Georgia Government Publications

Thanks to a partnership with the Georgia Department of Agriculture, the University of Georgia Map and Government Information Library (MAGIL), and the Digital Library of Georgia, more than 1,712 issues of the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin dating from 1926-1963 are now available in the Georgia Government Publications online database.

“We are fortunate that previous generations had the foresight to preserve early copies of the Georgia Market Bulletin, creating an archive that shows the incredible progression of agriculture from mule days to the technology age,”said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black. “We are grateful for the partnership of the University of Georgia’s Map and Government Information Library and the Digital Library of Georgia in helping us preserve this archive in digital form and make it available to all Georgians. It is a valuable record of the tremendous strides we’ve made as both an industry and a society.”

The project began when Amy Carter, editor of the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin, reached out to UGA’s Georgia state documents librarian Sarah Causey, asking for help in preserving back issues that had begun to crumble.

“Amy and I both recognized this as a great opportunity to not only preserve her copies but to also enhance access by adding them to our digital collection of Georgia state publications in the DLG,” said Causey, who partnered with the Digital Library of Georgia to preserve and provide access to government documents and records that are part of MAGIL’s collections.

Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin has published agriculture and consumer news and market information, and facilitated sales for livestock, farm equipment, and other needs for Georgia farmers and others in the industry since 1917.

“Throughout its 103-year history, the paper has served as a means of communication between the Georgia Department of Agriculture and its constituency which, when you think about it, is every Georgian,” Carter said. “The Market Bulletin still connects farmers with consumers seeking farm-fresh goods statewide, but it also serves as a vehicle for other divisions of the department such as Fuel and Measures, Plant Protection, Animal Health, Structural Pest, and the Georgia Grown marketing program to reach consumers with important news and information that directly impacts their daily lives.”

Carter added that the newspaper’s archives demonstrate changing trends in farming over the decades, and a popular recipe feature continues today.

“If you look at today’s paper, you’ll see that the Farm Machinery category of our Classified ads section is very popular. Many people buy and sell second-hand tractors, combines, pickers, and tillers from and to fellow growers through the Market Bulletin. Between the 1920s and the 1950s, however, that was actually a very small percentage of our advertising,” she said. “Livestock, poultry, seeds, flowers, honeybees, and even chewing tobacco were much more in demand. Another popular item advertised for sale from the Great Depression up until the 1960s was ‘sackcloth’ – burlap or cotton feed and seed bags repurposed to make clothes, curtains, towels, all manner of household goods. You can tell by reading those ads that farmers quickly seized upon a lucrative ‘side hustle’ by washing, ironing, and selling the sacks that contained their livestock feed and crop seed.”

About the Georgia Department of Agriculture

The mission of the Georgia Department of Agriculture is to protect consumers, promote agriculture both locally and globally, and assist our customers using education, technology, and a professional workforce.

The vision of the Georgia Department of Agriculture is to continue to be a globally recognized leader in agricultural excellence through a commitment to safety, quality, growth, and innovation.

About the University of Georgia Map and Government Information Library (MAGIL)

The Map and Government Information Library (MAGIL) is located in the sub-basement of the Main Library on North Campus. Its mission is to provide bibliographic, physical, and intellectual access to cartographic and government information in all formats.

The UGA Libraries serves as Georgia’s regional depository for documents published by the Federal government as well as the official depository for documents published by the State of Georgia. Its collections also include select international and United Nations documents. Cartographic resources include maps, aerial photography and remote sensed imagery, atlases, digital spatial data, and reference materials, with a particular emphasis on the state of Georgia.

Maps and government documents have been an integral part of the University of Georgia Libraries for over 100 years. For more information, read about the history of MAGIL.

About the Digital Library of Georgia

Based at the University of Georgia Libraries, the Digital Library of Georgia is a GALILEO initiative that collaborates with Georgia’s libraries, archives, museums, and other institutions of education and culture to provide access to key information resources on Georgia history, culture, and life. This primary mission is accomplished through the ongoing development, maintenance, and preservation of digital collections and online digital library resources. DLG also serves as Georgia’s service hub for the Digital Public Library of America and as the home of the Georgia Newspaper Project, the state’s historic newspaper microfilming project. Visit the DLG at dlg.usg.edu.

Farmers and consumers market bulletin, 1926 August 19, featuring ads for honey, bees and bee supplies on page 5 https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_i-ga-ba400-b-pp1-bf2-b10-s1

Farmers and consumers market bulletin, 1942 July 8, featuring a recipe for baked peaches on page 4
https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_i-ga-ba400-b-pp1-bf2-b25-s42

Farmers and consumers market bulletin, 1948 January 7, featuring ads of burlap sacks for sale on page 6
https://dlg.usg.edu/record/dlg_ggpd_i-ga-ba400-b-pp1-bf2-b31-s17

Black and white. Members of the General Assembly of Georgia, Senate and House of Representatives, first session of the 1989-90 term (Picture Book), page 9. — Members of the General Assembly of Georgia, Senate and House of Representatives, first session of the 1989-90 term (Picture Book), page 9.

