(County Board of Supervisors accept a new ag study).....County Ag Commissioner delivered the study to the Supervisors this week.

Ag Commissioner Jolene Dessert said the study supplements the annual agricultural report. She said instead of stopping at farm production values, it also quantifies local food processing, employment and economic ripple effects. The study, presented to the Board of Supervisors at their Tuesday meeting, says agriculture pumped just over $5 billion into the local economy in 2022 and supported more than 19,000 jobs. Dessert said to put the contribution in perspective, Imperial County Agriculture pumped nearly $14 million into the county economy per day, or more than $580,000 per hour.. The county's third such study was conducted for the Office of the Agricultural Commissioner by Drs, Jeff Langholz and Fernando DePaolis of Agricultural Impact Associates, a consulting firm specializing in agricultural economics. The report will soon be available at the Ag Commissioners office on Broadway in El Centro.