We often take Minnesota’s agriculture industry for granted. According to the US Bureau of Census, agriculture is Minnesota’s #1 exporting industry. Agriculture and agricultural products account for roughly 1 in 3 of the state’s export dollars. This makes Minnesota the 4^th largest exporting state in the US, after California, Illinois and Iowa. A strong ag culture bodes well for you as a landowner in Minnesota!

MN Agriculture Stats:

• 25,900,000 acres in agricultural production
• 73,600 farm operations in Minnesota
• Average number of acres per operation: 352 acres
• 53% of operators’ primary occupation is farming
• 47% of operators’ primary occupation is “other – a mix of on- and off-farm income”
• MN ag land covers a variety of crops from corn and soybeans to edible beans; hog, dairy and poultry operations; elevators, timber, orchards and vineyards, oats; sunflowers; barley; alfalfa; steers and the list continues on with cheese production; honey production, etc.

So, how does Minnesota’s ag industry compare against other states?

Crop Cash Receipts Rankings:                                  Livestock Cash Receipts Rankings:

#1        Sugar beets                                                      #1        Turkeys

#1        Green peas                                                      #2        Hogs

#2        Wild rice                                                         #3        Meat Animals

#3        Dry beans                                                        #6        Cheese

#3        Oats                                                                 #8        Milk

#4        Corn

#4        Soybeans

#5        Rye

#6        Canola

MN ranks 5^th (around $10 billion) in marketing (sales) values vs other states in crop marketing, ranks 8^th (around $8.8 billion) in total livestock marketing, and 5^th (around $18.8 billion) in total agriculture marketing.

Minnesota’s food manufacturing and animal slaughtering & processing industries support nearly 64,000 hourly and salaried jobs.

Your livelihood (and ours) depends on a strong Minnesota ag economy. Thank you for being a landowner or connected with the land. We at National Land Realty certainly enjoy our ties to the land and look forward to assisting with all your land real estate, auction, appraisal, consulting, and 1031 exchange goals.