Chapter 11: The Agricultural Core

Waterways of Florida

 

Farming in Florida 

Chapter 11 discusses farming in terms of farm size as well as other specifics regarding farming. Here are some interesting facts I found regarding farming in Florida.

In 2008 Florida accounted for:

-- 71 percent of the total U.S. value of production for oranges ($1.5 billion)
-- 68 percent of the total U.S. value of production for grapefruit ($179 million)
-- 52 percent of the total U.S. value of production for snap beans ($172 million)
-- 51 percent of the total U.S. value of production for sugarcane for sugar and seed ($448 million as of 2007)
-- 44 percent of the total U.S. value of production for fresh-market tomatoes ($622 million)
-- 40 percent of the total U.S. value of production for bell peppers ($267 million)
-- 39 percent of the total U.S. value of production for cucumbers for the fresh market ($94 million)
-- 29 percent of the total U.S. value of production for watermelons ($140 million)
-- 27 percent of the total U.S. value of production for tangerines ($58 million)
-- 21 percent of the total U.S. value of production for sweet corn ($157 million)

Farms and Land in Farms

In 2008 Florida had 47,500 commercial farms, using a total of 9.25 million acres.  There were 5,300 farms with sales exceeding $100,000.  The average farm size was 195 acres.  The number of farms in Florida has increased by 2,500 over the past 10 years.

Year	Total Number of Farms	Total Acres	Average Farm Size
2008	47,500	9,250,000	195 acres
2007	47,500	9,300,000	196 acres
2006	41,000	9,460,000	231 acres
2005	42,000	9,570,000	228 acres
2004	43,200	9,830,000	228 acres
2003	44,000	10,040,000	228 acres
2002	44,000	10,300,000	234.1 acres
2001	44,000	10,300,000	234.1 acres
2000	44,000	10,400,000	236.4 acres
1999	45,000	10,500,000	233.3 acres

Information above was obtained courtesy of the following website: http://www.florida-agriculture.com/agfacts.htm

As you can see, the highest production was of Oranges! Who would have guessed?

Source of picture: http://www.florida-agriculture.com/agfacts.htm