September 10, 2014
www.gfb.org
Vol. 32 No. 36
UGA PRESIDENT TOURS AGRIBUSINESS LOCATIONS University of Georgia President Jere Morehead visited five key agricultural locations in South Georgia on Sept. 3 in a tour arranged by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Morehead visited Brooks County Dairy, the Langboard OSB plant in Brooks County, the Mana ready-to-use therapeutic food plant in Ben Hill County, the Coffee County Cotton Gin and the UGA Blueberry Research and Demonstration Farm in Bacon County. “I had never been to a cotton gin before,” said Morehead. “Just seeing how it all works and operates and what it takes to make a pair of pants, all of those things were things I found very interesting. I guess what I’ve learned is how critical agriculture is to the vitality of our state economy. If we don’t support it the state economy is in serious trouble. We need to do what is necessary to build the agricultural industry because that’s vital to the future of our state.” The UGA president was accompanied by Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, GFB President Zippy Duvall, Georgia House Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom McCall, Georgia Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Wilkinson, Georgia Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Jack Hill and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Terry England. While at the Coffee County Cotton Gin, Gin Manager Ben Evans shared information about the gin’s operations. The Coffee County Gin, which employs approximately 100 people during harvest season, processed approximately 75,000 bales of cotton in 2013, Evans said, and much of it was exported to Korea, Japan and Saudia Arabia. The gin also markets cotton seed produced after it is separated from the cotton fiber. The group walked through the gin, which is undergoing maintenance while preparing for this fall’s cotton harvest, and Evans showed how bolls of cotton move through the gin machines. Black said the trip was intended to reinforce for Morehead the connection between UGA’s agricultural research and the state economy. “He recognizes that Georgia is the No. 1 place to do business, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s not just the things around Atlanta,” Black said. “It’s the No. 1 place to do agriculture and agribusiness too, and the University of Georgia is an integral part of that.” In addition to the commodity information shared with Morehead, Duvall said the trip was a chance for those involved to build relationships. “I think it’s a great opportunity not just to see what we got to see but to build those relationships and fellowship together for a little while,” Duvall said.