DOVER, Del. (AP) - A federal agriculture report shows Delaware farmers produced a record $1.2 billion in crops and livestock in 2012, despite a severe drought.
Preliminary data from a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released Thursday shows that figure was up 19 percent since the last report in 2007. The value of crop production, which more than doubled to $429 million, was helped by high commodity prices.
Delaware agriculture Secretary Ed Kee says the report shows the state has a “strong, viable industry with a powerful economic impact.”
Meanwhile, the report shows a slight dip in the number of farms and amount of farmland since the previous report. Acreage was down less than 1 percent and farms decreased by 3 percent. Nationwide, acreage declined by 1 percent and farms decreased by 4 percent.
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