At one time, almost everyone in Minnesota had a strong connection to farming. You either were a farmer, grew up on a farm or had relatives or friends who were farmers.

Today, only about 2% of us are farmers, but agriculture is still an important $8 billion industry. And farmers are still proud to be strengthening Minnesota's economy with the food and energy they provide.

Consider the following:

• The economic benefits extend to all of us, whether or not we're farmers. Corn has hundreds of uses in dozens of industries (food, fuels, pharmaceuticals, biodegradable cleaners and plastics, etc.), all of which contribute to growing Minnesota�s economy.
  
• Agriculture supports about 20% of jobs in the state. That means if all the farmers in the state went out of business, one in five people could lose their jobs.


• The average Minnesota farm keeps 128 people fed a year.
  
• In 2001, Minnesota was the fifth largest producer of corn in the country, harvesting crops worth over $1.3 billion.
  
• Value-added processing of agricultural products' like turning corn into renewable fuels--means more jobs, more tax revenue and a higher quality of life. Ethanol production has already created more than 40,000 jobs and $1.3 billion in household income. Since many of these jobs are in rural areas, it helps stem the tide of rural-to-urban migration. This, in turn, eases urban congestion and more evenly distributes the demand for public services.