The Economic Importance
of Food and Fiber
A Spotlight on Putnam County, Georgia
Prepared for
Putnam County Cooperative Extension
January, 2009
by:
The Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development
College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Total Population
Putnam County
2010 Trend CAED
21,002
21,505
20,251
18,812
2010 OPB Proj.
2007 Est.
2000
14,137
1990
10,295
8,394
7,798
7,731
8,514
8,367
1980
1970
1960
1950
1940
1930
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
Primary data sources: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial censuses & estimate; OPB (State Office of
Planning and Budget) CAED (Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development).
25,000
Population Change: 2000-2007
LOSS
0 – 7.2%
7.2 – 16.6%
16.6 – 39.0%
39.0 – 61.5%
Avg. GA
County = 9.9%
GA = 16.6%
US = 7.2%
Putnam Co.
7.6%
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau (3/08)
Percent of Land in Cropland & Forestland:
2002
23 – 40%
40 – 55%
55 – 70%
70 – 85%
85% or more
GA Total = 78.5%
GA Avg. Co. = 77.3%
Metro Avg. Co. = 70.7%
Nonmetro Avg. Co. = 82.6%
Putnam Co.
85.6%
Primary data sources:
U.S. Census of Agriculture, 2002
Forest Statistics for Georgia, 1997
Components of 2007 Property Tax Gross Digest
Putnam County
Residential
67.5%
Heavy Equipment
0.03%
Ag-PreferentialEnviron-Conserv
9.1%
Timber *
0.3%
Mobile Home
0.4%
Motor Vehicle
Industrial Commercial
40% Assessment Value of Property
8.6%
3.8%
2.9%
Gross Digest = $1,651,202,379
Public Utility
Homestead & Property Exemptions = $257,270,496
7.5%
Primary data source:
GA Dept. of Revenue
Net M&O Digest = $1,393,931,883
Value of exempt property = $42,103,224
* Timber taxed at 100% based on previous year sales
County Property Tax Digest Comparisons: 2007
County
% Resi- % Agri- % Comdential cultural mercial
% Industrial
% Mo%
%
% UtilMotor bile
Timity
Veh Home ber
PUTNAM
64.2
9.9
9.7
3.2
7.5
4.0 0.4 0.3
BALDWIN
55.9
6.7
17.0
5.8
5.9
7.6 1.3 0.2
GREENE
66.1 17.0
8.8
2.7
1.6
2.8 0.3 0.3
HANCOCK
40.8 32.1
4.0
0.6 11.9 3.7 2.9 3.6
JASPER
39.4 42.1
3.3
3.8
3.7
JONES
55.4 13.3
9.4
2.1
5.2 10.5 0.8 0.5
MORGAN
31.5 43.6 11.6
5.6
1.6
4.9 0.5 0.2
Avg. GA Co.
41.9 22.5 12.8
7.6
5.0
7.4 1.1 0.9
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Revenue
5.6 0.5 0.6
Revenue : Expenditure Ratios
$ of Revenue for Each $ of Expenditure
$1.92
$2.86
Farm/Forest
$1.01
$1.18
$2.70
$3.19
$1.17
Commercial
$1.93
$1.25
$3.45
Residential
$0.00
Cherokee
Jones
Carroll
Oconee
US Avg
$0.64
$0.87
$0.83
$0.90
$0.87
$1.00
$2.00
$3.00
Dorfman, Jeffery, The Economics of Growth, Sprawl and Land Use Decisions (presentation), Dept. of Ag &
Applied Economics, UGA, January 2004.
$4.00
Agriculture in Georgia
¾ Georgia's 2007 Farm Gate Value was
$11.6 billion. Adding the value of
landscape services increased the total
agricultural production value to $13.6
billion.
¾ Total food and fiber production and
directly related businesses account for
a $59 billion output impact on
Georgia's $735 billion economy.
