As outsiders visit our great state of Georgia, they may enjoy the charm of antebellum past through the moss-lined streets of Savannah or the business hub that is our capital city. But if the only glimpse of “the peach state” they get is Savannah or Atlanta, they really haven’t seen Georgia at all. You have to get well off the beaten path of most major highways to get a picture of our real claim to fame. The #1 industry in Georgia is Agriculture.
Georgia’s agricultural industry contributes billions of dollars annually to the state’s economy. Once only known for cotton production, Georgia now ranks in the top of the nation’s producers of poultry, eggs, timber, peanuts, pecans, blueberries, peaches, and a variety of vegetables. Farmland makes up over 10 million acres (that’s roughly half the size of the state of South Carolina) and 1 in 7 Georgians work in an agriculture or forestry related field.
UGA Extension offices around the state have compiled data and information annually since 1993 into the Farm Gate Value Report. This report, in combination with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agriculture Statistics Survey (NASS) serves as a useful tool to determine what agriculture is present at a state and county level. It includes a very comprehensive data set covering around 80 commodities each year. The report is widely used as a reference source for policy makers, state agencies, commodity specialists and university administration on how to focus their resources.
Oglethorpe County is no small player in this massive industry. In 2021, Oglethorpe made the top 10 list of Total Farm Gate Value in Georgia. Our farmers produced a total of $270,727,822 economic outputs, nearly 2% of the total agricultural in Georgia. While we don’t have the vast acreage of row crops found in the southern half of Georgia, Oglethorpe ranked number 4 in the livestock and aquaculture category and number 6 statewide for poultry and eggs. The county also produced around 1% of the total hay crop for the state in 2021 on around 15,000 acres. That’s not really surprising since you have to feed all of the cattle. The area has also become a significant contributor to the statewide sheep and goat production. While the county isn’t the dominant overall swine producer of Georgia that it once was, we still hold the top spot for feeder pork production by a healthy margin.
Although a key player in the state’s animal production, Oglethorpe also hosts quite a bit of diversity in agriculture. Peanuts and Tobacco were two of the only major commodities counted in the Farm Gate report that we didn’t have acres to report last year. Oglethorpe soil grew 750 acres of field corn in 2021. Scattered throughout the county you will find commercial production of grapes, berries, ornamental trees and shrubs, and honeybees.
It’s our reporting season for 2022 Farm Gate values and as a county agent, I can use your help! Self-reporting commodities you produce and yield information will help me be more accurate than simply using my best estimates. Please give us a call at 706-743-8341 before June 20th to be included in this year’s numbers. All data received is summarized by commodity type and no names are used in my reporting. We would love to hear from you if you have livestock, row crops, bees, hunting leases, agritourism operations, or any other type of agriculture.
I’d like to end with a reminder of how critical agriculture is to our state and local economy. It’s how we feed, clothe, and shelter the population. Whether you are one of the roughly 30% of Oglethorpe County workers in an agriculture-related field or just a benefactor of the ripple effects food production has on the local economy, I hope you realize the impact farms have on all of our lives.