Farmers Grow Christmas Memories
From the food on our table to the paper that wraps our gifts to the sweaters that keeps us warm, farmers help make so many special Christmas memories possible. Scroll down to learn more about some of Georgia's top commodities and how they shine this special time of year.
If you'd like to support Georgia's family farmers and Georgia grown products, please consider becoming a member of Georgia Farm Bureau! Anyone can become a member for just $35 year.
Pecans
Georgia is the nation's largest supplier of pecans, accounting for about a third of U.S. pecan production. An average pecan harvest in Georgia is about 88 million pounds - enough to make 176 million pecan pies*.
Poultry
Georgia is known as the “Poultry Capital of the World.” On an average day Georgia produces 26 million pounds of chicken and 9.2 million eggs*. 3 out of 4 Georgia counties are involved in poultry and egg production.
Blueberries
Blueberries are the No. 1 fruit produced in Georgia. The harvest season for fresh blueberries is May through July.
Cotton
Georgia ranks third nationally in cotton production and acres planted and cotton-related professions provide 53,000 jobs in the state of Georgia, and cotton's overall impact exceeds $3 billion*.
Georgia was the first colony to produce cotton commercially, first planting it near Savannah in 1734.
Corn
Corn is the most widely grown crop in Georgia. Most of the corn production in Georgia occurs in the southern counties. On average, Georgia farmers produce more than 55 million bushels per year*.
In addition to economic value, corn is often important to crop rotations with cotton, peanuts, soybeans and horticultural crops.
Beef
Cattle are raised in all 159 counties in Georgia and the beef industry has a large impact on the state's economy (estimated at more than $2 billion)*. There are over 15,000 cattle producers in the state of Georgia*.
Timber
Georgia is consistently ranked the top forestry state in the nation. When we think of industry uses for trees, we naturally think of wood and timber products. But every part of the tree is useful, from its wood to its saps, extracts, greenery, and beyond.
Every year the average American uses the equivalent of one tree that is 100 feet tall and 16 inches in diameter to fill all his or her wood and paper needs*.
Peach
The U.S. Department of Agriculture ranks Georgia as one of the top four peach-producing states along with California, South Carolina and New Jersey.
The peach is a member of the rose family.
Dairy
Georgia currently has 89 dairy farms and is home to 92,000 dairy cows. Each Georgia dairy cow has an economic impact of $12,666*.
Peanuts
Peanuts are Georgia’s Official State Crop.
Georgia farmers produced 52% of the United States’ peanuts in 2022 – more than 1.45 million tons. Georgia farmers harvested 680,000 acres, yielding an average of 4,250 pounds per acre*.
Hay
There are approximately 4 million acres of pasture, hay and silage in Georgia (10 percent of the state). This includes 3.4 million acres of pasture land and about 600,000 acres of hay land*.
