While traveling across
Volusia County, whether on I-95 or I-4, or S.R. 40 or S.R. 44, you
can enjoy the vistas of open grasslands and dense forest. Cattle and
horses are as common to the natural landscape as are orange groves
and shaded ferneries.
While these scenes may be
part of a disappearing landscape, they represent an economic engine
worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the Volusia County economy.
“The news frequently focuses
on urban sprawl, new developments, and preservation of green space,”
said Rick Michael, director of the Volusia County Department of
Economic Development.
“Yet, we sometimes forget
the major contribution that agriculture makes to our economy.
Agriculture in Volusia County generates more than $780 million
annually in product output, a larger economic impact than consumer
or social services or the transportation sector, and is very much on
par with the value manufacturing has on the county’s economy.”
Michael said it’s extremely
important our open spaces, woodlands, wetlands and landscape beauty
be preserved, and the burden of doing this rests on the shoulders of
the traditional Volusia farmer and rancher.
Each year, locally produced agricultural products with a value of
close to $300 million are exported to markets in Europe and Asia.
“Foreign buyers visit
Volusia County each year to purchase products for export, primarily
ferns and other ornamental plants,” said Paul Mitchell, Volusia
County’s international trade specialist.
“Much of this product is
shipped to countries throughout Europe and as far away as Japan.”
A recent study commissioned
by the Volusia County Council quantifies the value of agriculture to
the county’s economy. The six-month study was conducted by a team of
researchers from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences at
the University of Florida.
The report was compiled by
Professor Rodney L. Clouser, extension public policy specialist
Mohammad Rahmani, coordinator of Economic Analysis, and Professor
David Mulkey of the university’s Food and Resource Economics
Department.
The study identified 1,114
farms containing 93,842 acres.
“ 1,002 of these farms—the
majority—are less than 100 acres,” Mulkey wrote in the report. “This
does not include up to 158,000 acres of forestry.”
The estimated market value
of agricultural lands in Volusia County is about $2 billion. The use
value of agricultural property for tax purposes is estimated at $266
million, the study concluded.
“This value generates an
estimated property tax income for local government and education of
up to $5.1 million annually,” Mulkey
wrote.
Agriculture in Volusia
County affects a variety of smaller economic sectors. For example,
greenhouses and nurseries used for growing a wide variety of plants,
along with landscaping, contribute $318 million in commercial sales.
Fruit and vegetable farming
and processing account for more than $111 million annually, and
livestock, dairy farming and animal products add another $70
million.
The sale of bakery products
generates $18 million. The sale of soft drink and ice manufacturing
generates more than $16 million annually.
Natural resources
Agricultural endeavors aside, Volusia’s rural landscapes produce
wealth from the extraction of natural resources from the ground. The
mining or quarrying of stone and soil in Volusia County generates an
estimated $100
million annually in income. The extraction of these natural
resources is vital to the growth of the county because it is used in
the construction industry to build roads and elevate property for
development.
The geology of Volusia
County has provided a wealth of underground resources such as oil
and natural gas. Like quarrying, the extraction of oil and natural
gas is generating more than $4 million annually.
Thousands of acres of dense
woodlands countywide produce sylvacultural opportunities from
logging. Volusia County’s timber lands support an annual industry of
$62 million for the manufacturing of wood and paper products.
“Sylvacultural opportunities
may be aiding our ability to attract new capital investment and
future jobs as the national discussion concerning the need for
alternative energy continues to grow,” said Michael. “Volusia’s
abundant forestry resources may have the capacity to support an
alternative energy initiative for the production of electricity and
job creation while providing a new long term source of revenue for
the agricultural community and local government.”
Michael continued: “We tend
to focus on what’s newsworthy and what we see every day in our
travels, and if you’re a resident of the beachside communities, how
often do you think about the unique diversity or the value
agriculture brings to our community?”
Approximately a third of the
land in Volusia County is used for agriculture.
According to 2007 data, more than 230,000 acres are classified as
agricultural. This acreage is down from 252,000, recorded in 2002.
It’s a
trend that is likely to continue, Michael believes.
Individual or family-owned
farms are still the mainstay of Volusia County’s agricultural
community, accounting for 89 percent of all farms.
Considering the economic
benefit that agriculture generates for Volusia County, what is
unusual is that the farm operators represent only three-tenths of
one percent of the county’s total population.
Agriculture employs 6,000
workers, less than 1 percent of the county’s total population, and
an additional 2,300 support jobs in transportation, wholesale and
other related employment sectors.
“It’s not just the economic
benefit of jobs - agriculture provides valuable resources to
encourage water recharge, wildlife habitat, wetlands preservation,
open space, and locally grown food products,” said Michael. “And, of
course, our scenic beauty makes our county unique and special in
many ways.”
