The Economic Importance
of Food and Fiber
A Spotlight on Banks County, Georgia
Prepared for
Banks County Cooperative Extension
February, 2010
by:
The Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development
College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Total Population
Banks County
2015 Trend CAED
18,878
17,365
16,760
14,422
2010 Trend CAED
2008 Est.
2000
10,308
8,702
6,833
6,497
6,935
8,733
9,703
1990
1980
1970
1960
1950
1940
1930
0
5,000
10,000
Primary data sources: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial censuses & estimate;
CAED (Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development).
15,000
20,000
Population Change: 2000-2008
LOSS
Gain < US
Gain < GA but > US
Gain > GA
Banks Co. = 16.2%
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%
Banks Co. = 63.6%
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
Banks County
Residential
38.1%
Ag-PreferentialEnviron-Conserv
34.9%
Timber *
0.1%
Heavy
Equipment
0.01%
Mobile Home
1.2%
Motor Vehicle
7.0%
Primary data source:
GA Dept. of Revenue
Public Utility
3.1%
Commercial
12.6%
Industrial
3.1%
40% Assessment Value of Property
Gross Digest = $716,240,594
Homestead & Property Exemptions = $154,467,918
Net M&O Digest = $561,772,676
Value of exempt property = $31,090,944
* Timber taxed at 100% based on previous year sales
County Property Tax Digest Comparisons: 2008
County
% Resi- % Agri- % Comdential cultural mercial
% Industrial
% Mo%
%
% UtilMotor bile
Timity
Veh Home ber
BANKS
38.1
34.9
12.6
3.1
3.1
7.0
1.2 0.09
FRANKLIN
32.4
38.2
15.3
3.7
2.3
7.1
1.1 0.03
HABERSHAM
59.0
16.4
10.3
4.0
3.2
6.2
0.8 0.01
HALL
57.0
7.1
16.9 10.6
1.5
6.5
0.4 0.00
JACKSON
47.7
13.7
10.4 19.3
2.5
5.8
0.5 0.01
MADISON
44.0
34.7
4.6
1.6
5.5
8.1
1.4 0.12
STEPHENS
57.0
6.4
13.7 11.7
3.5
6.7
1.0 0.02
Avg. GA Co.
42.3
24.6
12.6
4.8
7.0
1.0 0.72
6.9
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Revenue (preliminary 5/15/09—Fulton Co. digest not verified)
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 $63 billion output impact on
Georgia's $771 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 Banks County
¾ 2008 Farm Gate Value in Banks Co.
was $270.7 million. Adding $645
thousand of landscape services
increased the total agricultural
production value to $271.3 million.
¾ The highest value commodity group
was poultry/eggs, representing
93.9% of the total agricultural
production value.
Banks County
2008 Agricultural Production Value
2008 Agricultural Production
Veges- Orn HortLivestock- Fruits-Nuts Forestry
0.4%
Aquaculture
0.01%
4.4%
Row-Forage
crops
0.9%
Other
0.2%
Landscape
services
0.2%
2008 Top Farm Gate Commodities
Beef
1.4%
Horses
Breeder Pullet 2.1%
Unit
3.2%
Pork
0.7%
Container Goats
Nursery 0.2%
0.4%
Quail
Hay
0.1% All Other
0.8%
Commodities
0.3%
Layers
7.8%
PoultryEggs
93.9%
Total AG Value = $271.3 million
Broilers
83.1%
Trends in Banks County:
Number of Farms & Average Farm Size
Number of Farms, Banks County
Average Farm Size
300
1400
Banks Co.
Georgia
1200
1000
530
A c re s
200
800
600
212
88
100
400
200
Source: 1945-2007 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
07
02
20
20
97
92
19
19
87
82
19
78
19
19
74
69
19
19
64
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 Banks County:
Land in Farms, Harvested Cropland
& Farms by Size
Land in Farms & Harvested Cropland
Banks County
Acres X 1,000
120
Land in farms
Percent of Farms by Size, 2007
50
Banks Co.
Georgia
Harvested cropland
40
100
30
80
60
46.7
20
40
20
6.6
19
45
19
50
19
54
19
59
19
64
19
69
19
74
19
78
19
82
19
87
19
92
19
97
20
02
20
07
0
10
0
1-9
acres
Source: 1945-2007 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
10-49
acres
50-179 180-499 500-999 1000+
acres acres acres acres
How Do We Compare ?
