Alabama Agriculture

1. Alabama Agriculture It’s Everywhere !!

2. Alabama agriculture is very important • There are over ___________ in the state covering about ______________. • Alabama farmers grow a variety of crops and livestock—At least ____ different. • Alabama agricultural exports total _______________, with poultry accounting for about ________ of all exports.

3. Poultry & Eggs • Alabama is the _____ largest producer of _________(chicken you eat) just behind Arkansas & _________ • Alabama is the ______ largest producer of eggs in the nation.

4. There are _____major companies operating broiler farms in Alabama. • These ten companies provide jobs for almost __________ people, including over 4,000 farmers. • _________________ produces the most poultry and eggs in Alabama and is the second highest producing county in the world. • Broilers are raised in specially designed houses that have room for up to 21,000 birds. • The temperature, lighting and amount of food are carefully controlled.

5. The economic impact of poultry in Alabama is $8.5 billion, which is 10 percent of the state's economy. • Each year, the average American consumes _____eggs. • Alabama poultry growers market more than ___ million birds per year. • Alabama’s laying hen flocks produce about 2 billion eggs a year.

6. Cattle • The state ranks ______ in the nation among all states in cattle inventory with ______ million head. • Only Texas, Missouri, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, Arkansas and Kentucky have more beef cattle farms. • This means Alabama ranks ___ in the U.S. in numbers of farms that produce cattle.

7. Cash receipts for beef cattle production in Alabama ranks _______ in the state behind broilers. • Cattle are produced in all ____ counties. • The beef industry represents a ___________ industry to Alabama. • ________________ranks 1st in Alabama.

8. Did you know??? • Each year, the average American consumes _____ pounds of beef! • Hamburger meat produced from one market-ready steer could equal ______ quarter-pound hamburgers. • Burgers account for three-fourths of all beef sales in restaurants; 8.2 billion are served in the U.S. eachyear. • One average-size cowhide can produce enough leather to make ____________________________________________.

9. Alabama is a deficit milk market, meaning it doesn't produce enough milk to meet milk processing and consumption demands. • Alabama produces less than _____ of the milk processed in the state with the balance coming from states like _____ and New Mexico.

10. The year 2007 ended with fewer than 13,000 milk cows, or fewer than 70 Alabama dairy farms. • In 2007, Alabama dairy producers impacted the Alabama economy to the tune of more than $41 million in cash receipts. • The top 3 milk-producing counties in Alabama are _________________________________.

11. Did you know??? • An average dairy cow produces about ___ gallons of milk a day (that’s more than ____ glasses of milk), or enough to make 6 pounds of cheese or 2.6 pounds of butter. • Twenty-five gallons of milk can make nine gallons of ice cream, 25 pounds of cheese or 11pounds of butter. • One gallon of milk weighs ______ pounds. • Each year, the average American consumes ____ gallons of milk!

12. Hogs & pigs • Alabama is a small hog producer. • Alabama ranked _______ in the United States during for hog and pig production. • Our number of hogs and pigs produced was 160,000 with a value of $14.7 million. • _______________ranks 1st in Alabama.

13. Did you know??? • Pork is the world's most widely consumed meat, accounting for about 42 percent of the world's meat consumption. • __________ from hogs is used in the treatment of diabetes. Hog heart valves are used to replace damaged or diseased human heart valves. Skin from hogs is used to treat severe burn victims. • Pork is the world’s most widely eaten meat, comprising ___________ of meat consumption. • Each year, the average American consumes ____ pounds of pork!

14. Catfish • Alabama is one of the top four states to produce aquaculture. • Alabama, Mississippi, ___________, and ____________, produce 95% of the catfish grown in the United States. • ______________ranks 1st in catfish production.

15. Alabama has around 22,000 water acres of fish farms where nearly 200 commercial farmers produce 25 different aquatic species. Farm-raised catfish is by far the dominant species, with Alabama ranking second in the U.S. in annual catfish sales. • Alabama farmers currently produce well over ___________________ of catfish per year, and Alabama still has the land and water resources to support an industry 10 times its current size.

16. Did you know??? • Eight percent of all fresh water in the lower 48 states originates or passes through Alabama. • Alabama is home to the world's largest catfish processing plant. • Each year, the average American consumes ____ pound of catfish! • Besides catfish, Alabama aquaculture farmers raise ______________________________________.

17. Honey Bees • Honey production is one reason that there are more than ________ registered beekeepers in all 67 counties. • Bees are a mutually beneficial commodity. Not only do they produce sweet-tasting honey, but through pollination, bees provide an invaluable service to farmers and to the wildlife community. • Examples of Alabama-produced crops totally or mostly dependent on honeybees for pollination: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

18. Alabama queen bees are shipped into every state and to several foreign countries. • Queen bees that have been certified disease free are packaged and shipped to beekeepers who want to increase their hive production. • In a hive or bee colony, each bee has an important part. • The _________ bee lays eggs and the ________ mate with the queen. • The _________bees gather nectar and pollen, make nectar into honey, feed the queen, drones and larvae, make wax honeycomb and do many other jobs.

