Tour reveals Georgia Ag large, diverse

From vineyards and vegetable patches to state-of-the-art food processing and food safety operations, agriculture in Georgia is made up of a large and diverse set of enterprises.

University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead took time to learn more about the farms, factories and laboratories that contribute to the region and the state’s largest industry Wednesday during the president’s annual farm tour.

“Candidly, there’s nothing more important to the University of Georgia than its linkage with the agricultural industry,” Morehead said during one stop on the tour. “This tour gives the university a chance to showcase what the university does for the agricultural industry and how important that industry is, not only to the state today but to the future of the state.”

This is the third year Morehead has joined Georgia’s Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black and members of the Georgia General Assembly to visit local farms and food-based businesses around the state. In 2013, the delegation visited farms in northwest Georgia, and in 2014, they visited farms in southwest Georgia. This year the focus was on northeast Georgia.

Sen. John Wilkinson, chairman of the Georgia State Senate’s Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee; Rep. Terry England, chairman of Georgia House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee; and J. Scott Angle, dean and director of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences accompanied Morehead and Black on the tour.

With agritourism, poultry and food manufacturing all playing key roles in Georgia’s agricultural economy, the tour covered six points of interest - from Tiger, in the north Georgia mountains, to Flowery Branch, south of Gainesville.

Starting at Tiger Mountain Vineyards, the delegation learned about one of the fastest growing sectors of Georgia’s agricultural economy and how UGA is contributing to its success through research into grape production, food safety, and production research and economic development services.

While still in its infancy, the wine industry in Georgia makes an annual impact of $81.6 million on the state’s economy, according to a 2013 report from the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development.

While in Tiger, they also visited Hillside Orchards, a top producer of specialty jams, jellies and ciders. They then traveled to Jaemor Farms, in Alto, where many of Hillside’s products are sold.

Drew Echols, man- ager at Jaemor Farms and a UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences alumni, explained how horticultural research at UGA has helped strengthen their vegetable and fruit production and helped the farm to grow into an agritourism destination that attracts visitors from all over the country.

Ag and natural resources tourism is a $142.3 million business in Georgia, according to the most recent UGA Farm Gate Value Report.

Food processing businesses in Georgia employ about 60,000 Georgians and make a $12.5 billion contribution to the gross state product annually,