Strawberries continue to be Hillsborough County's top crop, according to the latest estimates.
The berry harvest was worth slightly more than $366 million last year, which was almost 45 percent of the county's total agricultural sales. The county's farmers, mostly in the Plant City area, produce about 90 percent of the state's strawberries.
Strawberries continued to hold the top spot despite a hard winter in 2010, according to the Hillsborough County Agriculture Industry Development Program and County Extension.
Strawberries have been the leading crop in terms of sales for the last few years, said Stephen Gran, acting director of economic development for the county. Ornamental plants, which used to compete for the No. 1 spot, have seen sales decline due to the economic downturn.
Here are the next highest sales crops after strawberries:
- Ornamental plants, $144.4 million
- Vegetables, $140 million
- Aquaculture, such as tropical fish, $27.6 million
- Beef cattle/pasture, slightly more than $20 million
The report said countywide, all crops brought in almost $816 million, about 5 percent more than in 2009.
Gran said he was pleased that the county's crop sales estimates were up after some declines in recent years.
"It's good to see we had an uptick," he said.
Local agriculture generates additional local economic impact by supporting related businesses such as banking, real estate, transportation, packaging and others, Gran said.
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