Agriculture is big business in Worth County. Worth County agriculture has a great impact on the economic health of our county and communities. With agriculture being Georgia’s largest industry, we celebrate Georgia Ag Week the week of March 21-25, 2022. This week has been designated as “Georgia Agriculture Awareness Week – Celebrating Farmers, Food & Fiber” by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.
We are thankful for farmers, ranchers, farm workers, agri-businesses, and industries involved in agriculture.
Some of the top commodities in Worth County include the following: row crops of cotton, peanuts, and corn; livestock and forages; melons and vegetable crops; timber and wildlife management; and pecans, among others. In 2021, there were 53,561 acres of cotton planted, 33,437 acres of peanuts, and 6,852 acres of corn planted. Pastures and forages account for approximately 10,000 acres; beef cattle numbers were approximately 20,000 head and other livestock were approximately 2,800 head. Vegetable acreage was near 4,500 acres, with watermelon acreage at approximately 900 acres. Pecan acreage was at 3,655 acres. The total farm gate value for Worth County in 2020 was $194,663,125.
So, where does our food and fiber come from? Many consumers may answer this question, “The grocery store, the department store, or the local market.” These locations are usually the final destination before consumers purchase an agricultural product, but the production begins at the farm level with soil, seed, fertilizer, irrigation, feed, and other inputs. We are fortunate to have a wide selection of good quality products to choose from in this country.
We will celebrate Georgia Ag Week this coming week!