CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 01/31/08

Drought forces industry to reduce workforce

By Sharon Omahen
University of Georgia

Georgia’s urban agriculture industry will continue to lose profits and employees if drought conditions remain over the state this year, according to a University of Georgia survey.

UGA experts with the Center for Urban Agriculture conducted a survey in November and December last year to see how the current drought, which started in March 2006, has affected one of Georgia’s largest industries. Georgia’s Urban Agriculture Council helped develop and implement the survey.

In all, 168 landscapers, turfgrass farmers and retail and wholesale garden business owners responded with a gloomy economic picture.

“The business owners we surveyed reported substantial layoffs in 2007 resulting in the loss of 848 workers,” said Ellen Bauske, the center’s program coordinator. “If the drought continues, the businesses surveyed expect to lose an additional 708 employees.”

The drought is withering profits, too, along with the plants and grasses the industry produces and sells. Survey results show a monthly average loss of $37,516 per company.

“In an industry with a median income of $800,000 per company, many companies won’t be able to sustain losses of that magnitude,” Bauske said. “We can expect more news of bankruptcies, business failures and liquidation of company assets if the situation continues.”

Based on the survey, Bauske and her colleagues project devastating losses in the coming year.

“A calculated loss of $260 million per month can be contributed to the drought and water restrictions imposed on the industry,” she said. “If the current drought conditions continue, the results could grow to an annual loss of $3.15 billion and 30,000 employees.”

In all, it is estimated that 35,000 employees working in the Georgia urban agriculture industry have lost their jobs since the drought started. Business owners appear to be keeping full-time employees and cutting part-time and seasonal workers, she said.

For more detailed information on the survey and the economic impact of the drought, visit the publications section of the center’s Web site www.gaurbanag.org/industry.

Sharon Omahen is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Ellen M. Bauske
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms CAES News
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms 04/15/24 David Mitchell
During the pandemic, labor problems became acute on many farms in Georgia and across the country. Farms once staffed by humans to bring produce from the field to stores for purchase were suddenly short-staffed, and the global supply chain was severely impacted. Working with UGA’s Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center and A&M Farms in Lyons, Georgia, a team of researchers led by School of Computing Professor Prashant Doshi is designing collaborative robots to mitigate some of these potential challenges.
2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate who went on to earn a master’s degree in 1982 and education specialist degree in 1984 from UGA’s College of Education. CAES News
Innovator, educator inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame 04/11/24 Maria M. Lameiras
An innovator in peanut breeding whose research revitalized an industry and an ardent champion of agricultural education were inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame at the 68th University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Association Awards in Athens. The 2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate.
Peach growers are looking forward to a fruitful season as the weather this winter and spring have been near-perfect for the sensitive crop. This year is projected to be a much-needed comeback from the disastrous season they experienced after a late freeze in March 2023 took out more than 90% of the state's crop. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA) CAES News
Growers hopeful 2024 peach season will rebound from disastrous 2023 04/10/24 Emily Cabrera
Last year, the peach industry lost $60 million due to the late freeze that hit much of the Southeast in mid-March 2023, said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties. With no freezing temperatures in the forecast and hope for strong pricing during the upcoming season, peach growers are looking forward to a much-needed rebound year.
UGA wheat breeder and geneticist Mohamed Mergoum smells one of several test brews created by Creature Comforts on its annual Get Comfortable collaboration using a variety of wheat Mergoum developed at CAES. CAES News
Creature Comforts partners with UGA wheat breeder to create 2024 Get Comfortable brew 04/09/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile. These two exacting professions came together this spring when Athens-based Creature Comforts Brewing Co. reached out to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to find a sustainable wheat variety they could use to make a good beer for a great cause.
The Arch seen through the columns of the Holmes Hunter Building. (Photo by Dorothy Kozkowski/UGA) CAES News
UGA celebrates winners of 2024 Public Service & Outreach Faculty Awards 04/08/24
Six University of Georgia faculty and staff members are being honored for their commitment to public service and outreach. These honorees have made significant career-spanning contributions to UGA’s public service mission through scholarship, service-learning opportunities for students and campus leadership. All have created a legacy of extraordinary impact through special projects and long-term achievements to propel a better quality of life for the people of Georgia.
(L to R) New Creation Soda Works Founder and CEO Paul Kooistra, Head Brewer Alex Harding, CAES Dean and Director Nick Place. (Photo by Dennis McDaniel) CAES News
Flavor of Georgia grand prize goes to New Creation Soda Works 04/05/24 Jordan Powers
New Creation Soda Works won the grand prize at the 2024 Flavor of Georgia food contest for their product, PECHES Georgia Peach Soda. A family-owned company based in Bishop, Georgia, New Creation Soda Works started selling their soda syrups at a local farmer’s market in 2015. Today, their product line — comprised of sodas with flavors including strawberry habanero, butter pecan cream soda and the old-time root beer that inspired the company — sells in more than 700 locations nationwide.