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Economic Stewardship--- Keeping Florida Green
FLORIDA AGRICULTURE'S CONTRIBUTIONS
To the Nation:
More than 44,000 Florida commercial farmers are among the most productive in the world, furnishing the nation with a dependable and safe supply of food and providing Florida with a stable economic base.
Florida is the nation's No. 9 ranked agriculture state with total cash receipts of over $6.9 billion in 2000.
Florida is the nation's No. 1 citrus and sugarcane producing state, No. 2 in greenhouse and nursery production as well as tomato and strawberry production, and ranks No. 4 in aquaculture and honey production.
State farmers led the nation in the production of 8 major agricultural commodities in 2000, including oranges, sugarcane, grapefruit, cucumbers, fresh snap beans, sweet corn, tangerines and radishes.
Florida accounted for more than 73 percent of the total U.S. cash receipts for grapefruit, 68 percent for oranges, 61 percent of radishes, 56 percent of tangerines, 48 percent of the cane for sugar, 28 percent tomatoes, 26 percent for cucumbers, 21 percent for squash and 17 percent for strawberries.
Florida produced more than 20 percent of the nation's fresh vegetables with sales of $1.7 billion. Citrus sales topped $1.6 billion in 2000.
Florida livestock sales amounted to $1.4 billion in 2000, accounting for nearly 20 percent of the state's farm sales.
Florida is the leading milk-producing state in the Southeast, ranks 13th nationally in cash receipts and 15th nationally in production with sales of more than $428.8 million in 2001.
Florida ranks 13th nationally in egg production and 16th nationally in broiler production with a combined sales of more than $376 million in 2001.
Florida ranchers shipped 470,000 feeder calves to market outside the state in 2001 with 68% of the shipments going to Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas .
[ NOTE to gunner: Your Texas bulls just can't keep up...:))
Florida-bred horses rank second only to Kentucky in North American in the amount of purse money and stakes races won. The Florida Thoroughbred breeding industry over the years has produced 40 North American champions, 61 equine millionaires, 17 Breeders' Cup and 17 Classic winners, including the last Triple Crown winner Affirmed in 1978. In 1997, Silver Charm won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
In 2000, Florida-breeds won more than 362 stakes races and banked in excess of $175 million in purse money. The horse industry generated product valued at $2.2 billion with 240,000 Floridians involved in the horse industry.
The Ocala area ranks as the world's fourth largest breeding and training area, behind Lexington, Ky.; Newmarket, England, and Chantilly, France. Florida overtook California in 1998 to become the nation's second largest producer of registered Thoroughbred foals.
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Florida farmers utilized a little more than 10 million of the state's 35 million acres to produce Florida's safe, affordable and abundant food supply.
Florida farmers employed an average of 66,000 farm workers monthly in 2000, and paid them more than $1 billion. They accounted for a $20 billion direct impact on the state's economy.
Florida also increased its overwhelming lead as the nation's No. 1 citrus-producing state with 76 percent of all U.S. citrus production.
In 2000, there were 87.2 million orange trees in Florida on 665,529 acres of land, and 12.7 million grapefruit trees on 118,145 acres.
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State cattlemen produced 940,000 calves, and slipped to 12th nationally and 3rd in the Southeast in the number of brood cows.
Still, Florida remained ranked 4th nationally among states in number of herds with more than 500 brood cows.
Florida has four of the nation's 15 largest ranches, including THE largest with more than 35,000 brood cows on more than 300,000 acres.
Virtually every horse breed n the world is represented in Florida, led by Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses and Arabians.
The Florida horse industry creates more than 72,000 jobs and generates a $6.5 billion impact on the state.
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Jus a few little ole facks, my dear gunner - - -
Love ya, anyway..:))