SACRAMENTO — Despite a sharp drop in commodity prices in 2015, agriculture continued to account for one in five jobs in Northeastern California and 18.4 percent of the region’s economic activity, according to the latest annual report from the Agribusiness Institute (ABI) at California State University, Chico. By comparison, at the statewide level, agriculture contributed an estimated 7.6 percent of the state’s jobs and 6.7 percent of its total economic activity.
The Contribution of Agriculture to Northeastern California’s Economy in 2015 was written by ABI Director Eric Houk, a professor of agricultural business in the College of Agriculture. The report covers economic activity in Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity and Yuba Counties, where agriculture plays a significant role in the landscape and the economy.
The 13 counties in the study area produced $4.2 billion worth of agricultural products in 2015, which was down 8.6 percent from the previous year due to decreased global commodity prices.
The Contribution of Agriculture to Northeastern California’s Economy in 2015 is supported by U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the Agricultural Research Institute.
The full report is available online at www.csuchico.edu/ag. For more information, contact Eric Houk at 530-898-4146 or ehouk@csuchico.edu.
—Chico State
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