In 2005, Florida had 42,500 commercial farms, utilizing 10 million acres to continue to produce a variety of food products.
Florida ranked first in the United States for sales of snap beans, fresh market tomatoes, cucumbers for fresh market, cucumbers for pickles, bell peppers, squash and watermelons.
Florida also ranked first in the United States in the value of production of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and sugarcane for sugar and seed.
Florida ranked second in the United States in sales of greenhouse and nursery products, sweet corn and strawberries.
Florida ranked fourth in value of production of honey.
In 2005 Florida accounted for:
-- 56 percent of the total U.S. value of production for oranges ($843 million)
-- 52 percent of the total U.S. value of production for grapefruit ($208 million)
-- 53 percent of the total U.S. value of production for tangerines ($68.4 million)
-- 53 percent of the total U.S. value of production for sugarcane for sugar and seed ($433 million as of 2004)
-- 49 percent of the total U.S. value of sales for fresh market tomatoes ($805 million)
-- 44 percent of the total U.S. value of sales for bell peppers ($213 million)
-- 31 percent of the total U.S. value of sales for cucumbers for fresh market ($73.7 million)
-- 31 percent of the total U.S. value of sales for watermelons ($127 million)
Farms and Land in Farms
Florida had 42,500 commercial farms in 2005, using a total of 10,000,000 acres. There were 6,300 farms with sales exceeding $100,000. The average farm size was just under 235 acres. The number of farms in Florida has remained fairly stable over the past 10 years.
| Year | Total Number of Farms | Total Acres | Average Farm Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 45,000 | 10,700,000 | 237.8 |
| 1997 | 45,000 | 10,600,000 | 235.6 |
| 1998 | 45,000 | 10,500,000 | 233.3 |
| 1999 | 45,000 | 10,500,000 | 233.3 |
| 2000 | 44,000 | 10,400,000 | 236.4 |
| 2001 | 44,000 | 10,300,000 | 234.1 |
| 2002 | 44,000 | 10,300,000 | 234.1 |
| 2003 | 44,000 | 10,200,000 | 231.8 |
| 2004 | 43,200 | 10,100,000 | 234.0 |
| 2005 | 42,500 | 10,000,000 | 235.0 |
Cash Receipts
Nationally Florida ranks second in the value of vegetables and melon production, with cash receipts of $1.4 billion, third in fruit and nuts with receipts of $1.5 billion, fifth in all crops with receipts of $5.4 billion, and 10th in total cash receipts.
| Commodity | 2004 Receipts | Percent of Total |
|---|---|---|
| All Commodities | $6,843,731,000 | 100.00 |
| Citrus | $1,242,029,000 | 18.15 |
| Other Fruits and Nuts | $236,728,000 | 3.94 |
| Vegetables and Melons | $1,446,654,000 | 21.14 |
| Field Crops | $704,711,000 | 10.30 |
| Foliage and Floriculture | $825,672,000 | 12.06 |
| Aquatic Plants | $20,000,000 | 0.29 |
| Other Crops and Products | $850,801,000 | 12.43 |
| Milk | $431,616,000 | 6.31 |
| Cattle and Calves | $443,145,000 | 6.48 |
| Poultry and Eggs | $399,108,000 | 5.44 |
| Aquaculture | $68,539,000 | 1.00 |
| Miscellaneous Livestock | $141,818,000 | 2.06 |
Horticulture
In 2005, the wholesale value of Florida foliage plants was almost $500 million. Florida leads the nation in sales of potted foliage for indoor use and foliage hanging baskets with sales of $499.7 million during 2005. Florida also remains the nation’s leader in sales of cut cultivated greens among the 36 states surveyed. Florida sales of all cut greens during 2005 totaled about $78 million, 75 percent of the value for all cut greens sold in the 36 states surveyed.
Vegetables, Melons and Berries
The 2004-2005 value of production and harvested acreage for the seven major vegetable crops, potatoes, berries and watermelons totaled $1,893,183,000 and 219,900, respectively. Production value was up15 percent from the 2003-2004 value of $1,650,000,000 and harvested acreage was down 64,300 acres (or 23 percent) at 219,900, from the 284,200 acres from the 2003-2004 season. All crops except sweet corn and bell peppers showed increases in the value of production.
Citrus
Florida accounted for 67 percent of total U.S. citrus production. California totaled 29 percent, while Texas and Arizona produced the remaining 4 percent. U.S. citrus utilized production for the 2004-2005 season totaled 11.4 million tons. Production was down in all Florida commercial citrus production areas from the 2003-2004 season. Indian River area was down the most at 76 percent. Production did decrease in each of the 30 counties, because of the hurricanes of the 2004 season.
| Citrus Crop Year | Value |
|---|---|
| 1995-96 | $1,075,817,000 |
| 1996-97 | $960,496,000 |
| 1997-98 | $1,023,383,000 |
| 1998-99 | $1,097,253,000 |
| 1999-00 | $1,108,523,000 |
| 2000-01 | $862,031,000 |
| 2001-02 | $966,803,000 |
| 2002-03 | $787,378,000 |
| 2003-04 | $891,500,000 |
| 2004-05 | $742,201,000 |
Forestry
Eighty-two million trees are planted each year in Florida, making it one of the top four tree-planting states in the nation.
