A Bountiful Harvest: SLC States and the 2012 Census of Agriculture

THE SOUTHERN OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTSP.O. Box 98129 | Atlanta, Georgia 30359

ph: 404/633-1866 | fx: 404/633-4896 | www.slcatlanta.orgSERVING THE SOUTH

Southern LegiSLative ConferenCe

of

the CounCiL of State

governmentSLauren Greer Policy AnalystSouthern Legislative ConferenceJanuary 2015

A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST:SLC STATES AND THE 2012 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREA REGIONAL RESOURCE FROM THE SLC

Copyright January 2015

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Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution re-quires representatives and direct taxes to be apportioned among the states based on their respective populations, with the enumera-tion of such being conducted every 10 years. Following the American Revolution, the first census of the Unit-ed States was conducted in 1790. As part of the decennial census in 1820, U.S. marshals began to ask how many people in each household were engaged in agricultural pursuits.1 In 1840, marshals began using a separate cen-sus schedule to collect agriculture-related data. Although the Census of Agriculture (hereinafter referred to as the Census) remained part of the decennial census until 1950, a separate mid-decade agriculture census began in 1925. While the quinquennial schedule has varied over the years, the Census has been conducted at least once every five years since 1925. From 1954 to 1974, the Cen-sus was conducted on years ending in 4 and 9. 2 In 1982, the U.S. Census Bureau implemented the current sched-ule and began conducting the Census on years ending in 2 and 7 to coincide with the Economic Census and the Census of Governments.3

The 1997 Census marked the first time it was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agricultures National Agri-cultural Statistics Service (NASS), rather than the U.S. Census Bureau and its predecessors.4 The NASS began releasing data in May 2014 from the most recent Cen-

sus, which was conducted in 2012.5 The 2012 Census marks the third Census of this century, with prior cen-suses conducted in 2002 and 2007. Although the country as a whole has shifted away from agricultural pursuits, the South remains a largely agrarian region. As the on-ly source of uniform and comprehensive agriculture data for every state and county in the nation, the Census provides the most detailed picture of U.S. farms and the people who operate them.6 For this reason, the Census remains an important resource for SLC states.

Results from the Census are used by a wide range of stakeholders for various reasons. According to Loui-siana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner, Mike Strain, government and policymakers use the data to make informed decisions about how new programs and policies will affect the industry.7 Agribusiness com-panies use the data to make decisions about where to market their products, while lenders and insurance companies use this information in risk management calculations.8 Other uses for census data include, but are not limited to, community planning, conservation planning, resource management, and for making deci-sions about production, market demands, and funding priorities.

This Regional Resource from The Council of State Gov-ernments Southern Office, the Southern Legislative

2 A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST: SLC STATES AND THE 2012 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE

