Tag Archives: ag education Georgia

Fort Valley State Opens New Produce Processing Facility to Support Georgia Farmers and Students

Posted on by

Fort Valley, GA |

Fort Valley State University is once again stepping up for Georgia agriculture. Just steps away from their popular meat processing facility, the university has now unveiled a new cold storage and processing operation—designed specifically to help vegetable producers and educate future ag leaders.

Inside the facility, visitors will find cutting-edge equipment ready to wash, grade, and rinse produce—starting with collard greens.

“The line itself has the initial wash which pretty much gets all the dirt and debris off of the greens, straight from the field,” said Ryan Golphin, Ag Program Assistant at Fort Valley State. “Then it will drop down onto a conveyor belt where we have two people there working. They’re grading the greens. If any bad leaves or anything gets through, they’ll get those out at that point. The triple rinsing station is also a cold-water rinse, and that water is kept at thirty-three degrees. We finish it with a freshwater rinse.”

The convenience of having a facility like this located in the heart of the state is already proving to be a game changer for growers in Middle Georgia—cutting down not only on travel time, but also costs associated with processing and storage.

“What this does is give the farmers another avenue for value added,” Golphin said. “It makes them more marketable. To have this facility close by is going to be really good for them. They don’t have to worry about making that long trip trying to get something processed. They can come right here. We’re centrally located right here in Middle Georgia.”

The facility was made possible through a $1.6 million grant from USDA and is expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. When that happens, it won’t just be serving farmers—it will serve students as well.

“It’s a win-win model not only for farmers, but also for our students,” said Dr. Mark Latimore Jr., Director of Extension at Fort Valley State. “We want our students to really gain that hands-on experience. When students get that experience, they have the confidence, and they can speak the language that industry and organizations are interested in.”

And while the program is helping traditional producers, it’s also helping expand access to agriculture for a broader, more diverse group of students—many of whom don’t come from a farm background.

“We learn that many of our students in agriculture come from the urban area,” Latimore added. “So, we try as early as possible in their tenure to introduce them to agriculture. This facility is an excellent model—introducing students who are interested in vegetables or plant sciences, as well as ag engineering technology students interested in the mechanics of how things work.”

For Georgia’s small and mid-sized vegetable producers, this new facility offers a lifeline. For students, it’s a real-world classroom. And for Fort Valley State, it’s another way the university is investing in the future of agriculture in Georgia.

By: Damon Jones

Lawmakers Trade Bills for Barn Boots in Annual Legislative Livestock Showdown

Posted on by

Perry, GA |

It was a different kind of showdown at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, where lawmakers traded their suits for show sticks in the annual Legislative Livestock Showdown—an event that brings Georgia’s legislative and agricultural communities together for a day of education and fun in the show ring.

“The Legislative Livestock Showdown is an awesome opportunity for us as a department, and also as an ag industry, to bring in individuals that might not have participated in agriculture or FFA or 4-H growing up,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “We bring them to the fair and show them what agriculture truly means—the passion that our young men and women have, our 4-H and FFA kids, about agriculture and their livestock projects, and the role the livestock industry plays in the state of Georgia.”

Among the lawmakers in the ring this year was Representative Bethany Ballard, who despite growing up around cattle, had never shown them herself—until now.

“This was the most fun that I have had since I have been in the legislature. It was the best day,” Ballard said. “I’m so thankful for Stella from Perry High School, who was my coach today. Everything that happened was not her fault—she was the winner. She did a great job coaching me. I’m sure I just didn’t do a good enough job. But it was so much fun. I’m so excited to have done this because I’ve been so jealous of all the other people who got chosen the past few years. So I would love to do this every single year.”

Ballard says being in the ring gave her an even greater appreciation for the kids who spend months preparing their animals for competition.

“It just makes me appreciate what all of these kids do. They work so hard. They get way more than the hour of training that I got,” she said. “They work on their animal all year long, they put in so much effort. It teaches them a marvelous work ethic. And even if they don’t want to be a farmer in their grown-up life, whatever job they go into, they will have the best work ethic, and any boss would be lucky to have them.”

That’s exactly the goal of the event, according to Representative Robert Dickey, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

“The objective is just to make our colleagues aware of the great facility we have here in Perry and what they do here for our young people showing animals,” Dickey said. “Whether it’s steers like today or sows, pigs, and sheep, it’s just a great program for our young people in this state. And that’s what we were trying to highlight—the importance of this facility to ag education in our state.”

For Harper, it’s not only about the fun, but the opportunity to foster understanding with lawmakers who vote on issues affecting Georgia farmers every day.

“Not only is it fun, not only is it exciting, not only do we have fun with it and it’s a competition between the House and the Senate, but more importantly, it’s another way that we tell our story about agriculture,” Harper said. “Put it in front of those individuals that are making those decisions under the Gold Dome, so when we have those conversations with them, they can relate in a way that they haven’t been able to before.”

By: John Holcomb