Agriculture is the state’s oldest and largest industry. In fact, year after year, Georgia is recognized as the No. 1 state for the production of pecans, blueberries, and onions. And we can’t forget the peaches, cotton, and watermelon.
Together, Georgia’s agriculture-related businesses account for nearly $74 billion in output contribution to the state’s economy. This economic role also includes over 411,500 jobs, and, according to recent figures, Georgia is home to over 42,000 farms encompassing more than 9 million acres spread throughout the state. Georgia is also the third largest state in Future Farmers of America (FFA) memberships. California and Texas are first and second in membership with much larger populations to draw from.
These are just some of the reasons Georgia lawmakers passed Senate Bill 330 in 2018 — which provides for a pilot program to develop and implement agricultural education in elementary schools. The courses will now be offered in 20 elementary schools across the state following State Board of Education approval earlier this month. These schools were selected for the pilot program last fall.
“For generations now, we in the agriculture and agribusiness sector have quietly gone about our work in providing food, fiber and shelter to our nation and the world,” Appropriations Chairman Rep. Terry England (R-Auburn), told IAG. “In doing so, we have unfortunately lulled our consumers into the belief that these items just magically appear on the shelves of their favorite stores in a safe and affordable manner. Through all of this, agriculture has grown to become the single largest sector of our state’s economy generating an impact of over $75 billion a year.
“These elementary agricultural education programs will help us educate future generations at a very young age as to where their food, fiber and shelter come from. By the time these young people reach middle or high school, it is often too late to get them interested in agriculture, but at these younger ages they are usually interested in a broader range of topics. These programs in the elementary schools will give us an opportunity to expose the students to an industry that typically gets overlooked or is only mentioned briefly now. For those of us involved in Agriculture today, our biggest job going forward will be telling our story of why Agriculture is important in your everyday life – why it is important to have a safe and affordable food supply – why being able to feed ourselves is one of the most critical national security issues.”
State Sen. John Wilkinson (R-Toccoa), a former FFA program manager and agricultural education teacher and current chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs committee, sponsored the legislation.
“Food doesn’t come from the grocery store,” Sen. Wilkinson said. “Four or five generations removed from the farm makes it hard for students to understand where their food really comes from. This new program will help kids understand the powerful impact of agriculture on the prosperity of our state.”
Food and fiber production and processing rank near the top of all goods and services produced in nearly two-thirds of Georgia’s 159 counties. And reports indicate that one in seven Georgians is employed in agriculture, forestry or related fields. And although the state produces a number of diverse commodities, Georgia’s agriculture industry is focused on more than just crops. Georgia is the leading producer in the U.S. of both broilers and chicken eggs.
“I’m thrilled about this work and the opportunity to add agricultural education at the elementary level,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “At the upper levels, our kids have a chance to learn the business and practice of agriculture, but now we can begin to build that understanding for our younger students in an age-appropriate way.
The pilot schools are spread out across the state, including schools in Appling, Colquitt, Lowndes, Pickins, Pike and even Fulton County.