Table 1 State of SLC Farms

StateTotal Farms Total Acres of Farmland

2007 2012 Change 2007 2012 Change

Alabama 48,753 43,223 -11 % 9,033,537 8,902,645 -1 %

Arkansas 49,346 45,071 -9 % 13,872,862 13,810,786 -.45 %

Florida 47,463 47,740 +1 % 9,231,570 9,548,342 +3 %

Georgia 47,846 42,257 -12 % 10,150,539 9,620,836 -5 %

Kentucky 85,260 77,064 -10 % 13,993,121 13,049,347 -7 %

Louisiana 30,106 28,093 -7 % 8,109,975 7,900,864 -3 %

Mississippi 41,959 38,076 -9 % 11,456,241 10,931,080 -5 %

Missouri 107,825 99,171 -8 % 29,026,573 28,226,137 -3 %

North Carolina 52,913 50,218 -5 % 8,474,671 8,414,756 -1 %

Oklahoma 86,565 80,245 -7 % 35,087,269 34,356,110 -2 %

South Carolina 25,867 25,266 -2 % 4,889,339 4,971,244 +2 %

Tennessee 79,280 68,050 -14 % 10,969,798 10,867,812 -1 %

Texas 247,437 248,809 +1 % 130,398,753 130,153,438 -.19 %

Virginia 47,383 46,030 -3 % 8,103,925 8,302,444 +2 %

West Virginia 23,618 21,489 -9 % 3,697,606 3,606,674 -2 %

SLC Total 1,021,621 960,802 -6% 306,495,779.00 302,662,515.00 -1%

U.S. Total 2,204,792 2,109,303 -4% 922,095,840.00 914,527,657.00 -1%

Conference (SLC), analyzes the economic contributions agriculture makes to our national and regional econo-mies and highlights some of the commodities for which the 15 SLC member states make the largest contribu-tions. Finally, the source of who is providing the labor that makes agriculture possible is examined.

Economic Contributions of the Agriculture Sector In 2012, agriculture and agriculture-related sectors con-tributed $775.8 billion to the nations gross domestic product (GDP), or 4.8 percent of the total GDP. Out-put on farms represented $166.9 billion of that total, or about 1 percent of the total GDP. The total agriculture GDP contribution includes more than just farm output, when accounting for the value added by agriculture-related activities and sectors that rely on agricultural inputs.9 An important component of the total agricul-ture GDP contribution is agricultural exports. In 2012, the agriculture export sector contributed $141.3 billion to the national economy. Although this represents on-ly a small portion of total U.S. exports, a rising demand

for the nations commodities has contributed to a 165.8 percent growth in agriculture exports since 2002.10

State of SLC Farms The Census defines a farm as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year. Between 2007 and 2012, 34 states reported a reduction in the total number of farms, including 13 of the 15 SLC states.* Among SLC member states, only Florida and Texas reported having more farms in 2012 than in 2007. More than half of SLC member states ex-perienced a significant decrease in total farms.11 During the same period, Florida, South Carolina, and Virginia reported an increase in total acres of farmland, despite South Carolina and Virginia reporting a reduction in to-tal farms.

* Statistical information related to this SLC publication is extracted from the 2007 and 2012 Census of Agriculture produced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agriculture Statistics Servic-es. 2012 is the most recent census data available. The next Census of Agriculture will be conducted in 2017.

A BOUNTIFUL HARVEST: SLC STATES AND THE 2012 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE 3

