DOL certified 112,200 farm jobs to be filled in the first half of FY18, up 15 percent from 96,800 in the first half of FY17. Florida and Georgia accounted for a quarter of first half certifications, followed by Washington and California with 20 percent. Berries was the largest single crop requesting H-2A workers, accounting for 11 percent of job certifications
Americans are consuming more fresh berries, and a rising share are imported. Americans consume about 12 pounds of berries per person per year, including eight pounds of strawberries, two pounds of blueberries, and one pound each of blackberries and raspberries
The US has had an agricultural trade surplus since 1960, but has developed an agricultural trade deficit in fresh fruits and vegetables. In 2017, the US exported agricultural commodities worth $138 billion and imported farm goods worth $121 billion, for a trade surplus of $17 billion
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The 20th century transformed the US from a mostly rural to a mostly urban country. In 1900, 60 percent of Americans lived in rural areas, and almost 40 percent lived on farms. By 2000, about 20 percent of Americans lived in rural areas and two percent lived on farms
The midpoint farm size is the acreage at which half of the production of the commodity is from larger farms and half from smaller farms. For example, half of all cropland and harvested cropland was on farms with 1,200 or more acres in 2012, up from a midpoint of 600 acres in 1982 and 800 acres in 1997
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