CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 01/19/12

Agriculture gives Georgia's economy a leg up

By Steve L. Brown

In a year when Georgia’s economy struggled to get back on its feet, agriculture gave local communities a much-needed boost, according to a report released by the University of Georgia Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development.

The 2010 Georgia Farm Gate Value Report showed Georgia agriculture’s farm gate value hit a record high $12,002,461,213 in 2010. This huge number multiplies several fold when you factor in the Georgia industries that process, package, ship and market Georgia’s agricultural output, offering an economic ladder that helped many small businesses and local communities climb out of a deep economic hole.

What impact does $12 billion have on Georgia’s economy?

Not all of that money goes into the pockets of farmers. It goes to local seed companies, chemical companies, local farm workers, tractor companies, banks, fuel companies, fertilizer companies, veterinarians and more. What does go into the farmers’ pockets then goes out into the community to pay for home mortgages, cars and equipment, education, power bills, medical care, and other community-based businesses.

We’ve all come to know that an economy can’t be solely based on services. Somebody has to actually produce something that has value. That’s exactly what Georgia agriculture does. It produces more than $12 billion worth of value and pumps it into our economy. Not only do farmers benefit, all Georgians do.

As our legislative session gets underway, it’s important to assess the public value of our industries, keeping in mind that agricultural output is dependent upon reliable, science-based information to sustain this growth. Twelve billion dollars worth of value doesn’t just happen.

Research and education from state-supported institutions, like University of Georgia and Fort Valley State University, help keep Georgia’s largest industry not only economically viable, but growing in a very competitive world market. The competitive advantage that comes with sound research and education helps Georgia farmers produce safer, more nutritious products while protecting the environment to continually improve the quality of life in Georgia.

Here are a few interesting facts found in the 2010 Farm Gate Value Report that shows how local communities across Georgia benefit from agriculture:

• Georgia produces 20 different commodities with farm gate values over $100 million and 48 commodities with a value over $10 million. That’s not only a sign of high value, but high diversity as well.

• Colquitt County had the highest farm gate value in 2010 at $475,048,630 followed by Franklin, Habersham, Madison, Banks, Mitchell, Hart, Jackson, Tattnall and Hall to make up the Top 10 agriculture producing counties.

• The top livestock county was Oglethorpe.

• Laurens County topped the forestry category, while Grady County led in ornamental horticulture value.

• Bacon County was the highest in the fruit and nut category.

• Dooly County led the row and forage crop category and Colquitt County was tops in vegetables.

Check out the online report to find out what Georgia agriculture means to your local area at http://www.caes.uga.edu/center/caed/pubs/2011/documents/AR-11-01.pdf

Steve Brown is the assistant dean for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Authors:
Steve L. Brown
Experts/Sources:
Steve L. Brown
Steve Brown is the assistant dean for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
From left, CAES Associate Professor Abigail Borron and Fulbright Romanian-American Foundation Scholars Mihai Suteu, Daniyar Memedemin, Alina Zaharia, Andreea Ona and Daniel Chiciudean stand in front of an image of the Romanian flag projected onto a barn at UGArden. CAES News
Fulbright Scholars unite with UGA Extension to envision ag outreach model in Romania 12/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Arriving on the Athens campus of the University of Georgia in August 2023, five Romanian scholars experienced the same anticipation, excitement and apprehension as many first-year students.  Chosen as Fulbright Romanian-American Foundation Scholars, each serves on the faculty at one of three Romanian universities, specializing in fields from economics and engineering to plant breeding and biotechnology. The five scholars comprised the first cohort of the Romanian Extension Education Development Program, an ambitious three-year pilot effort to facilitate planning and implementation of extension services in Romania. 
Georgia Simmons at the office of U.S. Sen. Warnock CAES News
Georgia 4-H alum, CAES student spends semester serving at the nation's Capitol 12/03/24 Josie Smith, Cooper Hardy
Third-year University of Georgia student and Banks County 4-H alum Georgia Simmons has been in the center of the political action this fall with the Georgia 4-H Washington DC Intern Program. Simmons, an environmental resource science major in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, works in the office of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock. As an intern on his staff, she interacts directly with policy experts and lawmakers, participating in the legislative process while earning a semester of credit hours.
southgeorgiafarmfield (1) CAES News
CAES releases 20 years of farm gate trends 08/19/24 Jordan Powers
For more than two decades, the Georgia Farm Gate Value Report has offered a comprehensive analysis of the county-level production value for commodities in Georgia’s No. 1 industry, agriculture. The reports provide essential data to farmers in the state’s 159 counties. Now the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is providing Georgia’s producers with a new tool, the Georgia Farm Gate Value 20-Year Trends.
web Capitol Day Group Photo on Oglethorpe Stairs CAES News
4-H’ers see leadership in action during Georgia 4-H Day at the Capitol 02/28/24 Josie Smith
The gold dome of the Georgia Capitol was complemented with shades of green on Feb. 14 as 4-H youth and adult leaders joined elected officials for the largest Georgia 4-H Day at the Capitol on record. With nearly 700 in attendance, outstanding 4-H’ers from counties across the state gathered to engage with legislators, observe leadership in action and learn about the civic process.
GaCapitol CAES News
Across the Southern border: The future of the H-2A visa program in Georgia 01/17/24 Emily Cabrera
As an essential part of the U.S. agricultural industry, the H-2A program offers a lifeline for farmers facing seasonal labor shortages. The program enables them to hire migrant workers on a temporary basis when attempts to hire domestic workers are unsuccessful. Yet, as the agricultural sector navigates the delicate balance between productivity and financial viability, the high costs associated with the H-2A program present a very real and present challenge for farmers striving to sustain their operations.
service pnp fsa 8d29000 8d29100 8d29114v CAES News
Across the Southern border: How U.S. immigration policies affect agriculture 01/04/24 Emily Cabrera
For decades, economists have studied the impact of immigration on domestic labor markets. As a shortage of domestic farm labor has led to increased participation in the H-2A visa program, a brief look back at past immigration policies helps frame why migrants from Central and South America have largely been associated with filling necessary agricultural jobs in the U.S.