Table 2Crop and Livestock Sales

StateMarket Value of Products Sold

2007 2012 Percent Change

Alabama $4,415,550,000 $5,571,173,000 26%

Arkansas $7,508,806,000 $9,775,758,000 30%

Florida $7,785,220,000 $7,701,532,000 -1%

Georgia $7,112,866,000 $9,255,125,000 30%

Kentucky $4,824,561,000 $5,067,334,000 5%

Louisiana $2,617,981,000 $3,809,401,000 46%

Mississippi $4,876,781,000 $6,441,025,000 32%

Missouri $7,512,926,000 $9,164,886,000 22%

North Carolina $10,313,628,000 $12,588,142,000 22%

Oklahoma $5,806,061,000 $7,129,584,000 23%

South Carolina $2,352,681,000 $3,040,069,000 29%

Tennessee $2,617,394,000 $3,611,037,000 38%

Texas $21,001,074,000 $25,375,581,000 21%

Virginia $2,906,188,000 $3,753,287,000 29%

West Virginia $591,665,000 $806,775,000 36%

SLC Total $92,243,382,000 $113,090,709,000 23%

U.S. Total $297,220,491,000 $394,644,481,000 33%

Table 3SLC Placement in Commodity Rankings

State Top Commodity Category by Value of SalesPercent of

Total Sales

Alabama Poultry and Eggs 65.1%

Arkansas Grains, Oilseeds, Dry Beans, and Dry Peas 43.1%

Florida Fruits, Tree Nuts, and Berries 24.0%

Georgia Poultry and Eggs 51.6%

Kentucky Grains, Oilseeds, Dry Beans, and Dry Peas 32.7%

Louisiana Grains, Oilseeds, Dry Beans, and Dry Peas 48.1%

Mississippi Poultry and Eggs 42.6%

Missouri Grains, Oilseeds, Dry Beans, and Dry Peas 42.8%

North Carolina Poultry and Eggs 38.4%

Oklahoma Cattle and Calves 47.7%

South Carolina Poultry and Eggs 48.6%

Tennessee Grains, Oilseeds, Dry Beans, and Dry Peas 36.0%

Texas Cattle and Calves 47.7%

Virginia Poultry and Eggs 30.9%

West Virginia Poultry and Eggs 49.8%

United States Grains, Oilseeds, Dry Beans, and Dry Peas 33.2%

The average farm size for SLC states in 2012 was 252 acres, up from 238 acres in 2007. Texas had the largest farms with an average of 523 acres, while Tennessee had the smallest farms, which averaged 160 acres. In nine of the SLC member states, the most common use of farm-land in 2012 was for cropland. The predominant use of farmland in the six remaining SLC states was as wood-land (Alabama, South Carolina, and West Virginia) or pastureland (Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas.)

Despite being one of only two SLC states reporting more farms and farmland in 2012, Florida was the only SLC state to report a reduction in the market value of prod-ucts sold. Conversely, the 14 remaining SLC states, only one of which reported having more farms and farmland, recorded an average gain of 24.5 percent in the total market value of products sold. Louisiana had the larg-est gain at 46 percent and Kentucky had the smallest at 5

percent, which was the only single digit gain among the SLC states reporting gains. Nationally, Texas remained in the top 10 for total number of farms (248,809), total agriculture sales ($25.38 billion), total crop sales ($7.37 billion), and total livestock sales ($18.01 billion). North Carolina remained in the top 10 nationally for total ag-riculture sales ($12.59 billion), while North Carolina and Georgia remained in the top 10 for total livestock sales, with $8.29 billion and $5.58 billion, respectively.12

According to the Census, both crop and livestock sales reached record levels in 2012, contributing to the high-est value of agriculture sales ever recorded in the United States.13 For the same year, the value of crop sales ex-ceeded that of livestock sales, which has only occurred in one other Census, 1974.14 Grains, oilseeds, dry beans, and dry peas was the top commodity category by val-ue of sale in the United States, representing 33.2 percent


2012 U.S. Rank (out of 19) SLC State

Total Tobacco Production (lbs.)


Tobacco Sales ($1,000)

1 North Carolina 391,710,625 1 North Carolina $732,772

2 Kentucky 183,904,938 2 Kentucky $356,603

3 Virginia 53,179,801 3 Tennessee $108,224

4 Tennessee 49,576,260 4 Virginia $100,901

5 South Carolina 25,920,734 5 South Carolina $47,984

6 Georgia 22,710,058 7 Georgia $39,656

12 Missouri 789,837 13 Florida $1,411

14 Florida 779,900 15 Missouri $1,375

17 West Virginia 112,308 D Alabama D

D Alabama D* D West Virginia D

SLC Total 9/10 states 728,684,461 SLC Total 8/10 states $1,388,926

U.S. Total 17/19 states 766,609,252 U.S. Total 16/19 states $1,491,208* D indicates that the information has been withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations. This figure indicates the total number of states for which data is included in the reported total and the overall total number of states producing or selling that commodity in the SLC or United States. No tobacco production was reported in 2012 by Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, or Texas. No tobacco sales were reported in 2012 by Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, or Texas.

Table 4 Tobacco Production and Sales

Curving Tobacco Rows, photo courtesy of Universal Pops (David) via flickr Creative Commons License


Cotton picking machinery, photo courtesy of faungg via flickr Creative Commons License

of total sales. However, it only ranked first in five SLC states, while poultry and egg sales ranked first in seven.

SLC Placement in Commodity Rankings As reported by the 2012 Census and many census-es prior, the Southern region has been a significant contributor to livestock and field crop commodity markets. In the 2012, SLC states continued to hold the top rankings for multiple commodities in production and total market value of sales. While the following information does not encompass every commodity in which SLC states rank highly, it includes a variety of crops and livestock for which multiple SLC states con-tinuously make significant contributions.