Georgia, Banks and Surrounding Counties
Farm Gate Value
$ Per Farm (thousands)
$ Per Acre
$12,000
$10,000
$10,860
$8,000
$6,000
$4,000
$2,000
$1,176
$249
$5,798
$511
$4,628
$442
$4,629
$855
$332
$0
ia
g
r
o
Ge
m
ks
lin
a
n
k
h
a
n
B
ers
Fra
b
Ha
ll
a
H
Sources: 2007 Census of Agriculture and 2008 Farm Gate Value Report
n
o
s
k
c
a
J
$3,297
$314
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?
Banks County Economy
Agriculture OUTPUT
Output in $
Percent
271,326,220
23.92%
Agriculture
36,802,560
3.24%
Construction
287,270,889
25.32%
Manufacturing
155,931,032
13.74%
Trans-Utilities-Info
91,316,307
8.05%
Trade
116,131,460
10.24%
Finance-Ins-RE
121,513,633
10.71%
Services
54,166,614
4.77%
Govt & non-NAICS
Total County Economic Output = $1.134 Billion
Banks County Economy
Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses OUTPUT
Output in $
Agriculture + Direct
Percent
284,021,702
25.04%
Construction
36,802,560
3.24%
Manufacturing
274,575,407
24.20%
Trans-Utilities-Info
155,931,032
13.74%
Trade
91,316,307
8.05%
Finance-Ins-Real Est
116,131,460
10.24%
Services
121,513,633
10.71%
54,166,614
4.77%
Govt & non-NAICS
Total County Economic Output = $1.134 Billion
Banks County Employment
Total Jobs = 7,825
Construction
338
4.3%
AG + Directly
Related
931
11.9%
Manufacturing
912
11.7%
Trans-UtilitiesInfo
571
7.3%
Trade
1,214
15.5%
State & Federal
Government
459
5.9%
Public
Education
578
7.4%
Finance-InsReal Est
560
7.2%
Other Services
1,965
25.1%
Professional
Services
296
3.8%
Primary data source: Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development, UGA
An Economic Snapshot
of Banks County
¾ How much of Banks County’s total
economic output comes from food and
fiber production?
¾ AG value alone of $271.3 million
consisting of Farm Gate Value and
landscape services comprises 23.9% of
the county’s economy.
¾ AG plus directly related businesses (ex.
logging, ag support services) comprise
25% 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%
Banks Co.
25%
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
Banks County
Agriculture IMPACT
Agriculture
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-Real Est
Services
Govt & non-NAICS
Total
Direct $
Indirect $
271,326,220
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
271,326,220
0
595,938
75,255,929
6,236,148
10,851,077
13,499,097
7,349,504
1,718,643
115,506,336
Total Impact of Production AG = $386.8 million
34.1% of total economy
Banks County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses IMPACT
Agriculture + Direct
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-Real Est
Services
Govt & non-NAICS
Total
Direct $
Indirect $
284,021,702
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
284,021,702
0
608,874
75,270,059
6,570,056
11,486,220
14,349,663
7,921,807
1,779,225
117,985,903
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related = $402 million
35.4% of total economy
Banks County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Industries
Employment IMPACT
Direct
Agriculture + Direct
Indirect
931
0
Construction
0
8
Manufacturing
0
77
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
54
Trade
0
118
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
71
Services
0
162
0
8
Govt & non-NAICS
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related Employment = 1,429 Jobs
35.4% of total employment
What These Numbers Mean:
A Brief Explanation
¾ Direct impact is $284 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.
Banks County Food and Fiber
Impact Conclusions
¾ The total impact of food and fiber
production, processing and direct
manufacturing is $402 million.
¾ The total county output is $1.134
billion.
¾ Thus, food and fiber (directly and
indirectly) account for 35.4% of the
total county output.
Food and Fiber Production and Directly Related
Manufacturing IMPACT as % of Total Output
0 - 7%
7 - 16%
16 - 29%
29 - 46%
46 - 76%
Banks Co.
35.4%
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
#10-11A
February, 2010