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THURSDAY. MARCH 4. 2021 PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS PAGE 11A
Georgia A g Forecast
2021 offers opportunity for ‘rural to shine’
The pandemic has put a strain on all sectors of the economy, and the agricultural and
food industries were no exception. From supply chain disruptions that led to dumping
milk and crops to increased consumer demandfor plants, there were many ups and downs
in 2020 markets.
By Josh Paine
CAES News
The pandemic has put a
strain on all sectors of the
economy, and the agricultural
and food industries were no
exception. From supply chain
disruptions that led to dump
ing milk and crops to in
creased consumer demand
for plants, there were many
ups and downs in 2020 mar
kets.
University of Georgia
agricultural economists re
capped the unique year and
prognostications for 2021
through the Georgia Ag Fore
cast seminar presented via
webinar Jan. 29 and the an
nual report available online.
Dual studies track agri
tourism, COVID-19 effects
on producers
Since 2014, the agri
tourism farm gate value has
grown more than 40 percent
in Georgia, and a recent sur
vey conducted by College of
Agricultural and Environ
mental Sciences faculty
shows that about 6 out of 10
motivated travelers seek rural
or small towns when select
ing a destination for a leisure
trip.
“I don’t see a better time
ever, in my personal history,
where rural and agritourism
has the chance to showcase
itself,” said John Salazar, as
sociate professor and coordi
nator of the college’s
Hospitality and Food Indus
try Management Program.
“Rural communities have to
be more marketing savvy,
and agribusinesses have to
collaborate with their local
destination marketers.
There’s no better scenario
than for rural to shine.”
Agritourism activities
may include festivals, farm
tours, U-pick operations,
horseback riding, farmers
markets, farm vacations,
wineries, picnic areas, biking
and hiking trails, and special
events including weddings
and related educational pro
grams.
“The urban markets have
taken a big hit. People want
to travel, and there’s still a
portion of people that have
money to travel, but they
don’t want to go to places
where they don’t feel safe.
These activities really do
align themselves well with
social distancing.”
Greater spring and sum
mer travel is anticipated com
pared to 2020; April and May
were the two top months of
planned travel in Georgia for
survey respondents, with
June and July following.
“There’s an association
between rural and agri
tourism activities. People are
looking for agritourism and
that small-town experience,”
Salazar said. “The hospitality
opportunity in these rural
communities has an elevated
platform that it never had be
fore. There was almost twice
the hotel occupancy decline
in the urban market com
pared to rural.”
Agritourism could be a
solution to mitigate low
prices and the lack of market
opportunity for some produc
ers. About three-quarters of
farmers surveyed by CAES
agricultural economists say
that they have financial con
cerns. Polls were conducted
in May and December 2020
to gauge a number of factors
including revenue, financial
assistance and health.
“The situation is so evolv
ing we wanted to look back
through the retrospective sur
vey on the year,” said Sharon
Kane, senior public service
associate for the UGA Center
for Agribusiness and Eco
nomic Development. “This is
an ongoing, dynamic situa
tion, and these are glimpses
into what’s been going on.”
On average, farmers sur
veyed who applied for finan
cial assistance expect that
about 20% of losses have
been or will be covered by re
lief programs. The Payroll
Protection Plan (PPP) was
the top relief program re
ported in both surveys. A
number of respondents said
that they were not participat
ing in any program.
Of all commodities, live
stock was the most affected
in the spring and year-end
surveys. The top issues
across all commodities were
low prices and lack of mar
kets in both surveys. As the
year went on, more respon
dents were concerned about
the health and emotional im
pacts of the pandemic.
Commodity outlooks
Poultry, peanuts and the
green industry were up in
2020. Recovery for other sec
tors depends on multiple fac
tors, including the pandemic,
trade and weather. The fol
lowing is an overview of the
2021 Georgia Ag Forecast re
port authored by Department
of Agricultural and Applied
Economics faculty.
Poultry, livestock
and dairy
Despite production dis
ruptions, 2020 broiler pro
duction is expected to be 2%
greater than 2019 and aggre
gate prices rose about 10%,
according to Todd E.
Southerland, senior vice
president for food and
agribusiness at Truist Bank,
and prices could remain
higher this year.