TobaccoIn 2012, national sales of tobacco ($1.49 billion) were up almost 18 percent over 2007 sales ($1.27 billion), de-spite a 1.5 percent decline in tobacco production over the same period, 766.6 million pounds in 2012, and 778.3 million pounds in 2007. Comparatively, national pro-duction of tobacco experienced only a small decline, less than 1 percent, between 2012 and 2007, with 728.65 million pounds and 735.78 million pounds, respective-ly, while SLC tobacco sales reportedly increased more than 21 percent from 2007 to 2012, with $1.143 bil-lion and $1.389 billion, respectively. More than half of all tobacco-producing states in the country are in the The total market value of agriculture products sold represents the total value of products sold plus payments from various gov-ernment programs. The total value of products sold includes both products that were and were not sold under a production contract.

Southern region, with SLC states holding the top six spots for tobacco production and the top five spots for tobacco sales in all three censuses this century. North Carolina and Kentucky maintain the top two spots, respectively, in each category. In 2012, 95 percent of tobacco produced in the United States was produced in SLC states, with 51 percent produced in North Carolina alone. The total market value of tobacco sales in North Carolina was more than $732 million in 2012.

CottonThe 2012 Census reported that national cotton, lint, and seed sales ($6.14 billion) rose by 25 percent over 2007 sales ($4.9 billion), despite a more than 12 per-cent reduction in total cotton production, with 16.53 million bales produced in 2012, and 18.9 billion bales in 2007. Similarly, SLC states reported a 26 percent increase in the value of cotton, lint, and seed sales, with $5.2 billion in 2012, and $4.12 billion in 2007, and a 13 percent decrease in cotton production, with 14.59 million bales produced in 2012, and 16.81 mil-lion bales in 2007. The SLC region continued to be the largest contributor in the cotton market. In 2012, 88 percent of all cotton produced in the United States emerged from SLC states. For the third consecutive Census, Texas was the top cotton-producing state in the country, accounting for more than 28 percent of total production. Texas and Georgia accounted for al-most half of all cotton produced in 2012. Likewise, SLC states accounted for more than 84 percent of cot-ton, lint, and seed sales in 2012, with 43 percent from Texas and Georgia alone.


Table 6 Rice Production and Sales2012 U.S. Rank

(out of 10) SLC StateRice Production

(cwt*)2012 U.S. Rank

(out of 10) SLC State Rice Sales ($1,000)

1 Arkansas 96,847,596 1 Arkansas $1,314,526

3 Louisiana 25,490,218 2 Louisiana $363,783

4 Missouri 12,206,338 3 Missouri $151,731

5 Mississippi 9,315,302 4 Texas $136,187

6 Texas 8,792,098 5 Mississippi $131,278

7 Tennessee 53,411 7 Florida $12,577

D Florida D 13 South Carolina D

D South Carolina D 15 Tennessee D


U.S. Total 7/10 states 200,239,288 U.S. Total 7/10 states $2,895,121* A hundredweight (cwt) is a unit of measurement used for measuring certain commodities that is equal to 100 pounds. No rice production was reported in 2012 by Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, or West Virginia. No rice sales were reported in 2012 by Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, or West Virginia.

Table 5 Cotton Production and Sales2012 U.S. Rank

(out of 17) SLC StateProduction:

Cotton, All (bales*)2012 U.S. Rank

(out of 17) SLC StateSales: Cotton, Lint,

and Seed ($1,000)

