Farm and farm-related employment involves a diverse group of industries, ranging from farm operations to grocery stores that sell farm products. These farm and farm-related industries provided over 23 million jobs, or 17.3 percent of U.S. employment, in 1989. Much of this employment is only peripherally linked to farming, with more than 15.5 million jobs in farm-related wholesale and retail trade industries or indirect agribusinesses. But, the jobs in farming and its closely related industries that supply agricultural inputs and process and market commodities have a direct effect on many local economies, providing 25 percent or more of total employment in 865 of the approximately 3,100 U.S. counties.