The Economic Importance
of Food and Fiber
A Spotlight on Dawson County, Georgia
Prepared for
Dawson County Cooperative Extension
June, 2012
by:
The Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development
College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Trends in Dawson County:
Number of Farms
Number of Farms, Dawson County
300
200
100
0
1978
1982
1987
1992
Source: 1978-2007 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
1997
2002
2007
Trends in Dawson County:
Land in Farms, Harvested Cropland
& Farms by Size
Land in Farms & Harvested Cropland
Dawson County
Percent of Farms by Size, 2007
Dawson CO
60
25000
Land in farms
Georgia
Harvested cropland
50
20000
40
15000
30
10000
20
5000
10
0
1992
1997
2002
2007
0
1-9 acres
Source: 1992-2007 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
10-49
acres
50-179
acres
180-499
acres
500-999
acres
1000+
acres
Agriculture in Georgia
 Georgia's 2010 Farm Gate Value was
$12.0 billion. Adding the value of $2.2
billion of landscape services increased
the total agricultural production value
to $14.2 billion.
 Total food and fiber production and
directly related businesses account for
a $68.9 billion output impact on
Georgia's $719.8 billion economy.
Production Agriculture: 2010
Dade
Catoosa
Towns
Fannin
Whitfield
Walker
Gilmer
White
Lumpkin
Ha
Gordon
Chattooga
be
rs
ha
m
Stephens
Pickens
Dawson
Cherokee
Bartow
Franklin
Banks
Hall
Floyd
Jackson
Polk
Barrow
Gwinnett
Cobb
Paulding
Madison
Oglethorpe
ck
da
le
Fulton
Lincoln
Wilkes
Walton
DeKalb
Douglas
Elbert
Clarke
Oconee
Haralson
Hart
Forsyth
Ro
Georgia Total
Agricultural
Production
Value
$14.2 Billion
Rabun
Union
Murray
Clayton
Carroll
Morgan
Newton
Fayette
Taliaferro
Columbia
McDuffie
Warren
Coweta
Heard
Pike
Hancock
Lamar
Meriwether
Richmond
Putnam
Jasper
Butts
Spalding
Troup
Greene
Henry
Glascock
Baldwin
Burke
Jefferson
Jones
Monroe
Washington
Upson
Bibb
Wilkinson
Jenkins
Crawford
Talbot
Twiggs
Emanuel
Peach
Taylor
ch
ee
Muscogee
Bulloch
Pulaski
Schley
Dodge
Dooly
Wheeler
Stewart
Webster
Sumter
Evans
Toombs
Bryan
Tattnall
Chatham
Wilcox
Telfair
Crisp
Quitman
$0 - $20
$20 - $45
$45 - $80
$80 - $200
$200 - $475
Liberty
Randolph
Terrell
Lee
Jeff Davis
Ben Hill
Long
Appling
Turner
Irwin
Clay
Dougherty
Calhoun
Worth
Coffee
Wayne
Bacon
McIntosh
Tift
Early
Pierce
Baker
Berrien
Mitchell
Miller
Atkinson
Brantley
Colquitt
Cook
Glynn
Ware
Lanier
Seminole
Decatur
Grady
Clinch
Thomas
Brooks
Lowndes
Echols
2010 Farm Gate Value by County
in Millions of Dollars
Effingham
ery
oo
Candler
Treutlen
Macon
Ch
at
ta
h
Laurens
Bleckley
Houston
Marion
Screven
Johnson
Montgom
Harris
Camden
Charlton
What We Know
about Dawson County
 2010 Farm Gate Value in Dawson Co.
was $62.8 million. Adding $9.1
million of landscape services
increased the total agricultural
production value to $71.9 million.
 The highest value commodity group
was poultry and egg , representing
90.5% of the total agricultural
production value.
Dawson County
2010 Agricultural Production Value
Fruits-NutsVegetables
0.1%
Other
1.3%
Ornamental
Horticulture
1.1%
Forestry
1.2%
Livestock
5.1%
Row-Forage
crops
0.8%
Poultry-Egg
90.5%
What We Did
County Economy Modeled
 The Center for Agribusiness and Economic
Development performed an analysis of the
county’s economy, focusing on the role of
food and fiber.
