Agriculture
Agriculture and
agriculture related businesses are the backbone of the Macon County economy. Macon
County's agricultural economy is quite diverse.
Macon County produces more milk than any other county in
the State of Georgia! Due to improved efficiency, production has increased over the last
decade while the total number of cattle has remained relatively stable.
Poultry has become a major business in Macon County.
Tyson has a breeder farm, hatchery, and feed mill in the county. Each year more capital is
invested in modern chicken houses and equipment.
Peaches have always been a mainstay in the county. Sam
Henry Rumph of Macon County developed the Elberta Peach. This variety is responsible for
establishing Georgia's reputation as the Peach State.
A wide variety of other crops are grown in Macon County.
They include cotton, peanuts, soy beans, tomatoes, squash, bell peppers, pecans, corn,
wheat, oats, peas, ... the list goes on.
Forest Products
Forest products play
an important part in the local economy. Weyerhaeuser has a large pulp processing plant
near Oglethorpe. This plant employees over 500 people. Hundreds of others are employed by
support industries such as trucking.
Southern Wood Suppliers has a large chip mill in Macon
County that produces hard wood chips. These chips are used in the manufacturing of paper.
Labor Force
The current
estimated population is 13,147. The Georgia Department of Labor has computed our labor
force to be 5,650 people.
Major Employers
The most recent data
available shows that the 3 largest employers in Macon County are:
- Birds Eye Foods
- Watkins Engineering
- Weyerhaeuser Company
Miscellaneous Facts
Macon County is 406
square miles in area. It is the 57th largest county in the state.
Macon County is located in RAC Region 8 and the Middle
Flint Regional Development Center.
