Agriculture Industry Trends

November 7, 2011
Industry Intelligence from First Research, a division of Hoover's (a D&B company)

• Fewer Farms Outsource Post-Harvest Crop Activities - The number of companies and employees specializing in outsourced post-harvest activities (drying, grading, sorting) has declined over the past decade. More US farms are supplying their own post-harvest labor or are working with processors that provide post-harvest services. Around 1,000 companies provided post-harvest activities in the late 2000s compared to 1,400 in the late 1990s.
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  Increase in Animal Support Services, Employees - More companies and workers provide support services for livestock production, though total industry revenue has remained flat. The number of companies specializing in nonveterinary animal support services has increased about 30 percent over the past decade to around 4,200, and employment has risen 20 percent. Most of this growth is in companies with fewer than 20 people. Industry revenue has remained flat at around $2.5 billion.
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• Cotton Ginning Declines - Cotton ginning is a significant post-harvest crop activity, particularly in Texas and several southeastern states. Industry revenue from cotton ginning has fallen from $1 billion a decade ago to around $600 million. Fewer than 3,000 people now work in around 250 US cotton gins, a drop of around 20 percent for both workers and companies compared to a decade ago.