The Economic Impact of a Commercial Cattle Operation in a Rural Nebraska County

The purpose of this analysis is to estimate the economic and fiscal impact of a hypothetical 15,000-head capacity commercial cattle operation in a typical Nebraska rural county with a diversified cattle sector. This information can be used by local government officials and economic developers to inform public policy decisions and to identify new areas of business opportunity. This analysis estimates the economic impact of cattle operations, local and non-local ownership and government fiscal impacts at the county level. Key findings include:
A 15,000-head commercial cattle operation creates 25 new jobs and $13.74 million in added value.
Cattle operation purchases from local businesses create an additional 48 new jobs and $5.98 million in added value.
Spending by new workers adds another 20 jobs and $871,000 in added value.
Cattle operations generate $1.80 million in state tax revenues and $1.37 million in local tax revenues.