It is a huge, significant component of the nation's economy, its balance of payments and its quality of life. You have given a mandate for all policy makers to be attentive to the general health of this sector. Agricultural economists, food scientists and other experts trotted out charts, graphs, statistics, theories and concepts. But Burke County farmer Cleve Mobley cut through the analysis with his own questions. The discussion boiled down to three primary issues, according to UGA agricultural economist Robert Shulstad, who chaired the symposium.
Prices are at the lowest levels in the past decade, primarily as a result of lost export demand.
As the world economy strengthens, we expect demand to increase, and prices should go up. But we don't see much improvement before 2002. The second concern was profitability and ownership. More than 40 percent of farmers across the nation have significant cashflow problems. Equity in farm equipment is declining, and land prices are expected to fall.