1 Texas 4,760,737 1 Texas $1,618,671

2 Georgia 2,719,600 2 Georgia $1,041,440

3 Arkansas 1,253,037 4 Arkansas $445,812

5 North Carolina 1,134,034 5 North Carolina $403,366

6 Mississippi 979,534 6 Mississippi $367,847

7 Missouri 721,705 7 Alabama $254,506

8 Alabama 710,958 8 Tennessee $253,428

9 Tennessee 701,581 9 Missouri $248,631

10 South Carolina 587,589 11 South Carolina $213,796

12 Louisiana 476,370 12 Louisiana $159,592

13 Florida 202,008 13 Florida $73,256

14 Virginia 191,513 14 Virginia $67,875

15 Oklahoma 153,250 15 Oklahoma $51,851


U.S. Total 17/17 states 16,534,302 U.S. Total 15/17 states $6,137,649* A bale of cotton weighs approximately 480 pounds. Lint is the raw fiber from the cotton plant that is pressed into bales at the cotton gin. No cotton production was reported in 2012 by Kentucky or West Virginia. No cotton, lint, or seed sales were reported in 2012 by Kentucky or West Virginia.


Rice grown at the Fisher Delta Research Center, photo courtesy of Kyle Spradley of the University of Missouri via flickr Creative Commons License

South Farm Research Center, photo courtesy of University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources

RiceNationally, rice production in 2012 (200 million cwt) was only slightly higher than in 2007 (198 million cwt). Despite stagnant production, the value of rice sales na-tionally rose by 43 percent in 2012 ($2.9 billion) over 2007 ($2.02 billion). Comparatively, SLC states produced about 2 percent less rice in 2012 (152.7 million cwt) than in 2007 (155.4 million cwt), but experienced a 39 percent increase in sales, with $2.11 billion in 2012, and $1.52 bil-lion in 2007. The SLC region has continued to be the largest producer of rice, with 76 percent of total 2012 rice production occurring in SLC states. For the third time this century, Arkansas surfaced as the top rice-pro-ducing state in the country, accounting for 48 percent of all rice produced in 2012. Likewise, Arkansas continues to rank first in total value of rice sales, contributing al-most 73 percent in 2012.

Cattle & CalvesNationally, the Census reported cattle sales were down more than 5 percent in 2012 ($69.76 million) compared to 2007 ($74.07 million). For SLC states, that decline was even sharper, with cattle sales nearly 10 percent less in 2012 ($24.04 million) than in 2007 ($26.66 mil-lion). For the third consecutive Census, Texas held the


Table 10 Peanut Sales2012 U.S. Rank

(out of 17) SLC StateTotal Peanut

Production (lbs.)

1 Georgia 3,236,937,533

2 Alabama 834,701,569

3 Florida 751,180,406

4 Texas 547,106,308

5 North Carolina 415,209,198

6 South Carolina 413,287,984

7 Mississippi 212,203,138

8 Virginia 81,182,563

9 Oklahoma 76,497,464

10 Arkansas 59,109,271

12 Louisiana 13,511,146

14 Tennessee 30,860

D Kentucky D

D Missouri D

SLC Total 12/14 states* 6,640,957,440

U.S. Total 14/17 states 6,659,755,913

* No peanut production was reported by West Virginia for 2012.


Poultry & Egg Sales ($1,000)

1 North Carolina $4,837,0262 Georgia $4,773,837 3 Arkansas $4,011,725 4 Alabama $3,624,852 5 Mississippi $2,744,048 6 Texas $2,624,759 8 South Carolina $1,476,817 9 Missouri $ 1,441,676 14 Virginia $ 1,161,564 15 Kentucky $1,107,452 16 Oklahoma $961,302 20 Louisiana $574,239 21 Tennessee $552,015 24 West Virginia $401,439 25 Florida $378,453

SLC Total 15/15 States $30,671,204U.S. Total 47/50 States $42,751,468

Table 9 Poultry Sales

Table 8 Broiler Sales2012 U.S. Rank

(out of 50) SLC StateSales:

Broiler (head)1 Georgia 1,369,162,9432 Alabama 1,001,776,9073 Arkansas 975,950,9734 North Carolina 801,883,0375 Mississippi 761,180,4866 Texas 600,353,7977 Kentucky 305,383,43410 Missouri 272,389,49711 Virginia 237,669,37812 South Carolina 225,882,95014 Oklahoma 211,214,93016 Tennessee 165,803,44517 Louisiana 151,933,58618 West Virginia 93,749,08120 Florida 58,644,898

