YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
The results of an agribusiness economic impact study, presented this morning at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, revealed that cheese manufacturing accounted for $1.75 billion of the $4.23 billion agriculture processing industry in a 12-county region that includes and surrounds Greene County. As a whole, regional agribusiness has an economic impact of $5.2 billion annually, the study said.
“I was a little surprised,” said Willow Brook Foods President Mike Briggs, who was among the panelists who spoke about the study’s results. “I thought it would be poultry.”
Poultry processing has an economic impact of $1.1 billion, according to the study, which converted 2002 data into 2004 dollars.
Other panelists were Brian Hammons of Hammons Products Co., Don Lucietta of the Office of Congressman Roy Blunt and Anson Elliott of Missouri State University’s agriculture department.
Elliott said he and others in agriculture anxiously awaited this type of a study, and they hope it inspires more agribusiness data collection.
“One good study leads to another,” he said, noting that MSU is working on “a continuous study” to follow industry trends and better prepare the next generation of agriculture workers. “This is a great start. We need to look to the future.”
Missouri State University associate professor Arbindra Rimal prepared the study, titled “Economic Impact of Springfield Economic Region’s Agriculture-Related Industries,” for the chamber’s agribusiness roundtable.
Other study findings:
• Total economic impact is $5.2 billion.
• Gross output reached $3.9 billion.
• Agribusiness employs 42,300 with income of $1.1 billion.
• Processing industries contributed 72 percent of total output.
• Most jobs are in cheese manufacturing, 12,673, and poultry processing, 8,376.
• Greene County led the region with an agribusiness output of $2 billion.
• Barry County’s $819 million and Lawrence County’s $420 million were second and third, respectively, in agribusiness output.
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April 7 was the official opening day for Mexican-Italian fusion restaurant Show Me Chuy after a soft launch that started March 31; marketing agency AdZen debuted; and the Almighty Sando Shop opened a brick-and-mortar space.