The Economic Importance
of Food and Fiber
A Spotlight on Putnam County, Georgia
Prepared for:
Putnam County Cooperative Extension
February, 2006
by:
The Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Total Population
Putnam County
22,092
21,505
19,746
18,812
2010 Trend CAED
2010 Proj. OPB
2004 Est.
2000
14,137
1990
10,295
8,394
7,798
7,731
1980
1970
1960
1950
8,514
8,367
1940
1930
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
Primary data sources: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial censuses & estimate; CAED (Center for Agribusiness &
Economic Development); OPB (State Office of Planning & Budget).
Population Change: 2000-2004
LOSS
0 – 4.3%
4.3 – 7.8%
7.8 – 15.7%
15.7 – 34%
GA = 7.8%
US = 4.3%
Putnam Co.
5.0%
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau
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%
Putnam Co.
85.6%
Primary data sources:
U.S. Census of Agriculture, 2002
Forest Statistics for Georgia, 1997
Components of 2004 Property Tax Gross Digest
Putnam County
Ag-PreferentialEnv-Conserv
7.7%
Commercial Industrial
8.0%
3.0% Public Utility Motor Vehicle
10.4%
5.8%
Mobile Home
0.8%
Timber *
0.36%
Heavy
Equipment
0.02%
40% Assessment Value of Property
Residential
64.0%
Gross Digest = $998,822,537
STATE Homestead & Property Exemptions = $51,059,087
Net M&O Digest = $947,763,450
Primary data source:
GA Dept. of Revenue
Value of Exempt Property = $33,300,473
* Timber taxed at 100% based on previous year sales
County Property Tax Digest Comparisons: 2004
County
PUTNAM
BALDWIN
GREENE
HANCOCK
JASPER
JONES
MORGAN
Avg. GA Co.
% ResiDential
64.0
52.0
65.7
37.0
35.6
53.7
29.3
40.6
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Revenue
% Agri- % Com- % In% Motor
cultural mercial dustrial Vehicle
7.7
7.9
15.4
35.2
41.4
14.1
47.9
20.8
8.0
17.3
8.1
3.4
3.8
9.2
8.7
13.2
3.0
5.7
3.5
0.0
4.4
2.3
5.8
7.9
5.8
9.4
4.1
4.5
6.2
11.8
5.6
9.0
%
Other
11.5
7.6
3.2
19.9
8.6
8.8
2.8
8.4
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 2004 Farm Gate Value was
$10.3 billion. Adding the value of
landscape services increased the total
agricultural production value to $11.2
billion.
¾ Total food and fiber production and
directly related businesses account for
a $49.3 billion impact on Georgia's
$557 billion economy.
Production Agriculture: 2004
Georgia Total
Agricultural
Production Value
$11.2 Billion
Other Income
4.1%
Poultry &
Eggs
41.5%
Landscape
services
10.2%
Fruits & Nuts
2.0%
Forestry &
Products
5.3%
Ornamental
Horticulture
5.7%
Vegetables
6.3%
Livestock &
Aquaculture
11.4%
Row &
Forage Crops
13.4%
$0 - $20
$20 - $45
$45 - $80
$80 - $200
$200 - $325
2004 Farm Gate
Value by County
in Millions of Dollars
What We Know
about Putnam County
¾ 2004 Farm Gate Value in Putnam Co.
was $88.8 million. Adding $747
thousand of landscape services
increased the total agricultural
production value to $89.6 million.
¾ The highest value commodity group
was livestock/aquaculture,
representing 55.8% of the total
agricultural production value.
Putnam County
2004 Agricultural Production Value
2004 Agricultural Production
Veges-FruitsNuts
0.1%
Forestry
10.0%
Orn Hort Other Income
0.5%
4.9%
2004 Top Farm Gate Commodities
Landscape
services
0.8%
Poultry-Eggs
24.2%
Row-Forage
crops
3.6%
LivestockAquaculture
55.8%
Hunting Agritourism Hay
leases
2.1% 1.2%
Silage 2.2%
2.3%
Horses
9.2%
Pork
0.3%
Rest of
commodities
1.5%
Dairy
32.1%
Timber
10.1%
Beef
14.6%
Layers-Table
egg
24.4%
Total AG Value = $89.6 million
Trends in Putnam County:
Number of Farms & Average Farm Size
Number of Farms, Putnam County
Putnam Co.
