During an election year it is common to see the national colours flying all over the country and Georgia's farmers are making their contribution with plenty of red (apples and strawberries), white (milk, cotton and sweet onions) and blue (blueberries).
Agriculture contributed $74.3 billion to the state’s economy in 2014, according to the University of Georgia’s Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development (CAED). Food and fiber production provide more than 411,500 jobs. In 132 counties, total farm gate value exceeded $20 million in 2014.
In North Georgia, there are apples aplenty. South Strawberries are produced all over the state and Georgia is also a top-producing state of blueberries, overtaking Michigan in 2014 as the nation’s top producer of cultivated blueberries.
Farmers’ contributions aren’t limited to production of raw commodities. A growing segment of agriculture is agritourism, where farmers welcome the public to their farms for fun, interactive experiences in addition to the chance to buy food directly from the source.
In a celebration of farming, Georgia Agriculture Awareness Day is scheduled to take place on March 15 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Georgia Depot in Atlanta. The event will be hosted by Gov. Nathan Deal and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, with a program beginning at 12:30 p.m. Event attendees will also have the chance to sample original food products from the finalists in the 2016 Flavor of Georgia Contest, which recognizes products that use Georgia-grown commodities created by Georgia entrepreneurs, and the 2016 Sunbelt Expo Georgia Farmer of the Year will be announced.
The top 10 agricultural commodities grown in Georgia, based on their 2014 farm gate value are: broilers, beef, cotton, eggs, timber, peanuts, dairy, blueberries, horses and pecans. Each of those commodities generated more than $313 million in farm gate value, according to the UGA CAED.
