GEORGIA AGRICULTURAL FACTS GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Thomas T. Irvin, Commissioner Cooperating with UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE National Agricultural Statistics Service Donald M. Bay, Administrator Prepared by GEORGIA AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE Stephens Federal Building, Suite 320 355EastHancockAvenue Athens, Georgia 30601 Telephone: 7061546-2236 Fax: 7061546-2416 E-mail: nass-gaQnass.usda.gov Website: http:l/www.nass.usda.gov/ga Robert T. Bass, State Statistician Christina S. Messer, Deputy State Statistician Office Staff James Brewster Peggy Craig Frieda Dekazos Archie Flanders Betty Floyd Jason Hardegree Brenda Hill Richard Hopper Sandra Maxey Clayton McDuffie Connie McEver Elaine McGarity John Meyer Jerry Midden Frances Palmer Jane Phelps Charlene Rhodes Sharon Stewart Talmadge Williams Acknowledgments We extend a special thanks to the farmers, agriculture industry representatives, County Extension Officials and others who voluntarily provided basic data used to prepare the statistics presented in this publication. Georgia's National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) Employees Office Enumerators Annie B. Barton Priscilla G. Greene Patricia A. Angiin Elsie J. Arnold David H. Askew Greg Alan Barron Robert J. Byrne Beverly D. Chalk Linda E. Fair Stephan Fitzpatrick Jo Neal Griffeth Allie M. Hardman Floretta B. Johnson Maudell B. Johnson Cindy M. Joiner Suzanne I. Jordan William G. Koehlke Therese A. Maudsley Sylvia C. McCannon Millicent N. McCoy Bernice McElheney Suzan Meentemeyer Deborah W. Melnik Leah S. Melnik Megan J. Melnik Betty S. Moseley Shelia Neely-Norman Tonya Denise Peters John F. Powell Arneal Scott Camilla V. Schmidt Linda S. Schroeder Beverly A. Sexton Gail W. Sloan Betty M. R. Smith Johanna Smith Joyce C. Smith Kimberly S. Smith Teresa F. Smith Donna M. Tate Mary C. Tiller Sharon P. Williams Carole Dean Wilson Sylvia D. Wilson North Daniel Tilley Henry H. Owings Mary D. Peterson Maylon H. Purcell Jimmy C. Taff Northeast Regina W. Broach Bryan L. Allan, Jr. Evans 0.Davis Sarah H. (Sally) Porter Barbara C. Saylors Joy Whited West Central Catherine Lister Roy A. Ashley Byron B. Cooper, Jr. Willis A. Godowns, Jr. Marion M. James Maurice R. Parker David A. Patton Cloyce C. Pittman, Sr. John E. Ransom A. Marshall Scott William H. Ward Douglas M. Weems Field Enumerators East Central lnman Gerrald Brett L. Boatright lrvine B. Johnson Willard R. Joiner Lilla P. Mobley Bill T. Turner William Ed Veal Donald W. Youmans William D. Zorn South Vernon E. Cain James L. Baldree Earlene Champion Randall M. Davis H. Verlyn Denney T. J. Futch, Jr. Donnie L. Hedrick Alfred E. Hester, Jr. Marilynn Hurst James John E. McKenzie, Sr. Dillon Smith, Jr. J. Virgil Willis MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER Dear Fellow Georgians: Agriculture, Georgia's oldest and largest industry, is an everchanging field constantly influenced by a number of outside forces, such as technology, the economy, the weather, governmental decisions, and other entities beyond the farmers control. The continued success of Georgia's agriculture is proof that farmers' and consumers in this State are willing to adapt to new markets and the increasing changes in existing markets. To remain in the forefront, our farmers and all those involved in agriculture must have some barometer to measure the success or failure of their efforts. The Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service, in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Agriculture, accomplishes this mission by monitoring, recording and reporting the activities in the State's agricultural sector. Georgia Agricultural Facts is designed as a reference guide for farmers and agribusiness professionals, as well as those who work in the fields of education, communication, economics, government and others that rely on accurate agricultural data. The information compiled in this annual publication provides documentation of our agricultural heritage along with its ongoing progress. By reviewing the data contained in its pages, we can review the seasons of the past and gauge the seasons of the future. The Georgia Department of Agriculture publishes Georgia Agricultural Facts under a cooperative agreement with the National Agricultural Statistics Service and the United States Department of Agriculture. This publication is dedicated to the continued growth and success of Georgia's agricultural industry and to the efforts of our farmers, who sustain us with their labors and continue to inspire us with their perseverance. Sincerely, T-l v-m7Y- Tommy Irvin, Commissioner, Georgia Department of Agriculture FOREWORD One of the toughest jobs in agriculture today is impartingto an increasingly urban society the importance of Georgia agriculture in our lives and our economy. With more and more people having no ties to a family farm, many do not realize that agriculture is a major employer in Georgia. When we ask school children where their food comes from, many say, "the grocery store" and do not associate the food they eat with the farm. Few grocery shoppers realize that we in the United States have the safest, most abundant, and in terms of per capita expenditures, the cheapest food supply in the world. So the job of telling agriculture's story and impressing those that make decisions with its importance and impact is a difficult one. Telling the story