Agribusiness

Agriculture plays a vital role in Indiana’s economy. With more than 53,000 farms totaling over 15 million acres of farmland, Indiana is a leading producer of corn, soybeans, hogs, poultry, popcorn, and tomato products.

More than 16 percent of Indiana’s workforce is connected to agriculture, food and forestry and Indiana’s farm, food and forestry products add $25 billion to the state economy each year.

Indiana actively promotes the use of biofuels, including ethanol and blended biofuels, derived from corn and soybeans. The state also has adopted a comprehensive clean energy production incentive package to encourage advanced agricultural investment in Indiana.

Indiana’s natural environment and commitment to industry support make it an ideal location for agricultural business opportunities.

Whitley County Wages

Occupation	Average Wage
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General	$37,835
First-line Supervisors/Managers of Production and Operating Workers	$51,106
Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders	$31,741
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers & Weighers	$28,101
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders	$27,602
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators	$32,614
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$28,142
Packers and Packagers, Hand	$23,379

Whitley County Farm Facts

Almost 7.2% of all farms in Northeast Indiana (EGR 3) are located in Whitley County, comprising 7.0% of farmland in Northeast Indiana.

Whitley County also makes up the following for Northeast Indiana:

8.0% of all harvested cropland
5.8% of all cattle inventory
9.0% of all cattle and calves sold
6.6% of all hog and pig inventory
5.8% of all hogs and pigs sold
6.5% of all sheep & lamb inventory
20.2% of all milk goats inventory
22.8% of all milk goats sold
8.1% of all forage
7.3% of all corn for grain
7.7% of all soybeans
9.7% of all non citrus farms
100.0% of all plums and prunes farms
12.5% of all apple farms
16.0% of all nut farms

GRAIN
Whitley County provided 8.5% of all wheat for grain in Northeast Indiana.

OTHER PRODUCTION
Whitley County is involved in the production of bees and honey, horses and ponies, vegetables, and maple syrup.

Sources: Indiana Economic Development Corporation, EMSI 2013.2 Class of Worker, 2007 USDA Census of Agriculture