Tag Archives: agricultural education Georgia

Georgia’s Kent Hamilton Named Southeastern Farmer of the Year at Sunbelt Ag Expo

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Moultrie, GA |

The annual Willie B. Withers Expo Luncheon is more than just a meal—it’s the traditional launch of the Sunbelt Ag Expo and a celebration of the people who keep Georgia’s top industry thriving. This year, attendees had even more reason to cheer, as the Southeastern Farmer of the Year award was presented to Georgia’s own Kent Hamilton of Southern Valley Farms.

“It feels great. It really hasn’t sunk in yet, but it’s certainly a big honor,” said Hamilton. “There’s a lot of great farmers out there that were in the running this year—really good farmers. So, there was a lot of competition. It feels really good. It certainly all pays off now. I’ve been very blessed through the years, but this is kind of a climax.”

The recognition is part of a long-standing tradition at the Sunbelt Ag Expo, which uses the platform to highlight agricultural excellence across the Southeast.

“We get to honor farmers who continue to produce a safe, abundant, economical supply of food, fiber and shelter,” said Chip Blalock, Executive Director of the Expo. “It helps us tell the story through their eyes—the great story of agriculture. There is a winner, and today that was Kent Hamilton, but honestly, they’re all winners in our book.”

For Hamilton, the award holds deep emotional significance, especially as he reflected on the role his late brother Kurt played in his farming journey.

“His name was Kurt, and he was two and a half years older than me. All he ever wanted to do was farm,” Hamilton shared. “We started farming together. He was the real farmer, the one that really knew how to farm. Unfortunately, he was killed in a farming accident. So, his life was cut short. This award means a lot because of him.”

While Hamilton took home the top farming honor, another award at the luncheon highlighted the hard work of a different kind of farmhand — the four-legged variety. The Georgia Farm Dog of the Year award, now in its second year, was presented to Rooster, an eight-year-old merle Australian Shepherd known for doing just about everything on the farm.

“He brings cattle out of the pasture, he sorts in the sorting barns at the dairy, he trials some — he’s just been a really good dog,” said owner Shawn Raff. “And he’s a great family dog.”

The competition, organized by Georgia Farm Bureau, was launched in 2024 in memory of their beloved mascot Lucky.

“We just wanted to honor and recognize all of the hard-working farm dogs across the state,” said Whitney Mooney, Associate Director of Information and PR at Georgia Farm Bureau. “The farm dog of the year is chosen by a team of independent judges. And every year, it’s a very, very hard decision.”

With so much talent — human and canine — on display, this year’s luncheon proved once again why Georgia agriculture continues to lead the way.

By: Damon Jones

“Powerful Peanut Experience” Shines at Georgia National Fair

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Perry, GA |

At this year’s Georgia National Fair, visitors entering the Georgia Grown Building were greeted with a vibrant new addition: the Powerful Peanut Experience, a fully immersive exhibit designed to showcase the impact and legacy of Georgia’s number one crop — the peanut.

With Georgia producing more than half of the nation’s peanut supply, the exhibit was created to help educate fairgoers on the crop’s importance, from its agricultural roots to its everyday presence in lunchboxes and pantries across the country.

“This year, we unveiled the Powerful Peanut display where we tell the story of the Georgia peanut,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. “You know, we’re the number one producer of peanuts in America. Over fifty percent of peanuts are produced in the state of Georgia. These displays give people a real opportunity to know where their food comes from, how it’s grown, and it tells the story of our producers and our farm families and the work they do every single day.”

That mission — to make agriculture relatable and accessible to all — was a joint effort between the Georgia Peanut Commission and Georgia’s Rural Center. Together, they created an exhibit that could spark curiosity and ignite understanding, especially in the next generation.

“Ag education is a big focus of the Rural Center and the Department of Agriculture,” said Charlie Fiveash, Executive Director of Georgia’s Rural Center. “With peanuts being Georgia’s number one crop, we want to make sure those opportunities are presented to the students and others who come through the exhibit — to see the importance of agriculture and in particular, peanut production here in Georgia.”

The exhibit took visitors on a journey from the field to the kitchen table, highlighting every step of the process.

“Our end goal for this exhibit is for people to really have a deep understanding of what exactly goes into those candy bars or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches people eat every day,” said Maddie Frost, Project Coordinator with the Georgia Peanut Commission. “From the farmer to the shelling plant and beyond, we want people to know the hard work behind their food. And of course, we also just want people to eat more peanuts.”

To accomplish that, organizers focused heavily on creating a hands-on, interactive experience.

“We have multiple monitors that walk you through and help you learn different things,” Frost added. “We also have our peanut wagon where people can walk up and see what it looks like during the drying process. We wanted it to feel real — like people could truly understand what the process is.”

