A brief focus on
Georgia’s agricultural industry
2008 Total Farm Gate Value
$200,000,000 - $442,184,000
$80,000,000 - $200,000,000
$45,000,000 - $80,000,000
$20,000,000 - $45,000,000
$2,673,000 - $20,000,000
Poultry & Eggs
47.4%
Fruits &
Nuts
2.2%
Row & Forage Crops
16.9%
Livestock
& Aquaculture
10.6%
Forestry &
Products
4.8%
Other
Income
5.1%
Vegetables
7.1%
Ornamental
Horticulture
5.8%
2008 Georgia Agricultural
Commodity Rankings
2008 Total Farm Gate Value = $11.9 billion
2007 = $11.6 billion
Rank Commodity Farm Gate
% of
Value
GA Total
1
Broilers $4,886,977,280 40.99%
2
Eggs $592,973,078
4.97%
3
Cotton $584,120,198 4.90%
4
Peanuts
$582,176,839
4.88%
5
Timber
$472,414,381 3.96%
6
Horses $413,576,500
3.47%
7
Beef $367,374,168 3.08%
8
Dairy $306,175,691 2.57%
9
Greenhouse $261,673,990 2.19%
10 Corn $236,751,951 1.99%
11 Container Nursery $190,217,960 1.60%
12 Breeder Pullet Unit
$165,166,400
1.39%
13 Hay $144,911,814
1.22%
14 Onions
$139,018,353 1.17%
15 Turfgrass $131,258,516 1.10%
16 Pecans
$125,932,662 1.06%
17 Wheat
$121,707,481 1.02%
18 Watermelon
$118,277,909 0.99%
19 Soybeans
$115,880,243 0.97%
20 Bell Peppers $105,300,645
0.88%
Economic Impact
Top Ten Georgia Commodities by Value
Food and Fiber Production and Directly
Related Manufacturing Impact as a
Percentage of Total Economic Output
60 - 84%
40 - 60%
25 - 40%
10 - 25%
0 - 10%
Corn
2%
Rest of Commodities
27.0%
Broilers
41%
Greenhouse
2.2%
Dairy
2.6%
Beef
3.1%
Horses Timber
3.5%
4.0%
Peanuts Cotton
4.9%
4.9%
Eggs
5.0%
Food and fiber production and directly
related processing are key components of
Georgia’s economy. Agriculture shaped
Georgia’s history and will continue to be a
driving force in local economies statewide.
$65 billion output impact on
Georgia’s $786.5 billion economy
Food and fiber production and directly
related processing directly and indirectly
generated a total economic impact of $65
billion for the state and created more than
351 thousand jobs in 2008. In two thirds
of Georgia’s counties, food and fiber
production and directly related businesses
represent the largest or second largest
segment of all goods and services produced.
$30 ,000,000 - $83,298,000
$15,000,000 - $30,000,000
$5,000,000 - $15,000,000
$1,000,000 - $5,000,000
$0 - $1,000,000
Row & Forage Crops
2008 Georgia Farm Gate Value = $2.0 billion
2007 = $1.7 billion
Other
2.0%
Cotton
29.1%
Peanuts
29%
Corn
11.8%
Wheat
6.1%
Tobacco
3.5%
Rye
1.2%
Hay
7.2%
Straw
2.2%
Silage
2.2%
Soybeans
5.8%
Row and forage crops have traditionally been
the backbone of South Georgia agriculture.
With 4.5 million acres of cropland,
Georgia produced almost half of
the nation’s peanuts and harvested
the second highest cotton acreage in
2008. With long growing seasons and
abundant irrigation resources, row &
forage crops were responsible for a $10.1
billion impact on the state’s economy and
generated more than 46 thousand jobs in 2008.
