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More than 40,000 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.

In 2000, Florida ranked 9th in the nation with total cash receipts of over 6.9 billion.

Rank

State

Cash Receipts
(1,000 dollars)

Percent of U.S.
Total

1 California $25,509,829 13.2
2 Texas 13,343,556 6.9
3 Iowa 10,774,252 5.6
4 Nebraska 8,951,881 4.6
5 Kansas 7,905,407 4.1
6 Minnesota 7,522,018 3.9
7 North Carolina 7,409,676 3.8
8 Illinois 7,022,330 3.6
9 Florida 6,951,096 3.6
10 Wisconsin 5,220,527 2.7

*Taken from "2002, Agricultural Fast Facts."

In 1997, Palm Beach County ranked 1st in total receipts, followed by Dade, Hillsborough, Hendry and Collier, respectively.

Counties Percent of State's Total
Receipts 		Million ($)
1. Palm Beach 14.5 872.9
2. Dade 6.9 416.5
3. Hillsborough 5.5 332.7
4. Hendry 5.4 323.4
5. Collier 4.6 276.9
Total   $6,004.6

*Taken from the "Florida State Fact Sheet", U.S.D.A. - Economics Research Service

In 2000, Florida ranked 1st in citrus, sugarcane, grapefruit, snap beans, cucumbers, sweet corn, tangerines and radishes; 2nd in greenhouse/nursery products, tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, watermelons, squash and avocados; and 4th in aquaculture, nationally.

Florida is the nation's leading producer of citrus fruit, principally oranges and grapefruit as well as limes and tangelos, accounting for 20% of Florida's total cash receipts.

Florida's total acreage, production and value of fresh market vegetables are exceeded only by those of California.  The state's special advantage is its ability to produce fresh vegetables fro northern markets during the winter and spring.

Commodity Florida Receipts
(1,000 dollars) 		U.S. Receipts
(1,000 dollars) 		Florida
Percent of U.S. 		Florida
National
Ranking
Greenhouse/Nursery 1,548,459 13,036,954 11.9 2
Oranges 1,396,858 2,051,739 68.1 1
Tomatoes 506,604 1,822,536 27.8 2
Sugarcane 442,114 914,224 48.4 1
Milk 383,604 20,621,983 1.9 13
Cattle/Calves 370,714 40,760,546 0.9 26
Bell Peppers 245,107 614,375 39.9 2
Broilers 226,625 13,953,196 1.6 18
Grapefruit 193,017 264,661 72.9 1
Strawberries 167,580 1,104,356 16.5 2
Snap Beans 121,902 151,399 80.5 1
Eggs 108,466 4,347,190 2.5 13
Cucumbers 106,675 403,623 26.4 1
Sweet Corn 105,432 701,600 15.0 1
Potatoes 87,679 2,469,362 3.6 11
Aquaculture 77,296 875,934 8.8 4
Tangerines 54,753 98,294 55.7 1
Peanuts 53,641 835,876 6.4 6
Watermelons 45,360 236,382 19.2 2
Squash 43,277 207,804 20.8 2
Cotton 27,938 4,554,630 0.6 16
Radishes 27,608 45,143 61.2 1
Tobacco 24,815 2,314,528 1.1 8
Cabbage 19,339 344,543 5.6 5
Hay 17,969 3,408,202 0.5 35
Avocados 15,826 373,800 4.1 2

*Taken from "2002 Agricultural Fast Facts"

Florida is ranked 12th nationally in number of beef cows and 3rd among States east of the Mississippi River.  Florida is ranked 4th nationally in the number of herds with more than 500 brood cows.  Florida has four of the nation's 15 largest ranges including the largest, with more than 35,000 brood cows on more than 300,000 acres.

Florida ranks 13th nationally in cash receipts for milk, 15th nationally in milk production, and 13th in the number of dairy cows.  Okeechobee remains the major milk-producing county in Florida with 21 dairies and 32,000 cows producing 61 million gallons of milk.

Florida ranks 18th in the number of broilers on farms.  Florida's poultry farms currently maintain an average of 10.5 million layers, producing over 2.7 billion eggs and approximately 120 million broilers.

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