The economic contribution of turfgrass production, ornamental horticulture, landscape services, and related industry to the state has always been challenging to assess. The industry is very diverse and loosely represented by several professional associations.
The Center has worked closely with other departments, centers within UGA, and industry associations to determine the size and impact of this sector.
The industry is important to Georgia, directly contributing $4.0 billion in output, and indirectly another $3.8 billion for a total contribution of $7.8 billion. The industry also accounts for a total of nearly 87,000 full- and part-time jobs.
Over the years Center collaborations have studied and documented industry responses to drought and the financial crisis, providing timely and accurate estimates for policy and decision makers. Recent work indicates that the structure of the industry has changed. In the past, most companies were relatively small and employed few people. The challenges of the past years forced companies to expand or leave the industry. Larger firms now dominate the sector.
For more information contact ebauske@uga.edu, wojciech@uga.edu, or spkane@uga.edu.