A first of its kind study now shows the economic contributions of agriculture in North Dakota. NDSU researchers can now break down agriculture’s impact on North Dakota. A new study shows agriculture contributes $30.8 billion to the state’s economy, 24 percent of which is value-added agriculture. The study also breaks down employment numbers to show over 110,000 total jobs are affected by agriculture with labor income totaling over $7 billion. NDSU Vice President for Agricultural Affairs Greg Lardy says the study highlights how important agriculture is to North Dakota. “This study give us a baseline to work with. When you think about the importance of agriculture, there’s a huge impact on employment and economic dollars.” Lardy says ag leaders can utilize this study when making better legislative decisions by measuring growth. “I think it’ll be utilized by commodity groups and elected officials when talking to value-added ag. groups.”
