After Morgan County was ceded by the Indians between 1802-1805, land lots were distributed through the lottery system between 1805 and 1807, giving landowners 202.5 acres of land each. The lottery system promoted settlement by yeoman farmers who farmed at a subsistence level. The increasing market and profitability of cotton led to its dominance and to consolidation of land fairly quickly. The resulting “planter class” farmed the land with slave labor until the end of the Civil War. The loss of that free labor gave rise to the tenant farming system, the imprint of which can still be seen on the land. That system perpetuated the cotton farming industry into the twentieth century, and in 1920 cotton yielded 36,197 bales on 76,041 acres in Morgan County.

In the early 1900s, though, the boll weevil came to the South moving eastward from Texas. During the 1920s this pest devastated the cotton crop in Morgan County, causing many farming families to lose their land. Shortly thereafter, another blow, the Great Depression, compounded the hardship felt by many of those farmers. The collapse of cotton-based agriculture and a later increase in mechanization hit the tenant farmers equally hard triggering the migration of this largely African American population from the state. The combination of all these factors would completely change the face of Morgan County agriculture in the coming decades.

Diversification of agricultural products saved some Morgan County families like the Malcoms, Masons, and Nolans. Their production of peaches, pecans, and livestock along with cotton provided some protection from the financial devastation of the boll weevil. Others converted to a completely different agricultural industry: dairy farming. By the 1950s, Morgan County ranked first in the state in number of dairy cows and second in whole milk sales with more than 41 percent of the total farm income from dairy products. This new endeavor, along with fruit and nuts, which accounted for 5 percent of all farm income in 1959, kept Morgan County agriculture viable in the middle years of the twentieth century.

Changes in dairy technology lead to the consolidation of production in a smaller number of larger farms, and the dairy farms began a slow decline in number in the 1970s causing farmers to seek new avenues of income. Timber production became an important source of revenue for many Morgan County landowners during this time. Many of the old terraced cotton fields converted to dairy pasture became grazing lands for of other types of livestock, a farming practice still popular with many landowners. Today Morgan County is #1 in livestock (cows, horses, goats, etc.) and aquaculture and is still home to a number of dairies, cotton fields, tree nurseries, etc.

The future of agriculture in Morgan County appears bright. Located in proximity to the four largest food markets in GA, Atlanta, Athens, Augusta, and Macon, the area is well positioned to satisfy Americans’ increasing desire for locally produced food. Related to the local food movement is increasing interest in agritourism giving consumers a direct experience with the land and people involved in producing their food. With Morgan County’s two largest industries being agriculture and tourism, Morgan County’s farmers continue to be presented with new opportunities to participate in emerging agricultural-related economies.

Plan a trip to meander through Morgan County’s farms. Despite the monumental changes in farming practices over time, patterns of the past are still discernable on the land. A remarkable number of the old homesteads still stand as do several rural crossroads communities, which harken back to era of Cotton. Amidst all of this are today’s farm families who are ready to share the their beauty and the bounty of their land and their way of life. To plan a trip, please download the FARMeander guide. The Bounty of Morgan County awaits you.