Trudy Sowar, President Paulding County Farm Bureau Board
You may have seen this posted on your Facebook page or in a news article. Before the pandemic most of us wouldn’t give this much thought. After Covid and the empty grocery shelves we may be inclined to take more notice. When we sit down to a meal whether at home or in a restaurant, we seldom think about how the food actually got there. Our hope is that we all recognize and appreciate the incredible job our farmers do in ensuring that we have high quality, fresh fruits, vegetables and meats.
Georgia is blessed with a climate that allows tremendous opportunities for farmers. Virtually any crop or animal can be grown successfully somewhere within the state. Georgia is perennially the number one state in the nation in the production of peanuts, chickens, pecans, blueberries and spring onions. We are also at or near the top when it comes to cotton, watermelon, peaches, eggs, cucumbers, sweet corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, cantaloupes, rye and cabbage. Producers across the state raise cattle, horses, goats, sheep, hogs, poultry, turkeys and alligators. No matter which part of the state you visit, you will see some form of agricultural production.
Mary Carol Sheffield, our Paulding County Extension Agent and Farm Bureau Board Member, shared the following facts about agriculture in our county. This data comes from the Census of Ag Data and compares 2017 with 2022.
· The number of farms increased from 212 to 220
· Farm acreage increased 16% from 14,831 to 17,175 acres
· Many of those farmers report being “small or beginning” farmers
· 48 report less than two years of farming experience
· 131 of all 220 farms report less than 50 acres
· Our top commodities are greenhouse/nursery, poultry/broilers
and beef cattle
· Farmgate annual value for 2022 was $45,542,834.00 · 1711 jobs in the county were Ag related
Agriculture has seen great changes through the years, and Georgia’s farmers have adapted. They continue to provide diverse agricultural products to consumers, but farming today is more than just growing crops and raising livestock. An intricate, high-tech network of processing, marketing, and distribution moves agricultural commodities from the farmer to the consumer. All these work together to provide you with the safest, most abundant, and most secure food supply in the world. Farm Bureau is working on your behalf every day to ensure that this commitment is fulfilled. You can join Paulding County Farm Bureau and support local agriculture. Your membership helps support local community programs like 4-H, FFA and Georgia High School Association athletic events, just to name a few. Learn more and join.
