Fourth of July Facts and Stats
As
the Fourth of July nears, MERIC gathered stats and facts about
Missouri's contribution to the food Americans eat on this holiday.
Where does the state rank in heads of cattle and calves for
hamburgers? How many hogs and pigs does the state produce for hot
dogs? How about bushels of corn for corn on the cob or apples for
the most American of desserts-apple pie? Interesting facts to share
with friends and family around the grill this holiday.
51 Million Pounds
Number of pounds of apples Missouri produced in 2006, ranking the
state 13th in the country. The value of Missouri apples accounted
for nearly $11 million of the over $2 billion apple industry in the
U.S.
2.7 Million Heads
Total number of hogs and pigs Missouri farmers provided the country
in 2006, ranking it 8th in production. Iowa led all states with over
one-quarter (17.2 million) of the production of the 62 million heads
of swine.
6th
Missouri's national ranking of inventory of heads of cattle and
calves in 2006. The state totaled 4.5 million heads of cattle and
calves last year, accounting for 4.6 percent of the 97 million head
in the nation. Texas led the country with 14 million heads. The
county in Missouri with the highest cattle and calves inventory and
value in the state was Polk County.
362 Million Bushels
Number of bushels or corn produced in the state in 2006. The highest
production in Missouri took place in the northwest (96 million
bushels) and northeast (62 million bushels) regions. Atchison
County, the most northwestern county in Missouri, had the highest
output at over 20 million bushels.
110,209
The population of one of the most patriotic named cities in the
country-Independence, Mo. There are 11 cities in the country with
the word "independence" in their name and Independence,
Mo. is the most populous of those. The other city in the state with
a most patriotic name is Liberty, Mo. Of the 30 places in the
country with "liberty" in their name, Liberty, Mo. is the
biggest, with a population of 29,042.
08/10/1821
While the signing of the Declaration of Independence took place on
July 4th, 1776, giving the United States its independence, Missouri
did not officially join the nation until August 10, 1821, making it
the 24th state in the union.
Sources: United States Department
of Agriculture, Census Bureau