“Consumers should ex
pect an inflationary price en
vironment for food over the
coming years. The ‘long taiF
analysis of COVID-19 in
cludes the likelihood of last
ing impacts on the food
industry, such as enhanced
food-safety protocols and
employee safeguards, all of
which come at a price,”
Southerland reports.
Beef cattle prices are ex
pected to rise as production
trends down and liquidation
continues. Demand is ex
pected to increase as the
economy recovers. Pork pro
duction will likely have slow
growth this year, but feed
prices could impact profit for
producers even though ex
port demand is expected to
remain strong in the short
term. Milk production is ex
pected to expand, but low
milk prices and higher feed
costs will hamper profit mar
gins.
Row crops
Cotton acreage and pro
duction in Georgia were
lower in 2020, from 1.4 mil
lion planted acres in 2019 to
1.2 million. As discretionary
items, cotton products follow
global economic trends and
recovery will depend on mul
tiple factors.
Partly due to lower cotton
prices and higher yields,
2020 was a notable year for
peanuts with a fourth-highest
record 1.64 million tons for
Georgia. Consumer sales of
peanut butter, peanuts in
candy and snack peanuts
were up, and this trend is ex
pected to continue this year.
Global demand for com,
wheat and soybeans will re
main strong in 2021.
Fruits, vegetables
and tree nuts
Reduced exports and con
sumer reactions to COVID-
19 were blamed for 2020’s
decreased consumer price
index for fresh fruits. Pecan
production is expected to be
higher this year after two de
creased years from the im
pact of Hurricane Michael.
Blueberry imports have in
creased eightfold from 2005
to 2018, causing serious eco
nomic injury to domestic
growers in recent years. An
opportunity for blueberry ex
porters lies with new trade
with China, which was al
lowed last year. Vegetable
prices are expected to be
strong in 2021. The total har
vested area was down 7.7%
in 2019 compared to the year
before and is expected to be
lower in 2021.
Horticultural
industry
With housing starts and
consumers stuck at home,
2020 was a bumper year for
the green industry — busi
nesses associated with orna
mental plants; landscape and
garden supplies; and nursery,
greenhouse and sod growers
— but the coming year is ex
pected to be comparable to
2019 levels. Plant sales were
up about 2% last year, with
more consumers purchasing
online than before.
Forestry
Pulpwood was adversely
affected by the pandemic
with reduced demand for
printing and writing papers,
down about 13% across the
South. Conversely, softwood
lumber has increased across
the area over the last decade
and is expected to hit 25 bil
lion board feet in 2021. The
Forestry report was provided
by Forisk Consulting and
UGA's Wamell School of
Forestry and Natural Re
sources.
To view the recordings
and the complete 2021 Geor
gia Ag Forecast report, visit
agforecast.caes.uga.edu. The
seminar is sponsored by
Farm Credit Associations of
Georgia, Georgia Farm Bu
reau, Georgia Agribusiness
Council, Georgia Department
of Agriculture and Georgia
Grown.
[Josh Paine is a market
ing specialist with the Uni
versity of Georgia College of
Agricultural and Environ
mental Sciences.]
Slow computer culprits
Few things can derail a
productive workday more
quickly than a slow com
puter. Many a professional
has encountered the dreaded
slowdown or spinning color
wheel, only to sit in frustra
tion as deadlines draw
closer and tasks pile up.
Computers can perform
slowly due to a variety of
factors, many of which can
be addressed rather easily.
• Too much multitasking:
Successful professionals
pride themselves on their
ability to multitask, but
computers can only handle
so much. Running many
programs simultaneously or
having too many browser
tabs open at one time is a
recipe for a slow computer.
Keeping various programs
open at once slows down
processing speed, leading to
lags when switching from
one program to another.
This is easily overcome by
closing programs at the end
of each workday and open
ing them only when you
need to. Leaving multiple
browser windows open at
one time also slows down a
computer, especially if the
windows are open to pages
that auto-refresh. Close
windows when you’re done
reading an article or no
longer need to access infor
mation on a particular web
site.
• Software updates: Auto
matic software updates can
be convenient, but they also
take up space on computer
hard drives. According to
TechAdvisory.org, comput
ers run smoothly when at
least 15 percent of their
total hard drive space is
free. Turn off automatic up
dates and periodically check
for updates on your own. If
updates are available, install
them during non-working
hours so you don’t have to
wait for the update to install
during the workday.