is so important and becomes even more importantas Georgia's populationbecomes more urban. One way to vividly tell this story is through the Georgia Agricultural Statistics Service reports. The agricultural statistics speak for themselves. Inadditionto documentingthe impact of agriculture on our lives and in our economy, the figures also show how agriculture is changing, alerts us to trends, and records our history. It is with great pleasure that I present this report to tell Georgia agriculture's story. I also want to thank our farmers and agribusinesswho voluntarily providedthe basic information in this volume. I am grateful to these reporters and the staff that works daily to count and document the record of Georgia's number one industry. Sincerely, Robert T. Bass State Statistician TABLE OF CONTENTS FARM INCOME AND EXPENSES Highlights.. 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Cash Receipts. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Farm Production Expenses. Graph. 1998 . . . . . . . 3 Farm Income and Expenses. Graph. 1993-1998 . . 3 Farm Income and Expenses. 1993-1998 . . . . . . . . . 4 COUNTY ESTIMATES County and District Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 County Production Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 County and District Estimates. 1997-1998 Corn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Cotton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Oats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Peanuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Rye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Sorghum Grain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Soybeans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Tobacco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Wheat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Cattle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Hogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 FIELD CROPS Cropland Used and Value of Production Graphs. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Highlights.. 1998 Crop Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 State Estimates. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Corn and Sorghum Silage. Estimates. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Irrigated and Non-Irrigated Corn Estimates. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Crop Records. Highs and Lows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Planting and Harvesting Dates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Grain Stocks. 1996-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Grain Stock Facilities. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Hay Stocks. 1992-1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Peanut Stocks. U.S.. 1997-1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Soybean Acreage Following Another Crop Selected States. 1993-1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 FRUITS. NUTS AND VEGETABLES Production and Value of Production Graphs. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 Highlights.. 1998 Crop Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 State Estimates. Fruits. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . 52 State Estimates. Nuts. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Vegetables. Cash Receipts. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . 53 State Estimates. Vegetables. 1993-1998 . . . . . . . 54 POULTRY Broilers and Egg Production and Value. Graph. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Highlights.. 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Poultry Production and Value. 1992-1998 . . . . . . 57 Egg Production and Value. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . 58 Value of Poultry in GA. Graph. 1992-1998 . . . . . . 59 Bees and Honey. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Bees and Honey. Graph. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . 59 LIVESTOCK AND DAIRY Milk Cows. Graph. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Cattle and Calves. Graph. 1992-1999 . . . . . . . . . 60 Highlights.. 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Cattle and Calves. State Estimates. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Cattle and Calves. Number by Size Groups. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Dairy and Products. State Estimates. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Milk Cows. Number of Operations. 1992-1998 . . . 64 Manufactured Dairy Products. 1992-1998 . . . . . . 65 Commercial Slaughter. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Red Meat Production. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Hogs. State Estimates. 1992-1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Hogs. Production and Income. 1992-1998 . . . . . . 67 Hogs and Pigs. Number of Operations. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 AGRICULTURAL PRICES Prices Received. Specified Commodities. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Marketing Season for Specified Crops . . . . . . . . . 68 Index Numbers of Prices Received. 1994-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Prices Received. Monthly. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . 69 Feed Ratios. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Prices Paid. Specified Commodities. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 FLORICULTURE Floriculture Graphs. