More threats to a profitable year for important cash-generating commodities such as peanuts, poultry and, in one case, tomatoes, came far from the fields and were credited to the global economy and health scares.
Still, some sectors of the ag economy continued to grow, even prosper, providing a bit of balance for the agribusiness profit and loss sheet. Big farmers are getting bigger and the number of small farms is growing, particularly in north Georgia. The U. Some farm owners may use the land to raise and enjoy horses, but there are small farmers who use their north Georgia land strictly for profit. For many in north Georgia, that high-value product is tied to landscaping.
Our place at the table is small, but the opportunities are huge. Rolls cites increases in the use of organic fruits and vegetables in upscale restaurants and a growing consumer demand for the chemical-free products at fresh markets around the state as evidence of those opportunities.
She believes the cost burden of petroleum-based products used in conventional farming will nudge more and more farmers toward organic farming. Mac Abel stands at the edge of his pecan orchard watching dark clouds gather over the western horizon and ruefully shakes his head. The wet weather combined with the warm days of late spring and summer creates ideal conditions for the spread of scab, a fungus that attacks the leaves and fruit of his pecan trees, and that, he says, will hurt his bottom line.
This was the first agricultural experiment station in America, and many new crops, including cotton, were introduced. The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in while he was visiting a friend near Savannah revolutionized the cotton industry.
By there were 68, farms in the state, and they produced , bales of cotton. Cotton was king from the late s until the boll weevil spread across the state in Following the successful boll weevil eradication program, cotton is once again an important Georgia crop. 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. Soybeans were introduced to the United States by Samuel Bowen, a seaman who brought the seeds from China.
At Bowen's request, Henry Yonge planted the first soybean crop on his farm in Thunderbolt, a few miles east of Savannah, in Roadside produce stands are common around rural Georgia. Travelers can purchase farm-fresh produce grown locally at such stands. A center-pivot irrigation system uniformly waters a cotton crop. Such systems supplement rainfall on more than 1 million acres of farmland in Georgia. Requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource may need to be submitted to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Author William P. Flatt , University of Georgia. Originally published May 25, Last edited Nov 3, Peanut Harvest Photograph by uacescomm. Broilers Courtesy of Georgia Archives. Dairy Cows Photograph by Equipe Integrada. Corn Photograph by Possum Article Feedback Why are you reaching out to us? Share this Article. Facebook Twitter Email. Share this Snippet. Star Featured Content. Trending Trending. Max Cleland Political Figures.
Clock Updated Recently. Hoke Smith 1 day ago. Overall, the state accounts for 2 percent of total U. Peanut Harvest. By there were 68, farms in the state, and they produced , bales of cotton. Only 3, farms had acres or more, and 31, had fewer than acres of land. After the Civil War cotton continued to be the main crop in many parts of Georgia. In more than , bales of cotton were produced.
0コメント