Food & Farm

Overview

Food production — whether on the farm or in the kitchen — is big business in Georgia. According to the Georgia Farm Bureau, in 2007 there were 47,846 farms in Georgia producing everything from Vidalia onions to the peaches and peanuts the state is famous for.

Processing of foods such as baked goods, peanut butter, and packaged chicken is the number-one manufacturing activity in the state. Increasingly, more and more small, home-based businesses are springing up to offer products like local honey, salsa, and onion relish.

Extension provides large-scale farmers and food producers with information about market trends, regulations, and commercial production, and also offers smaller producers advice about growing their Georgia food business.

Publications

Commercial and Professional Publications

• Pen-size Optimization Workbook of Experimental Research Design (POWER for Poultry)
• Safety Checklists for New Landscape Employees
• Financial Analysis of Methyl Bromide and Mulch Alternatives for Bell Pepper in Georgia
• Anticipating Drought on Rainfed Farms in the Southeast
• Profitable Cattle Marketing for the Cow-Calf Producer
• Production Costs vs. Feeding Value of Forages
• Georgia Farm*A*Syst: Petroleum Storage and Handling
• GEORGIA FARM*A*SYST: Nutrient Management
• GEORGIA FARM*A*SYST: Improving Drinking Water for the Rural Resident
• Agricultural Safety: Preventing Injuries
• Accident Extrication Procedures for Farm Families and Employees
• Is Your Agribusiness Project Feasible?
• Georgia Farm Record Book
• Land Application of Pulp Mill Lime Mud
• Environmental Policy Statements: Explaining What You Do, How You Do It, and Where You Want To Go
• Water Meters as a Water Management Tool on Georgia Farms
• Economics of Farm Storage Buildings
• Standby Electric Power Systems for Agriculture
• Fences for the Farm
• Metal Concentration Standards for Land Application of Biosolids and Other By-Products in Georgia

General Publications

• Forest Farming - Forest Gardening Growing Alternative Crops Under a Forest Canopy

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.

• Nigerian delegation visits Tifton campus, south Georgia farms on tour
• UGA's Southeast Energy Options Conference features Jimmy Carter and alternative energy experts
• Vegetables don't grow at the grocery store
• Cover crop research shows advantages against pests
• Researcher at UGA-Tifton working to increase Georgia's organic peanut production
• New UGA facility in Griffin will help launch new food products
• African agricultural delegation visits UGA campus in Tifton
• Sunbelt Expo Field Day highlights UGA research
• Hawkinsville's Barry Martin named the 2012 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Georgia Farmer of the Year
• Twilight tour of the University of Georgia's organic farm slated for July 19

Websites

UGA-affiliated sites

• Agri-Tourism: A New Agricultural Business Enterprise
  Overview of, recommendations for and additional internet resources about agri-tourism.
• Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development
  Studies markets, measures economic impacts, compiles demographic and output statistics and researches regulatory and legislative policies. Publishes Economic Importance of Agriculture brochure series and maintains a catalog of presentations and workshops on relevant topics.
• Department of Food Science and Technology
  Describes food science careers and academic programs. Maintains an events calendar and newsletter. The Extension Food Science Outreach Program specializes in food safety and provides extensive resources on relevant laws and regulations as well as a detailed guide to starting a new food business. Extension also includes a detailed calendar of frequent workshops.
• Extension Agricultural and Applied Economics
  Providing economics education and applied research in areas of production economics and farm management, marketing, risk management, financial management, farm policy, labor, and taxation.
• Farm Gate Annual Reports
  County-level information for the value of all food and fiber commodities grown in the state.
• Flavor of Georgia
  The Flavor of Georgia food product contest is an annual celebration of all the flavors Georgia has to offer. Market-ready prototypes or commercially available food products from across the state are judged and critiqued by a panel of food experts.
• Food Product Innovation and Commercialization
  Department of Food Science and Technology affiliate offers multiple services, including product development, packaging engineering, storage assessment, consumer testing, market planning, business development and market access to food businesses.
• Georgia Ag Forecast
  Website for the annual event bringing together leading agriculture experts to discuss emerging trends.
• Georgia Commercial Vegetable Information
  News, regulations, and market information for Georgia's commerical vegetable producers.
• Georgia Cooperative Development Center
  Offers consulting, marketing assistance, technical assistance, business planning, and impact analysis services. Issues Technical Assistance Grants. Lists completed, current and future projects.
• Types of Farm Business Organizations
  Describes the different ownership structures for agribusinesses.

External sites

• Georgia Farm Bureau
  Georgia's largest voluntary agricultural organization, representing the largest industry in the state.
• Georgia Market Maker
  MarketMaker was developed as an online marketing resource to give farmers greater access to regional markets by linking them with processors, retailers, consumers and other food supply chain participants.
• Georgia Producer Calculator
  Presents map of the state that displays supply and demand of individual counties for specific crops. Data covers years 2005 and 2006.

Training

Cooperative Extension offers training within local communities on a wide array of topics. To see if there are training events in your area, please visit our calendar.

• HACCP Certification Courses and Food Safety Training
  The Food Science Extension Outreach Program offers industry-specific food safety training courses to food processors in Georgia, the U.S. and internationally.
• ServSafe® Programs
  This program offers training for every level of the food service industry in a variety of training delivery methods.