--- title: A summer without peaches sucks, but the Peach State has a lot more going for it - The Hustle description: Peaches have the state’s heart, but poultry and pecans are driving Georgia’s economy. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/93167076-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-georgia_20230827235223.webp --- # A summer without peaches sucks, but the Peach State has a lot more going for it ![Ben Berkley](https://53.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/53/assets/hubspot.com/web-team/WBZ/HubSpot%20Media/Blog%202021/Images/Nav/Optimized/TheHustle_Icon_Dark.svg) [Ben Berkley](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/ben-berkley) Published: August 29, 2023 Updated: October 11, 2023 Georgia is known for Martin Luther King Jr., Coca-Cola, college football excellence, and, yes, now presidential mug shots. ![agriculture chart](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/93167076-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-georgia_20230827235223.webp?width=595&height=400&name=93167076-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-georgia_20230827235223.webp) But above all, the state is known for peaches. Until this summer, that is — up to [95%](https://www.wabe.org/georgia-peach-crop-decimated-by-bad-weather-warming-climate/) of the Peach State’s crop was uprooted by harsh weather conditions. - Not just a Georgia problem, peach pain is everywhere this year, from [New England](https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2023/04/25/a-year-without-peaches/) to leading producer California, where yield is also [down](https://www.thepacker.com/news/produce-crops/california-still-leads-pack-peaches-despite-steady-decline). - Be warned: If you see peaches this summer, the [prices aren’t pretty](https://thetakeout.com/peaches-facing-crisis-bad-harvest-2023-grower-shortage-1850372985). #### **Here’s the good news** You wouldn’t know it from strolling through any gift shop in the state, but peaches aren’t even a top-20 farm product in Georgia, responsible for only 0.58% of the state’s agricultural economy, [per](https://theconversation.com/peaches-are-a-minor-part-of-georgias-economy-but-theyre-central-to-its-mythology-206844) *The Conversation*. Georgia’s chicken industry — the nation’s largest— is worth ~50x as much as its peaches. - Poultry and eggs add [$28B+](https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/blogs/georgia-extension-supporting-county-governments-poultry-industry) in economic value, fueling a financial powerhouse of a state. (Georgia’s GDP [outpaces](https://www.yahoo.com/now/u-states-gdp-compared-countries-165545922.html) the likes of Poland, Sweden, and Thailand.) #### **A bountiful harvest ahead** If the South’s changing climate can’t sustain peach crops in the future, perhaps a change to the “Pecan State” will be in order? Everywhere you look, pecans are rapidly on the rise, [per](https://www.fooddive.com/news/pecans-coming-out-of-their-shell-amid-a-surge-in-consumer-demand-product-l/689768/) *Food Dive. *That’s great news for Georgia. - The US leads the world in growing the nut and Georgia [is top](https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery/chart-detail/?chartId=78661#:~:text=Pecan%20trees%2C%20a%20species%20of,33%20percent%20of%20U.S.%20production.) among states. (It [also leads](https://www.gfb.org/education-and-outreach/about-ga-agriculture.cms#:~:text=Georgia%20is%20perennially%20the%20number,%2C%20cantaloupes%2C%20rye%20and%20cabbage.) the US in peanut production, BTW) The pecan’s surging popularity could see supplies double by 2027 — international demand is up and grocery products featuring pecans have increased by 54% over the past decade. **But at the end of the day…** only one pecan stat *really* matters: how people pronounce it. An American Pecan Council [poll](https://americanpecan.com/pecans-101/) found 34% say “pea-can,” with 66% in favor of “puh-con.” Topics: [Agriculture](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/agriculture) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Kinda gross, but kinda cool? A startup that tells synthetic fertilizers to piss off](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/2036425542-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-peeplants_20230918220827.webp) ### Kinda gross, but kinda cool? A startup that tells synthetic fertilizers to piss off - ![Are your pigs overheating? There’s an app for that](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/813878361-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-hothog_20230717231026.webp) ### Are your pigs overheating? 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