The Economic Importance
of Food and Fiber
A Spotlight on Hart County, Georgia
Prepared for
Hart County Cooperative Extension
January, 2010
by:
The Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development
College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Total Population
Hart County
2015 Trend CAED
25,463
24,617
24,278
22,997
19,712
18,585
15,814
15,229
14,495
15,512
15,174
2010 Trend CAED
2008 Est.
2000
1990
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;
CAED (Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development).
25,000
30,000
Population Change: 2000-2008
LOSS
Gain < US
Gain < GA but > US
Gain > GA
Hart Co. = 5.6%
Avg. GA County =
11.2%
GA = 18.3%
US = 8.0%
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau (3/09)
% of Land in Cropland & Timberland
14 - 64%
64 - 75%
75 - 83%
83 - 92%
92 - 99%
Hart Co. = 58%
GA Avg. Co. = 76%
GA Total = 78%
GA Metro = 68%
GA Nonmetro = 83%
Primary data sources:
U.S. Census of Agriculture, 2007
USDA Forest Service, 2007
Graphic by Center for Agribusiness
& Economic Development, UGA
Components of 2008 Property Tax Gross Digest
Hart County
Residential
57.6%
Heavy
Equipment
0.01%
Ag-PreferentialEnviron-Conserv
20.1%
Timber *
0.04%
Mobile Home
0.8%
Motor Vehicle
5.7%
Commercial
6.7%
Industrial
6.3%
40% Assessment Value of Property
Public Utility
Gross Digest = $1,126,000,711
2.8%
Homestead & Property Exemptions = $141,100,665
Primary data source:
GA Dept. of Revenue
Net M&O Digest = $984,900,046
Value of exempt property = $45,348,374
* Timber taxed at 100% based on previous year sales
County Property Tax Digest Comparisons: 2008
County
% Resi- % Agri- % Comdential cultural mercial
% Mo%
%
% UtilMotor bile
Timity
Veh Home ber
HART
57.6 20.1
6.3
2.8
5.7 0.8 0.04
ELBERT
38.9 29.0 13.7 5.6
3.6
7.7 1.1 0.39
MADISON
44.0 34.7
1.6
5.5
8.1 1.4 0.12
FRANKLIN
32.4 38.2 15.3 3.7
2.3
7.1 1.1 0.03
STEPHENS
57.0
13.7 11.7 3.5
6.7 1.0 0.02
BANKS
38.1 34.9 12.6 3.1
3.1
7.0 1.2 0.09
Avg. GA Co.
42.3
4.8
7.0
6.4
24.6
6.7
% Industrial
4.6
12.6
6.9
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Revenue (preliminary 5/15/09—Fulton Co. digest not verified)
1.0 0.72
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 2008 Farm Gate Value was
$11.9 billion. Adding the value of
landscape services increased the total
agricultural production value to $14
billion.
¾ Total food and fiber production and
directly related businesses account for
a $65 billion output impact on
Georgia's $787 billion economy.
Production Agriculture: 2008
Georgia Total
Agricultural
Production Value
$11.9 Billion
Landscape
services
15.4%
Poultry &
Eggs
40.1%
Fruits & Nuts
1.9%
Forestry &
Products
4.1%
Other Income
4.4%
Ornamental
Horticulture
4.9%
Vegetables
6.0%
Livestock &
Aqua-culture
9.0%
Row &
Forage
Crops
14.3%
$0 - $20
$20 - $45
$45 - $80
$80 - $200
$200 - $442
2008 Farm Gate
Value by County
in Millions of Dollars
What We Know
about Hart County
¾ 2008 Farm Gate Value in Hart Co.
was $284 million. Adding $1.5
million of landscape services
increased the total agricultural
production value to $285.5 million.
¾ The highest value commodity group
was poultry/eggs, representing 88%
of the total agricultural production
value.
Hart County
2008 Agricultural Production Value
2008 Agricultural Production
Veges-Fruits- Forestry
Nuts
0.2%
Livestock0.2%
Orn Hort
Aquaculture
3.7%
5.6%
Row-Forage
crops
1.7%
Other
0.3%
Landscape
services
0.5%
2008 Top Farm Gate Commodities
Dairy
Field Nursery 1.5%
1.8%
Beef
Breeder Pullet2.3%
Container
Pork
Nursery Greenhouse
1.3%
0.8%
1.1%
Hay
Rest of
0.5% Commodities
Unit
2.8%
Poultry-Eggs
87.7%
Layers
26.3%
Total AG Value = $285.5 million
2.4%
Broilers
59.1%
Trends in Hart County:
Number of Farms & Average Farm Size
Number of Farms, Hart County
Average Farm Size
3000
300
Hart Co.
Georgia
2500
200
Acres
2000
1500
1000
212
107
100
657
500
Source: 1945-2007 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
07
02
20
20
97
19
92
87
19
19
82
78
19
19
74
19
69
64
19
19
59
54
19
19
19
1945 1949 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007
19
45
0
49
0
Trends in Hart County:
Land in Farms, Harvested Cropland
& Farms by Size
Land in farms
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Percent of Farms by Size, 2007
50
Hart Co.
Harvested cropland
Georgia
40
30
70.4
07
02
20
97
20
19
92
87
19
82
19
78
19
74
19
69
19
64
19
59
19
19
54
19
19
19
50
17.4
45
Acres X 1,000
Land in Farms & Harvested Cropland
Hart County
20
10
0
1-9
acres
Source: 1945-2007 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
10-49
acres
50-179
acres
180-499 500-999
acres
acres
1000+
acres
Trends in Hart County
Number of Farms by Commodity
1997
2002
2007
400
350
338
286
300
250
200
150
100
50
53
77
9
0
Beef Cows Milk Cows
Hay
Source: 1997-2007 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
Layers
Broilers
How Do We Compare ?
Georgia, Hart and Surrounding Counties
Farm Gate Value
$ Per Farm (thousands)
$ Per Acre
$5,000
$4,000
$4,057
$3,000
$4,628
$4,393
$4,034
$2,000
$1,798
$1,176
$1,000
$432
$249
$223
$403
$442
$0
ia
g
r
o
Ge
rt
Ha
rt
on
ns
lin
e
s
e
k
i
b
n
d
El
ph
e
t
Fra
Ma
S
Sources: 2007 Census of Agriculture and 2008 Farm Gate Value Report
$340
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?
Hart County Economy
Agriculture OUTPUT
Output in $ Millions
Percent
Agriculture
285.524
21.7
Mining
11.581
0.9
Construction
62.414
4.7
Manufacturing
455.014
34.6
Trans-Utilities-Info
99.444
7.6
Trade
95.761
7.3
Finance-Ins-RE
89.715
6.8
Services
147.551
11.2
Govt + non NAICS
69.846
5.3
Total County Economic Output = $1.3 billion
Hart County Economy
Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses OUTPUT
Agriculture + Direct
Mining
Output in $ Millions
Percent
364.499
11.581
27.7
0.9
62.414
Construction
4.7
376.038
Manufacturing
28.6
99.444
Trans-Utilities-Info
7.6
95.761
Trade
7.3
89.715
Finance-Ins-Real Est
6.8
147.551
Services
11.2
69.846
Govt + non NAICS
5.3
Total County Economic Output = $1.3 billion
Hart County Employment
Total Jobs = 8,664
Construction
562
Mining
6.5%
30
0.3%
AG + Directly
Related
1,079
12.5%
Manufacturing
1,183
Trans-Utilities13.7%
Info
311
3.6%
Trade
1,335
15.4%
State & Federal
Government
579
6.7%
Public Education
723
8.3%
Finance-Ins-Real
Est
214
2.5%
Other Services
1,668
19.3%
Professional
Services
979
11.3%
Primary data source: Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development, UGA
An Economic Snapshot
of Hart County
¾ How much of Hart County’s total
economic output comes from food and
fiber production?
¾ AG value alone of $285.5 million
consisting of Farm Gate Value and
landscape services comprises 21.7% of
the county’s economy.
¾ AG plus directly related businesses (ex.
animal slaughtering, logging, sawmills,
etc.) comprise 27.7% 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%
Hart Co.
27.7%
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
Hart County
Agriculture IMPACT
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
285.524
0
Agriculture
0
0.0001
Mining
0
0.831
Construction
0
0.081
Manufacturing
0
7.424
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
8.810
Trade
0
6.214
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
6.020
Services
0
1.055
Govt + non NAICS
285.524
30.436
Total
Total Impact of Production AG = $316 million
24% of total economy
Hart County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses IMPACT
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
364.499
0
Agriculture + Direct
0
0.0001
Mining
0
1.041
Construction
0
0.124
Manufacturing
0
10.054
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
11.507
Trade
0
8.077
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
8.571
Services
0
1.420
Govt + non NAICS
364.499
40.795
Total
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related = $405.3 million
30.8% of total economy
Hart County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Industries
Employment IMPACT
Direct
1,079
Indirect
0
Mining
0
0
Construction
0
13
Manufacturing
0
1
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
34
Trade
0
117
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
20
Services
0
145
Agriculture + Direct
1,079
337
Govt + non NAICS
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related Employment = 1,416 Jobs
16.3% of total employment
What These Numbers Mean:
A Brief Explanation
¾ Direct impact is $365 million. This
includes food and fiber production,
processing and directly related
manufacturing.
¾ Indirect impact from the Trade sector is
$11.5 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.
Hart County Food and Fiber
Impact Conclusions
¾ The total impact of food and fiber
production, processing and direct
manufacturing is $405.3 million.
¾ The total county output is $1.3 billion.
¾ Thus, food and fiber (directly and
indirectly) account for 30.8% 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%
Hart Co.
30.8%
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
#10-03A
January, 2010