19. Did you know??? • ____ pounds of honey yields 1 pound of waxBeeswax candles - oldest candles known to man • The colors of honey range from water white to dark amber, depending on its mineral content and floral source. Light colored honey typically has a mild flavor, while dark colored honey is usually stronger. • Bees travel __________ miles and visit more than 2 million flowers to make ___________ of honey.

20. Corn • Corn is an important commodity in farming and most corn grown in the U.S. is used to feed livestock. • ______________________ranks 1st in Alabama. • Poultry, beef, pork and dairy producers use more than 60-percent of all the corn grown in the U.S. • One bushel of corn (_________) provides 31.5 pounds of starch or 33 pounds of sweetener or 2.8 gallons of fuel ethanol. • A farmer gets about __________for every box of Wheaties® and ________ for every box of corn flakes.

21. Cotton • Cotton is the state’s largest row crop. It is grown in 59 of the 67 counties. • Alabama ranked ______ in the United States in cotton production. • ________________topped all other Alabama counties in cotton production • Cotton is versatile and has many uses. It can be used as a _________________________. • In 2005, Alabama farmers picked 545,000 acres of cotton, producing 850,000 bales with an estimated value of $212 million, and an average yield of 749 pounds per acre

22. In 1892 the boll weevil arrived from Mexico and spread across the cotton-growing regions of the United States. • The boll weevil bores into the cotton boll and lays its eggs. The eggs hatch and the larvae eat the cotton fiber. It takes the larvae about 3 weeks to become adult weevils and start laying their own eggs. • That means that the weevils can hatch anywhere from 2 - 10 generations during a single cotton growing season. • Because of the destruction done to the cotton crops, Alabama farmers had no other choice but to diversify.

23. In other words, start growing other crops. Soybeans, peanuts, corn, wheat, and other crops soon took over many of the fields that used to grow cotton. • In ___________Alabama, _____________, a local businessman, came up with the idea to honor the boll weevil for its part in changing the way Alabama farmers farmed. • The monument and surrounding pool cost $3,000, which came from individual contributions and Fleming's own pocket. • The monument was dedicated in a ceremony on ________________witnessed by a crowd of 5,000 people.

24. Boll Weevil Monument

26. When the cotton is harvested it is sent to a "Cotton Gin." • Cotton gins separate the fluffy, white fiber from the seed (one-third of it is lint, the fluffy white part, and two-thirds seed.) • The fiber is used to make ____________. • The seeds are processed into oil, meal and hulls. They are used in soap, makeup and food products such as cooking oil and margarine. • The meal and hulls are used as _____________. • The leftover fiber can be used to make everything from gunpowder to toothbrush handles.

27. Did you know??? • For every $40 pair of denim jeans sold, the farmer gets _______. He gets 41 cents for a $35 men's shirt, and 45 cents for a $14 terry bath towel • One bale of cotton can produce 8,000 men's woven handkerchiefs, 850 ladies blouses and shirts, 3,000 diapers, and 1,200 pillowcases, 215 pairs of jeans, 249 bed sheets, 690 bath towels, 1,217 T-shirts, or 313,600 $100 bills.

28. Soybeans • _____________________ranks 1st in Alabama. • Alabama produces soybeans. In fact there are 150,000-200,000 acres in the state growing soybeans. • Total soybean production in Alabama for 2011 was 4.7 million bushels at a value of $21 million • The average production is approximately ____ bushels per acre. • A 60-pound bushel of soybeans yields about 48 pounds of protein-rich meal and 11 pounds of oil or 1.5 gallons of biodiesel. • More soybeans are grown in the United States than in any other country in the world.

29. Did you know??? • Soybeans have been an important part of the human diet for over 4,000 years. • Soybeans are generally acknowledged to be the highest quality vegetable ____________ source and one of the most abundant. • One acre of soybeans can furnish _______ pounds of edible protein and sustain an individual for _______days.

30. Soybeans are processed into _____________. • Most of the meal goes into poultry and livestock feed. • Soybean oil accounts for about three-fourths of the fats and oils used in U.S. edible oil products. • Most cooking oils, shortenings, and margarines are made from soybean oil. • Here is a short list of what soybeans are used for _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ • Over 82,000 crayons can be made from an acre of soybeans.

31. Peanuts • _______________ranks 1st in Alabama. Approximately half the peanuts grown in the United States are grown within a 100-mile radius of Dothan, Alabama. • Last year, Alabama farmers harvested 189,000 acres of peanuts, producing 400 million pounds valued at $118 million. • Peanuts are _______________, not nuts.

32. The peanut plant is unusual because it flowers above ground but the peanut grows below ground. • Planted in the early spring, the peanut grows best in calcium rich sandy soil. • For a good crop, ____________frost free days are required. • Farmers harvest the peanuts in the _______. • The peanuts are pulled from the ground by special machinery and turned over to dry in the fields for several days. • The combine machines then separate the peanuts from the vines and blow the tender moist peanuts into special hoppers. • They are dumped into a drying wagon and cured by forcing warm air through the wagons. • Afterwards, the peanuts are taken to buying stations where they are inspected and graded for sale.

