Adding livestock numbers to a county doesn’t just add
animals and jobs. It adds real money to the bank accounts of people who live in
that county.
“The Nebraska counties that have the highest percentage of
livestock production tend to be about 10 percent higher than average in
per-capita income,” said Ken Lemke, economist for Nebraska Public Power
District. “For every 100 jobs in livestock production, there is a minimum of 30
to 100 additional jobs created within the county.”
Quoting a study by the Bureau of Business Research at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lemke noted that the impact of livestock is
pervasive across the state. “Even in Omaha and Lincoln metro areas, the
agricultural complex in Nebraska accounts for 20 to 25 percent of the sales in
employment. That percentage, of course, is even higher in other areas of the
state,” he said.
“The purpose of economic development is to improve the lives
of people living within the county or the area – and livestock production is
definitely an economic development strategy for Nebraska,” Lemke said.
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