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Floriculture Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 GENERAL Precipitation and Temperature Graphs. 1998 . . . 79 Highlights.. Crop Weather Summary. 1998 . . . . . 80 Precipitation by Months. 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Temperatures by Months. 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Georgia's Rank in U.S. Agriculture. 1998 . . . . . . . 84 Export Values. 1992-1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Per Capita Consumption. Poultry. Eggs. Red Meats. 1992-1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Farm Numbers. Size and Value. 1992-1998 . . . . 86 Farm Real Estate Values. 1985-1999 . . . . . . . . . 86 Farm Numbers by Economic Class. 1992 -1998 . 87 Foreign Ownership. 1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Agricultural Chemical Usage. 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . 89 . Fertilizer Consumption. 1994-1999 . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Farm Labor 1996-1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 - CASH RECEIPTS AND GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS GEORGIA, 1998 $5.6 Billion Crops . Payments 3.2% Livestock - 10.8% 1 Poultry 49.7% CASH RECEIPTS AND GOVERNMENT PAYMENTS - GEORGIA 1998 Percent of Total by Top Eleven Commodities Fruits and Nuts Tobacco Govt. Payments Dairy Products Greenhouse, Etc. Cattle and Calves Eggs Vegetables Peanuts Cotton & Cottonseed Broilers 42.4 I' GEORGIA AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE FARM INCOME AND EXPENSES - HIGHLIGHTS 1998 Georgia's gross farm income for 1998 is at $6.31 billion, 2 percent below 1997. The decrease is due primarily to losses in crops. The losses were mostly off-set by increases in poultry and eggs and dairy products. Gross , farm income includes cash income, non-cash income, and inventory adjustment. Farm inventory adjustments for 1998 were a negative $94.2 million compared to a negative $149.5 million in 1997. Farm production expenses declined slightly to $4.42 billion. Cash receipts from farm marketings totaled $5.45 billion, 5 percent below 1997. Government payments increased to $178.3 million in 1998 from $109.2 million in 1997. Net farm income is 5 percent below 1997 at $1.89 billion. Georgia ranked 11th among all States in 1998 cash receipts from sales of crops, livestock, poultry and dairy products. The 1998cash receiptsfor Georgia represented 2.77 percent of the U.S. total, the same as 1997. - CASH RECEIPTS 1998 The total cash receipts from the sale of crop and livestock commodities and proceeds from government payments totaled $5.6 billion, 4 percent below 1997 and the lowest since 1996. Poultry and eggs accounted for 49.7 percent of the total; crops accounted for 36.3 percent; livestock 10.8 percent; and government payments 3.2 percent. Cash receipts from poultry continues to be the major contributor at $2.8 billion. This is the fourth year in succession that cash receipts for poultry have broken the $2.0 billion mark. Broilers continue to rank as Georgia's number one cash receipts commodity. Eggs remained at its fourth place ranking among all commodities with receipts of $376 million, or 6.7 percent of the total cash receipts. Cash receiptsfrom crops in 1997totaled$2.0 billion, down 13percentfrom the $2.4 billionin 1997. Cotton accounted for 10.5 percent of the total cash receipts with earnings of $594 million, down $132 million from 1997. Cotton maintained its place as the second leading cash receipts commodity. Peanutsaccountedfor 7.3 percent of the total cash receipts at $409 million. Receipts from total vegetables reached$385 millionor 6.8 percent of the total cash receipts. Nursery, greenhouse, and sod cash receipts accounted for 4.3 percent of the total or $241 million, up 6 percent from 1997. Cash receipts from the sales of livestock and products totaled $609 million, down 17 percent from 1997. Cattle and calves receipts contributed the most to this category at $262 million, followed by dairy products at $240 million and hogs at $65 million. Cattle and calves and hog receipts declined from the previous year, 22 percent and 49 percent, respectively. Government payments accounted for 3.2 percent of the total cash receipts up 63 percent from the previous year. This is the highest on record since 1993. - FARM PRODUCTION EXPENSES 1998 Farm production expenses totaled $4.42 billion in 1998, down slightly from the $4.45 billion in 1997. Feed purchasescontinued to be the single largest expense but dropped 6 percent, or $55.8 million, from the previous year. Seed purchasedexpenses increased2 percent from last year, at $134 million. All manufactured input expenses decreased: fertilizer and lime down 13 percent; pesticides down 2 percent; petroleum fuel and oils down 9 percent. Electricity increased 17 percent from 1997. Overall, other intermediate expenses increased 5 percent. The decrease in repair and maintenance of capital items was offset by the increases in machine hire and custom work, marketing, storage, and transportation costs, contract labor and miscellaneous expenses. Propertytaxes increased3 percentto $105.6 million. Real estate and nonreal estate interest rose 6 percent to $309 million. Total hired labor increased 5 percent to $276 million. Net rent received by nonoperator landlords decreased 13 percent to $82.3 million. GEORGIA AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE