Ag Stats

Overview

Fast Facts

• The 2011 total Farm Gate Value for the state was $13 billion, up from $12 billion in 2010.
• Agriculture contributes more than $71.1 billion annually to Georgia's $763.65 billion economy.
• One in seven Georgians works in agriculture, forestry or related fields.
• In 2007 there were 47,846 farms in Georgia encompassing 10,150,539 acres of land with an average size of 212 acres per farm.

Commodity Impact

U.S. Ranking of Georgia Farm Commodity Production (2011)*

1. Broilers, Peanuts, Pecans and Rye
2. Cotton, Cotton Seed, Cucumbers (Fresh Market) and Onions (Spring)
3. Bell Peppers, Blueberries, Cantaloupes, Peaches, Snap Beans (Fresh Market) and Sweet Corn (Fresh Market)

* Value based on 2011 production; USDA NASS Georgia Field Office

Georgia's Top 10 Farm Commodities (2011)*

1. Broilers - $4.6 billion
2. Cotton - $1.5 billion
3. Peanuts - $586.4 million
4. Eggs - $567.9 million
5. Timber - $470.2 million
6. Beef - $409.6 million
7. Dairy - $332.7 million
8. Horses - $322.4 million
9. Pecans - $319.5 million
10. Corn - $311.6 million

* Statistics provided by Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, University of Georgia

Georgia's Top 10 Vegetable Commodities (2011)*

1. Onions - $159 million
2. Watermelon - $98.6 million
3. Bell Peppers - $76.9 million
4. Sweet Corn - $62.3 million
5. Cucumbers - $49.8 million
6. Cabbage - $35.8 million
7. Tomato - $33.5 million
8. Cantaloupe - $26.8 million
9. Carrots - $26.3 million
10. Yellow Squash - $23 million

* Statistics provided by Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, University of Georgia

Individual Commodities

Below is a list of some of the state's most important commodities, along with 2011 Farmgate figures and facts about each respective commodity:

Apples

2011 Farmgate: $8,795,169

• Apple production in the state totaled 2 million pounds in 2007.
• On average, 430 bushels of apples are produced per acre in Georgia.
• In 2011, the apple growers in the state of Georgia grew approximately 768 acres of apples.

Beef

2011 Farmgate: $409,672,880

• More than eight out of 10 individuals consume fresh beef regularly (an average of 1.7 times per week) in-home.
• Every year consumers spend more than half of their meat budgets on beef, making beef the consumer meat of choice. Consumer spending on beef was $76 billion in 2008.
• Ground beef and steak make up most of the beef servings consumed both away from and in the home.

Blueberries

2011 Farmgate: $254,853,216

• North America produces 90 percent of the world's commercial blueberry crop.
• The wild blueberry is one of four fruit crops native to North America.
• Over 300 million pounds of blueberries are grown commercially in the U.S. each year.

Corn

2011 Farmgate: $311,603,285

• Corn makes GRITS!
• Corn can also be used for ethanol and livestock feed.
• The type of sweet corn Americans enjoy today was first cultivated around 1850.

Cotton

2011 Farmgate: $1,508,274,752

• A bale of cotton weighs about 480 pounds.
• In 2011, Cotton was Georgia's number two commodity based on Farm Gate Value.
• It takes 1.5 pounds of cotton to make one pair of jeans.

Dairy

2011 Farmgate: $332,745,848

• Georgia's dairy industry became commercially successful in the 1930s.
• Georgia dairies produced 1.4 billion pounds of milk in 2008.
• There are less than 300 dairy operations in Georgia.
• The average dairy cow in Georgia produces 18,600 pounds or 2,188 gallons of milk yearly.

Eggs

2011 Farmgate: $567,964,150

• Georgia ranks seventh in the nation in total egg production.
• In 2008, 4.58 billion eggs were produced by Georgia poultry farmers.
• An average Georgia hen will produce about 240 eggs per year.
• Based on the number of table laying hens, north Georgia has the most production with Hart County ranking as number one in the state.

Forestry

2011 Farmgate: $521,529,066

• About 89 percent (22 million acres) of Georgia's forests are privately owned.
• Forest industry controls 18 percent of Georgia's forest land. Only 12 percent of Georgia's forest land is owned by the government, including federal, state, and local holdings.
• Forest industry production and processing generated a total economic impact of $14.4 billion and contributed nearly 61,500 jobs in 2011.
• Between 1983 and 2006, Georgians replanted nearly 8.5 million acres in trees or 618, 334 trees per day.

Goats

2011 Farmgate: $21,625,638

• Goat meat is also known as Chevon or Cabrito.
• There are over 210 breeds of goats in the world.
• Goats were first brought to America by Columbus in 1493.
• Georgia has over 78,000 meat goats on 3,959 farms.

Grapes

2011 Farmgate: $8,320,490 (This figure includes muscadines, wine and table grapes grown in Georgia.)

• Georgia is the largest producer of muscadine grapes in the nation.
• Untamed muscadines are also called scuppernongs.

Horses

2011 Farmgate: $322,478,524

• Georgia's horse industry has a $2.5 billion impact on the Georgia economy every year.
• Georgia's temperate climate allows for year round out door training and are better for horses maintained outside.
• A male horse is known as a stallion. A female horse is known as a mare. A baby horse is known as a foal. Foals are fully grown by 3-4 years of age.

Ornamental Horticulture

2011 Farmgate: $567,891,923

• Green industry production, landscaping and processing generated a total economic impact of $5.9 billion and created more than 66,000 jobs.
• Greenhouses and container nurseries both ranked among the top 20 Georgia agricultural commodities in 2011.

