The Gross Domestic Product for agriculture, fishing and hunting in the United States totaled $125.4B in 2006. Farms contributed more than 75% at $95.7B, whereas forestry, fishing and related activities accounted for $26.7B.
2.1 million farms were operated in the US with an average size of 446 acres in 2006. Most of these farms are family owned. Almost 1.5m people were employed in the agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting sector. Farms employed 779,000 persons, and forestry, fishing and related activities offered 693,000 full-time and part-time jobs.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the top ten commodities for cash receipts in 2006 were cattle & calves, dairy products, corn, broilers, soybeans, greenhouse/nursery, hogs, wheat, cotton and hay.
Crop production*
10.50 B bushels 3.19 B bushels 1.81 billion bushels 466 m hundredweight 16.9 mm tons 1.59 m tons
Corn:
Soybeans:
All wheat:
Fresh market vegetables
and melons:
Noncitrus Fruits:
Tree nuts:
Livestock inventories*
97.0 m head 62.5 m head 6.19 m head 8.88 B head 261.9 m head
Cattle:
Hogs and pigs:
Sheep and lambs:
Broilers:
Turkeys:
Number of livestock operations*
971,400 762,880 75,140 65,540 69,090 1,035 604
Cattle and calve operations:
Beef cow operations:
Milk cow operations:
Hog and pig operations:
Breeding sheep operations:
Catfish operations:
Trout operations:
*US statistics for 2006; m = million, B = billion.
Sources: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2006 and 2007 Statistical Highlights;
Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce