The Economic Importance
of Food and Fiber
A Spotlight on Crisp County, Georgia
Prepared for
Crisp County Cooperative Extension
March, 2008
by:
The Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development
College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Total Population
Crisp County
22,301
21,983
22,051
21,996
20,011
19,489
18,087
17,768
17,663
2010 Trend CAED
2010 OPB Proj.
2006 Est.
2000
1990
1980
1970
1960
1950
17,540
17,343
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
Population Change: 2000-2006
LOSS
0 – 6.4%
6.4 – 14.4%
14.4 – 34%
34 – 53.4%
Avg. GA
County = 9.1%
GA = 14.4%
US = 6.4%
Crisp Co.
0.3%
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau (3/07)
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%
Crisp Co.
80.1%
Primary data sources:
U.S. Census of Agriculture, 2002
Forest Statistics for Georgia, 1997
Components of 2006 Property Tax Gross Digest
Crisp County
Ag-PreferentialEnviron-Conserv
15.4%
Residential
38.4%
Commercial
19.6%
Timber *
0.4%
Mobile Home
2.0%
Motor Vehicle
7.2%
Industrial
15.6%
40% Assessment Value of Property
Gross Digest = $564,000,116
Public Utility
1.3%
STATE Homestead & Property Exemptions = $65,129,389
Net M&O Digest = $498,870,727
Primary data source:
GA Dept. of Revenue
Value of exempt property = $47,279,744
* Timber taxed at 100% based on previous year sales
County Property Tax Digest Comparisons: 2006
County
% Residential
% Agri- % Com- % In% Motor
cultural mercial dustrial Vehicle
%
Other
CRISP
38.4
15.4
19.6
15.6
7.2
3.7
DOOLY
25.6
37.4
11.0
11.7
7.9
6.5
LEE
55.6
19.1
12.2
0.9
9.0
3.1
SUMTER
39.8
22.9
15.3
8.4
8.3
5.4
TURNER
20.9
42.3
18.9
3.4
7.5
7.0
WILCOX
23.3
49.3
7.0
0.0
9.0
11.3
WORTH
33.2
38.4
9.0
3.1
9.3
7.0
Avg. GA Co.
41.9
22.5
12.8
7.6
7.4
7.7
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Revenue
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 2006 Farm Gate Value was
$10.4 billion. Adding the value of
landscape services increased the total
agricultural production value to $12.2
billion.
¾ Total food and fiber production and
directly related businesses account for
a $34.5 billion output impact on
Georgia's $55 billion economy.
Production Agriculture: 2006
Georgia Total
Agricultural
Production Value
$12.2 Billion
Landscape
services
Other Income
14.7%
5.3%
Poultry &
Eggs
36.1%
Fruits & Nuts
2.5%
Forestry &
Products
5.5%
Ornamental
Horticulture
6.3%
Vegetables
6.8%
Livestock &
Aquaculture
10.4%
Row &
Forage Crops
12.4%
$0 - $20
$20 - $45
$45 - $80
$80 - $200
$200 - $385
2006 Farm Gate
Value by County
in Millions of Dollars
What We Know
about Crisp County
¾ 2006 Farm Gate Value in Crisp Co.
was $70.7 million. Adding $661
thousand of landscape services
increased the total agricultural
production value to $71.4 million.
¾ The highest value commodity group
was row & forage crops ,
representing 36.6% of the total
agricultural production value.
Crisp County
2006 Agricultural Production Value
2006 Agricultural Production
Fruits-Nuts
4.5%
Other
12.1%
Landscape
services
0.9%
2006 Top Farm Gate Commodities
Rest of
commodities
AG Tourism
20.2%
1.3%
Cantaloupe
1.7%
Poultry-Eggs
8.7%
Orn Hort
1.7%
Vegetables
23.8%
Row-Forage
crops
36.6%
Forestry
4.1%
LivestockAquaculture
7.6%
Cotton
27.3%
Beef
3.1%
Pork
3.6%
Timber
3.6%
Pecans
4.6%
Peanuts Broilers
6.2%
8.8%
Total AG Value = $71.4 million
Watermelons
19.7%
Trends in Crisp County:
Number of Farms & Average Farm Size
Number of Farms, Crisp County
Average Farm Size
700
1400
1200
500
A cres
1000
800
600
466
400
300
218
200
223
200
100
Source: 1945-2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
R
02
20
97
87
92
19
19
19
78
82
19
19
69
74
19
19
59
64
19
19
54
19
1945 1949 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997R 2002
19
45
0
49
0
19
400
Crisp Co.