Ultimately, it’s all about building appreciation — not just for peanuts, but for agriculture as a whole.

“People need to understand the importance of agriculture,” said Fiveash. “Georgia’s number one industry is agriculture, and that awareness is the big takeaway — not only for this generation but for the next. We want to make sure Georgia continues to be number one in agriculture.”

By: John Holcomb

Northeast Georgia Ag Expo Showcases the Power of Community and Agricultural Education

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Hartwell, GA |

In Hartwell, the annual Northeast Georgia Ag Expo once again brought together farmers, vendors, students, and community members for a day centered around agriculture and its impact on rural Georgia. Now in its fifth year, the event has steadily grown in size and purpose, with organizers focused on promoting agricultural education and appreciation throughout the region.

“It’s our fifth annual ag Expo. We’ve grown it for years and years. We’ve got people from all over—not just Hart County, but our surrounding counties,” said Steve Burton, CEO of Hart County College & Career Academy. “They’re providing equipment, they’re providing demonstrations, they’ve got tables to explain what agriculture really means and what happens in our little area in Georgia.”

What began as a county-level event has transformed into a regional gathering, drawing participation from across Northeast Georgia. According to Brian Fleming, one of the key organizers and a partner at P.T.L. Ag, that expansion is a reflection of agriculture’s unifying nature.

“We originally was going to name it the Hart County Expo, but if you look around out here, there’s stuff from Franklin County, Elbert County, Stephens County, White County. There’s stuff from all Northeast Georgia,” said Fleming. “Ag’s a community—it doesn’t matter where you’re at, farmers are going to support each other.”

The Expo draws more than 1,200 attendees annually and is intentionally designed as an educational experience. With vendors, hands-on exhibits, and plenty of opportunities for the public to engage with farmers and industry professionals, the goal is to build bridges between consumers and producers.

“The purpose is to educate first and foremost,” Fleming emphasized. “It’s completely free to attend. This isn’t about making money to us. This is about the promotion of what we do… so an event like this brings the general community and the farming community together and makes us all one.”

That educational message resonates strongly with organizers like Burton, who says it’s about more than just showcasing tractors and crops—it’s about showing the economic engine agriculture provides.

“We want to educate not only our kids but also our people about where our food comes from, the impact ag has not just on us in Hartwell, but on the entire state,” said Burton. “Georgia leads in farming in many areas… we want people to understand the importance of ag in our community.”

Fleming hopes that attendees leave the Expo with a new perspective—and a desire to share it.

“I hope they gain a little more respect for agriculture as a whole, and take some piece of knowledge home with them they might share with family or friends,” he said. “That’s our main goal—spreading what agriculture means to us and what it accomplishes for us.”

By: John Holcomb

ABAC Launches New Ag Program in Bainbridge

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Bainbridge, GA |

For generations, agriculture has shaped the economic backbone of Southwest Georgia. Now, that legacy is getting a major boost as Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College expands its nationally recognized ag education program to the Bainbridge campus—an initiative years in the making and now officially launching this fall.

“It’s been part of the vision from the very beginning when I started a little over three years ago,” says Dr. Tracy Brundage, President of ABAC. “We’re just incredibly excited. It’s a team effort, and everybody jumped on board to move into action and make it happen.”

The move is more than symbolic—it’s a major step forward in workforce development for rural Georgia. It gives both traditional students and working professionals a new opportunity to pursue a degree in agriculture without having to leave their community.

“There may be some folks currently working within the industry that want to complete a degree,” says Dr. Andrew Thoron, Dean of the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “And then also, there may be some students that don’t wish to travel to Tifton. This makes it more accessible.”

For ABAC, it’s a strategic fit. With Decatur County and the surrounding region representing a strong agricultural footprint, bringing a top-tier education program directly to this area ensures more students can pursue meaningful careers close to home.

“This county, this region—it’s a huge agricultural footprint,” Brundage says. “This program is the leading agricultural education program in the country. It just makes sense to expand that reach and better serve this region.”

While the name may imply teacher prep, ABAC’s ag education degree offers far more than a path to the classroom. Students can pursue tracks in agronomy, animal science, and other specialized fields, opening doors to a wide variety of careers in the ag sector.

“Sometimes people hear the term ‘agricultural education’ and think it’s just for teaching, which it is,” Thoron explains. “But we also offer a track called agricultural studies. That’s for students who want to focus on agronomy, animal science—really anything technical. We’re developing work-ready graduates who can stay in this region and become the next generation of managers and innovators.”

Local response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive, with community leaders and agricultural stakeholders applauding the move after years of advocacy.

“It’s something the community has been asking for,” says Brundage. “I’ve been meeting with leaders since I got here, and they all expressed interest—asking, ‘When are we going to have ag programs in Bainbridge?’ We’re just really excited to launch this today.”

By: Damon Jones