Fannin County - UGA Extension

2013 Annual Report
FANNIN COUNTY
UGA Extension is working hard for your
constituents. Here is a small sample of successful
projects completed in your county this past year:
Agritourism
Fannin County is one of the leading counties in the state for
Agritourism. Apples are the main agritourism enterprise, but
there are also blueberries, strawberries, brambles, wine grapes
and cherries. Fannin County has over 200 acres of apples.
Most of the harvested apples are marketed in retail roadside
operations, while some of these acres are devoted to pick your
own and others are the traditional wholesale. The growers
host schools and other groups to tour their orchards. Some
offer hay rides in the orchards. In addition to activities in the
orchards, they offer other value added products such as jams,
jellies, donuts, fried pies and cider. One producer has even ventured into the hard cider market. One wine grape producer has
developed a tasting room that attracts visitors to his vineyard.
People from all over the Southeast visit Fannin County for the
agritourism opportunities.
4-H Youth Development
4-H in Fannin County has an enrollment of 363 youths. 4-H
has provided various educational opportunities to its members.
Fannin County 4-H’ers have worked on a community project
that assists local veterinarians to help inoculate pets to help
control the spread of rabies. This low cost activity helps educate the youth and the public on the dangers of rabies. In addition to helping with this event, 4-H members have assisted with
a pet parade, and have brought joy to nursing home residents
with visits and gifts. One other aspect of 4-H in Fannin County
is that older members are developing leadership skills as they
assist younger members in their project and community work.
Additionally, Fannin County had their first state project winner
this past year. Community participation has led to scholarships, taking many members to state-wide activities.
Water Quality
Fannin County is home to numerous second homes. As
homeowners start developing their second home, water quality becomes a concern. Many of these homeowners have never
lived in an area that utilized private domestic wells. Because
this is new to them, the Fannin County Extension Office has
been able to educate them on household water quality. Fannin
County Extension sends more micro bacterial water samples
to the Feed and Environmental Lab than any other county in
the state. Fannin County is also in the top five in basic mineral
tests. In addition to the testing, education about the water and
the results are provided to the clientele so that they better understand how wells and the water supply work. A programming
format has been developed for the clientele regardless if they
are homeowners, foster parents, realtors, restaurants or other
public businesses that depend on domestic wells for their water
supply. This education tool has allowed a smooth transition for
consumers moving into a rural setting.
Community Vegetable Gardens
Six years ago, local volunteers in conjunction with Fannin
County Extension, formed a local community vegetable garden.
Through the efforts of the group, hundreds of pounds of fresh
produce have been provided to the local food pantry each year.
Fannin County Extension has been instrumental in teaching
classes about gardening to volunteers and homeowners. The
efforts have expanded into teaching classes about raising livestock, soil sampling, raised beds and food preservation. What
started out as one small garden involving one group has spread
into several acres of vegetable gardens. Because of the success
of the program, several churches have developed gardens to
supply additional produce to the food pantry.
ugaextension.com/fannin
FANNIN COUNTY 2013 ANNUAL REPORT
FANNIN COUNTY AT A GLANCE
Population: 23,682
County Health Factors
Ranking: 83/159
County 4-H Enrollment: 363
Total Agricultural Output:
$116,871,144
Agritourism: $5,542,000
Top Commodities:
Broilers, Cattle, Apples
UGA Extension reaches more than 2.6 million Georgians through its education
programs, publications, workshops, educational news articles and public television
programming. Every dollar invested in UGA Extension saves money in the long run;
we return $3 for every $1 invested in Georgia counties.
Extension is a unique partnership between county governments, the University of Georgia
and the USDA. County programing is driven by local needs and clientele input. Local offices
are supported by state specialists from Athens, Griffin, Tifton and Fort Valley.
Agriculture & Natural Resources
4-H Youth
Family & Consumer Sciences
Agriculture is the lifeblood of Georgia’s
economy. From poultry to peanuts and landscape to livestock, every one of Georgia’s 159
counties is impacted by agriculture. With an
overall 2012 farm gate value of $13.9 billion
dollars and a total economic impact on the
state of some $76.9 billion, the state’s largest
industry pumps vital revenue into Georgia’s
economic arteries. Many Georgia counties are
almost totally dependent upon agriculture for
economic survival. This industry is one of the
largest employers in the state, providing more
than 283,000 jobs that are involved directly
in commodity production or food and fiber
related industries.
As a program of UGA Extension, 4-H is part of
a nationwide network. The mission of Georgia
4-H is to assist youth in acquiring knowledge,
developing life skills, and forming attitudes
that will enable them to become self-directing,
productive and contributing members of
society. This mission is accomplished
through hands-on learning experiences that
are focused on agricultural and environmental
issues, agriculture awareness, leadership,
communication skills, foods and nutrition,
health, energy conservation, and citizenship.
4-H’ers are known for sharing their researchbased knowledge and technology to people
where they live and work.
UGA Extension provides Georgians with
research-based information on topics like food,
families, housing, financial management and
healthy eating habits. Family and consumer
science agents and specialists help consumers
make confident and informed food selection
and preparation decisions, taking into
consideration information about nutrition,
food quality, food safety and food costs. They
also provide resources for parents, caregivers
and other individuals in order to promote the
positive development and safety of school-age
and adolescent youth, consumer economic
issues and financial planning, and healthy
home environments. Other programs teach
UGA Extension faculty and staff play a
pivotal role in Georgia’s agricultural industry,
providing unbiased, research-based information that helps clients make critical decisions.
UGA Extension recommendations—in areas
such as soil fertility, pest control programs,
plant and crop varieties, and herd health
and management—focus on maximizing
production and profits while minimizing
environmental impacts.
Georgia 4-H reaches over 184,000 youth in
Georgia ages nine to nineteen. These students
participate at the local level in school and
county club meetings led by 4-H agents and
program assistants, and on the state level
through competitions, summer camps and
conferences. 4-H agents strive to encourage
and challenge youth to explore and discover.
ServSafe®, Relationship Smarts, and PRIDE
parent/teen driving education courses.
Agriculture and natural resources agents also
provide homeowners and communities with
information on lawn and gardening through a
variety of workshops. Some agents work with
schools on programs like farm-to-school and
school gardens.
Research indicates that 4-H members are more
engaged in their academic studies, less likely
to be involved in risky behavior and more likely
to graduate from high school
and continue their education
than youth who do not
participate in 4-H.
ugaextension.com/fannin
UGA Extension also helps promote healthy
lifestyles in youth and families through the
statewide banner program, Walk Georgia.
This 12-week program is designed to increase
physical activity and healthy eating among
Georgia residents in order to improve the
overall health of our communities.
Another program administered by UGA
Extension is the Expanded Food and
Nutrition Program (EFNEP). It focuses on
teaching healthy eating on a budget. Families
learn how to stretch their food dollar, eat
healthier meals and snacks, and reduce the
risk of foodborne illness.