Production Agriculture: 2007
Georgia Total
Agricultural
Production Value
$13.6 Billion
Landscape
Fruits & Nuts services
15.3%
1.8%
Poultry &
Eggs
39.8%
Forestry &
Products
4.4%
Other Income
4.5%
Livestock &
Ornamental
Aquaculture
Horticulture
9.8%
Vegetables
5.6%
6.6%
Row &
Forage Crops
12.3%
$0 - $20
$20 - $45
$45 - $80
$80 - $200
$200 - $390
2007 Farm Gate
Value by County
in Millions of Dollars
What We Know
about Putnam County
¾ 2007 Farm Gate Value in Putnam Co.
was $84.6 million. Adding $3.3
million of landscape services
increased the total agricultural
production value to $87.8 million.
¾ The highest value commodity group
was poultry, representing 46.2% of
the total agricultural production
value.
Putnam County
2007 Agricultural Production Value
2007 Agricultural Production
Orn Hort
0.6%
Fruits-NutsOther
Veges
5.3%
0.3%
Forestry
6.5%
LivestockAquaculture
34.9%
Landscape
services
3.7%
Poultry-Eggs
46.2%
Row-Forage
crops
2.5%
2007 Top Farm Gate Commodities
Ag Tourism
2.3%
Deer hunting
leases
2.5%
Horses
4.1%
Beef
5.6%
Hay Duck-Turkey
hunting
1.1%
Silage
leases
Other
1.5%
0.5%
commodities
1.5%
Timber
6.8%
Dairy
26.3%
Total AG Value = $87.8 million
Layers
47.9%
Trends in Putnam County:
Number of Farms & Average Farm Size
Number of Farms, PutnamCounty
400
300
Acres
225
218
181
200
100
Source: 1945-2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
R
02
20
97
92
19
19
87
19
82
19
78
19
74
19
69
19
64
19
59
19
49
54
19
1945 1949 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997R 2002
19
45
0
19
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Average Farm Size
Putnam Co.
Georgia
Trends in Putnam County:
Land in Farms & Farms by Size
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Percent of Farms by Size, 2002
40
Putnam Co.
Georgia
30
20
40.7
19
45
19
50
19
54
19
59
19
64
19
69
19
74
19
78
19
82
19
87
19
9
19 2
97
R
20
02
Acres X 1,000
Land in Farms
Putnam County
10
0
1-9
acres
Source: 1945-2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
10-49
acres
50-179
acres
180-499 500-999
acres
acres
1000+
acres
Trends in Putnam County
Number of Farms by Commodity
1987
1992
1997
2002
120
97
100
80
71
60
35
40
20
0
Beef Cows
Milk Cows
Source: 1987-2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
Hay
How Do We Compare ?
Georgia, Putnam and Surrounding Counties
Farm Gate Value
$ Per Farm (thousands)
$ Per Acre
$2,500
$2,000
$1,500
$1,000
$500
$0
$2,078
$957
$636
$448
$209
$376
$1,472
$1,375
$82
$282
$186
$877
$477
$213
$86
$250
r
k
a
e
n
i
i
e
m
c
es rgan
n
g
p
a
o
n
e
w
r
s
c
n
e
o
t
a
ld
n
Jo
J
a
Gr
Mo
Ge
Pu
Ba
H
Sources: 2002 Census of Agriculture and 2007 Farm Gate Value Report
What We Did
County Economy Modeled
¾ The Center for Agribusiness and Economic
Development performed an analysis of the
county’s economy, focusing on the role of
food and fiber.
¾ How much of the county’s total current
economic output comes from food and fiber
production and directly related processing?
(A Snapshot of the Economy)
¾ What is the total (direct and indirect)
Impact of food and fiber production and
directly related industries?
Putnam County Economy
Agriculture OUTPUT
Agriculture
Mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-RE
Services
Government
Output in $ Millions
Percent
87.818
0.527
127.353
259.673
96.409
140.314
105.000
153.458
89.110
8.3
0.0
12.0
24.5
9.1
13.2
9.9
14.5
8.4
Total County Economic Output = $1.06 billion
Putnam County Economy
Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses OUTPUT
Agriculture + Direct
Mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-Real Est
Services
Government
Output in $ Millions
Percent
310.825
0.527
127.353
36.665
96.409
140.314
105.000
153.458
89.110
29.3
0.0
12.0
3.5
9.1
13.2
9.9
14.5
8.4
Total County Economic Output = $1.06 billion
Putnam County Employment
Total Jobs = 9,627
AG + Directly
Related
1,560
16.2%
Mining
18
0.2%
Construction
1,054
10.9%
Manufacturing
634
6.6%
Trans-UtilitiesInfo
410
4.3%
State & Federal
Government
843
8.8%
Public
Education
854
8.9%
Trade
2,034
21.1%
Other Services
1,383
14.4%
Professional
Services
531
5.5%
Primary data source: Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development, UGA
Finance-InsReal Est
307
3.2%
An Economic Snapshot
of Putnam County
¾ How much of Putnam County’s total
economic output comes from food and
fiber production?