Georgia
600
Trends in Crisp County:
Land in Farms & Farms by Size
200
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Percent of Farms by Size, 2002
70
Crisp Co.
Georgia
60
50
103.9
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
Crisp County
40
30
20
10
0
1-9 acres
Source: 1945-2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
10-49
acres
50-179
acres
180-499
acres
500-999
acres
1000+
acres
Trends in Crisp County
Number of Farms by Commodity
1987
1992
1997
2002
120
100
80
65
59
61
60
42
37
40
32
20
0
Beef cows
Cotton
Hay
Peanuts
Source: 1987-2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
Veggies
Orchards
How Do We Compare ?
Georgia, Crisp and Surrounding Counties
Farm Gate Value
$ Per Farm (thousands)
$ Per Acre
$1,000
$800
$957
$600
$681
$395
$587
$700
$706
$400
$200
$209
$317
$308
$339
$309
$244
$0
ia
g
r
o
Ge
sp
i
r
C
oly
o
D
e
Le
er
t
m
Su
Sources: 2002 Census of Agriculture and 2006 Farm Gate Value Report
er
n
r
Tu
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?
Crisp County Economy
Agriculture OUTPUT
Output in $ Millions
Percent
Agriculture
71.393
5.8
Construction
55.519
4.5
Manufacturing
488.193
39.7
Trans-Utilities-Info
49.595
4.0
Trade
180.918
14.7
Finance-Ins-RE
78.443
6.4
Services
174.421
14.2
Government
131.365
10.7
Total County Economic Output = $1.23 billion
Crisp County Economy
Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses OUTPUT
Output in $ Millions
Percent
Agriculture + Direct
338.936
27.6
Construction
55.519
4.5
Manufacturing
220.650
17.9
Trans-Utilities-Info
49.595
4.0
Trade
180.918
14.7
Finance-Ins-RE
78.443
6.4
Services
174.421
14.2
Government
131.365
10.7
Total County Economic Output = $1.23 billion
An Economic Snapshot
of Crisp County
¾ How much of Crisp County’s total
economic output comes from food and
fiber production?
¾ AG value alone of $71.4 million consisting
of Farm Gate Value and landscape services
comprises 5.8% of the county’s economy.
¾ AG plus directly related businesses (ex.
pesticide/chemical mfg., sawmills, etc.)
comprise 27.6% 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%
Crisp Co.
27.6%
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
Crisp County
Agriculture IMPACT
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
71.393
0
Construction
0
.204
Manufacturing
0
7.101
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
2.321
Trade
0
6.803
Finance-Ins-RE
0
4.978
Services
0
6.033
Government
0
3.871
71.393
31.311
Agriculture
Total
Total Impact of Production AG = $102.7 million—8.4% of total economy
Crisp County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses IMPACT
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
87.252
0
Construction
0
1.182
Manufacturing
251.684
35.623
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
17.488
Trade
0
36.571
Finance-Ins-RE
0
14.005
Services
0
19.730
Government
0
8.973
338.936
133.572
Agriculture + Direct
Total
Total Impact of AG+Directly Related = $472.5 million—38.4% of total economy
Crisp County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Industries
Employment IMPACT
Direct
Indirect
1,238
0
Construction
0
12
Manufacturing
0
49
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
144
Trade
0
320
Finance-Ins-RE
0
90
Services
0
345
Government
0
9
Agriculture + Direct
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related Employment = 2,209 Jobs
What These Numbers Mean:
A Brief Explanation
¾ Direct impact is $87.3 million. This
includes food and fiber production,
processing and directly related
manufacturing.
¾ Indirect impact from the Trade sector is
$36.6 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.
Crisp County Food and Fiber
Impact Conclusions
¾ The total impact of food and fiber
production, processing and direct
manufacturing is $472.5 million.
¾ The total output is $1.23 Billion.
¾ Thus, food and fiber (directly and
indirectly) account for 38.4% of the
total output.
Food and Fiber Production and Directly Related
Manufacturing IMPACT as % of Total Output
0 - 10%
10 - 25%
25 - 40%
40 - 60%
60 - 84%
Crisp Co.
38.4%
Contact Information
Prepared by:
John McKissick, 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 Area Report
#0811A
March, 2008