The arrival of fall in Georgia means the arrival of two of the largest agricultural-related festivals in the country, the Georgia National Fair in Perry and the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie. Agriculture is still the state’s largest economic sector and the festivals give regular Georgians a chance to rub elbows with industry insiders.
The Georgia National Fair opened on Oct. 6 and runs through Oct. 16, showcasing all things agriculture – livestock shows, exhibits and product sales. The agriculture community honored outgoing Ag Commissioner Gary Black during the festival, thanking him for the efforts of the Department of Agriculture during his tenure. Since Black started in the job 12 years ago, the Georgia Grown program has developed a large presence at the fair, giving attendees a chance to see livestock birth in the Georgia Grown Baby Barn or purchase all sorts of products in the Georgia Grown building.
Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority member Emily Watson paid tribute to Black, “You don’t miss that there are hundreds of thousands, millions of people that walk through these gates every year, and we have a small opportunity, a window of time, to show them what Georgia agriculture is all about and why it is important.”
Gov. Brian Kemp also paid tribute to Black. “He has put his heart and soul not only into the fair board and this facility but in our entire state. To Lydia and his family, we’re just so grateful for their service and how hard they’ve worked on behalf of all Georgians,” Kemp said. “This is certainly, to me, the backbone of our country and the backbone of the state of Georgia when you think about agriculture and who’s putting food on Americans’ and Georgia’s tables every day. I want to thank you for supporting that.”
Down the road in Moultrie, the Sunbelt Ag Expo gears up next week for three days from Oct. 18-20. More than 1,200 exhibitors display and demonstrate products, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors to the 100-acre site and 600-acre research farm. It is the largest farm show in the country that includes field demonstrations and contains as much for regular attendees as it does agriculture industry insiders. There are over 300 seminars and demonstrations, covering all areas in the industry, from beef and dairy, to poultry, forestry and even pond management.
“The Sunbelt Expo is an unbelievable showcase of rural living blanketed with agriculture’s newest ideas and technologies,” said Sunbelt Executive Director Chip Blalock. “It’s three days of fun, education and dreaming about agriculture’s future as we team together to feed, clothe and house a growing population around the world.”
