The Contribution of Agriculture & Agri-Business to Orange County, Florida

1. Prepared by Craig EvansFor the Orange County Farm Bureauand Orange County Board of County Commissioners The Contribution of Agriculture & Agri-Business to Orange County, Florida

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

3. The study was prepared for: Orange County Farm Bureau By: Project Supervisor & Writer: Craig Evans Project Analyst & Assistant: Natalie Henton August 2007

4. . Study Highlights

5. Orange County ranks 8th in the state and 108th nationally (out of 3078 counties) in the value of the agricultural products it sells The county’s most valuable commodity is nursery & greenhouse crops Orange County ranks 2nd in the state (after Dade County ) and 6th nationally in the annual sales value of these crops

6. . Orange County covers a land area of 907 square miles 25% of that area is agricultural land .

7. Orange County has 901 farms which occupy 146,637 acres

8. Orange County farms produce 8 major commodities. These commodities, in their order of importance to the local economy are:

9. . . . Horticulture Citrus . Cattle Animal Production

10. . . Aquaculture Vegetables & Melons . . Poultry & Eggs Milk & Milk Products

11. In addition to locally-produced products, raw agricultural products from outside the county are brought in and turned into value added products. There are 23 different types of food processing operations in the county.

12. Agriculture also provides the raw material for a wide variety of wood and paper products. Raw forest products are brought in from outside the county for 11 types of wood and paper manufacturing operations.

13. The place where agriculture has the most direct connection to the average person is at the point of sale and consumption – what is sold on a grocer’s shelf (ag retail) and what is served in a restaurant and bar (food service and beverage).

14. Most of the food sold and served at the retail level in Orange County has very little connection with local agriculture. For this reason, none of these sales are considered in the calculations for this study to determine the economic impact of agriculture & agribusiness. But these sales do contribute to Orange County’s overall economy, so they have been grouped under a category called “Food and Fiber.”

15. The Food & Fiber Sector

16. Here are the results of the study

17. ORANGE COUNTY’S TOTAL ECOMOMIC OUTPUT – BY INDUSTRY

18. Here are the direct impacts of ag related industries

19. Here’s how they stack up with other industries

20. THE ECOMOMIC IMPACT OF AGRICULTURE & AGRIBUSINESS

21. . Agriculture provides the raw material for a variety of agricultural products that are grown and raised in Orange County. These products have a large economic impact because the majority are sold outside Orange 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.

22. . 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.

23. Here’s how these impacts add up:

24. Here’s the result:

25. Here’s the result:

26. Here’s the result:

27. Total Economic Loss if Local Agriculture Was to Disappear • $472 million in annual sales • 8,220 jobs • $207 million in annual earnings

28. The total loss represents the combined economic impact of agricultural production and agricultural services, since these two industries are entirely dependent upon local agriculture. Agricultural processing and agricultural wholesale would not be affected, since their raw products come from outside the county, and are therefore not included in this calculation.

29. COMMUNITY REVENUES & EXPENSES

30. . Orange County’s agricultural enterprises also makes 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.

31. Here are the contributions made to county and school budgets by agriculture & agribusiness – in comparison to other land uses

35. From American Farm Bureau Federation 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

36. . 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, and county commissioners.

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

38. . . 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

39. Food for thought

40. Funding for this study was provided by: Orange County Farm Bureau & Orange County Board of County Commissioners

41. Copies of the study and its supplements can be downloaded at: http://privatelands.org/ftp