Economic Forces Influencing Value-Added Food Industries: Implications for Southern Agriculture

During the past few decades, U. S. agriculture has experienced remarkable gains in productivity and efficiency. While the number of farms has declined, the economic activities supporting production agriculture continue to comprise a major sector of the U. S. economy. The value-added food and fiber complex serves as an important link between production agriculture and the larger U. S. economy. Value-added products from agriculture have a retail value of more than $700 billion annually and engage about 20 percent of the U. S. labor force (ESCOP).