The Economic Importance
of Food and Fiber
A Spotlight on Putnam County, Georgia
Prepared for
Putnam County Cooperative Extension
January 2013
by:
The Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development
College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Trends in Putnam County:
Number of Farms
Number of Farms, Putnam County
300
200
100
0
1978
1982
1987
1992
Source: 1978-2007 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
1997
2002
2007
Trends in Putnam County:
Land in Farms, Harvested Cropland
& Farms by Size
Land in Farms & Harvested Cropland
Putnam County
Percent of Farms by Size, 2007
Putnam Co.
40
45000
Land in farms
Georgia
Harvested cropland
35
40000
30
35000
30000
25
25000
20
20000
15
15000
10
10000
5
5000
0
1992
1997
2002
2007
0
1-9 acres
Source: 1992-2007 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
10-49
acres
50-179
acres
180-499
acres
500-999
acres
1000+
acres
Food and Fiber Production plus Directly Related
Manufacturing as % of Total Economic Output
Catoosa
Dade
Towns
Fannin
0 - 10%
10 - 20%
20 - 30%
30 - 45%
45 - 58%
Rabun
Union
Murray
Whitfield
Walker
Gilmer
White
Lumpkin
Ha
Gordon
Chattooga
be
rs
h
am
Stephens
Pickens
Dawson
Cherokee
Bartow
Franklin
Banks
Hall
Floyd
Forsyth
Jackson
Polk
Barrow
Gwinnett
Cobb
Paulding
Madison
Oglethorpe
Ro
ck
da
le
Fulton
Lincoln
Wilkes
Walton
DeKalb
Douglas
Elbert
Clarke
Oconee
Haralson
Hart
Clayton
Carroll
Morgan
Newton
Fayette
Taliaferro
Columbia
McDuffie
Warren
Coweta
Heard
Pike
Hancock
Lamar
Meriwether
Richmond
Putnam
Jasper
Butts
Spalding
Troup
Greene
Henry
Glascock
Baldwin
Burke
Jefferson
Jones
Monroe
Washington
Upson
Bibb
Wilkinson
Jenkins
Crawford
Talbot
Twiggs
Emanuel
Peach
Taylor
ch
ee
Muscogee
Bulloch
Effingham
ery
oo
Candler
Treutlen
Macon
Ch
at
ta
h
Laurens
Bleckley
Houston
Marion
Screven
Johnson
Pulaski
Schley
Dodge
Dooly
Wheeler
Stewart
Webster
Sumter
Montgom
Harris
Evans
Toombs
Bryan
Tattnall
Chatham
Wilcox
Telfair
Crisp
Quitman
Liberty
Randolph
Terrell
Lee
Jeff Davis
Ben Hill
Long
Appling
Turner
Irwin
Clay
Dougherty
Calhoun
Worth
Coffee
Wayne
Bacon
McIntosh
Tift
Early
Pierce
Baker
Berrien
Mitchell
Miller
Atkinson
Brantley
Colquitt
Cook
Glynn
Ware
Lanier
Seminole
Decatur
Grady
Clinch
Thomas
Brooks
Lowndes
Echols
Updated 1/16/13
Camden
Charlton
Agriculture in Georgia
 Georgia's 2011 Farm Gate Value was
$13.0 billion. Adding the value of $2.1
billion of landscape services increased
the total agricultural production value
to $15.1 billion.
 Total food and fiber production and
directly related businesses account for
a $71.1 billion output impact on
Georgia's $763.6 billion economy.
What We Know
about Putnam County
 2011 Farm Gate Value in Putnam Co.
was $73.9 million. Adding $1.7
million of landscape services
increased the total agricultural
production value to $75.7 million.
 The highest value commodity group
was Poultry and Eggs, representing
47.8% of the total agricultural
production value.
Putnam County
2011 Agricultural Production Value
Other
5.4%
Row-Forage
Crops
7.1%
Fruits-Nuts
0.2%
Vegetables
0.3%
Ornamental
Horticulture
1.1%
Forestry
2.4%
Poultry-Egg
47.8%
Livestock
35.5%
What We Did
County Economy Modeled
 The Center for Agribusiness and Economic
Development performed an analysis of the
county’s economy, focusing on the role of
food and fiber.
