Agriculture Feeding the Economy

American Farm Bureau and 23 other organizations recently released a report showing that America’s food and agriculture sectors support over 22 million jobs, or 15 percent of U.S. employment. These 22 million jobs grow to over 45 million jobs when supplier and other economic multiplier effects are considered and total output from agriculture and food sectors exceeds $7 trillion. The report, 2019 Food and Agriculture Industries Economic Impact Study, estimates the economic contribution of the food industry to the U.S. economy in 2019. This includes businesses involved in food agriculture, food manufacturing, food wholesaling, and food retailing. John Dunham & Associates conducted the research.

For Nebraska, the study found that direct jobs tied to the food and agriculture sectors equal 211,000 and grows to 630,000 jobs when supplier and other economic multiplier effects are considered. Total output from the food and agricultural sectors in Nebraska is $133 billion. The economic role agriculture and food sectors play Nebraska’s Congressional Districts are listed below.