Diverse agriculture
Almost 70% of Yorkshire and the Humber is farmland and it is one of the UK’s most important agricultural regions.
The Yorkshire and Humber region:
- produces 12% of England’s agricultural output.
- employs 10% of its agricultural workforce.
- rears nearly a third of its pigs.
Because of the region’s varied soils and topography it can grow a wide range of crops including:
- all the UK’s important arable crops (wheat, oilseed rape, barley, sugar beet, potatoes, peas, beans, maize).
- energy crops, including short rotation coppice willow and Miscanthus.
- specialist oilseed and fibre crops, such as borage and hemp.
Agricultural businesses in the region range from range from global players to family businesses including:
- over 11,000 agriculture, forestry and fishery enterprises.
- regional bases for Cargill, Syngenta, Frontier and Limagrain.
The region’s farmers are highly innovative and receptive to new technologies and techniques. They are supported by a strong regional capacity in agricultural research, development and training.
