Georgia farmers are facing a crisis. Crop prices are nearing some
of the lowest levels ever as expenses keep climbing. Farmers are
caught in a price squeeze they may not be able to overcome.



The solution involves higher prices or lower costs. But most
economists don’t expect the costs to improve. So farmers need to
consider “value-added” opportunities for their farms.



Trying to find ways to add dollars to rural economies,
scientists, farmers and farm policymakers from Georgia and around
the world will meet at the first “Symposium on Value-added
Agriculture” Dec. 13-14 in Tifton, Ga.



“Commodity agriculture is in trouble,” said Randy Hudson,
coordinator of the emerging crops and technologies program in the
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences. “Without federal support, most commodities are losing
money for our producers.



“Farmers must be empowered to produce and market beyond the farm
gate,” Hudson said. “The economy of Georgia is heavily dependant
upon a healthy and prosperous rural Georgia. The family farm and
a profitable agricultural system are vital for rural economic
growth.”



The Solutions

How can you add value to farm crops?



Growing new crops, processing old ones and using smarter
marketing strategies and new technologies are a few ways to boost
farm incomes.



“Any way to bring dollars back into the rural economy needs to be
explored,” Hudson said.



The main goal of the symposium is to get people thinking about
ways to increase farm incomes. “Growers must be innovative and
progressive at times like these,” he said. “They must be willing
to get closer to the consumer.”



One such opportunity is in developing nutraceutical crops, or
crops with health benefits.



“It is estimated that the current nutraceutical market is about a
$5-billion annual industry,” he said. “In the next five years it
could be as much as $20 billion.”



Almost all Georgia crops have some nutraceutical value, he said.
Through technology, the part of the plant that contains the
health benefit could be extracted and marketed as a separate
product.



The Support

At the symposium, Mark Drabenstott, vice president of the Center
for the Study of Rural America at the Federal Reserve Bank of
Kansas City, will brief participants on the state of commodity
agriculture.



Duane Acker, chair of the Iowa Agricultural Finance Corp., will
talk about successes and failures of value-added ventures.



“These national leaders will lay the groundwork of the
value-added arena today,” Hudson said.



In another symposium segment, key legislators and agriculture
leaders will discuss value-added agriculture. The discussion will
be moderated by the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and
Tourism.



Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes will speak Dec. 14 about the state’s
commitment to the future of a healthy agriculture.



The symposium will be at the Tifton Rural Development Center.
Fees are $50 before Nov. 30 and $150 after. To register, call the
UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center at (229) 386-3416. Or go to
www.ugatiftonconference.org.