Agriculture. It’s one of our region’s oldest and undeniably most important economic sectors. In 2012, agricultural production was worth more than $5.7 billion in New York state. Of the state’s total land area, 23 percent or 7 million acres are being used by 36,000 farms to produce a very diverse array of food products. Today, […]
Agriculture. It’s one of our region’s oldest and undeniably most important economic sectors. In 2012, agricultural production was worth more than $5.7 billion in New York state. Of the state’s total land area, 23 percent or 7 million acres are being used by 36,000 farms to produce a very diverse array of food products.
Today, our region’s farmers play a vital role in our regional economy, touching almost every one of our organization’s strategic priorities from innovation to business development to exports, and even urban and community development.
Armory Square Ventures recently made its first investment in an ag-tech company — Agronomic Technology Corp., which has employees in Ithaca, New York City, and Silicon Valley. This investment will support the company’s main product, Adapt-N, which allows growers to better manage their use of nitrogen and yield more crops with a diminished impact on the environment. Additionally, it has the potential to increase profits for farmers by as much as $200 an acre.
Agriculture is also driving new business in the region through the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) industry. Five of the six Certificates of Authorizations (COA) that CenterState CEO’s NUAIR Alliance has received to date involve using UAS to evaluate field crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat, collecting data on conditions like crop growth, insect activity, disease spread, soil conditions, and more. In fact, the agricultural industry is expected to be an early adopter of civil and commercial UAS in the United States and is estimated to comprise nearly half of the civil and commercial UAS market.
And at a time when exports are driving almost one-third of all economic growth in the post-recession economy, agriculture again has a major role to play. Dairy, New York’s leading agricultural product, is one of China’s fastest growing imports, rising 30 percent, in 2013 to $5.2 billion. Food products, particularly fruit, usually command a premium in China because they are considered safer when from the U.S. There is also interest in investing in food processing, which could present opportunities for our region in the apple, dairy, hops, and wine industries, among others.
Even urban agriculture plays a role in supporting economic development in Central Upstate Various community organizations have turned to agriculture to help transform blighted neighborhoods, increase access to fresh, healthy foods, and teach agricultural skills. Across Syracuse and the local region, community gardens support strategies that seek to engage neighborhood residents in revitalization efforts.
The agricultural sector is demonstrating its ability to adapt to the changes in the marketplace. That makes it not just a foundational industry, but one that is critical to our region’s future. At the end of the day, agriculture not only puts food on our tables, but it also supports our jobs and economy.
Robert M. Simpson is president and CEO of CenterState CEO, the primary economic-development organization for Central New York. This editorial is drawn and edited from the CEO Focus email newsletter the organization sent out on Oct. 10.