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Abstract
Increased dairy farm production in southern Georgia has potential to increase economic activity throughout the region, as well as all of Georgia. In addition to creating general business activity in support of dairy operations, feed input requirements create demand for agricultural products. Analyses for each of four regions in southern Georgia show with $3.598 million in total sales a dairy farm produces an average of another $3.559 million in annual economic activity within each region resulting in an average $7.157 million total output impact. Employment in the agricultural sector is impacted as crop farms satisfy increased demand from feeding livestock. State impacts of a dairy farm in southern Georgia include $4.266 million in indirect economic activity for a total state output impact of $7.864 million. Although the agricultural sector receives the greatest benefits of dairy production, other sectors have significant sales and employment increases as a result of dairy production. Fluid milk manufacturing is an enterprise separate from production that has a state level impact of $9.807 million for each dairy farm with 1000 milk cows.