Georgia Department of Agriculture presents the Georgia Grown System of Distinction Award

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary W. Black is proud to present this year’s Georgia Grown System of Distinction Award to Bartow County Schools, Barrow County Schools and Evans County Schools. This is the second year of the award which was established to recognize the nutrition directors and their schools for their leadership in developing superior farm- toschool programs on the state and national level.

“These school systems are on the forefront of the farm- to- school movement in the state and are leaders in setting an example of how to purchase local products while also improving nutritional value for students,” Commissioner Black said. “We look forward in continuing our relationship with these systems as we strive to successfully reach our goal set forth by the 20/ 20 Vision for School Nutrition in Georgia.”

The 20/ 20 Vision for School Nutrition aims to have at least 20 percent of every meal in every Georgia public school every day to be comprised of Georgia products by the start of the 2020 school year.

All three school systems are members of the Georgia Grown Feed My School for a Week and Test Kitchen programs and have excelled with first- rate insight, abundant student involvement and stellar farm- to- school events that have led to further development of the Georgia Department of Agriculture’s multiple farm- to- school efforts.

The school systems received their award during their July 2017 Board of Education meetings.

About Georgia Grown: The Georgia Grown program provides a powerful new branding tool as well as education, marketing and business connections to expand agribusinesses and the agricultural industry throughout Georgia. Learn more today at: www.GeorgiaGrown.com.

About the GDA: The Georgia Department of Agriculture ( GDA) is the voice of the state’s agriculture community. The department’s mission is to provide excellence in services and regulatory functions, to protect and promote agriculture and consumer interests, and to ensure an abundance of safe food and fiber for Georgia, America, and the world by using state- of- the- art technology and a professional workforce. For more information, visit us at: www. agr. georgia. gov.