Georgia Ag Week celebrates farmers’ many contributions

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics show Georgia farmers play a big role in feeding us. They are the top peanut producers in the United States growing almost half the peanuts grown in our country, with most used to make peanut butter and snacks. Georgia farmers lead the nation in growing broilers, the chickens used to make our favorite chicken sandwiches, tenders and wings. In 2021, Georgia pecan growers led the U.S. in production of utilized pecans.

Georgia ranked second in production of watermelons and third in production of blueberries, cantaloupe and peaches, according to USDA data. The 2021 cash value of Georgia’s onion crop was second in the U.S. while Georgia’s sweet corn crop ranked third.

Georgia farmers can also be thanked for growing cotton to clothe us and timber to house us, Farm Bureau leaders said. Georgia cotton farmers placed second in the U.S. in 2021 for both the quantity and cash value of lint and seed produced. Georgia consistently ranks as the top forestry state in the nation.

Agriculture contributed $73.2 billion to Georgia’s economy in 2021, according to the University of Georgia’s Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development (CAED). Georgia’s Top 10 commodities for 2021 were: broilers ($4.2 billion); cotton ($1 billion); peanuts ($776.7 million); timber ($660.6 million); beef ($658.6 million); greenhouse nurseries ($635.9 million); eggs ($635.1 million); corn ($509.1 million); pecans ($383.8 million); and blueberries ($348.7 million), the UGA CAED reports.

Food and fiber production and the process of getting the raw materials to consumers contributed 340,827 jobs for Georgians in 2021, the CAED reports. Agricultural careers include crop and livestock research, engineering, precision ag specialists, software and IT work, agribusiness management, marketing, food product development and safety, processing, retailing, ag teachers, banking, bioenergy, livestock veterinarians and others.

Besides providing for basic needs and driving Georgia’s economy, farmers also protect the environment. Farmers prevent soil erosion and water runoff by planting cover crops and using minimum tillage methods like no-till or strip-till to plant their crops. These conservation tillage methods reduce the amount of fuel farmers use and sequester carbon in the soil, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Farmers use about 50% less fertilizer to produce a bushel of corn, wheat and soybeans than they did in 1980, the USDA reports. They’re able to do this by using GPS, sensors, field mapping software and tractors equipped with precision ag technology that allows farmers to apply only the fertilizer and crop protectants that they absolutely need to grow a healthy crop.

Since most Georgians are several generations removed from the farm, Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) has prepared several videos that provide insight into Georgia agriculture. If you are interested in learning more about the crops and livestock grown in Georgia visit https://gfb.ag/gaagvideo. If you would like to meet a Georgia strawberry farmer, visit https://gfb.ag/strawberryfarmer.