The Future of Manatee County Agriculture

The 2022 Agriculture Census was released this month and it is FULL of information, honestly quite an overwhelming amount to dig through. Over the next few weeks we will be focusing on Manatee County, Florida, and United States Agriculture. Agriculture is paramount to our country, and it’s important for our citizens to know the state of agriculture. You may be asking, what is the agriculture census? The 2022 Agriculture Census is the 30th federal census of agriculture. It began in 1840 and in 1976 it changed to be conducted every 5 years, within years ending in 2 or 7. The agriculture census defines a farm as any place from which $1000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the census year. The goal of the Ag Census is to provide a detailed picture of the status of U.S. farms & ranches.

What inspired us to focus on the data, was an event we recently attended hosted by the East Manatee Preservation Organization. The hosted an amazing panel of influential agriculturalist from Manatee County, and their focus was, “The Future of Agriculture in Manatee County.” ( Watch the panel discussion here!) The panel truly connected with the citizens in attendance, but at the end of the day, the gap that needs to be bridged is astronomical. It’s not that it can’t be done, but it’s going to take a massive effort to educate and advocate the masses of people that are moving to Florida and Manatee County.

Thank you to Shining B Photography for the use of their photos from the panel! Shoutout to Dakin Dairy for hosting and East Manatee Preservation for creating the entire event!

The Statistics, Both Heartbreaking and Eye Opening

Throughout the census there were some statistics that weren’t surprising, but others that were absolutely heart breaking. The number of farms in Manatee County decreased. In 2017 there were 753 farms, and in 2022 it dropped to 692. There’s a multitude of reasons we could assume as to why farms have decreased, but we will get to that later. It’s hard to believe that even with urban sprawl, Manatee County actually increased in farmland acres from 192,630 to 219,316! Even though the number of farms decreased, the average size of a farm in Manatee County also increased from 256 acres to 317 acres. This can only lead us to believe that bigger farms, actually bought out smaller farms, which means the land is at least landing in the right hands.

Now it’s time for some of the heartbreaking and eye opening statistics.

1. The average total farm production expenses per farm increased. In 2017 it was $390,831 and in 2022 was $399,006. You may think, $9,000 isn’t that much, but there’s so much more to the story. Labor costs in Florida have been rising since voters approved minimum wage to become $15 per hour by 2025. To put it in perspective, our family nursery has seen a 56% increase in labor cost since 2018! Add in the supply chain issues through COVID plus inflation, it’s brutal for producers to stay afloat. The cost of so many necessary supplies such as fertilizer, fuel, soil, feed, etc. have all increased significantly! We’ve personally seen a 28% increase in fertilizer costs since 2018, to put it in perspective.
2. The average market value of agricultural products sold per farm decreased. In 2017 the average was $478,246 and has now dropped to $465,054. The value of the agricultural products that an operation is selling have decreased by $13,192, yet costs have INCREASED by $9,000. To show a quick snapshot, producers are earning less for their products, but the costs to do business has risen…… Yet we consistently say, “if only the farmers would stop selling out….” Well if this isn’t a wake up call, I’m not sure what is. Any other business person would throw their hands up and walk. Less money in, more money out, is not a business strategy most would follow.
3. Here’s the kicker, Manatee County saw an increase in market value of land & buildings per farm. When we say increase, we mean a HUGE increase. In 2017, the average was roughly $1.99 million. In 2022, it spiked to $3.01 million. An over 1 MILLION dollar increase in just 5 years. I hate to even write these words, but if costs are increasing, the value of products are decreasing, and all your equity is in the land…I can see why farmers and ranchers are facing these tough decisions.

There’s so much more to dissect in the census that we certainly don’t want to overwhelm our readers, which is why we plan on breaking the facts down into parts. There’s so much to consume and filter through, but start thinking about this, how do we bridge that gap? How do we support those farmers who have preserved through inflation, COVID, urban sprawl, hurricanes, freezes, diseases, insect pressure, flooding, and more? I urge you to start those conversations with your friends, neighbors, colleagues. If you haven’t heard the quote, “Food Security is a National Security Issue,” you need to start reminding yourself every day as you go to the grocery store. American Agriculture, Florida Agriculture, and Manatee Agriculture needs our support to ensure a safe and quality food supply. Keep an eye out for Part II! Be sure to subscribe to get our blogs straight to your inbox!

-Written by Janyel Taylor