AGRICULTURE
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OF U.S. EPA
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ECONOMICS
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT
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EFFICIENCY
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AGRICULTURE
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SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OF U.S. EPA
On-farm employment in the agriculture sector accounts for 2.6 million jobs in the
United States. "On-farm employment" includes full- and part-time jobs.
Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2018
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AGRICULTURE
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Number of Farms and Farmland in U.S. from 2000-2018
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OP U,S, EPA
Farmland
(million acres)
Number of Farms
(million)
945
920
900
2.17
2.20
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Between 2000 and 2018, the number of farms decreased from 2.17 million to 2.03
million, while farmland decreased from 945 million acres to 900 million acres.
USDA Economic Research Service, 2019
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AGRICULTURE
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Agricultural Share of U.S. Economy
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SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OF U,S, EPA
0.95%
1.04%
I $417 I $424
lS38ii^is359
5245 I $234 ¦ $236
$!94 ¦ $186 ¦ $190 ¦ $197 ¦ e186
¦ $309 $303
$284 I I $279 I
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
¦ Gross Output from Agriculture ($ billions) # Agriculture's Share of Total U.S. Gross Output
Between 1997 and 2017, the agriculture sector's gross output increased from
$206 to $359 billion while its share of the U.S. economy stayed steady at about one percent.
_ Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2017
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AGRICULTURE
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SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OF U.S. EPA
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Farms per 1,000 acres
~ 0-1
~ 1-2
~ 2-3
~ 3-4
¦ 4 +
In 2017, the 2,042,220 farms accounted for roughly 40% of all contiguous U.S. land.
Notes: Not all states disclose data to USDA; additionally, Alaska and Hawaii are not surveyed.
A farm is defined as "any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or
normally would have been sold, during the year."
USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 2019
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AGRICULTURE
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Total §319 (Nonpoint Source Management Program)
Funding per Year (in $ million)
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OP U,S, I FA
$250
$200
$150
$100
$50
$0
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Of Clean Water Act §319 funds that go to watershed projects, 30-40% annually address
agricultural sources. These funds often work in conjunction with USDA program funding
to implement innovative best management practices.
U.S. EPA, 2019
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AGRICULTURE
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2017 U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by Economic Category
Industry 22%
Commercial and
Residential 12%
Agriculture 9%
Transportation
29%
Electricity 28%
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OP U,S, I FA
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The agriculture sector was responsible for 9% of U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions in 2017.
U.S. EPA, GHG Inventory 2019
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AGRICULTURE
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Number of Anaerobic Digesters
on U.S. Livestock Farms
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OP U,S, I FA
300
250
200
150
100
50
Under Construction
New
Operational
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
The number of anaerobic digesters on U.S. livestock farms has grown from 25 in 2000 to 248 in
2018, a 1,000% increase. These digesters use bacteria to break down organic matter such as manure
without oxygen. As the bacteria "work/' they generate biogas, a renewable energy source.
U.S. EPA, AgSTAR, 2018
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Potential for U.S. Farms to Turn
Methane into Energy
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OP U,S, I FA
8,100
Livestock
Farms in the
U.S.
Produce 186
billion ft3
Methane Gas
Which could generate 15.8
million megawatt hours of
energy per year through
anaerobic digestion
Enough to power
1.3 million homes
If all U.S. livestock farms had anaerobic digesters, they could collectively generate
enough energy to power 1.3 million homes for one year.
U.S. EPA, AgSTAR, 2018
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AGRICULTURE
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OF U.S. EPA
Percentage of land covered by cover crops
~ 0.0% -0.1%
~ 0.1%-0.5%
~ 0.5%-1.0%
~ 1.0%-2.0%
~ 2.0% +
Cover Crops
In 2019, there were 5.3 million planted acres of cover crops across the contiguous U.S. Cover crops
reduce the need for fertilizer, and improve soil structure, moisture, and nutrient content.
Note: This is likely a low estimate because not all producers report their acreage to the Farm Service Agency.
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AGRICULTURE
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Number of Water Bodies Partially
or Completely Restored
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OP U,S, EPA
892
774
824
703
644
586
506
394
15
30
324
167
¦
116
¦
n
2008
2009 2010
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Restoration efforts to water bodies, some with multiple pollutants addressed,
(largely from §319 grant funds) have led to a significant increase in water
quality improvements across sectors. About 60% of these improvements were
achieved with agriculture as a contributing source.
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U.S. EPA, 2019
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AGRICULTURE
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Agriculture Sector Output per
Unit of Energy Consumed
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OF U,S, EPA
$491
$530
2007 2008
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
ZZI$ of Gross Output (billion) • $ of Output per quadrillion Btu of energy use
2016
In 2016, the agriculture sector produced $354 billion of goods and used 1.13 quadrillion Btu of energy.
Energy efficiency increased from $280 to $312 billion/quadrillion Btu between 2007 and 2016.
Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2017 \ Energy Information Administration, 2018
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Agriculture sector GHG Emissions vs. Gross Output
2.78
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OP U,S, I FA
2.47
I
hill
mm
1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017
~ GHG Emissions (MMTC02e) ~ Gross Output ($ billion) # Million Metric Tons of Emissions per $ Billion of Output
In 2017, GHG emissions from the agriculture sector were 542 MMTC02e, while gross output was $359
billion. Between 1997 and 2017, the ratio of GHG emissions to gross output decreased from 2.47 to 1.51.
Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2017 \ U.S. EPA, GHG Inventory 2019
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U.S. Farm Productivity Benchmarked with
Resource Consumption ($ million 2005)
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OP U,S, I FA
Agricultural Input
$265,524
$284,010
$278,401
Agricultural Output
$208,487
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Since 2009, the value of agricultural output has consistently
exceeded the value of agricultural inputs; the ratio of output value to
input value has increased from 0.78 in 1990 to 1.02 in 2015.
USDA Economic Research Service, 2017
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AGRICULTURE
SMART SECTORS
A PROGRAM OP U,S, EPA
The agriculture sector includes crop production (NAICS 111) and animal production and aquaculture
(NAICS 112). Establishments in this sector are involved in the production of crops, animal husbandry,
and the harvest of fish and other animals from farms or their natural habitats.
Companies classified into these NAICS range from large, multinational agriculture and produce
corporations to small, individually owned or family-owned farms.
For more information about the EPA Smart Sectors program, visit: epa.gov/smartsectors.
For more information about the agriculture sector, visit:
• U.S. EPA-Agriculture
U.S. EPA-AgSTAR
• U.S. EPA - Nonpoint Source Program
• U.S. EPA - Greenhouse Gas Inventory
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Agriculture Industry: Workforce Statistics
U.S. Census Bureau. NAICS 111 and 112
U.S. Department of Agriculture
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