 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)
 What is the total (direct and indirect)
Impact of food and fiber production and
directly related industries?
Putnam County Economy
Agriculture OUTPUT
Output in $
Agriculture
Percent
75,653,925
6.28%
9,023,044
0.75%
Construction
100,782,708
8.36%
Manufacturing
211,718,435
17.56%
Trans-Utilities-Info
292,878,325
24.29%
80,019,415
6.64%
Finance-Ins-RE
165,314,696
13.71%
Services
162,950,848
13.52%
Mining
Trade
Govt. & non-NAICS
107,284,681
Total County Economic Output = $1,205.6 million
8.90%
Putnam County Economy
Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses OUTPUT
Output in $
Agriculture + Direct
Percent
226,192,127
18.76%
9,023,044
0.75%
Construction
100,782,708
8.36%
Manufacturing
61,180,233
5.07%
292,878,325
24.29%
80,019,415
6.64%
Finance-Ins-Real Est
165,314,696
13.71%
Services
162,950,848
13.52%
Mining
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Govt. & non-NAICS
107,284,681
Total County Economic Output = $1,205.6 million
8.90%
Putnam County Employment
Total Jobs = 9,118
Mining
23
0.3%
Construction
1122
12.3%
Manufacturing
133
1.5%
Trans-UtilitiesInfo
667
7.3%
Trade
1,141
12.5%
AG + Directly
Related
815
8.9%
State & Federal
Government
1,028
11.3%
Public Education
767
8.4%
Finance-Ins- Real
Est
421
4.6%
Professional
Services
925
10.1%
Other Services
2,076
22.8%
Primary data source: Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development, UGA
An Economic Snapshot
of Putnam County
 How much of Putnam County’s total
economic output comes from food and
fiber production?
 AG value alone of $75.7 million
consisting of Farm Gate Value and
landscape services comprises 6.3% of
the county’s economy.
 AG plus directly related businesses (ex.
Ag Support Services, Processing, etc.)
comprise 18.8% of the county’s
economy.
What is the Impact?
What is the total (direct and indirect)
impact of food and fiber production and
directly related industries?
This 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
 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
Agriculture IMPACT
Direct $
Agriculture
Indirect $
75,653,925
0
Mining
0
152,817
Construction
0
615,320
Manufacturing
0
5,368,798
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
4,221,871
Trade
0
1,498,505
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
4,737,737
Services
0
3,226,616
Govt. & non-NAICS
0
398,461
Total
75,653,925
20,220,126
Total Impact of Production AG = $95.9 million
8.0% of total economy
Putnam County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses IMPACT
Direct $
Agriculture + Direct
Mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-Real Est
Services
Govt. & non-NAICS
Total
Indirect $
226,192,127
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
226,192,127
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related = $265.9 million
22.1% of total economy
0
402,018
1,826,727
5,486,425
9,736,331
3,757,204
8,601,969
9,018,838
863,232
39,692,744
Putnam County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Industries
Employment IMPACT
Direct
Agriculture + Direct
Indirect
815
0
Mining
0
1
Construction
0
25
Manufacturing
0
6
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
47
Trade
0
48
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
23
Services
0
149
Govt. & non-NAICS
0
6
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related Employment = 1,118 Jobs
12.3% of total employment
What These Numbers Mean:
A Brief Explanation
 Direct impact is $226.2 million. This
includes food and fiber production,
processing and directly related
manufacturing.
 Indirect impact from related sectors is
$39.7 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)
 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.
 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
 The total impact of food and fiber
production, processing and direct
manufacturing is $265.9 million.
 The total county output is $1,205.6
million.
 Thus, food and fiber (directly and
indirectly) account for 22.1% of the
total county output, considering the
multiplier effects.
Contact Information
Prepared by:
Sharon P. Kane and Karen Stubbs
Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development
Dr. Kent Wolfe, Director
“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 “Resources”, then
“Georgia Statistics System”
Ag Profile Report
#13-01A