Standing Timber Volume (as of 1995)
| Leading Softwood Species | |
|---|---|
| Slash Pine | 4,304,700,000 |
| Cypress | 2,328,700,000 |
| Longleaf Pine | 1,057,500,000 |
| Loblolly Pine | 893,500,000 |
| Sand Pine | 489,600,000 |
| Softwood Total | 9,429,400,000 |
| Leading Hardwood Species | |
|---|---|
| Tupelo and Blackgum | 1,484,400,000 |
| Other Red Oaks | 1,373,700,000 |
| Bay and Magnolia | 853,700,000 |
| Sweetgum | 563,400,000 |
| Soft Maple | 445,100,000 |
| Hardwood Total | 5,942,000,000 |
| All Species Total | 15,366,400,000 |
|---|
Field Crops
The 2005 value of production for hay, peanuts, cotton and cottonseed, tobacco, corn, pecans, soybeans, and wheat in Florida was at $189,377,000. Acreage harvested for the field crops estimated (excluding sugarcane) totaled 573,500 acres for crop year 2005, up 5 percent. The value of sugarcane was $432,714,000 down 21 percent. Sugarcane cash receipts make up 78 percent of Florida’s cash receipts from field crops. Florida ranks number one in the production of sugarcane nationwide.
Livestock
Nationally, Florida ranked 12th in beef cows and 18th in total cattle. All cattle and calves on Florida farms and ranches as of January 1, 2006, including dairy cattle, totaled 1,690,000 head. The average annual beef price of cattle marketed in Florida in 2005 was $80.00, up from $63.20 per cwt in 2004. Florida dairies produced 2.27 billion pounds of milk in 2005. The total value of Florida chicken and egg production in 2005 was $305 million. The average market price in 2005 for hogs was $44.50 per cwt.
Exports
Florida ranked 16th in the U.S. in agricultural exports in 2005 with an estimated value of $1,261,000,000. This figure is down from 2004 by $51 million.
| Commodity Group | Export Value in Dollars | U.S. Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Fruits | 513,500,000 | 3 |
| Other | 343,900,000 | 5 |
| Vegetables | 174,700,000 | 4 |
| Seeds | 38,400,000 | 5 |
| Live Animals/Meat | 33,000,000 | |
| Poultry | 32,200,000 | |
| Wheat | 23,800,000 | |
| Feeds and Fodders | 23,300,000 | |
| Dairy Products | 22,500,000 | |
| Cotton | 21,100,000 |
Over 140 countries imported Florida Agricultural commodities in 2004.
The leading importers were:
| Canada | $140,199,000 |
| Japan | $50,865,000 |
| The Netherlands | $29,243,000 |
| United Arab Emirates | $19,024,000 |
Florida County Value of Agricultural Products Sold in 2002
| County | Total |
|---|---|
| Palm Beach | $760 million |
| Dade | $578 million |
| Hillsborough | $392 million |
| Hendry | $376 million |
| Polk | $285 million |
| Collier | $268 million |
| Manatee | $268 million |
| Orange | $243 million |
| Highlands | $236 million |
| DeSoto | $180 million |
| Lake | $178 million |
| Hardee | $166 million |
| Okeechobee | $144 million |
| Suwannee | $136 million |
| Martin | $128 million |
| St. Lucie | $128 million |
| Indian River | $117 million |
| Lee | $113 million |
| Volusia | $106 million |
| Gadsden | $91 million |
| Marion | $88 million |
| Pasco | $84 million |
| Levy | $83 million |
| Glades | $72 million |
| Osceola | $65 million |
| St. Johns | $60 million |
| Alachua | $59 million |
| Broward | $50 million |
| Charlotte | $48 million |
| Lafayette | $48 million |
| Columbia | $47 million |
| Putnam | $47 million |
| Gilchrist | $45 million |
| Brevard | $42 million |
| Clay | $37 million |
| Jackson | $36 million |
| Sumter | $31 million |
| Holmes | $30 million |
| Nassau | $27 million |
| Baker | $25 million |
| Madison | $25 million |
| Flagler | $24 million |
| Duval | $22 million |
| Hernando | $22 million |
| Jefferson | $21 million |
| Santa Rosa | $21 million |
| Walton | $20 million |
| Seminole | $19 million |
| Bradford | $18 million |
| Sarasota | $18 million |
| Escambia | $16 million |
| Calhoun | $14 million |
| Taylor | $13 million |
| Hamilton | $12 million |
| Union | $11 million |
| Pinellas | $8 million |
| Citrus | $7 million |
| Dixie | $7 million |
| Leon | $7 million |
| Okaloosa | $7 million |
| Washington | $6 million |
| Monroe | $3 million |
| Bay | $2 million |
| Wakulla | $2 million |
| Liberty | Less than $1 million |
| Franklin | Less than $1 million |
Florida Phosphate Facts
Florida is the world leader in phosphate rock production, annually producing 75 percent of the U.S. supply and 25 percent of the world supply.
Of all the phosphate in commercial production: 90 percent is used for fertilizer for the production of food and fiber; 5 percent is used for livestock feed supplements; 5 percent is used for vitamins, soft drinks, toothpaste, film, light bulbs, bone china, flame-resistant fabrics, and optical glass.
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services protects and promotes the state's agriculture industry that supports over 645,000 jobs in the state's economy. It is the lead agency for consumer protection, food safety and pesticide regulation, and plays a major role in Florida's environmental programs.
A broad spectrum of programs protects and promotes Florida agriculture. These include inspecting food products and livestock, investigating and prosecuting agricultural thefts, marketing Florida products, operating farmers' markets, carrying out tests, and eradicating pests and diseases.
Consumer protection runs the gamut from responding to consumer complaints and inspecting food processing facilities and retail food stores to testing consumer products and certifying the accuracy of weighing and measuring devices. Department inspectors also verify that amusement rides meet safety standards.
Environmental activities include developing best management practices, conducting tree-planting programs, testing water wells and groundwater for pesticides and nitrates, and managing more than 890,000 acres of state-owned forest lands.
Click here to view IFAS report on Regional Impact of Florida's Agricultural and Natural Resource Industries