SLC Total 15/15 States 7,232,979,342U.S. Total 48/50 States 8,463,194,794

Table 7 Cattle Sales (including calves)2012 U.S. Rank

(out of 50) SLC StateSales: Cattle and

Calves (head)1 Texas 10,784,1166 Oklahoma 3,255,6759 Missouri 2,297,98514 Kentucky 1,293,30217 Tennessee 960,68218 Arkansas 954,43323 Florida 860,42924 Virginia 845,38131 Alabama 612,86332 Georgia 537,08933 Mississippi 458,56135 North Carolina 435,41136 Louisiana 364,43638 West Virginia 250,07339 South Carolina 134,445

SLC Total 15/15 states 24,044,881U.S. Total 50/50 states 69,759,776


Photo courtesy of the Georgia Peanut Commission

top ranking for sales of cattle, including calves, as mea-sured by head and market value ($13 billion). In 2012, Texas accounted for 15 percent of cattle and calves sold nationally, with other SLC states contributing an addi-tional 19 percent.

BroilersThe most recent Census reported that the number of broilers sold in 2012 was roughly 5 percent less than in 2007, both nationally and in SLC member states. SLC states continued to hold the largest share of the market for broiler sales, with the top six rankings in each of the last three censuses. In 2012, SLC states accounted for 85 percent of broilers sold in the United States. Further-more, for the third Census in a row, Georgia was the top state for broiler sales. More than one-quarter of all broil-ers sold in 2012 originated in either Georgia or Alabama.

Poultry & EggsThe 2012 Census reported the national total market val-ue of poultry and egg sales was 15 percent higher in 2012 than in 2007, with sales totaling $42.75 billion and $37.07 Broilers are young chickens produced for meat.

billion, respectively. For the third consecutive Census, SLC states held the top six spots for total market value of poultry and egg sales, representing 53 percent of total market value, a sizeable portion of the 50-state domes-tic market. Additionally, the combined market value of sales for all 15 SLC states accounted for nearly 72 per-cent of total sales in 2012. Since 2002, North Carolina has risen from third to first in poultry and egg sales, overtaking Georgia in 2012, which held the top ranking in the prior two censuses.

Peanuts As reported by the Census, 2012 was a record-setting year for the peanut crop in the United States.15 Fol-lowing a shortage of peanuts in 2011, farmers planted more peanut acreage in 2012, which contributed to 35 percent more acres harvested in 2012 (1.6 million) than in 2007 (1.2 million). In conjunction, record yields per acre resulted in an 80 percent increase in peanut pro-duction between 2007 (3.7 billion pounds) and 2012 (6.7 billion pounds).

The Southern region has perennially been the larg-est producer of peanuts in the United States. This trend continued in 2012, as SLC states represented 14 of the 17 states in the country that reported peanut production; in fact, West Virginia was the only SLC state that did not report any peanut production during the year. In every Census this century, SLC states have held the top sev-en spots for volume of peanut production, with Georgia maintaining the top rank. More than 99 percent of the 6.7 billion pounds of peanuts produced in the United States in 2012 originated in SLC states.

Farm Labor Despite advances in technology and the increased use of machinery, human capital remains one of the most important components of the agriculture sector. Ex-panding upon statistics provided in previous censuses, the 2012 Census introduced two new data points re-lated to farm labor. The first point of new data reports the total number of unpaid farm workers, whereas pre-viously, only the total number of hired farm workers was reported. The second point of data new to the 2012 Census is the actual number of hired or contracted mi-grants working on U.S. farms. Previous Census data only included the total number of farms with hired or contracted migrant workers.


