Ag accounts for one-sixth of N.C. income, jobs
Published July 24, 2015
by NC State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, July 20, 2015.
Agriculture and agribusiness – food, fiber and forestry — account for one-sixth of North Carolina’s income and employees, according to the latest study from NC State University economist Mike Walden.
In calculating value-added incomes for 2013 (the latest year for which figures are available), Walden found that food, fiber and forestry industries contributed $76 billion of the $471 billion gross state product. That’s more than 17 percent.
These industries also accounted for 663,200 of the state’s 4 million employees, according to Dr. Walden, a William Neal Reynolds professor and North Carolina Cooperative Extension economist in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. That’s up 23,200 from the previous year.
Overall value-added income from the state’s agricultural and agribusiness sector was down slightly from 2012, when it contributed $78 billion in value-added income. Walden says that the difference is due to declines in agribusiness processing, which accounted for $28 billion in 2013, compared to $33.5 billion in 2012.
Forestry and farming, wholesaling and retailing of food, fiber and forestry each rose in value, with $16.9 billion coming from forestry and farming; $10.1 billion from wholesaling and $20.7 billion from retailing.
July 25, 2015 at 9:50 am
Norm Kelly says:
The health care industry, we've been told, accounts for about 1/6th the national economy. The central planners have started their take-over of this part of the economy. I have not yet read the rest of this post, which is obvious from my comment so far. But, if we want to get the agribusiness in NC 'under control', 'more fair', paying a living wage (whatever that is, as never defined by libs who say it!), then perhaps the solution is for Raleigh to fully rule this sector of the economy. If it works for the central planners, why not for state gov't as well? See, haven't read the rest of this post yet, but I already have a solution in mind for how best to handle agribusiness. Wonder if this post leans in this direction also. Off to read and see how close to the mark I may have been.
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Wow! I read it and I'm still in shock.
No conclusions. Simply a restatement of information produced by another source. No suggestion of gov't take-over. No suggestion of special gov't treatment. So, what was the point?
Hard to believe this was produced by a university employee/group without some indication of gov't scheme or suggestion. No reprimand for the Republicans in Raleigh for reductions in agribusiness growth, no suggestion of special tax treatment.
Interesting. But not much else. The only surprising part is the lack of liberal bent/suggestion to solve a non-existent problem.