33. Did you know??? • About half of U.S. peanuts consumed domestically are in the form of peanut butter. By law, peanut butter must contain 90% peanuts. The other 10% is for stabilizers and sweeteners. • Americans consume approximately ___________ pounds, or 3.3 pounds per person, of peanut butter per year. That's enough to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon! • Peanut butter, at 20 cents per sandwich, is the most inexpensive source of protein in the American diet. • The combination of peanuts and chocolate is America's favorite candy. For several years candies containing peanuts have topped the best-seller list. • One of the many great advantages to peanuts and peanut butter is long shelf life. If held at average ambient temperatures without great changes in heat or humidity, peanuts and peanut butter can be safely stored for several months.

34. Forestry • Forestry is Alabama's ______ industry. • Two thirds of Alabama, ________________, is covered in forestland (about the size of Indiana). Non-industrial private landowners own approximately 75 percent of that forestland • Forestry generates approximately ___________for Alabama each year. • More than 170,000 Alabamians are employed directly or indirectly by the forestry industry. • For every tree harvested in Alabama, _______ are planted. • Alabama forests consist of 35 percent pine, 45 percent hardwood, and 20 percent mixed pine and hardwood.

35. Did you know??? • Enough lumber exists in Alabama’s forests to build and furnish nearly ____________ homes. • On average, each person in the United States uses enough tree products each year to make a tree 100 feet tall and 16 feet in diameter. • One acre of healthy trees can generate approximately __________ of wood in one year.

36. Greenhouse, Nursery & Sod • Greenhouse, nursery and sod comprise the fastest-growing segment of Alabama’s agricultural industry, increasing from cash receipts of $31 million in 1975 to $276 million in 2005. • The green industry has a total economic impact of $1.9 billion in Alabama. • There are more than 2,500 greenhouse, nursery and sod businesses in the state, employing more than 30,000 workers. • Alabama is ranked _____in sod production in the United States and ______in greenhouse and nursery sales. • Alabama is known as the ______capital of the world.

37. Meat Goat & Sheep • Most of Alabama's sheep and goat producers are considered small or medium-sized producers who generally produce their products on small acreage. The beauty of this is that it allows people with small amounts of land to be involved in agriculture. • Alabama has about _________ sheep on about 445 farms • Alabama's goat population is near 39,800 head on approximately 2,259 farms • The combined products of Alabama's goat and sheep industries are valued at ____________ • Goat meat sells for as much as $3 a pound in ethnic grocery stores.

38. Horticulture • Fruit, pecan, and vegetable production amounts to around $57 million annually in cash receipts • The average American eats more than _____ pounds of fruits and vegetables each year, including more than 300 pounds of fresh produce. • Pecan production valued $9.9 million in 2008 with over 8.0 million lbs. ranking Alabama _____in the nation. • Peach production valued $6.0 million in 2008 with over 6.1 million lbs. ranking Alabama 17th in the nation. • Alabama ranks 5th in sweet potato production, 12th in blueberry production, 16th in fresh-market watermelons and 12th in fresh-market tomatoes. • Alabama harvested some _______ acres of tomatoes, and 3,500 acres of watermelons in 2008 that totaled $17.1 million in production.

39. Alabama is home to an emerging citrus industry, with 100 acres of commercial satsuma groves producing 3.5 million pounds of fruit each year. • ________ are Alabama’s official state nut. Commercial growers farm about 12,000 acres capable of producing about 15 million pounds a year. • Alabama peach producers will harvest more than 20 million pounds of the fruit in a good year.

40. Farmers and ranchers receive only ______out of every retail dollar spent on food, while ________ go to off-farm costs associated with marketing, processing and distributing food. In 1980, farmers received 31 cents out of every food dollar.

42. There are __________ people in Alabama who call themselves farmers. • And for generations those few families have dedicated their lives to creating a $4.7 billion business—Alabama's largest.

43. But today, agriculture reaches far beyond the farm gate. Alabama's agribusiness industries account for ________ jobs with annual earnings of more than _________. • That's _________ of the state's workforce. • In fact, 85 percent of all jobs created by agriculture are not on the farm at all.

44. Together, these industries account for more than $43 billion or _______ of the state's direct output—more than any other industry.

45. More than ________ of the food items consumed in the United States are produced whole or in part by American farmers. • It takes just _____ days for the average American to earn enough money to buy their food for an entire year. • In contrast, it takes them _____ days to earn enough to pay their federal, state and local taxes for one year.

46. Americans 10% England 11% Australia 15% Israel 20% Mexico 24.5% India 55% Japan 14% China 26% Phillipines 38% Disposable Income on Food

47. Agriculture is IMPORTANT to Alabama!!