Fertile Grounds for Growing Agri-Food Businesses
Thomas Jefferson said of agriculture, it is “our wisest pursuit because it will in the end contribute most real wealth, good morals and happiness.” For many portions of the U.S. and Canada, Jefferson’s words couldn’t ring more true as a result of the high prices being paid for livestock, a number of crop types, farmland and exceptional worldwide demand for corn to produce ethanol. In fact, a recent news piece1 quoted several U.S. farmers who stated that 2011 was one of their best years ever. Likewise, agriculture was an economic bright spot even during the two previous years, according to Plunkett Research Ltd, which cited the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s statistics that “U.S. farm sector gross receipts for crops, livestock and products were about $312.9 billion in 2010, up substantially from $282.1 billion during 2009.”2 more....