State Department of Agriculture Program: South Carolina

State Department of Agriculture of South Carolina
Agriculture has been the base of South Carolina’s economy since the settlement of the American colonies. The native Americans grew beans, pumpkins, onions, melons, and maize, and British colonists brought indigo, cotton, tobacco, ginger root, cattle and hogs.South Carolina’s top ten commodities are: broilers, turkeys, greenhouse nurseries, cotton, corn, cattle, soybeans, peanuts, eggs, and wheat. The state has about 25,000 farms, which encompass 4.9 million acres. Forests cover two-thirds of the land in the state. South Carolina agriculture is worth $3 billion annually, between crops and livestock.
www.agriculture.sc.gov
The Certified South Carolina program is a cooperative effort among producers, processors, wholesalers, retailers and the South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) to brand and promote South Carolina products. Certified SC Product identifies all manufactured and value-added products made in South Carolina.
http://www.certifiedscgrown.com/
Fresh From the Menu: Farm to table comes to life with the Fresh on the Menu program. Participating restaurants agree to prepare menus that dedicate at least 25% of their ingredients to Certified South Carolina Grown products that are in season. That means when you dine out, you eat fresher, healthier food that just tastes better.
www.freshonthemenu.com