The Economic Importance
of Food and Fiber
A Spotlight on Randolph County, Georgia
Prepared for:
Randolph County Cooperative Extension
September, 2006
by:
The Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Agriculture in Georgia
¾ Georgia's 2005 Farm Gate Value was
$10.6 billion. Adding the value of
landscape services increased the total
agricultural production value to $12.3
billion.
¾ Total food and fiber production and
directly related businesses account for
a $52.7 billion output impact on
Georgia's $614 billion economy.
Production Agriculture: 2005
Georgia Total
Agricultural
Production Value
$12.3 Billion
Landscape
services
14.0%
Poultry &
Eggs
36.7%
Other
Income
5.4%
Fruits &
Nuts
2.2%
Forestry &
Products
5.7%
Ornamental
Horticulture
7.3%
Vegetables Livestock &
Aquaculture
5.2%
10.6%
Row &
Forage
Crops
13.0%
$0 - $20
$20 - $45
$45 - $80
$80 - $200
$200 - $317
2005 Farm Gate
Value by County
in Millions of Dollars
What We Know
about Randolph County
¾ 2005 Farm Gate Value in Randolph
Co. was $50.9 million. Adding $392
thousand of landscape services
increased the total agricultural
production value to $51.3 million.
¾ The highest value commodity group
was row/forage crops, representing
46.3% of the total agricultural
production value.
Randolph County
2005 Agricultural Production Value
2005 Agricultural Production
Fruits-Nuts
1.1%
Other
15.8%
Landscape
services
0.8%
Orn Hort
2.2%
Row-Forage
crops
46.3%
2005 Top Farm Gate Commodities
Rest of
Commodities
20.7%
Beef
3.7%
Timber
24.4%
Corn
2.3%
Soybeans
2.7%
Forestry
24.3%
Dairy
3.1%
LivestockAquaculture
9.6%
Hay
3.1%
Wheat
3.1%
Hunting
Leases
4.2%
Total AG Value = $51.3 million
Peanuts
16.2%
Cotton
16.4%
Trends in Randolph County:
Number of Farms & Average Farm Size
Number of Farms, Randolph County
Average Farm Size
Source: 1945
-
2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
R
02
20
97
87
92
19
19
19
82
19
74
78
19
19
64
59
69
19
1945 1949 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997R 2002
19
45
0
19
136
19
500
218
54
1000
583
19
1500
Randolph Co.
Georgia
49
Acres
2000
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
19
2500
Trends in Randolph County:
Land in Farms & Farms by Size
Land in Farms
Randolph County
Percent of Farms by Size, 2002
40
Randolph Co.
Georgia
Acres X 1,000
250
30
200
150
100
20
79.3
10
50
0
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
0
Source: 1945
-
1-9 acres
2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
10-49
acres
50-179
acres
180-499
acres
500-999
acres
1000+
acres
Trends in Randolph County
Number of Farms by Commodity
80
1987
1992
1997
2002
70
60
52
50
41
40
27
30
26
26
21
20
10
0
Cattle and
Calves
Source: 1987
-
Corn for
Grain
Wheat for
Grain
Peanuts
2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
Cotton
Hay
How Do We Compare ?
Georgia, Randolph and Surrounding Counties
Farm Gate Value
$ Per Farm (thousands)
$ Per Acre
$1,000
$900
$800
$551
$700
$600
$642
$985
$469
$500
$548
$400
$411
$300
$547
$200
$100
$350
$375
$374
$215
$406
$194
$256
$218
$237
$0
ia
ph
l
g
r
o
o
nd
Ge
Ra
ell
r
r
Te
art
w
Ste
y
Cla
er
un
an
t
o
s
m
b
lh
it
Ca
We
Qu
Sources: 2002 Census of Agriculture and 2005 Farm Gate Value Report
What We Did
¾ The Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development
performed an analysis of the
county’s economy, focusing
on the role of
food and fiber.
What We Asked
County Economy Modeled
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?
Randolph County Economy
Agriculture OUTPUT
Output in $ Millions
Percent
17.2
51.314
Agriculture
2.9
8.757
Construction
32.1
95.773
Manufacturing
7.2
21.487
Trans-Utilities-Info
6.5
19.296
Trade
2.7
8.002
Finance-Ins-RE
38.635
13.0
Services
54.853
18.4
Government
Total County Economic Output = $298.1 million
Randolph County Economy
Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses OUTPUT
Output in $ Millions
Percent
32.0
95.386
Agriculture + Direct
2.9
8.757
Construction
17.3
51.701
Manufacturing
7.2
21.487
Trans-Utilities-Info
6.5
19.296
Trade
2.7
8.002
Finance-Ins-RE
38.635
13.0
Services
54.853
18.4
Government
Total County Economic Output = $298.1 million
An Economic Snapshot
of Randolph County
¾ How much of Randolph County’s total
economic output comes from food and fiber
production?
¾ AG value alone of $51.3 million consisting
of Farm Gate Value and landscape
services comprises 17.2% of the county’s
economy.
¾ AG plus directly related businesses (ex.
logging, sawmills, farm machinery
manufacturing, etc.) comprise 32% of the
county’s economy.
Food and Fiber Production, Processing and Direct
Manufacturing as % of Total Output
0 - 10%
10 - 20%
20 - 40%
40 - 60%
60 - 84%
Randolph
Co.
32%
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
Randolph County
Agriculture IMPACT
Agriculture
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-RE
Services
Government
Total
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
51.314
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
51.314
0
0.092
0.306
1.759
2.084
0.995
2.077
2.349
9.662
Total Impact of Production AG = $61 million – 20.5% of total economy
Randolph County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses IMPACT
Agriculture + Direct
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-RE
Services
Government
Total
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
95.386
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
95.386
0
0.129
1.055
3.205
4.085
1.677
3.622
3.477
17.250
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related = $112.6 million–37.8% of Total Economy
Randolph County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Industries
Employment IMPACT
Agriculture + Direct
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-RE
Services
Government
Direct
Indirect
692
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
6
25
59
17
87
6
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related Employment = 892 Jobs
What These Numbers Mean:
A Brief Explanation
¾ Direct impact is $95.4 million. This
includes food and fiber production,
processing and directly related
manufacturing.
¾ Indirect impact from the Trade sector is
$4.1 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.
Randolph County Food and Fiber
Impact Conclusions
¾ The total impact of food and fiber
production, processing and direct
manufacturing is $112.6 million.
¾ The total output is $298.1 million.
¾ Thus, food and fiber (directly and
indirectly) account for 37.8% of the
total output.
Food and Fiber Production, Processing and Direct
Manufacturing Impact as % of Total Output
0 - 10%
10 - 20%
20 - 40%
40 - 60%
60 - 100%
Randolph
Co.
37.8%
Contact Information
Prepared by:
Sue Boatright and Archie Flanders
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
#06_21A
September, 2006