POLK AGRICULTURE
Polk County Ag Statistics
Total Agricultural land – 626,634
acres
Number of Farms – 3,114
Ag Production impact – annual sales
$406 million, total jobs 11,038
Agribusiness impact – annual sales
$2.8 billion, total jobs 15,479
Food and Fiber- annual sales $4.5 billion,
total jobs 35,404
Aquaculture – 19 farms contributing
to no. 1 aquaculture commodity in Florida
Cattle – 100,000 head, 4th in state
Citrus – 95,050 acres, 1st in state
Forage – 21 tons produced annually
Honey - 59 farms, 2nd in state
Horticulture – over 1,000 acres
Sod - 11th in state
Green groves, open pastures and other agricultural lands
cover 52% of Polk County. There is a total of 626,634 acres
of agricultural land, the second highest amount in the state.
On this land there are 3,114 farms, with the average farm
being 201 acres.
The Agriculture industry has a huge impact on Polk County’s
economy. Food and fiber are Polk County’s second largest
industry. Annual food and fiber sales are $4.5 billion. Food
and fiber also provides 35,404 jobs. Annual sales of Ag production
on-farm are $406 million, and ag production creates 11,038
jobs. The annual sales in Polk County’s Agribusiness
industry are $2.8 billion. The agricultural services such
as caretaking, citrus processing and wholesale produce employ
15,479 people annually.
Aquaculture – Polk County contributes
to the number one commodity in aquaculture. Florida’s
tropical fish production is primarily located in Polk and
neighboring Hillsborough County, with 19 fish farms within
the county. Annually tropical fish sales bring over $40 million
for Florida.
Blueberries- Polk County and the surrounding
areas account for about 35% of Florida’s total blueberry
acreage.
Cattle Polk County is ranked 4th in the
state with 100,000 beef cattle and calves. The livestock
Industry in Polk County is primarily made up of cow-calf
operations supplying head for Midwest feedlots.
Citrus Polk County is ranked 1st in the
state in citrus production and commercial acreage producing
oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, tangelos, lemons, etc.
With a total of approximately 42.2 million boxes produced
from 11,147,700 trees covering 95,050 acres. The $878
million citrus industry employs approximately 8,000 people
in Polk County.
Forage There are 8,274 acres used for hay,
haylage, grass silage, and greenchop. Approximately 21 tons
are produced every year on 112 farms.
Honey Polk County is ranked 2nd in
honey production in the state, and Florida is ranked 3rd
in the nation in honey production. There are 14,856 colonies,
in 59 farms, producing an average 1,590,000 lbs. of honey
in Polk County.
Horticulture There are about 200 horticulture
operations on approximately 1,000 acres. Polk County’s
production plays a key role in Florida’s horticulture
industry. The state is ranked 2nd in the nation with greenhouse/nursery
sales of more than $1.6 billion.
Sod – Polk County is ranked 11th
in sod production in the state. Bahia, St. Augustine grasses,
Bermudagrasses and Empire Zoysia grasses are commonly grown
here in Polk County.
2005 Polk County Agriculture Economic
Impact Study Results >>
"Economic Contribution of
Agriculture to Polk County's Economy" a
study by J.A. Stricker (download
pdf) |