 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)
 What is the total (direct and indirect)
Impact of food and fiber production and
directly related industries?
Dawson County Economy
Agriculture OUTPUT
Output in $
Agriculture
Percent
71,894,128
6.58%
1,327,259
0.12%
Construction
95,431,236
8.74%
Manufacturing
97,053,750
8.88%
Trans-Utilities-Info
45,004,892
4.12%
Trade
259,712,866
23.77%
Finance-Ins-RE
232,526,994
21.29%
Services
209,066,228
19.14%
Mining
Govt. & non-NAICS
80,376,164
Total County Economic Output = $1,092.4 million
7.36%
Dawson County Economy
Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses OUTPUT
Output in $
Agriculture + Direct
Percent
73,938,257
6.77%
1,327,259
0.12%
Construction
95,431,236
8.74%
Manufacturing
95,009,622
8.70%
Trans-Utilities-Info
45,004,892
4.12%
Trade
259,712,866
23.77%
Finance-Ins-Real Est
232,526,994
21.29%
Services
209,066,228
19.14%
Mining
Govt. & non-NAICS
80,376,164
Total County Economic Output = $ 1,092.4 million
7.36%
Dawson County Employment
Total Jobs = 11,666
Mining
8
0.1%
Construction
947
8.1%
Manufacturing
472
4.0%
Trans-UtilitiesInfo
306
2.6%
Trade
3,518
30.1%
AG + Directly
Related
444
3.8%
State & Federal
Government
720
6.2%
Public Education
620
5.3%
Finance-Ins- Real
Est
1005
8.6%
Other Services
2,252
19.3%
Professional
Services
1,392
11.9%
Primary data source: Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development, UGA
An Economic Snapshot
of Dawson County
 How much of Dawson County’s total
economic output comes from food and
fiber production?
 AG value alone of $71.9 million
consisting of Farm Gate Value and
landscape services comprises 6.6% of
the county’s economy.
 AG plus directly related businesses (ex.
Ag Support Services, Processing, etc.)
comprise 6.8% of the county’s economy.
What is the Impact?
What is the total (direct and indirect)
impact of food and fiber production and
directly related industries?
This 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
 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
Dawson County
Agriculture IMPACT
Direct $
Agriculture
Indirect $
71,894,128
0
Mining
0
1
Construction
0
603,080
Manufacturing
0
72,709
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
2,019,382
Trade
0
2,336,919
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
5,555,800
Services
0
3,896,710
Govt. & non-NAICS
0
388,978
Total
71,894,128
14,873,578
Total Impact of Production AG = $86.8 million
7.9% of total economy
Dawson County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses IMPACT
Direct $
Agriculture + Direct
Mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-Real Est
Services
Govt. & non-NAICS
Total
73,938,257
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
73,938,257
Indirect $
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related = $89.7 million
8.2% of total economy
0
1
615,989
75,854
2,072,699
2,496,816
5,930,333
4,159,988
410,357
15,762,035
Dawson County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Industries
Employment IMPACT
Direct
Agriculture + Direct
Indirect
444
0
Mining
0
0
Construction
0
7
Manufacturing
0
0
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
16
Trade
0
31
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
26
Services
0
71
Govt. & non-NAICS
0
2
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related Employment = 597 Jobs
5.1% of total employment
What These Numbers Mean:
A Brief Explanation
 Direct impact is $73.9 million. This
includes food and fiber production,
processing and directly related
manufacturing.
 Indirect impact from the related sectors
is $15.8 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)
 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.
 Local stores also hire employees to assist
farmers. They take home wages and buy
groceries at the local store which
increases demand there.
Dawson County Food and Fiber
Impact Conclusions
 The total impact of food and fiber
production, processing and direct
manufacturing is $89.7 million.
 The total county output is $1,092.4
million.
 Thus, food and fiber (directly and
indirectly) account for 8.2% of the
total county output, considering the
multiplier effects.
Contact Information
Prepared by:
Sharon P. 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”
Ag Profile Report
AP#1202