|
Top Ag Commodities
 Agriculture Industry in Virginia |
| Commodity |
Cash Receipts (dollars) |
| 1 |
Chickens (broilers) |
559.4 million |
| 2 |
Beef (cattle/calves) |
430.0 million |
| 3 |
Milk (wholesale) |
371.7 million |
| 4 |
Turkeys |
298.6 million |
| 5 |
Greenhouse/Nursery |
248.0 million |
| 6 |
Soybeans |
135.8 million |
| 7 |
Equine* |
107.0 million |
| 8 |
Corn for grain |
101.1 million |
| 9 |
Chicken eggs |
79.0 million |
| 10 |
Tobacco |
71.1 million |
| 11 |
Tomatoes |
66.3 million |
| 12 |
Wheat |
65.0 million |
| 13 |
Hogs |
58.2 million |
| 14 |
Hay |
44.3 million |
| 15 |
Aquaculture |
42.5 million |
| 16 |
Cotton |
35.9 million |
| 17 |
Apples |
23.7 million |
| 18 |
Potatoes, summer |
12.7 million |
| 19 |
Peanuts |
12.0 million |
| 20 |
Snap beans |
10.9 million |
| 21 |
Grapes |
7.6 million |
| 22 |
Watermelons |
5.2 million |
| 23 |
Sweet corn |
5.1 million |
| 24 |
Sheep and lambs |
3.3 million |
| 25 |
Cabbage |
1.9 million |
Source: National Agricultural Statistics Service (2007 figures)
* according to 2006 Equine Survey conducted by NASS |
| Percent of Income Spent on Food Consumed |
| Country |
% of Income |
| United States |
9.8 |
| France |
13.7 |
| Japan |
14.6 |
| Mexico |
24.2 |
| China |
34.9 |
| Philippines |
37.3 |
| Indonesia |
45.7 |
| Of the 9.8 percent of disposable income Americans spend on food, an average of 5.7 percent is spent on food eaten at home and
4.1 percent is spent on goods eaten away from home. |
| Virginia Agriculture |
Agriculture is Virginia’s largest and oldest industry. It’s been the backbone of the state economy for nearly four centuries.
|
| The average age of a Virginia farmer is 57 years. |
| The average farm generates $62,649 worth of sales. |
| The average size of a Virginia farm is 181 acres. |
| The average acre value of farmland and buildings is $5,900. |
Virginia boasts 47,100 farms, which cover approximately
8.5 million acres. |
| Source: 2002 Census of Agriculture (Most recent Census available) & 2007-2008 NASS figure |
| Ag Across America |
| Agriculture is the nation’s largest employer, with more than 22 million people working in some phase—from growing food and fiber, to selling it at the supermarket. |
| There are about 2.1 million farms in the United States, the lowest number of farms since before the Civil War. |
| The average size of a U.S. farm in 2002 was 441 acres. |
| About 99 percent of all U.S. farms are owned by individuals, family partnerships or family corporations. Just 1 percent of U.S. farms and ranches are owned by non-family corporations. |
| There are about 3.1 million U.S. farm operators; 237,819 are women, and 104,534 are minorities. The average farmer is
55 years old |
| Half of all U.S. farms, 1.05 million, have Internet access. Thirty-nine percent of producers—about 827,000—use a computer for farm business. |
| Source: 2002 Census of Agriculture |
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