Agriculture’s Economic Contribution in Iowa
Ever wondered how many jobs an industry contributes to your local economy? Decision Innovation Solutions produced a 2019 report which quantified the economic contributions of agriculture and other important industries to the state of Iowa and all 99 counties.
The report was an update of data provided in previous 2009 and 2014 reports. DIS developed customized models for each county in Iowa.
2009 Key Findings
According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, there were 92,856 Iowa farms in 2007. These farms included:
- 30,747,550 acres, or 86%, of Iowa’s land area
- The 2007 market value of land, buildings, and machinery averaged $1,258,794 per Iowa farm, (over 50% higher than in 2002)
- A combination of corn, soybeans, cattle, and hogs continue to account for nearly 90 percent of Iowa farm marketing receipts
- Iowa was first or second in the nation in annual sales for corn, soybeans, hogs, and eggs
- Iowa was the fourth largest marketer of cattle in the nation
- Iowa produced over one-fourth of the hogs sold in the nation
- Iowa grew nearly one-sixth of the soybeans sold in the nation
- Following California and Texas, Iowa is consistently the third largest producer of agriculture commodities (by value) in the nation
2014 Key Findings
In 2012, total production agriculture and ag-related industries accounted for $112.2 billion, or more than 33% of Iowa’s total output, for an increase of six percentage points above the 2007 estimates.
- Farming provides the base for a variety of agri-food industries, including food processing and the manufacture of farm machinery, chemicals and fertilizer
- Taking those jobs into account means that in 2012, production agriculture and ag-related industries accounted for 418,771 jobs, or 1 in every 5 Iowans
- Statewide output attributed to crop production and further processing is more than $47.2 billion and is responsible for 183,379 jobs
- Statewide output attributed to livestock production and further processing is just under $31.6 billion and is responsible for 122,764 jobs
- 37 of Iowa’s counties derive at least one half of their total output from ag and ag-related industries
- 35 of Iowa’s counties derive at least one third of their total jobs from ag and ag-related industries.
2019 Key Findings
In 2017, agriculture and related industries in Iowa are estimated to contribute:
- $39.7 billion in total value-added
o Total value-added decreased slightly from about $39.9 in the 2014 study. - 399,631 jobs which represents almost 20% of total Iowa jobs
o Total ag-related jobs have decreased from 418,771 in 2014. - $121.1 billion in output (sales)
o Total output has increased from $112.2 billion in 2014. - $22.2 billion in household income
o Household income declined slightly from $24.4 billion in the 2014 study.
Of the $39.7 billion in total value-added and 399,631 jobs from the agriculture industry and
related economic activity: - Crop production and related industries contributed:
o $11.1 billion in value-added
o 111,965 jobs which has declined from 183,379 in the 2014 study. - Livestock production and related industries contributed:
o $15.8 billion in value-added
o 185,985 jobs which has increased from 122,764 in the 2014 study. - Other agriculture and related industries contributed:
o $12.9 billion in value-added
o 101,681 jobs which has declined slightly from 112,627 in the 2014 study.