SLC State

Migrant Workers:

Farms with Hired Labor

Migrant Workers:

Farms Reporting only Contract Labor

Total Migrant

Workers

Alabama 1,712 320 2,032

Arkansas 1,241 117 1,358

Florida 38,192 5,650 43,842

Georgia 14,412 1,101 15,513

Kentucky 8,448 2,372 10,820

Louisiana 3,758 183 3,941

Mississippi 1,908 312 2,220

Missouri 2,134 47 2,181

North Carolina 25,082 2,022 27,104

Oklahoma 754 104 858

South Carolina 5,021 114 5,135

Tennessee 4,177 594 4,771

Texas 3,760 1,155 4,915

Virginia 4,889 252 5,141

West Virginia 668 69 737

SLC Total 116,156 14,412 130,568

U.S. Total 401,653 34,917 436,570

Table 12 Migrant WorkersTable 11 Hired and Unpaid Farm Labor

SLC State

Hired Farm

Labor- Workers

Unpaid Workers

Total Workers

Alabama 32,948 42,969 75,917Arkansas 33,104 43,305 76,409Florida 107,192 47,526 154,718Georgia 51,156 37,675 88,831Kentucky 68,586 76,822 145,408Louisiana 26,632 28,436 55,068Mississippi 32,307 34,033 66,340Missouri 56,543 89,614 146,157North Carolina 78,012 48,608 126,620Oklahoma 51,119 83,961 135,080South Carolina 23,398 24,548 47,946Tennessee 42,737 67,735 110,472Texas 160,392 259,072 419,464Virginia 46,561 48,244 94,805West Virginia 10,153 26,567 36,720SLC Total 820,840 959,115 1,779,955U.S. Total 2,736,417 2,062,011 4,798,428

Migrant workers carefully choose and cutoff yellow squash at Kirby Farms in Mechanicsville, Virginia. Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Agriculture

Missouri, and Oklahoma reporting the highest number of unpaid workers, respectively. Only 30 percent of all hired workers reported were attributed to SLC states.

Migrant Farm Labor In 2012, more than 436,000 migrant workers were report-ed on 22,271 farms in the United States. Under the Census, a migrant farm worker is defined as a farm worker whose

Hired and Unpaid Farm LaborAccording to the 2012 Census, 566,469 farms in the Unit-ed States reported more than 2.7 million workers as hired, farm labor. This labor force accounted for a national pay-roll of nearly $27 billion. Comparatively, more than 2 million unpaid workers were reported during this same period. An unpaid worker is defined as an agricultural worker not on the payroll who performed activities or work on a farm or a ranch. Almost 47 percent of these unpaid workers were in the SLC states, with Texas,


employment requires travel that prevents the worker from returning to his or her permanent place of residence the same day.16 The Census numbers reported for migrant workers do not distinguish between migrant workers who permanently reside in the United States and those with permanent residency in another country. California reported the highest number of migrant workers, with 131,457, which is more than all 15 SLC states combined.

ConclusionThe 2015 legislative session will be the first opportu-nity SLC lawmakers will have to use this most recent data to inform their decisions and policies relative to agriculture-related issues. Just as Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture use this data to make determi-nations about where their dollars might make the most impact, state lawmakers could glean ideas about which areas present the most potential for growth and high-est returns on investment. Likewise, the data may allow state lawmakers to see some of the effects from previous decisions and dollars on their states agriculture industry.

A stable and productive system of agriculture is nec-essary to provide for a growing world population.

Endnotes1. United States Census Bureau, Agriculture FAQs: When was

the first census of agriculture?, https://www.census.gov/history/www/faqs/agriculture_faqs/when_was_the_first_census_of_agriculture.html (accessed September 18, 2014).

2. United States Census Bureau, Agriculture FAQs: When is the census of agriculture?, https://www.census.gov/history/www/faqs/agriculture_faqs/when_is_the_census_of_agriculture.html (accessed September 18, 2014).

3. Ibid.4. United States Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/econ/www/

agrimenu.html (accessed September 18, 2014).5. United States Department of Agriculture, 2012

Census Publications, http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/#full_report (accessed September 18, 2014).