¾ AG value alone of $87.8 million
consisting of Farm Gate Value and
landscape services comprises 8.3% of
the county’s economy.
¾ AG plus directly related businesses (ex.
sawmills, pesticides/chemicals, etc.)
comprise 29.3% of the county’s
economy.
Food and Fiber Production and Directly
Related Manufacturing as % of Total Output
0 - 10%
10 - 20%
20 - 30%
30 - 50%
50 – 77%
Putnam Co.
29.3%
What is the Impact?
¾What is the total (direct and indirect)
impact of food and fiber production and
directly related industries?
¾This scenario illustrates how other
industries are affected by the presence
of food and fiber in the county. The
indirect impacts measure output
created due to food and fiber
production and processing in the
county.
What Impact Means:
A Brief Explanation
¾ The impact numbers capture the
ripple effects that food and fiber
create in the county’s economy.
Many other sectors rely in part on the
existence of food and fiber for sales.
Labor
Seed
Utilities
Putnam County
Agriculture IMPACT
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
87.818
0
Mining
0
0.022
Construction
0
0.569
Manufacturing
0
1.509
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
4.196
Trade
0
3.514
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
4.368
Services
0
13.236
Government
0
0.478
Agriculture
87.818
27.892
Total
Total Impact of Production AG = $115.7 million
10.9% of total economy
Putnam County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses IMPACT
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
310.825
0
Mining
0
0.051
Construction
0
1.621
Manufacturing
0
4.514
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
16.701
Trade
0
9.827
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
14.031
Services
0
36.634
Government
0
1.502
310.825
84.880
Agriculture + Direct
Total
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related = $395.7 million
37.3% of total economy
Putnam County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Industries
Employment IMPACT
Direct
Indirect
1,560
0
Construction
0
22
Manufacturing
0
10
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
97
Trade
0
124
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
68
Services
0
515
Agriculture + Direct
0
8
Government
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related Employment = 2,404 Jobs
25.0% of total employment
What These Numbers Mean:
A Brief Explanation
¾ Direct impact is $310.8 million. This
includes food and fiber production,
processing and directly related
manufacturing.
¾ Indirect impact from the Trade sector is
$9.8 million. This captures the effects of
farmers (direct source) buying supplies
(seed, fertilizer, work boots) from local
stores. These stores must increase their
output to meet farmer demand.
What These Numbers Mean:
A Brief Explanation (continued)
¾ As local stores increase their output, they
may demand more stock from local
wholesalers (also in the Trade sector).
Local wholesalers demand more from
local manufacturers, thus increasing
activity in the Manufacturing sector.
¾ Local stores also hire employees to assist
farmers. They take home wages and buy
groceries at the local store which
increases demand there.
Putnam County Food and Fiber
Impact Conclusions
¾ The total impact of food and fiber
production, processing and direct
manufacturing is $395.7 million.
¾ The total county output is $1.06
billion.
¾ Thus, food and fiber (directly and
indirectly) account for 37.3% of the
total county output.
Food and Fiber Production and Directly Related
Manufacturing IMPACT as % of Total Output
0 - 10%
10 - 25%
25 - 40%
40 - 60%
60 - 84%
Putnam Co.
37.3%
Contact Information
Prepared by:
Sue Boatright and Sharon Kane
Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development
“Adding Value to Georgia's Agricultural Economy
Through Research and Extension“
To learn more about your county, go to:
http://www.caed.uga.edu/
...click on “Georgia Statistics System”
Special County Area Report
#09-01A
January, 2009