Agricultural Business Feeds Minnesota's Economic Bottom Line
21 Mar 2018
Agralite, Arrowhead, BENCO, Brown, Connexus, Light and Power, Crow Wing, Dakota, East Central, Federated, Goodhue, Itasca, Kandiyohi, Lake Country, Lake Region, McLeod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Minnesota Valley, Nobles, North Itasca, Redwood, Runestone, South Central, Stearns Electric, Steele, Todd, Wright Hennepin
Agriculture and food production is a major staple of the Minnesota economy
Minnesota’s early economy was built on fur trading and farming, with flour being an early commodity. While the state has grown into a tech and research hub, the business of producing goods from fertile Minnesota land continues to help anchor the state’s booming economy.
Economic Mainstay
Minnesota’s agricultural production and processing industry entails $57.5 billion in sales more than 147,000 jobs overall. The food production industry has more than 46,000 workers, making it the largest manufacturing segment in the state by total workers. Minnesota companies also sent nearly $6.2 billion in food exports in 2015, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Cargill, the largest privately held company in the U.S., calls Minnesota home.