About Georgia Ag
Agriculture - Georgia's $83.6 Billion Industry
- Agriculture contributes approximately $83.6 billion annually to Georgia's economy, according to the UGA Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development.
- The 2022 total Farm Gate Value for the state was $18.3 billion.
- One in seven Georgians works in agriculture, forestry or related fields.
- In 2022, there were 42,439 farms in Georgia encompassing 9,953,730 acres of land. The average farm size was 235 acres.
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. We’re known for our sweet Georgia peaches, our peanuts and those delicious Vidalia Onions. But the state’s ag picture is so much larger.
Farming is one of mankind’s original jobs, and those who till the soil have always been stewards of the land. Georgia’s farmers take pride in their work. In turn, they go to great lengths to protect their land and surrounding environments. Modern conservation and best production practices help to protect the land and grow safer, healthier crops.
Georgia is perennially the number one state in the nation in the production of peanuts, broilers (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 our state you visit, you’ll see some form of agricultural production.
According to the most recent Census of Agriculture, during 2022, Georgia's agricultural producers contributed more than $83.6 billion and 323,300 jobs.
The census showed more than 42,400 farms operating across the state, with more than 9.9 million acres in production.
TOP 10 GEORGIA COMMODITIES BY VALUE
- Broilers
- Cotton
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Timber
- Beef
- Greenhouse
- Corn
- Blueberries
- Pecans
Source: UGA Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development
According to the UGA Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development, the state's forest industry accounts for a total economic contribution to Georgia's economy of $12.6 billion, and supports more than 53,000 jobs in Georgia. We're consistently ranked the top forestry state in the nation.
Despite all the changes in society, farming remains the foundation of the state's economic well-being. Approximately one in seven Georgians works in agriculture, forestry, or a related field.
History of Agriculture in Georgia
Agriculture is Georgia’s oldest and largest industry. It has played a dominant role in Georgia's economy for almost three centuries, beginning with the settlement by English colonists in 1733. The colony's founder, General James E. Oglethorpe, sought the advice of Native Americans on hunting and growing food.
One of the major goals of those colonists was to produce agricultural commodities for export to England. Within a short time, they were sending corn, rice, indigo, silk and wine back to England.
The Trustees of the colony established an experimental garden of ten acres in Savannah and employed a botanist to collect seeds, drugs, and dyestuff from other countries with a similar climate to conduct research on how they could be grown in Georgia. 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 1793 while he was visiting a friend near Savannah revolutionized the cotton industry. By 1860 there were 68,000 farms in the state, and they produced 700,000 bales of cotton.
Cotton was king from the late 1700s until the boll weevil spread across the state in 1915. Following the successful boll weevil eradication program, cotton is once again an important Georgia crop.
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.