FromKansas Agland:
The importance of farming and ranching to the state’s economy touches all Kansans – and, according to the latest Kansas Department of Agriculture figures – the world.
In its latest figures, the department states that agriculture’s annual output was about $62 billion in 2012 – the most recent figures available – accounting for 43 percent of the state’s total economy.
Agriculture also supports 230,000 jobs in Kansas.
“It’s easy to see cattle in a pasture or tractors in a field, but it’s not always easy to fully know the impact agriculture has on your local region,” said Agricultural Secretary Jackie McClaskey. “This map breaks down statistics and shows the impact each county has on the total state economy.”
The department’s newly revised statewide breakdown is available at http://agriculture.ks.gov/about-ksda/kansas-agriculture. Visitors can click on any of the state’s counties to see the local economic impact.
For instance, in Reno County, there are 1,633 farms accounting for 789,525 acres. Data figured in July 2015, shows the county’s agriculture impact at $1.7 billion.
Meanwhile, Finney County’s total imapct is $3.3 billion and supports 7,386 jobs. In Stevens County, the total output totaled $287 million and supports nearly 1,000 jobs.