How Big is 'Big Sugar' in Palm Beach County? Really, really Big

Christine Stapleton at the Post has some numbers that might surprise you. Here is an excerpt:

     Palm Beach County agriculture continues to be a powerful economic engine [emphasis added] and ranks first in the state in its total value of crops, livestock, forestry and fisheries at more than $1 billion, a newly released University of Florida report found.
     At $1.356 billion in output for those sectors, Palm Beach County ranked highest in the state, almost double the next largest county, Miami-Dade, at $783 million, said Alan Hodges, a scientist with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension.
     Palm Beach County’s sugarcane industry accounted for more than $511 million, and vegetable farming totaled $386 million in direct industry output, the report states. Support activities for agriculture and forestry totaled $225 million, and plant nursery production made up the next largest sector, at $163 million.

Now you know why they call the sugar industry "Big Sugar".