The Economic Importance
of Food and Fiber
A Spotlight on Lumpkin County, Georgia
Prepared for
Lumpkin County Cooperative Extension
November, 2008
by:
The Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development
College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
Total Population
Lumpkin County
28,836
28,222
26,554
2010 Trend CAED
2010 OPB Proj.
2007 Est.
21,016
2000
14,573
1990
10,762
8,728
7,241
6,574
6,223
4,927
1980
1970
1960
1950
1940
1930
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
Primary data sources: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial censuses & estimate; OPB (State Office of
Planning and Budget) CAED (Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development).
30,000
Population Change: 2000-2007
LOSS
0 – 7.2%
7.2 – 16.6%
16.6 – 39.0%
39.0 – 61.5%
Avg. GA
County = 9.9%
GA = 16.6%
US = 7.2%
Lumpkin Co.
26.5%
Primary data source: U.S. Census Bureau (3/08)
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%
Lumpkin Co.
86.1%
Primary data sources:
U.S. Census of Agriculture, 2002
Forest Statistics for Georgia, 1997
Components of 2007 Property Tax Gross Digest
Lumpkin County
Residential
44.5%
Ag-PreferentialEnviron-Conserv
36.3%
Timber *
0.0%
Heavy
Equipment
0.02%
Mobile Home
0.7%
Industrial
1.9%
Motor Vehicle
3.6%
Public Utility
1.5%
Primary data source:
GA Dept. of Revenue
Commercial
11.4%
40% Assessment Value of Property
Gross Digest = $1,467,254,690
COUNTY Homestead & Property Exemptions = $1,211,055,176
Net M&O Digest = $256,199,514
Value of exempt property = $188,129,762
* Timber taxed at 100% based on previous year sales
County Property Tax Digest Comparisons: 2007
County
% Resi- % Agri- % Comdential cultural mercial
% Mo% In%
% UtilMotor bile
dusity
trial
Veh Home
% Timber
0.02
LUMPKIN
44.5
36.3
11.4
1.9
1.5 3.6 0.7
DAWSON
61.9
15.9
15.4
0.3
1.5 4.7 0.1 0.003
HALL
56.3
7.3
16.6 11.3 1.7 6.4 0.4 0.002
FANNIN
71.4
12.0
8.3
0.6
1.5 5.9 0.2 0.006
UNION
71.0
13.0
8.9
0.7
1.1 4.7 0.5 0.000
WHITE
57.0
23.1
9.8
1.2
1.8 6.1 0.8 0.005
Avg. GA Co.
42.4
23.8
12.7
7.0
5.0
Primary data source: GA Dept. of Revenue
7.2
1.1
0.9
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 2007 Farm Gate Value was
$11.6 billion. Adding the value of
landscape services increased the total
agricultural production value to $13.6
billion.
¾ Total food and fiber production and
directly related businesses account for
a $59 billion output impact on
Georgia's $735 billion economy.
Production Agriculture: 2007
Georgia Total
Agricultural
Production Value
$13.6 Billion
Landscape
services
Fruits & Nuts
15.3%
1.8%
Poultry &
Eggs
39.8%
Forestry &
Products
4.4%
Other Income
4.5%
Livestock &
Ornamental
Aquaculture
Horticulture
9.8%
Vegetables
5.6%
6.6%
Row &
Forage Crops
12.3%
$0 - $20
$20 - $45
$45 - $80
$80 - $200
$200 - $390
2007 Farm Gate
Value by County
in Millions of Dollars
What We Know
about Lumpkin County
¾ 2007 Farm Gate Value in Lumpkin Co.
was $40.5 million. Adding $1.3
million of landscape services
increased the total agricultural
production value to $41.9 million.
¾ The highest value commodity group
was poultry/eggs, representing
77.9% of the total agricultural
production value.
Lumpkin County
2007 Agricultural Production Value
2007 Agricultural Production
Vegetables
0.1%
Fruits-Nuts Other
Forestry
Orn Hort 1.3%
1.0% Landscape
Livestock- 0.3%
services
7.8%
Aquaculture
3.2%
6.8%
Row-Forage
crops
1.5%
2007 Top Farm Gate Commodities
Breeder Pullet
Grapes Ag-Tourism
Unit
0.7%
Hay 0.9%
Container
1.3%
0.9%
Rest of
Nursery
Commodities
1.8% Beef
Horses
2.1%
3.4%
3.6%
Greenhouse
6.1%
Layers
10.3%
Poultry-Eggs
77.9%
Total AG Value = $41.9 million
Broilers
68.9%
Trends in Lumpkin County:
Number of Farms & Average Farm Size
Number of Farms, Lumpkin County
300
Lumpkin Co.
Georgia
218
200
A cres
85
100
250
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
49
54
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 Lumpkin County:
Land in Farms & Farms by Size
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Percent of Farms by Size, 2002
140
Lumpkin Co.
