t Welcome to the 2019 edition of Arkansas Grown. The Arkansas Agriculture Department exists to serve and promote Arkansas agriculture, our state’s largest industry. Our goal with each edition of Arkansas Grown is to provide you an overview of the breadth and diversity of Arkansas agriculture and the families that make the industry possible. Agriculture contributes over $21 billion to our state’s economy each year and accounts for one of every six jobs. We consistently rank in the top 25 in the nation annually in the production of over 15 different agricultural commodities. Our diverse agricultural production includes livestock, poultry, aquaculture, row crops, specialty crops, and forestry. We have a lot to be thankful for and many reasons to be proud. Across the state, our agriculture industry is comprised of creative, resilient, and hardworking individuals that are some of the best and brightest in the world. Arkansas’s proud agricultural heritage has given us the ability to overcome challenges and work tougher for the benefit of the industry at the state, national, and international level. I’m confident Arkansas agriculture will remain strong and continue to provide safe and affordable food, fiber, fuel, and shelter here at home and across the globe. Respectfully, Wesley W. Ward Secretary of Agriculture ARKANSAS GROWN 11
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