Study shows importance of agriculture to Nebraska economy

LINCOLN, Neb. - A new study shows that the agricultural economy in Nebraska remains resilient despite some recent down years.

The Lincoln Journal Star reported that researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on Oct. 1 released the 2017 Economic Impact of the Nebraska Agricultural Production Complex report. The report uses 2017 data because that was the year of the most recent Census of Agriculture.

The report found that agriculture accounts for nearly 34% of business sales, 22% of the gross state product and nearly a quarter of the state’s jobs. Those figures were reported even though 2017 was the lowest-income year for Nebraska farmers and ranchers of the decade.

“Few other states have an economy with this degree of agricultural prominence,” said Mike Boehm, vice chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and vice president of agriculture and natural resources for the University of Nebraska system. “Even as our cities grow and our economy diversifies, agriculture remains critically important to the economic prosperity of Nebraska, and it will long into the future.”