Georgia Agriculture
Supporting Family and Minority Owned Farms
Our Georgia Farmers are vital to our state economy.
- Agriculture contributes approximately $73.3 billion annually to Georgia's economy, according to the UGA Center for Agribusiness & Economic Development.
- The 2016 total Farm Gate Value for the state was $13.75 billion.
- One in seven Georgians works in agriculture, forestry, or related fields.
- In 2012, there were 42,257 farms in Georgia encompassing 9,620,836 acres of land. The average farm size was 228 acres.
However, not all farms are equal. Currently, over 70% of Georgia farmers make less than $40,000 a year, while 1 in 10 farmers make over half a million per year. We often forget how much farms in Georgia are affected by the state economy - rising gas prices mean more expensive harvesting. Which leads to lost profits. In 2018 alone, GA farmers took a $3 billion loss from the hurricanes. It’s time to give our backbone a break.
As a candidate for GAHD 158, I will always fight for our farmers. Farming isn’t just for growing food; it’s our state's legacy, our family's pride and livelihood, and industry all Georgians heavily rely on. Appreciate Mother Earth today, and thank a farmer.
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Industrialized Farming brings significant harm to the environment.
In the US, roughly 260 million acres of forested land have been cleared to make room for crops, and more than 67 percent of these crops — predominantly soy, corn and grains — become food for livestock, rather than food that is consumed directly by people. Despite taking up so much land, meat and dairy products provide only 36 percent of the calorie content of the US food supply.
While growing food is always going to require significant amounts of land and water, animal agriculture is particularly inefficient. Farm animals consume a third of the planet’s grain production and a third of the planet’s ice-free land. If people primarily consumed plants, (Fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, etc.) agriculture would be responsible for significantly less deforestation.
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Learn more about my positions on sustainability here.
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Farming Sustainably