Have you explored Georgia Government Publications?

The Georgia Government Publications database (GGP) was developed in 1996 as GALILEO’s first digital conversion initiative and redesigned in 2009. It serves as a comprehensive digital repository of more than 60,000 born-digital publications and scanned print documents produced by Georgia state agencies published from 1994 to the present.

Georgia state agencies are required by law to submit publications that they produce for the public to the official depository at the University of Georgia Libraries. These publications are all included in the GGP and include not only print and electronic formats but also posters, bookmarks, maps, videocassettes, CDs, and DVDs. Most of these documents are scanned images; however, with the passing of an amendment to the law (O.C.G.A. 20-5-2) in 2000 requiring state agencies to submit publications in electronic format, a greater percentage of searchable pdf files are included in the database and are noted as electronic text. As previously noted, most of the images in the Georgia Government Publications database are from scanned sources and are not full-text searchable. However, there are also many born digital documents with full-text searchability. These documents are noted in the database as electronic text.

In addition to archiving Georgia state publications from 1994 onward, the Georgia Government Publications database is currently adding pre-1994 serials on an ongoing basis; a list of those publications can be found at http://dlgmaint.galib.uga.edu/ggp/about/. Among the pre-1994 publications that have been added to the collection are the Picture Book, containing biographical information about Georgia’s state senators and state representatives (see a 1989 edition of the book here), and the Department of Education Annual Report, which has detailed textual and photographic information surveying the education system in Georgia back to 1871 (A 1976 annual report is available here). The Georgia Official and Statistical Register, 1923-1990 is also a project of the GGP; it contains brief biographical sketches of state elected officials, federal and state Congressional members, election statistics, and provides information about state agency organization and administration.

Two recent additions to the Georgia Government Publications database are:

The Georgia constitution (Article III, Section V, Paragraph I) requires that both the House of Representatives and Senate maintain journals of their proceedings. These publications are the official records of these legislative bodies, and are compiled and published following each legislative session. The journals include captions of bills and resolutions, votes, motions made by representatives and senators, reports of standing committees, and other applicable information.

Can I keep it?: a guide to Georgia laws, regulations and recommendations regarding non-domesticated animals as pets (Georgia. Dept. of Natural Resources. Wildlife Resources Division, 2001).

The breadth and variety of resources available in the Georgia Government Publications database is substantial. Here is a small list of some of the types of publications from different departments or agencies within the Georgia state government that you can find:

Farmers and consumers market bulletin (Georgia. Dept. of Agriculture) The Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin, published by the Georgia Department of Agriculture since 1917, provides features that promote Georgia products, promotes free advertising to Georgia farmers and consumers, and provides information about the Georgia agricultural industry and the Department of Agriculture. Throughout the year, seasonal editions of the publication are dedicated to equine boarding and breeding, handicrafts, “pick-your-own” produce growers, and Christmas tree farms.
Acts and resolutions of the General Assembly of the state of Georgia The Acts are the actual text of the laws and resolutions as they were voted upon by the General Assembly. The text as published in the Acts is different from the text published in the Georgia Code.
Historic streetcar systems in Georgia Publication developed by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to assist preservation professionals in better understanding these resources in historic preservation work.
Can I keep it?: a guide to Georgia laws, regulations and recommendations regarding non-domesticated animals as pets Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources resource on animal species regulated under Georgia law that identifies animals that may or may not be held as pets.
Georgia Entomology Board: death to the boll weevil Before its eradication in the early 1990s, the boll weevil was cotton’s most notorious pest. This poster, published by the Georgia State Board of Entymology, instructed cotton farmers to protect their crops by treating them with calcium arsenate.
The handbook of Georgia boating laws and responsibilities Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ handbook of Georgia laws governing boating and safe vessel operation.
Georgia governors’ gravesites field guide, 1776-2003 Publication of the Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Natural Resources with biographical information about each governor, and pertinent information about their burial sites (directions to cemetery, location of site within cemetery, and cemetery access).
Preserving the legacy: a tour of African-American historic resources in Georgia Printed tour guide of fifty-eight National Register properties significant to the history of African Americans in Georgia.
Guide to alligator hunting in Georgia Publication developed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division Game Management Section that informs alligator hunters about the hunting season, hunting techniques, safety precautions, and the necessary requirements for harvesting and processing alligators.
Georgia Entomology Board: death to the boll weevil (Georgia. Dept. of Agriculture. Entomology Board, 1936).

We hope that you spend some time discovering the resources available in Georgia Government Publications!

Tag: Georgia Government Publications

Historical issues of a popular Georgia agricultural bulletin that document decades of farming trends during the 20th century are now available freely online.

Explore Georgia Government Publications!