Georgia
120
100
80
60
21.3
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
Lumpkin County
40
20
0
1-9 acres
Source: 1945-2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
10-49
acres
50-179
acres
180-499 500-999
acres
acres
1000+
acres
Trends in Lumpkin County
Number of Farms by Commodity
160
140
1987
1992
1997
2002
126
120
100
80
68
60
37
40
20
9
7
0
Beef Cows
Hay
Corn for Grain
Source: 1987-2002 (quinquennial) Censuses of Agriculture
Layers
Broilers
How Do We Compare ?
Georgia, Lumpkin and Surrounding Counties
Farm Gate Value
$ Per Farm (thousands)
$ Per Acre
$4,000
$3,500
$3,000
$3,866
$2,500
$3,002
$2,000
$1,918
$1,902
$1,500
$1,000
$500
$1,089
$1,076
$235
$162
$274
$286
$143
$0
ia
in
on
g
k
s
r
p
o
w
m
a
u
Ge
D
L
ll
Ha
in
n
n
Fa
Sources: 2002 Census of Agriculture and 2007 Farm Gate Value Report
n
o
i
Un
$82
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?
Lumpkin County Economy
Agriculture OUTPUT
Output in $ Millions
41.858
2.730
102.150
265.944
34.706
70.508
106.769
171.446
152.902
Percent
4.4
0.3
10.8
28.0
3.7
7.4
11.3
18.1
16.1
Agriculture
Mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-RE
Services
Government
Total County Economic Output = $949 million
Lumpkin County Economy
Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses OUTPUT
Output in $ Millions
Percent
128.273
13.5%
Agriculture + Direct
2.730
0.3%
Mining
102.150
10.8%
Construction
179.529
18.9%
Manufacturing
34.706
3.7%
Trans-Utilities-Info
70.508
7.4%
Trade
106.769
11.3%
Finance-Ins-Real Est
171.446
18.1%
Services
152.902
16.1%
Government
Total County Economic Output = $949 million
Lumpkin County Employment
Total Jobs = 8,898
Construction
846
Mining
9.5%
15
0.2%
AG + Directly
Related
817
9.2%
Manufacturing
748
8.4%
Trans-UtilitiesInfo
225
2.5%
Trade
982
11.0%
State & Federal
Government
686
7.7%
Public
Education
1,465
16.5%
Finance-InsReal Est
252
2.8%
Professional
Services
1,105
12.4%
Other Services
1,758
19.8%
Primary data source: Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development, UGA
An Economic Snapshot
of Lumpkin County
¾ How much of Lumpkin County’s total
economic output comes from food and
fiber production?
¾ AG value alone of $41.9 million consisting
of Farm Gate Value and landscape
services comprises 4.4% of the county’s
economy.
¾ AG plus directly related businesses (ex.
poultry processing, fertilizer mfg., etc.)
comprise 13.5% 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%
Lumpkin Co.
13.5%
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
Lumpkin County
Agriculture IMPACT
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
41.858
0
Agriculture
0
0.015
Mining
0
0.283
Construction
0
0.234
Manufacturing
0
1.253
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
1.057
Trade
0
1.647
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
3.485
Services
0
0.107
Government
41.858
8.079
Total
Total Impact of Production AG = $49.9 million
5.3% of total economy
Lumpkin County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Businesses IMPACT
Agriculture + Direct
Mining
Construction
Manufacturing
Trans-Utilities-Info
Trade
Finance-Ins-Real Est
Services
Government
Total
Direct $ Millions
Indirect $ Millions
128.273
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
128.273
0
.050
.821
1.523
4.861
3.077
4.719
8.198
.404
23.653
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related = $151.9 million
16% of total economy
Lumpkin County
Production Agriculture + Directly Related Industries
Employment IMPACT
Direct
Indirect
817
0
Agriculture + Direct
0
0
Mining
0
9
Construction
0
7
Manufacturing
0
35
Trans-Utilities-Info
0
36
Trade
0
13
Finance-Ins-Real Est
0
131
Services
0
3
Government
Total Impact of AG + Directly Related Employment = 1,050 Jobs
11.8% of total employment
What These Numbers Mean:
A Brief Explanation
¾ Direct impact is $128.3 million. This
includes food and fiber production,
processing and directly related
manufacturing.
¾ Indirect impact from the Trade sector is
$3.1 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.
Lumpkin County Food and Fiber
Impact Conclusions
¾ The total impact of food and fiber
production, processing and direct
manufacturing is $151.9 million.
¾ The total county output is $949
million.
¾ Thus, food and fiber (directly and
indirectly) account for 16% of the
total county output.
Food and Fiber Production and Directly Related
Manufacturing IMPACT as % of Total Output
0 - 10%
10 - 25%
25 - 40%
40 - 60%
60 - 84%
Lumpkin Co.
16%
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
#0832A
November, 2008