commercial & Industrial Land Uses What follows are the results of a study that was conducted to determine:

The study was prepared for: Polk County Farm Bureau By: Stewardship America, Inc., Boca Raton, FL Project Analyst & Writer: Craig Evans January 2006

agriculture citrus production & phosphate mining … … all have been an integral part of Polk County’s identity and history.

....

The citrus industry … has been part of Polk County’s lifeblood for more than 100 years..

Here’s a look at Polk County’s citrus industry in 1915 These photos were taken by Arthur Rothstein and are preserved in the University of Miami’s digital library

Of all the counties in the U.S., Polk County is the #1 producer of tangerines and the #2 producer of oranges It leads all other counties in Florida in citrus production

.

Polk County covers a land area of 1,874 square miles 52% of that area is agricultural land....

Polk County has 3,114 farms, the largest amount of any county in the state And its land in farms, 626,634 acres, is the 2nd largest amount of any county in the state

Polk County farms produce 12 major commodities that grace our dinner tables These commodities, in their order of importance to the local economy are:

....

....

....

Phosphate mining also dates back more than 100 years It, too, has been one of the county’s major economic engines..

Phosphate is used to produce agricultural fertilizers and animal feed supplements that are used by farmers around the world Phosphate also is used in a variety of consumer products including soft drinks, toothpaste, film, light bulbs and vitamins...

Together, these two industries helped build Polk County and make it what it is today..

Here are the results of the study

POLK COUNTY’S TOTAL ECOMOMIC OUTPUT – BY INDUSTRY

Here are the direct impacts of ag related industries

Here are direct impacts of mine related industries

Here’s how they stack up with other industries

THE ECOMOMIC IMPACT OF AGRICULTURE, AGRIBUSINESS & MINING

. Agriculture provides the raw material for a wide variety of food products that are packed and manufactured in Polk County. These products have a large economic impact because virtually all are sold outside Polk County, which brings new money into the county. New money brought into the local economy circulates throughout the economy creating additional economic activity and jobs.

. As each sale brings new dollars into the county, the dollars are used by ag producers and processors to pay employees, pay taxes, and purchase services and supplies. These dollars are then re- spent by employees, local governments, and the local businesses providing sales and services. Thus, each dollar circulates through the local economy multiple times, fueling the purchase of more products and services.

Here’s how these impacts add up:

Here’s the result:

Polk County’s agricultural and mining industries both are facing significant challenges. One such challenge is canker. There’s a long list of other challenges that could interfere with the continued viability of these industries..

. So the question is: What would be lost to Polk County’s economy if these industries were to disappear?

Locally-based agriculture, agribusiness, mining & fertilizer manufacturing account for one-fifth of Polk County’s total economic output

They also account for one-fifth of total payroll:

And they provide one-sixth of all jobs:

COMMUNITY REVENUES & EXPENSES

Polk County’s agricultural and mining industries also make substantial contributions to county and school budgets, since they pay for more services than they use. This, in turns, helps to lower costs to homeowners for the services they need..

Here are the contributions made to county and school budgets by agriculture and mining – in comparison to all other non-residential land uses: commercial industrial vacant open other (institutional & government-owned)

The county's agricultural lands are valuable in other ways. They help to provide Americans with the world’s least expensive food That gives us more money to spend on houses, cars, college educations and the things that bring us pleasure in our lives From American Farm Bureau Federation

The average U.S. farmer feeds almost 130 people every day. That means, for every farmer, 130 other people can be doctors, lawyers, teachers, business managers, artists and planners..

Ag lands also provide: open space preservation of wetlands water storage ground water recharge protection of well fields water filtration flood control purification of air carbon sequestering generation of oxygen preservation wildlife habitat a buffer between urban development & natural areas and scenic views....

It is hard to assign a dollar value to these attributes but they are nonetheless important for they provide an array of environmental benefits and they contribute to the county's quality of life, thus benefiting every citizen..

Funding for this study was provided by: Polk County Farm Bureau Florida Farm Bureau Federation Polk County Board of County Commissioners Mosaic, Inc. Polk County Cattlemen’s Association Taxpayer’s League of Polk County

For further information, contact: Polk County Farm Bureau 1715 Hwy 17 South Bartow, Florida Tel