Agriculture's Economic Impact in North Dakota - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Today marks National Ag Day.

Agriculture is the nations largest employer --- providing more than 23 million jobs in America, that's 17% of the workforce.

Ag Reporter Sarah Gustin has details on the impact agriculture is having right here in North Dakota.

These days you hear a lot about oil---but Agriculture is still the state's number one industry.

(Dan Wogsland / ND Grain Growers) "It's number one year in and year out. 

Dan Wogsland with the North Dakota Grain Growers says North Dakota infrastructure and land is made for ag.

He says North Dakota is the home to 39 million agriculture acres, with roughly 23 million of those being actively farmed.

(Dan Wogsland / ND Grain Growers) We had a water mark, hit a record for only crop productions, but also for crop values. 11 billion dollars is what North Dakota crop were worth last year. You take a multiplier of 3, that's a 33 billion dollar impact to the state's economy just in crops.

With a projection of 9.5 billion people in this world by 2050, farmers and ranchers are forced to be doing more and doing it better.

(Dan Wogsland / ND Grain Growers) Our farming practices are the best they've ever been. Our opportunities in agriculture are the best they have ever been.

(Julie Ellingson / ND Stockmen's Association) "The agriculture industry and the livestock industry in particular really serves as the economic engine of North Dakota."

Julie Ellingson with the North Dakota Stockmen's Association says each year they are adding new ranchers to the membership list.

(Julie Ellingson / ND Stockmen's Association) "The livestock industry yields about 1 billion dollars of total cash receipts each year, that's billion with a B. If you couple that with it's economic multiplier of about 4.5, those are real dollars that help keep businesses alive and North Dakota prosperous."

Currently North Dakota is the home to nearly 1 million cows.

(Julie Ellingson / ND Stockmen's Association) That's really some of the lowest numbers that we have experienced ever. So we are positioned for growth and new opportunities. Again, that's meaningful to livestock producers and all North Dakota citizens who benefit from the dollars that are brought back to our great state.

A economic engine roaring in our state.

Each American farmer feeds more than 144 people. 

That compares to 25 people in the 1960s.