$15,000,000 - $106,642,000
$3,000,000 - $15,000,000
$200,000 - $3,000,000
$10,000 - $200,000
$0 - $10,000
Vegetables
2008 Georgia Farm Gate Value = $849 million
2007 = $895 million
Cantaloupe
2.4%
Snap Beans
2.7%
Watermelon
13.9%
Onions
16.4%
Peppers
13.9%
Cucumbers
9.5%
Sweet Corn
8.1%
Greens
6.7%
Southern Peas
Other
1.3%
Tomato
Vegetables Eggplant
Cabbage
6.0%
2.0% Squash 4.2%
7.9%
4.9%
The vegetable industry in Georgia is one of
agriculture’s most diverse and fastest
growing sectors. Sixteen individual
vegetables each generated $10 million
or more farm gate value in 2008. With
a favorable climate often allowing
both spring and fall plantings, Georgia
ranks among the top four states for
fresh market vegetable area harvested,
production, and value. Vegetable industry
production and processing generated
a total economic impact of $2.3 billion and
created more than 13 thousand jobs in 2008.
Fruits & Nuts
$5,000,000- $24,783,000
$1,500,000 - $5,000,000
$300,000 - $1,500,000
$50,000 - $300,000
$0 - $50,000
2008 Georgia Farm Gate Value = $267.7 million
2007 = $242 million
Strawberries
1.8%
Pecans
47.0%
Apples
2.2%
Blackberries
2.8%
Blueberries
22.8%
Peaches
18.3%
Grapes
3.9%
Others
1.2%
Fruit and tree nuts are important staples
in the diet, and many types are grown
in Georgia due to its favorable climate.
Peaches have long been a trademark and
are the state’s official fruit. Additionally,
Georgia has ranked first in pecan
production for the past two years. The fruit
and nut industry generated a total economic
impact of $1.4 billion for the state in 2008 and
created more than eight thousand jobs.
$10,000,000- $39,498,000
$6,000,000 - $10,000,000
$3,000,000 - $6,000,000
$1,000,000 - $3,000,000
$0 - $1,000,000
Ornamental Horticulture
2008 Georgia Farm Gate Value = $696 million
2007 = $700 million
Container Nursery
27.3%
Field Nursery
13.2%
Greenhouse
37.6%
Turfgrass
18.9%
Other
3.0%
Ornamental horticulture is providing a
wide range of opportunities scattered
across the state. City growth in both
Georgia and Florida is creating high
demand for ornamentals and other
plants in addition to landscape services.
Greenhouses and container nurseries
both ranked among the top eleven Georgia
agricultural commodities in 2008. Green
industry production and processing
generated a total economic impact of $5.4 billion
and created more than 65 thousand jobs.
$10,000,000 - $18,706,000
$5,000,000 - $10,000,000
$3,000,000 - $5,000,000
$1,000,000 - $3,000,000
$0 - $1,000,000
Forestry & Products
2008 Georgia Farm Gate Value = $571 million
2007 = $597 million
Timber
82.8%
Pine Straw
14.4%
Other
1.4%
Christmas Trees
1.5%
Forests affect nearly every aspect of
our lives by providing the raw
materials for home building,
paper, packaging and many
other uses. Forests shape our
landscape, help stabilize our farms,
and enhance our cities. Timber
production ranked fifth highest
in farm gate value in 2008. Forest
industry production and processing
generated a total economic impact of
$16.9 billion and created more than 72
thousand jobs.
$15,000,000 - $51,332,000
$10,000,000 - $15,000,000
$5,000,000 - $10,000,000
$3,000,000 - $5,000,000
$0 - $3,000,000
Livestock &Aquaculture
2008 Georgia Farm Gate Value = $1.263 billion
2007 = $1.334 billion
Honeybees
1.3%
Dairy
24.2%
Beef
29.1%
Horses
32.7%
Pork
7.2%
Quail
2.0%
Other
2.3%
Goats &
Sheep
1.3%
Livestock has long been an important
component of Georgia’s agricultural
economy with beef and dairy among
the top ten commodities. Raising and
breeding horses has become a significant
sector of the industry and increasing
interest in goats, quail, and catfish
production keeps this industry dynamic.
