b"Agriculture Contributes $31 Billion To North Dakota Economy And Generates 110,000 JobsResearchersatNorthDakotaStateofthestateseconomy.Thetotaleconomicactivityinall53coun-University(NDSU)recentlycom- economic contribution is $30.8 bil- ties, says Greg Lardy, vice president pletedaninauguralstudyonthelion.forAgriculturalAffairsatNDSU. economiccontributionsofagricul- Thisstudyprovidesthebaseline turetothestateofNorthDakota.Oneoutofeveryfivejobsinthedata needed to help move the indus-Results show a contribution of near- state is supported by agriculture.try forward. As the state adds addi-ly $31 billion to the economy andOfthe110,480agriculture-relatedtionalvalue-addedprocessing more than 110,000 jobs.jobs in the state, about 43,000 jobscapacity, the economic contribution are involved directly in agriculturalofagriculturewillcontinueto TheNDSUDepartmentofproductionandprocessing,andgrow. AgribusinessandAppliedabout67,400jobsarerequiredto Economics and the NDSU Center forsupport the agriculture industry.Thestudywasfundedbythe Social Research partnered to captureAmericanCrystalSugarCompany, theeconomiccontributionsofallLabor income for agriculture-relatedMinn-DakFarmersCooperative, segments of agriculture in a single,jobs is $7 billion.NorthDakotaCornUtilization comprehensive assessment.Council,NorthDakotaDryBean ThedatashowsthatagriculturesCouncil,NorthDakotaFarmers This examination is the first timeimpact is far broader than farms andUnion,NorthDakotaSoybean thatagriculturehasbeenbroadlyruralcommunities,saysHodur.Council,NorthDakotaStockmen's defined to include all aspects of theThisstudydemonstratestheAssociation,NorthernCanola industry, says Nancy Hodur, direc- breadth of agriculture and its impor- GrowersAssociation,Northern tor for the NDSU Center for SocialtancetonotonlyruralNorthPulse Growers Association, and Red Research. Past studies looked onlyDakota but the entire state.RiverValleySugarbeetGrowers atasinglesegmentofagriculture,Association. such as an individual commodity.AgricultureiscriticaltoNorth Dakotas economy and is a driver of AgricultureinNorthDakotais muchmorethanfarmproduction andincludeshandling,transporta-tion,processingandmanufactur- The Insulation Placeing,saysDeanBangsund,NDSU14770 69th Place NEGrafton, ND 58237 DepartmentofAgribusinessandUrethane Spray-On InsulationAppliedEconomicsresearchscien- Eliminates air infiltration & stops condensationtist. When all of agriculture is com-bined, its impact is significant. Highest R-Value InsulationFire Proofing Moisture BarriersFlat RoofsKey data from the study show that:Grafton(701) 352-3233 1-800-352-0620Bismarck(701) 255-0025 1-866-425-0025Agriculture represents 20% to 25%Website www.theinsulationplace.com16 POTATO GROWER JANUARY 2023"