The director of UC Cooperative Extension in Stanislaus County, Ed Perry, provided information to the county board of supervisors about agriculture's multiplier effect and its impact on the local economy, according to a Modesto Bee story by reporter Tim Moran

Moran's story was based on the presentation to the board of the county's 2007 Agricultural Crop Report, which says agriculture has a $2.4 billion commodity value, up more than 10 percent from the previous year.

According to the article, Perry said that agriculture's "multiplier effect" is more than three. Doing the math, that means the total impact of agriculture on the county's economy is more than $7.2 billion. The multiplier is generated, the story said, when the $2.4 billion in commodity value turns over in the economy three times as farmers buy equipment and supplies locally, crops are processed in local plants, and salespeople and processing workers spend their wages on food, housing and transportation.

Perry told the supervisors this economic engine "needs to be protected and enhanced."