(The Center Square) – Georgia farmers already weathering crop shortages from a deep freeze during the spring could face another challenge this harvest season, according to the Georgia Farm Bureau.
More than 10,000 John Deere workers are on strike at 14 plants across the nation, including in Grovetown, near Augusta. Farmers have reported having a hard time finding parts for tractors and planters, and the sale of some tractors is on hold amid negotiations between union workers and John Deere.
A spokesperson for United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), Brian Rothenberg, said Thursday negotiations with the company were “ongoing.” Workers are demanding more pay and better benefits. Some workers told Farm Journal Magazine the strike could go on until the end of the year. It is reportedly the largest private-sector strike in two years.
John Deere has stopped taking orders for its larger tractors, and some tractors are sold out through 2022. Orders already were delayed because of global-supply chain shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to reports.
Georgia farmers have reported a reduction in apple harvesting because of colder conditions in the spring. One of Georgia’s top commodities, pecans, is in season from October to December, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). The state also tops the country in peanut production and accounts for 2% of the nation’s agriculture sales.
According to the GDEcD, agriculture contributes about $74 billion in economic benefits to Georgia each year. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data showed Georgia farmers produced more than 400,000 products on 10.2 million acres of farmland in 2020.
Georgia’s crop value is $2.04 billion, the USDA said, reflecting an increase of 8% from the previous year. Farmers in the state have harvested, yielded or produced corn, cotton, hay, soybean and tobacco this month.
The Georgia Farm Bureau did not respond to a request for comment.
By Nyamekye Daniel | The Center Square
