Georgia's Growth and Transformation Away From Agriculture

Introduction

Georgia's Growth and Transformation Away From Agriculture Icon Post-World War II benefited the economy of Georgia but led to major economic infrastructure changes. Georgia previously heavily relied on cotton as their main agriculture product, but after the war and the addition of new technology cotton production reduced while pecan and peanut farming increased. Many farmers also transitioned to raising livestock and poultry. With the technology boom, farmers became more productive and needed less tenant farmers. Many of these previous workers relocated to the cities and began to work in manufacturing jobs that processed the new agricultural products. Georgia continued to see a shift from rural living to urban expansion in the post-war years.

Agricultural Changes

Agriculture remained an important industry for Georgia, but it altered in the post war years.
New technology (tractors, refrigerated trucks, and pesticides) allowed farmers to work more efficiently.
Farming practices changed and new developments were developed through local agricultural extension agents from the University of Georgia. This helped advance the concepts of crop rotation, terracing and seed technology.
Roosevelt’s New Deal and the wartime demand for crops gave farmers the financial motive to diversify their crops.
Peanuts and pecans grew in importance to Georgian agriculture, while cotton diminished as the sole agricultural focus to only 10% of agricultural products.
New fabrics, such as rayon and nylon, led to a decline in the demand for cotton in the post war years.
Many farmers reduced the amount of crops they grew and turned to raising livestock and poultry. Poultry totaled one third of farm income by the 1970s.
Timber demand grew as well and became a dominant new industry, demanding pulp for paper, as well as lumber and plywood.
In 1945, Georgia had about 226,000 farms, but by 1969 the state had fewer than 67,000.
By 1950, 28,000 Georgians had left farming and the state had lost 100,000 farms.
Many men who had fought during the war became eligible for GI benefits, such as college, and took advantage of them and left the farms.

City Growth

Due to new farm machines and the shrinking of farms, the need for tenant farmers greatly diminished.
Thousands of displaced farm workers left the rural farmlands and moved to Georgia’s cities looking for work. Many ended up in manufacturing jobs, packaging and processing agricultural materials.
With so many Georgians moving to the cities for work, urban development grew exponentially during this time.
By the 1950s, more Georgians worked in industry and manufacturing jobs than worked on the farms.

Collage - clockwise from top left - corn field, chicken farm, dairy farm, cotton

Review

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Think About This

Georgia has major economic opportunities today due to the changes that have taken place in the post war years. Agriculture continues to have a large impact on the state, but the shift to livestock, poultry, and timber are prevalent today. Today, poultry affects the Georgia economy on the scale of $38 billion. Over 100,000 Georgians work either directly or indirectly with poultry production in the state. The economic shift continues to affect the state today in a positive regard. The changes taking place in the post war years are seen in the foundation of our economic businesses today.

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