Governor Perdue Launches Third Annual National Agriculture Awareness Week in Georgia

Governor Perdue Launches Third Annual National Agriculture Awareness Week in Georgia

Governor Announces Environmental Stewardship Award for Agriculture

ATLANTA - Governor Sonny Perdue and the Agriculture Advisory Commission today launched the third annual National Agriculture Awareness Week in Georgia to recognize the contributions of agriculture and agribusiness in the state. A celebration held today at the Georgia Freight Depot featured approximately 60 agriculture commodities and organizations throughout Georgia displaying food products and related information. Guests attending today’s event included state legislators, FFA, 4-H, Young Farmers, Commodity Queens and other agriculture related organizations.

“Agriculture is Georgia’s oldest industry and remains Georgia’s largest industry, employing one in six Georgians,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “Thanks to our agriculture industry, we enjoy the safest, most abundant and most nutritious food supply in the world.”

Today Governor Perdue announced the 2006 winner of the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award for Agriculture – Petty’s Dairy in Murray County. The purpose of the award is to honor farmers for good stewardship of all aspects of the environment in their farming practices.

Three brothers – Jimmy, Don and Jerry Petty – and four of their sons operate the dairy started by their grandfather in 1915. The Petty brothers maintain 15 miles of river frontage on the Conasauga River that is protected by buffer strips on their property. Through their environmental management, including use of recycled water and no-till crops, the tested water that exits the farm is cleaner than the water that enters it.

Today Governor Perdue also announced an agreement between Earth Resources, Inc. in Franklin County and the Green Power Electric Membership Corporation to construct the first chicken litter-to-electricity plant near Carnesville, Ga. The Franklin County plant will be the first in the state to use a gasification system to convert poultry litter into electricity.

The Governor’s Agriculture Advisory Commission brings together members of various sectors within the agricultural community to act as a sounding board for economic development ideas and to implement the Governor's agriculture strategies and initiatives. The commission is divided into four subcommittees – economic development and retention, education, environmental, and agriculture awareness.

One of the recommendations of the Governor’s Agriculture Advisory Commission was to distribute materials to fifth grade classes across Georgia for use during National Agriculture awareness Week to create lesson plans highlighting Georgia’s agricultural history, agriscience and technology, and careers in agriculture.

Agriculture is Georgia’s oldest and largest industry, and it remains a leading source of jobs and income. Georgia has one of the nation’s most vital and diversified farm economies, leading the country in the production of poultry, pecans, peanuts, eggs and forestry products. Georgia consistently ranks as a top producer of watermelons, rye, peaches, sweet potatoes and cotton and is home to the world famous Vidalia onion.

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