Sometimes, things happen so automatically that we fail to recognize their complexity or importance. Take, for instance, each time you sit down for a meal or visit a drive through to pick up something to eat. How often do you consider the various elements required to provide the food? Moreover, how often do you think about the producers of life’s other necessities such as clothing and shelter? For most of us, I suspect, the answer would be “seldom.”
However, every time we purchase such items, we’re involved in an extremely complex system of production, distribution, and marketing. While Texas has diversified way beyond the days when cotton or cattle were “king,” agriculture is still an important part of the economy of the Lone Star State.
Texas is the second-largest agricultural state in the nation and is also one of the most diverse. Operations from the Gulf Coast to the Panhandle generate about 7% of the nation’s total agricultural income. Approximately 80% of Texas’ 262,000 square miles of land area is in some form of agricultural production, and about nine out of every 10 agricultural endeavors are operated by individuals or families.
In terms of cattle and calves, Texas ranks first in the nation. The state is also the leader in the number of cattle operations and is the top producer in the US of cotton and hay as well as sheep, wool, goats, mohair, and horses. The one million horses in Texas represent about 11% of the total number across America. Additionally, the Lone Star State is the nation’s third largest horticultural producer.
While less than 2% of Texans are involved in day-to-day farming or ranching, each farmer in the state produces enough food and fiber for 129 people.
About 74% of the state’s agriculture products are consumed in the US; the remainder is shipped around the world. In fact, Texas is the third-largest exporter of agricultural commodities, particularly live animals and red meat, cotton and cottonseed, hides and skins, wheat and products, and feeds and fodder.
In terms of real gross product (RGP or output), the agriculture industry (including farming, forestry, fishing, logging, hunting, trapping, and related support activities) accounts for $7.77 billion of the state’s overall output. It is projected to realize a compound annual growth rate of 2.74% over the next five years.
Numerous other industries link to agriculture including transportation, equipment, processing, marketing, wholesale and retail sales, education, seed, fertilizer, and licensing, and myriad others. The economic impact of the agriculture industry on the state’s economy is thus sizable.
While the percentage of individuals directly involved in agriculture production is not as large as it was a few years ago, the importance of this industry cannot be minimized.
The advent of new and innovative technology and the enhancement of telecommunications infrastructure continue to transform agriculture into a high-tech business. New advances in research, production, and marketing are also proving highly advantageous for producers. In fact, the use of technology to generate more goods while using fewer resources over a period of several decades makes agriculture the ultimate high-tech industry. Moreover, many of the advances in biotechnology which change our lives in fundamental ways have their origins in efforts to produce more and better crops and livestock.
For individuals seeking careers, the agriculture industry offers many opportunities beyond farming or ranching. Among them are communications, engineering, processing, research, animal health, livestock pharmaceuticals, and bio-fuel programs.
And thanks to the Internet, rural communities across Texas can now compete on a global basis. As a result, the industry’s potential for the years ahead continues to rise.
We frequently take for granted the important role the agriculture industry plays in our state’s economy and almost nonchalantly accept our abundant and reliable supply of food, clothing, and shelter, all of which are dependent to a large extent on this dynamic sector.