posted by Spencer Parkinson on Friday, January 6, 2017
Michelle Mensing and I recently had the opportunity to attend the 2016 Missouri Governor's Conference on Agriculture, which was held at the Tan-Tar-A resort in Osage Beach, MO. Not having been there before, I can see how the place is a popular destination – the location is very nice. Had it not been for the cold winter weather, I would have been able to take in much more of the area than I did.
Our reason for going to the conference was to report on the contribution of agriculture and forestry to the State of Missouri and each of its counties and federal congressional districts. The presentation I was able to give to the attendees was the culmination of about three months of pleasurable work in which we used many analytical tools, had productive interaction with the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (an office within the Missouri Department of Agriculture) and Missouri Farm Bureau, and learned just how diverse the Missouri economy is. For example, below is a map of how many of the designated ninety-nine agriculture and forestry industries are present in each county of the state.
The results from our analysis suggest that in 2016, agriculture, forestry and related industries in Missouri contributed:
- $33.0 billion in value-added
- $88.4 billion in sales minus $55.4 billion in inputs
- 378,232 jobs
- $17.5 billion in labor income
- $2.2 billion in state/local taxes
- $4.0 billion in federal taxes
The Decision Innovation Solutions team particularly enjoys quantifying the contribution of agriculture (and in the case of Missouri, forestry) - we've found a great way to handle this type of analysis and the results from this Missouri study is really an extension of what we've been doing for nearly ten years for many other states. Our clients appreciate the robust methodology we use, our approach to interacting with them and the rich tools they receive to share their story.