Two students from Gordon County 4-H were selected for an exciting opportunity this summer to tour agriculture across the state of Georgia in an urban-rural exchange program. The program consisted of 24 youth on two 3-day trips, the first in June to south Georgia and the second in July to Atlanta. The two 4-H’ers representing Gordon County were Hannah McElrath, a junior at Sonoraville High, and Bryson Smith, a junior at Calhoun High.
Asked to reflect on their experiences, the two offered the following statements:
Being a part of the One Georgia was an experience that made me appreciate agriculture more than ever. I learned that Georgia may be “2 different states” but there’s one thing that binds us and that’s agriculture. I got the chance to see how agriculture in rural areas is different from agriculture in downtown Atlanta. In South Georgia my favorite part was visiting the University of Georgia Micro Gin. I got to see how cotton is packaged first hand. I also learned about irrigation and row crops. When we got to Atlanta, it was like a whole different world! My favorite part was either visiting the Georgia Department of Agriculture or visiting former Governor Roy Barnes Hereford farm. At the Department of Agriculture we got to see what really goes on. We got to see the Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black’s office. It was so different than what you would expect, he had it set up like a living room. In fact, he called it his house. We also got to see the Georgia Grown test kitchen, where they test out recipes that they show off all over the country. At the Hereford farm, it was neat to see how much of an impact has on our leaders. It was so cool to see that even the former governor is still affected by agriculture. I made many new friends and learned how big of an impact agriculture has on Georgia as a whole. Hannah McElrath
My experiences with the One Georgia 4-H program were amazing. Throughout this opportunity, I was amazed at the wide spread of agriculture across the State of Georgia. The main focus of the trip was to combine 24 4-H members from across the State and put them together while learning about our State’s largest industry. The name definitely fit the goal, because during the two, 3-Day Sessions, we experienced firsthand that even as agriculture and the rural/urban environments from across the state are different, it’s collectively what makes us, One Georgia. One of my favorite parts of the trip was our visit to the UGA Micro Cotton Gin on the UGA Campus in Tifton, GA. While I consider myself very active and involved with agriculture around Northwest Georgia, there aren’t but a few cotton farms in NW Georgia so this was one of the biggest learning opportunities for me during the trip. Mr. Kane Staines, Research Professional, at the Micro Gin, was very educational and personable and I enjoyed talking one-on-one with him and learning from his knowledge of the history of cotton and production in the State of Georgia. Bryson Smith
See the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ story on the program at this link
