Athens, Ga. – Agriculture, the biggest industry in Georgia, has an impact felt throughout the state’s economy. In January, University of Georgia economists will break down the complicated web of factors that influence the state’s agriculture in order to give farmers and business leaders a preview of the 2014 growing season.
The 2014 Georgia Ag Forecast seminar series will be held Jan. 24-31 in Macon, Athens, Lyons, Tifton, Bainbridge and Cartersville. Registration for the series is open at www.caes.uga.edu/events/agforecast.
The UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Georgia Farm Bureau and Georgia Department of Agriculture have sponsored the annual seminar series for the last several years, and its attendance has grown every year. Last year, almost 1,000 business people, farmers and community leaders attended their local events.
“The main objective of the Ag Forecast is to provide Georgia’s producers and agribusiness leaders with information on where we think the industry is headed in the upcoming year,” said Kent Wolfe, director of the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development.
“It helps farmers plan what they’re going to plant in the next year, but it’s also good for bankers and other businesspeople who do business with farmers or who will be impacted by the farm economy.”
Economists from the center and the UGA department of agriculture and applied economics will deliver the forecasts, which look at Georgia’s major commodities and the way that global markets, weather patterns and historical trends will affect them.
In addition to the annual Ag Forecast overview, attorney Will Thompson will speak on farm succession planning and offer advice for farmers and agribusiness owners on how to pass their businesses on to the next generation.
The 2013 Ag Forecast sessions will be held Jan. 24 in Macon, Jan. 27 in Athens, Jan. 28 in Lyons, Jan. 29 in Tifton, Jan. 30 in Bainbridge and Jan. 31 in Cartersville.
For more information on the 2014 Ag Forecast, see http://georgiaagforecast.com/ or follow @UGA_CollegeofAg on Twitter.