Livestock and aquaculture production
and processing generated a total economic
impact of $6.5 billion for Georgia and led to
the creation of more than 48 thousand jobs
covering every county of the state.
$100,000,000 - $363,297,000
$40,000,000 - $100,000,000
$10,000,000 - $40,000,000
$1,000,000 - $10,000,000
$0 - $1,000,000
Poultry & Egg
2008 Georgia Farm Gate Value = $5.65 billion
2007 = $5.43 billion
Breeder
Pullet Unit
2.9%
Broilers
86.5%
Layers
10.5%
Other
.1%
As Georgia’s most valuable agricultural
sector, the poultry-egg industry
has dramatically increased in size
over several decades, with close
to three-fourths of the state’s 159
counties now involved in production.
(115 counties of 159 = 72.3%) Georgia
has led the nation in broiler production
for 25 consecutive years. Poultry-egg
production and processing contributed
$20.5 billion total economic impact for the
state in 2008, and the industry created
over 95 thousand jobs.
$12,000,000- $26,070,000
$8,000,000 - $12,000,000
$2,000,000 - $8,000,000
$500,000 - $2,000,000
$1,900 - $500,000
Agritourism &
Other Income
2008 Georgia Farm Gate Value = $614 million
2007 = $614 million
Government Payments
50.7%
Crop Insurance
17.5%
Agriculture-based
tourism
4.5%
Nature-based
tourism
8.3%
Deer Hunting
Leases
16.7%
Duck & Turkey
Hunting Leases
1.4%
Other
1.0%
Both Ag-based and Nature-based
tourism play a major role in
making Georgia a destination for
increasing numbers of tourists.
More than 2.7 million residents
and nonresidents enjoy abundant
fishing, hunting and wildlife watching
opportunities. Government payments,
other than those directly related to
crop production, are important for
environmental and conservation
programs across the state.
Number
of Farms
2007 U.S. Census of Agriculture data
801 - 1,054
601 - 800
401 - 600
201 - 400
22 - 200
Number of Farms by Size
Less than 10 acres = 7.3% (3,504)
10 to 49 acres = 33.9% (16,243)
50 to 179 acres = 34.0% (16,244)
180 to 499 acres = 15.5% (74,321)
500 to 999 acres = 5.2% (2,470)
1000+ acres = 4.1% (1,953)
Number of Farms by Value of Sales
Less than $2,500 = 48.9% (23,391)
$2,500 to $4,999 = 9.3% (4,450)
$5,000 to $9,999 = 9.5% (4,527)
$10,000 to $24,999 = 10.3% (4,906)
$25,000 to $49,999 = 4.8% (2,308)
$50,000 to $99,999 = 3.1% (1,491)
$100,000 or more = 14.2% (6,773)
Farmers, Principal Operator
Worked 200+ days off farm = 39.9% (19,087)
Average age of principal operator = 57.8 yrs.
Female = 15.7% (7, 532)
Black = 4.3% (2,072)
Hispanic = 0.8% (365)
Other Facts
Georgia CRP and Wetlands system acreage—340,984
acres—9,351 active contracts for all program years
1987-2010 as of 9/09
Number of Farms = 47,846
Land in Farms = 10,150,539 acres
Average Farm Size = 212 acres
Harvested cropland = 3,390,437 acres
Market value of agricultural products sold = $7.1 billion
Total farm production expenses = $6.0 billion
Source: USDA-FSA Conservation Reserve Program
Irrigation system acres = 1,446,754
Acres of irrigated crops = 1,548,772
Source: 2008 Irrigation Survey, Georgia Cooperative Extension, Tifton, GA
752 million gallons per day state water withdrawals
for irrigation
Source: Fanning, J.L. and Trent, V.P., “Water Use in Georgia by County for
2005; and Water Use Trends, 1980-2005,” U. S. Geological Survey
To learn more about Georgia agribusiness, contact:
The Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development
706-542-2434
or log on to our Web site at:
http://www.caed.uga.edu
®
J. Scott Angle
Dean and director
The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.
CAES Office of Communications 2009 · 11065-FY09
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