6. About the Census http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/About_the_Census/ (accessed November 21, 2014)

7. The Many Uses of the Census of Agriculture #05.14, USDA Radio, May 2014, http://audioarchives.oc.usda.gov/radnewsfeaturedetail.asp?ID=4445&Player=real (accessed November 21, 2014).

8. Ibid. 9. USDA Economic Research Services, Ag and Food Statistics,

http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/ag-and-food-sectors-and-the-economy.aspx#.VBslwvk8DzY (accessed September 19, 2014).

10. CanagaRenta, Sujit M., U.S. Agriculture Exports Latest Trends, June 2014, http://www.slcatlanta.org/Publications/EconDev/AgExports.pdf (accessed October 30, 2014).

11. United States Department of Agriculture, 2012 Census of Agriculture, Preliminary Report Highlights, U.S. Farms and Farmers, February 2014, http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Preliminary_Report/Highlights.pdf (accessed September 30, 2014).

12. Ibid. 13. 2012 Census Highlights, Farm Economics-Record high

agriculture sales; income and expenses both up, May 2014, http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Online_Resources/Highlights/Farm_Economics/ (accessed December 10, 2014).

14. Ibid.15. AgFax, Peanut Production Made Huge Jump in 2012, USDA

reports,) http://agfax.com/2012/11/21/peanut/ (accessed October 9, 2014).

16. 2012 Census of Agriculture, Appendix B: General Explanation and Census of Agriculture Report Form, http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2012/Full_Report/Volume_1,_Chapter_1_US/usappxb.pdf (accessed October 6, 2014)

17. Smallville, USA, Fades Further, The Wall Street Journal, March 27, 2014, http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303325204579463761632103386 (accessed October 8, 2014)

Beyond those policies directly related to agriculture, policymakers might wish to examine the potential incidental affects other decisions might have on the industry, including, but not limited to, the impact im-migration policies, both state and federal, have on the source of available and competent farm labor; whether education policies provide the knowledge and tech-nical skills for training an adequate workforce; the benefits and burdens of environmental and water con-servation policies on farm operations; and the impact of larger corporate entities on the existence of smaller family farms.

With younger generations of Americans moving in large numbers to our nations urban areas,17 the Census of Agriculture provides a comprehensive reminder of the contributions rural and agricultural America make to our nations economy, food supply, and labor mar-ket. Moreover, the Census paints a vivid portrait of the vital role our Southern region plays in the Ameri-can economy. As the top producer of many of the basic staples in our everyday lives, the impact of SLC agri-culture extends far beyond our regional and national borders.

THE SOUTHERN OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS

REGIONAL VIEW NATIONAL REACH

This report was prepared by Policy Analyst Lauren Greer for the Agriculture & Rural Development Committee of the Southern Leg-islative Conference (SLC) of The Council of State Governments (CSG), under the chairmanship of Rep-resentative Andy Anders of Louisiana. This report reflects the body of policy research made available to appointed and elected officials by the Southern Office.

The Southern Office of The Council of State Governments, located in Atlanta, Georgia, fosters and encourages inter-governmental cooperation among its 15 member states. In large measure, this is achieved through the ongoing work of the standing committees of its Southern Legisla-tive Conference and supporting groups. Through member outreach in state capitols, policy research, international member delegations, staff exchange programs, meetings

and fly-ins, staff support state policymakers and legislative staff in their work to build a stronger region.

Founded in 1947, the SLC is a member-driven organization and the largest of four regional legislative groups operating under CSG and comprises the states of Alabama, Arkan-sas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The SLCs six standing committees provide a forum which allows policymakers to share knowledge in their area of ex-pertise with colleagues from across the South. By working together within the SLC and participating on its commit-tees, Southern state legislative leaders are able to speak in a distinctive, unified voice while addressing issues that affect their states and the entire region.

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A Bountiful Harvest: SLC States and the 2012 Census of Agriculture

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