A newly released study found that the annual economic impact of Virginia’s agriculture and forestry sectors increased by nearly 7 percent since similar research was conducted in 2016.
The economic impact study conducted by The Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia found that agriculture and forestry contributed more than $105 billion to Virginia’s economy in 2021. The 2016 study reported the sectors’ combined economic output totaled $98.2 billion.
Additionally, the number of jobs in farming and forestry increased from 478,079 in 2016 to 490,295 in 2021.The new study also concluded the economic improvement occurred despite numerous production and supply chain interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In addition to more than $105 billion in total industry output, the total value-added impact of Virginia’s agriculture and forestry industries was $55.1 billion, which made up 9.3 percent of the state’s gross domestic product,” said Gov. Glenn Youngkin....