In the Furrow
Celebrating Agriculture in Burke County
By Will Duffie County Extension Coordinator

This is an exciting time of year for farming along with the many folks whom enjoy the outdoors. The season of fall officially arrives on Sept. 23, but you can already feel a change in the air, and you may have noticed the days are getting shorter.

This coming weekend, the Annual FarmFest Festival will be held in downtown Waynesboro, to celebrate and promote agriculture and all its related businesses in Burke County. We should acknowledge that growers in Georgia and the rest of the United States are the most efficient producers of food and fiber in the world.

Agriculture is the backbone of Georgia's economy. The Farm Gate Survey is published annually, and estimates total production of row crops (cotton, corn, peanuts, etc.), vegetables, livestock, forestry, and other areas. The total farm gate value for the state of Georgia in 2006 totaled $10,366,342,023.

The agricultural structure is strong in our county. Burke County is one of the largest counties in Georgia encompassing 832 square miles. As a note, there are 640 acres in a square mile. We have seen a slight change in the crop acres planted in 2007. Cotton acres are down 45 percent to 21,000 acres; peanuts are down 22 percent to 14,000 acres; corn is up 225 percent to 18,000 acres; and soybeans are also up 185 percent to 13,000 acres. I anticipate that small grains will almost double this fall. The livestock industry is strong and increasing. Not only beef and dairy cattle numbers but the production of hay as well. Don't forget about the forest land with production of pine trees and the minor fruits and vegetables. Due to these factors the total farm gate value for Burke County in 2006 totaled over $89 million dollars.

Agriculture creates business. Due to intense farming businesses such as cotton gins, peanut buying points, grain handling facilities, equipment dealers, mechanics, welders, supply companies, lenders and numerous other agricultural related businesses are in operation. These create jobs for Burke residents.

Plan on attending FarmFest this Saturday. Take time to celebrate agriculture in Burke County, and let our farmers know we support them. It's definitely something to be proud of.