The agriculture landscape in Franklin Parish has been shifting due to Farm Bill changes, commodity production costs and world market influences. The crops a farmer decides to plant can change drastically from one year to the next. In 2011 Franklin Parish farmers planted 81,659 acres of corn, up 7,000 acres from last year; 33,153 acres of soybeans, a decrease of 12,000 acres; 21,517 acres of cotton -- 8,000 more acres than in 2010 -- and 3,300 acres of sweet potatoes, about the same acreage as in 2010. The largest shift in acres occurred in wheat. In 2011, 29,763 acres were planted, an increase of 18,000 acres. Franklin Parish was the leading parish in wheat acreage and ranked in the top five parishes in planted acres of corn, cotton, sweet potatoes and wheat.
The 2010 gross farm value of plant enterprises in Franklin Parish was $117 million, aquaculture value was $4 million and animal enterprises were valued at $16 million. To borrow a phrase from Ray Young, “Franklin Parish’s smokestacks come out of the tractors in the field.” The agricultural producer is not the only recipient of the economic benefits of agriculture. Many jobs are related to agriculture in our parish in the farm stores, parts stores, tractor dealerships, consultants, aerial applicators, grain elevators, cotton gins, truck drivers, grain and cotton buyers, insurance agencies, agricultural lenders in the local banks and federal, state and local government agriculture agencies. Property taxes collected on farmland help support our schools, roads, bridges and drainage.
Agriculture production in the United States continues to become more efficient. The average U.S. farmer produces enough food and fiber for about 150 people. This number was 19 people in 1940, 46 people in 1960 and 115 people in 1980. The U.S. agriculture industry employs more than 22 million Americans to produce, process, sell and trade the nation’s food and fiber. This represents approximately 16-17 percent of the U.S. workforce. Only 11.6 cents of every consumer dollar spent on food actually goes to the American farmer or to agribusiness. The other 88 cents is spent on processing, packaging, marketing, transportation, distribution and retail costs. It takes the average American about 35 days to earn enough disposable income to pay for all the food that is consumed at home and away from home during the entire year.
On Oct. 6, 2011, the Winnsboro-Franklin Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the annual Farmers’ Appreciation Dinner. The recognition of our farmers is well-deserved. I hope you will take a moment to thank our local farmers. They are your neighbors, friends and relatives.