Commissioner D. Leslie TindalAgriculture has always been a vital part of South Carolina's economy. Ours was the first state to plant rice, indigo, and tea and the first to can tomato juice, defoliate cotton, and establish an operating cotton mill. But, today, agriculture flourishes in a diversity of forms in the Palmetto State.
We have vast fields of cotton, tobacco, soybeans, and other row crops; peaches, watermelons, and tomatoes as well as other luscious fresh fruits and vegetables; a booming blooming business in the ornamental horticulture and floriculture industries; and a livestock industry which includes beef, pork, poultry, and horses as well as non-traditional animals like ostriches, emus, and rheas.
But, agriculture in South Carolina and in the nation is not simply the production of food and fiber. It is an integral part of every product derived from the raw materials produced on the farm. It includes all the industries which support agriculture and all of those which use its products. Agriculture not only provides profit for farmers but along with agribusiness, it also generates revenue through various other businesses for us all to buy food, clothes, cars, houses, and everything else that is needed for our health and well-being. We, farmer and non-farmer, are all agriculturally dependent.
Out of the 20 million total land acres in South Carolina, there are about 17.5 million acres in farm land and commercial forests. Like every other state in the nation, we have fewer farms in South Carolina today, but our farms continue to get larger and more productive. Cash receipts for agriculture and forestry average about $2 billion per year and the overall economic impact is 25% of the Gross State Product. Eighteen percent of all the jobs in South Carolina or over 345,000 people earn a living from agriculture and agribusiness. And, the total value added is about $6.9 billion.
I salute all involved in South Carolina's family of agriculture as they continue to produce the best quality products available. By paying close attention to the little details, our producers and processors, retailers and wholesalers, and everyone in the business of agriculture make our state's products uniquely ours---products that represent South Carolina and our southern heritage.
I encourage you to continue to browse through our web site and come back to visit us often. We hope that you will become as excited and energized as we are about our state's agriculture. So, join us and surf our site to see "South Carolina Quality" at its best!