Virginia and North Carolina: States Without Drought

Based on forecasts by experts who contribute to the Drought Monitor, the drought-free parts of the country are likely to remain that way during the foreseeable future. Since land devoted to agriculture takes up almost a third of the square miles within the state of Virginia, the lack of drought allows this sector to prosper. The health of the industry ripples across the state, according to the Virginia Agriculture and Consumer Agency:

Agriculture is Virginia’s largest industry by far, with nothing else coming a close second. The industry has an economic impact of $52 billion annually and provides nearly 311,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. The industries of agriculture and forestry together have a total economic impact of $70 billion and provide more than 400,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. Every job in agriculture and forestry supports 1.6 jobs elsewhere in Virginia’s economy.

Production agriculture employs nearly 55,000 farmers and workers in Virginia and generates approximately $3.3 billion in total output. In addition, value-added industries, those that depend on farm commodities, employ more than 67,000 workers. When the value-added impact of agriculture and forestry are considered together, they make up 8.1 percent of the state’s total gross domestic product.

Contrast this to the dying agriculture industry in the interior parts of California, where unemployment is unusually high.

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The advantages of lack of drought have similar impact in North Carolina. The state is the largest by far as a producer of tobacco, which has been essential to the state’s economy for decades.

While California’s economy has been savaged by the effects of drought, on the other side of the spectrum, lack of drought has allowed North Carolina and Virginia to prosper.