Agriculture Industry Overview

Agriculture involves the cultivation of plants, and animal and bird rearing for food, fabrics, fibers, bio-fuel, medicinal and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. This industry also include horticulture and aquaculture. The Agriculture industry can be classified as follows: Farm Activities and Rural Activities

Crop production industry includes growing crops, plants, vines, or trees and their seeds by establishments such as farms, orchards, groves, greenhouses and nurseries. Crop Production industry is further classified as follows – Oilseed Farming, Grain Farming, Vegetable Farming, Nursery And Flowers, Fruit And Nut Farming and General Crop Farming.

The animal produce industry includes raising animals (and insects) for sale and production of meat and other products. The establishments in the industry are involved in the production of meat, raising of live animals, production of skin and hide, extraction of wool, and production of honey, milk and eggs. Animal produce industry is further classified as follows – Meat Production, Live Animals, Skin And Hide, Wool Production, Honey Production, Milk Production, and Eggs Production.

Rural activities industry include establishments involved in cotton ginning, soil preparation, planting, and cultivating, crop harvesting, postharvest crop activities, farm labor contractors and crew leaders, farm management services, support activities for animal production, support activities for forestry, finfish fishing, shellfish fishing, other marine fishing, hunting and trapping, timber tract operations, forest nurseries and gathering of forest products and logging. Rural activities industry is further classified as follows – Forestry and Logging, Fishing, Hunting and Trapping and Agriculture and Forestry Support Activities

Agriculture and Forestry Support Activities market includes dairy herd improvement activities, livestock spraying and sheep dipping and shearing. It is also involved in performing support activities related to timber production, wood technology, forestry economics and marketing, and forest protection. In agriculture, support activities include aerial crop dusting, farm management services, cotton ginning, planting crops, and vineyard cultivation services. Establishments involved in support services for raising animals such as dogs, cats and pet birds, pedigree record services, and boarding horses are also included in this category.

Forestry and Logging includes establishments involved in growing, cutting and transporting of timber, operations of timber tract, growing trees for reforestation and collecting forest products such as gums, barks and fibers. This industry grows and harvest timber on a long production cycle (10 years or more) which uses different production processes than short production cycles. It requires more horticultural interventions before the harvest which results in processes more alike to those found in the Crop Production subsector.

General Crop Farming market includes establishments involved in growing crops, such as tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, hay, sugar beets, peanuts, agave, herbs and spices and producing hay and grass seeds.

Rural activities industry include establishments involved in cotton ginning, soil preparation, planting, and cultivating, crop harvesting, postharvest crop activities, farm labor contractors and crew leaders, farm management services, support activities for animal production, support activities for forestry, finfish fishing, shellfish fishing, other marine fishing, hunting and trapping, timber tract operations, forest nurseries and gathering of forest products and logging. Rural activities industry in this report is segmented into forestry and logging, fishing, hunting and trapping, and agriculture and forestry support activities.