• Inadequate hard drive
space: Though it’s best to
keep at least 15 percent of
your hard drive space free,
TechAdvisory.org notes that
professionals who routinely
work on multiple files at
one time can very quickly
use up more than 85 percent
of their hard drive space, es
pecially if they need to store
those files on their comput
ers. In such instances, pur
chasing additional hard
drive space can improve
performance. Adding more
RAM, which temporarily
stores data that is currently
being worked on, also can
help users overcome stor
age-related slowdowns.
• Viruses: Computer viruses
are most often linked to cor
rupted files and frozen
screens, but they also can
cause computers to operate
more slowly. Conduct a
virus scan on the computer
to see if that’s what’s behind
the spinning color wheel or
frozen screens.
Many things can cause a
computer to slow down.
Thankfully, there are just as
many solutions to fix slow
computers as there are prob
lems that can adversely af
fect their performance.
Classifeds
Place yours in the
Progress and
do some
Spring Cleaning!
706-253-2457
Shopping for assisted living facilities
As people age, oftentimes
their living arrangements
need to be adjusted. Needs
evolve as children move out
or other situations arise. One
of the scenarios that may
come to pass as a person ages
is the need for more special
ized help that just isn’t possi
ble at home.
When failing physical or
mental health affects one’s
ability to be independent and
live safety at home, moving
into an assisted living facility
may be the next step. The
National Center for Assisted
Living indicates assisted liv
ing offers the little bit of help
some people need when they
can no longer manage living
alone. Typically these facili
ties provide assistance with
bathing or dressing, medica
tion management and other
care, while also catering to
people who may not require
the around-the-clock medical
care most often associated
with nursing homes.
Vetting is an important
component of finding as
sisted living facilities. Family
caregivers need to educate
themselves about services,
costs and other resources pro
vided by assisted living facil
ities.
AARP says assisted living
facilities provide residents
with a range of services that
can include supervision,
meals, housekeeping, laun
dry, and personal care. Resi
dents usually have their own
apartments or private rooms.
Because they are mostly reg
ulated at state level in the
United States, there is a lot of
variety among these facili
ties. That means family care
givers need to assess their
needs and desires in a facility
to find the right one that fits.
Assisted living facilities offer
a home-like environment,
and the amenities available
vary based on cost.
Paying for assisted living
differs from paying for nurs
ing homes. Largely govern
ment-subsidized health
REQUEST FOR
QUALIFICATION
The Sequoyah Regional Library Sys
tem is requesting qualifications from
General Contractors interested in bid
ding on the 10,800 s.f. renovation and
8,200 s.f. addition to Pickens County
Public Library
in Jasper.
Interested General Contractors
should email their requests for a qual
ification form to
kirk.dunn@carlsondesigngroup.com
Completed qualification forms shall
be emailed no later than 2:00 PM on
March 22, 2021.
programs like Medicare and
Medicaid pay for nursing
home care. Those who would
be best serviced by assisted
living may find they may not
qualify for government sup
port, nor may the facilities
accept anything other than
private payment or long-term
care insurance to cover room
and board.
Other considerations in
assisted living facilities are
size, specialties, atmosphere,
location, and the ability to
transition to higher forms of
care. Assisted living may fill
a void currently, but it’s often
not a permanent situation for
all, and eventually certain
residents may have to move
on to skilled care facilities.
Potential residents and
their families should visit
various assisted living facili
ties to get a feel for what they
are like. Speak with the staff
and residents, request a meal
and get a sense of the envi
ronment. Apart from cost,
how the home feels is one of
the most important factors in
shopping around for this type
of residence.
Free Gift Friday at
The Pregnancy Center
Free gift Friday for all expectant moms. Just drop by The
Pregnancy Center at 7 Caring Way in Jasper on Friday, March
5 between 12-5 p.m. for a special gift just for you.
Cool Springs Baptist
Food Ministry
Cool Springs Baptist Church, partnering with There’s
Hope For The Hungry, offers non-perishable food to those in
need on Thursday, March 11th, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., unless
inclement weather, in which case event will be cancelled. No
ID required; drive-thru service with no physical contact. Cool
Springs Baptist Church is located at 4671 Hwy. 53 East, Tate,
Georgia. Call (770) 735-2799 for more information.
“Our liberty
depends on the
freedom of
the press, and
that cannot be
limited without
being lost.”
- Thomas Jefferson