California remains top U.S. ag product exporter

California remains top U.S. ag product exporter    California remained the top agricultural products exporter in the United States during 2005, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS).
   The state exported $10.2 billion in agricultural products, up 7 percent from 2004. California accounted for 16 percent of all U.S. agricultural exports in 2005, the ERS report said.
   California leads the country in exports of vegetables, fruits, tree nuts, dairy products, and planting seeds. The ERS report noted that California’s exports of these products are two to three times higher than the next closest state.
   ERS ranked Iowa in second place with total agricultural exports valued at $4 billion in 2005. The state led the nation in exports of feed grains, live animals and meats.
   Texas ranked third, shipping $3.5 billion worth in agricultural products last year. This value is down $213 million or 6 percent from 2004 levels mostly due to declining export values for cotton and meat. Texas continues to dominate the U.S. export market for cotton and cottonseed, the report noted.
   Other states in the top 10 agricultural export rankings are Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Washington, North Dakota and Indiana.
   ERS estimates state agricultural exports using Customs District-level export data compiled by the Census Bureau and the state-level agricultural production data supplied by the National Agricultural Statistics Service.