Peaches

2011 Farmgate: $44,534,021

• Fresh Georgia peaches are available only 16 weeks each year.
• Georgia growers produce more than 40 commercial peach varieties.
• In 2011, 11,693 acres of peaches were grown in Georgia.

Peanuts

2011 Farmgate: $586,414,003

• It's the official state crop of Georgia.
• Georgia produces about half of the U.S. peanut crop.
• Approximately 80 Georgia counties grow peanuts.
• It takes about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter.

Pecans

2011 Farmgate: $319,538,540

• April is national pecan month.
• Pecans are the only tree nut that is truly native to the United States.
• In 2011, 142,529 acres of pecan trees were grown.
• The United States produces more than 80 percent of the world's pecans.

Pork

2011 Farmgate: $113,492,261

• Georgia farmers produced 230 thousand hogs and pigs in 2008.
• The U.S. pork industry has $34.5 billion impact on the GNP.
• A 3-ounce portion of pork tenderloin is comparable to the amount of fat and calories in one skinless chicken breast.

Poultry

2011 Farmgate: $4,667,682,292

• Georgia is the number one producer of poultry in the U.S and has the highest value of poultry.
• Broilers make up more than 36% of Georgia's total farm gate value.
• Ninety-nine Georgia counties annually produce more than $1 million each in poultry products.

Soybeans

2011 Farmgate: $65,479,034

• Soybeans were introduced to the United States when Henry Yonge planted them in Georgia.
• Soy products are rich in protein, iron calcium, and soluble fiber.
• Soy protein is the only plant protein that contains all 8 essential amino acids and is considered a complete protein.

Strawberries

2011 Farmgate: $6,530,753

• Strawberries will continue to turn red after they are picked, but they will not turn sweeter.
• May is national strawberry month.
• On the average, there are 200 tiny seeds in every strawberry.

Tobacco

2011 Farmgate: $53,776,268

• Georgia ranks fifth nationally in in the production of tobacco.
• Coffee and Berrien counties are two of the most productive tobacco-producing counties in Georgia.
• Cash receipts in 2011 for Georgia tobacco totalled $46.5 million.
• U.S. consumers spent an estimated $90 billion in 2006 on tobacco products.

Turfgrass

2011 Farmgate: $74,931,899

• Tifway and Tifgreen are two varieties of Bermuda grass that were developed by UGA researchers.
• In 2009, the turfgrass sector made up 16.7% of the Ornamental Horticulture Industry.
• Turfgrass provides many benefits such as erosion control, water purification and temperature cooling.
• In 2007, there were approximately 100 sod operations in Georgia.

Vidalia Onions

2011 Farmgate: $159,033,150 (This figure is the combined totals for all onions grown in Georgia.)

• Vidalia onions have an international reputation as the "world's sweetest onion."
• The mild flavor is due to the unique combination of soils and climate in the 20-county production area.
• The official state vegetable of Georgia is the Vidalia onion.

Watermelons

2011 Farmgate: $98,654,431

• Watermelons originated in Africa. Dr. David Livingstone found watermelons growing wild in central Africa in the 1850s.
• Watermelon is a warm-season crop related to cantaloupe, squash, cucumber and pumpkin.
• In 2009, almost 25,000 acres of watermelons were produced.

Economic Impact Multipliers (2008)

The following table has economic impact multipliers for the agricultural sectors in Georgia as of 2008. A multiplier is a number economists use to estimate the total economic impact. For example, suppose that the value of tobacco production (output) is expected to decline $10 million next year. Using the output multiplier of 1.782 yields a total economic impact of a loss of $17.82 million on the state's economy. Or suppose that a major new horticulture producer adds 100 new jobs in the state. The employment multiplier of 1.520 implies total job growth of 152 jobs statewide.

Source: Minnesota IMPLAN Group, Inc., IMPLAN System (2008 data and software), 1725 Tower Drive west, Suite 140, Stillwater, MN 55082, www.implan.com, 2008.

Cautions in using multipliers:

• Multipliers quantify the ripple effects for a particular sector and its supplying sectors, but they do not quantify the ripple effects of a marketing chain in processing, wholesale or retail sectors.
• The size of a multiplier is no indication that an industry is relatively more or less important than any other.
• The multipliers are specific to a region and cannot be applied to other economies.
• The ripple effects from a change to Georgia's economy take time to develop. Research indicates that 50 percent of the ripple effects will be felt in the first year, and this declines to zero percent by the sixth year.

Publications

Commercial and Professional Publications

• 2010 Georgia Plant Disease Loss Estimates

To see other publications, go to the CAES Publications site or the FACS Publications listing.

News

For the latest news about Extension, visit Georgia FACES. News you can use about Georgia family, agricultural, consumer and enviromental sciences.

• Blueberry breeder Scott NeSmith wins UGA Inventor's Award
• UGA economist wins international honor from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association
• Consumer, farmer opinions sought on FDA's proposed new food safety act
• Agbiosciences driving economic growth and job creation in the South
• Georgia peanut growers predicted to reduce acreage after 2012 bumper crop
• Survey says: Georgia farmers interested in forming food hubs as a means of marketing produce, fresh meat, and eggs
• 2013 Ag Forecast to focus on agricultural exports
• Georgia pecan crop early but good; prices still low for farmers
• Cover crop research shows advantages against pests
• UGA announces 2013 Farm to Port Ag Forecast

Websites

UGA-affiliated sites

• Agricultural and Applied Economics
  Describes the departments academic programs, research, and Extension support. Also lists relevant news items, events, publications and links.