Georgia
400
300
Acres
225
218
181
200
100
Source: 1945
-
2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
02
R
20
97
92
19
19
87
19
82
78
19
19
74
69
19
19
64
59
19
19
54
49
19
1945 1949 1954 1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997R 2002
19
45
0
19
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Average Farm Size
Trends in Putnam County:
Land in Farms & Farms by Size
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Percent of Farms by Size, 2002
40
Source: 1945
-
Putnam Co.
Georgia
30
20
40.7
10
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
Acres X 1,000
Land in Farms
Putnam County
1-9
acres
2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
10-49
acres
50-179
acres
180-499 500-999
acres
acres
1000+
acres
Trends in Putnam County
Number of Farms by Commodity
120
97
100
1987
1992
1997
2002
80
71
60
35
40
20
0
Beef cows
Source: 1987
-
Milk cows
2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
Hay
How Do We Compare ?
Georgia, Putnam and Surrounding Counties
Farm Gate Value
$ Per Farm (thousands)
$ Per Acre
$2,500
$2,000
$1,500
$1,000
$500
$2,183
$1,066
$957
$209
$395
$606
$111
$1,408 $1,379
$679
$480
$141
$218
$239
$334
$123
$0
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e
r
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or
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Sources: 2002 Census of Agriculture and 2004 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?
Putnam County Economy
Agriculture OUTPUT
Agriculture
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-RE
Services
Government
Output in $ Millions
Percent
94.201
64.743
167.327
125.987
74.241
44.096
89.762
93.004
12.5
8.6
22.2
16.7
9.9
5.9
11.9
12.3
Total County Economic Output = $753.4 million
Putnam County Economy
Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses OUTPUT
Agriculture + Direct
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-RE
Services
Government
Output in $ Millions
Percent
99.488
64.743
162.041
125.987
74.241
44.096
89.762
93.004
13.2
8.6
21.5
16.7
9.9
5.9
11.9
12.3
Total County Economic Output = $753.4 million
An Economic Snapshot
of Putnam County
¾ How much of Putnam County’s total
economic output comes from food and
fiber production?
¾ AG value alone of $94.2 million,
consisting of Farm Gate Value and
landscape services, comprises 12.5% of
the county’s economy.
¾ AG plus directly related businesses (ex.
logging, sawmills, etc.) comprise 13.2%
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%
Putnam Co.
13.2%
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
Putnam County
Production Agriculture IMPACT
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
89.520
13.058
Agriculture
0
0.713
Construction
0
0.496
Manufacturing
0
7.317
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
6.676
Trade
0
6.924
Finance-Ins-RE
0
4.692
Services
0
3.554
Government
89.520
43.431
Total
Total Impact of Production AG = $133 million
7.6% of total economy
Putnam County
Agriculture and Directly Related Businesses IMPACT
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
99.488
16.317
Agriculture + Direct
0
0.738
Construction
0
0.676
Manufacturing
0
7.840
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
7.359
Trade
0
7.224
Finance-Ins-RE
0
5.054
Services
0
3.874
Government
99.488
16.317
Total
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related = $148.6 million
19.7% of total economy
Putnam County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Industries
Employment IMPACT
Agriculture + Direct
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-RE
Services
Government
Direct
Indirect
1,087
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
176
9
5
49
159
37
94
8
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related Employment = 1,625 Jobs
What These Numbers Mean:
A Brief Explanation
¾ Direct impact is $99.5 million. This
includes food and fiber production,
processing and directly related
manufacturing.
¾ Indirect impact from the Trade sector is
$7.4 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.
Putnam County Food and Fiber
Impact Conclusions
¾ The total impact of food and fiber
production, processing and direct
manufacturing is $148.6 million.
¾ The total output is $753.4 million.
¾ Thus, food and fiber (directly and
indirectly) account for 19.7% 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%
Putnam Co.
19.7%
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
#06-05A
February, 2006