In-depth analysis
of Volusia's agriculture to bear valuable economic fruit
Steve Crump of VoLaSalle Farms in DeLeon
Springs, with crops grown hydroponically at his farm
With more than
225,000 acres in production, there’s little
doubt that agriculture is a major component of Volusia
County’s economy.
But with one big, unexpected freeze or a
plant- or tree-killing disease, the agriculture
economic picture can change quickly.
“We are such a big tourist area, that
sometimes I don’t think we give
enough weight to the economic
value of agriculture,” said Rick
Michael, Volusia County’s
economic development director.
“Although we have some good
information, it’s time we get more
specifics.”
Cows rest in a pasture in DeLeon Springs
To that end, the Volusia County
Council has commissioned a study
that will provide a great deal of
economic specifics on the economic
landscape of the county. The analysis is
expected to take up to nine months and
is being coordinated through the
University of Florida IFAS/Volusia
County Cooperative Extension
Service, based at the fairgrounds east
of DeLand.
“I think we know a lot about our agricultural operations,” said the
service’s director, David Griffis. “But in some cases the data is
older than we’d like and things always are changing. The
results of the study will confirm some things we
know and probably will tell us a lot we don’t
know.”
Crump inspects oranges; Grape tomatoes on
the vine at VoLaSalle Farms; Horse grazing in DeLeon Springs
The study will analyze such things as
the types and number of agricultural
operations, the number of and pay ranges
of agricultural jobs, the volume of sales
and the percentage of sales that are inside
and outside of Volusia County. Griffis
said when all the data is developed, the
consultants will construct a regional
input-output model using a specific
economic software model.
Among the other factors to be
analyzed are the economic gain of
individual types of agriculture in
comparison with the number of acres in
production. For example, it’s estimated
there are about 135,000 acres of timberland
in Volusia County, 20,000 acres of
pastureland and 2,000 acres of citrus but the
yield per acre varies greatly by crop type,
Griffis said.
Crump gathers hay for baling
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