College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences students have the rare opportunity to spend spring break traveling and exploring the vast industry that is Georgia Agriculture on the Spring Break Tour Through Georgia Agriculture.

This six-day tour, led by Dr. Doug Bailey, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, allows students to visit and meet some industry professionals engaged in a variety of Georgia commodities. The tour changes each year, but in 2022 some of our stops include Lewis Taylor FarmsMercier OrchardsPremium Peanut and many more locations that highlight diverse areas of agriculture that the state has to offer. In addition to experiencing a vineyard and winery, students have the opportunity to see large scale farming operations, observe state-of-the art poultry robotics research at Georgia Tech and learn from a variety of agricultural professionals throughout the state.

Our hope is that this tour will help students see the value in all sectors of the agriculture industry, from production to tourism to food science and beyond!

Recent Posts

  • Rutland Farm – Tifton, GA

    Rutland Farm is a Southern family traditional farm that remains family owned and operated. It was started in 1916 by Charlie Rutland with only 36 acres, and today it has grown to over more that 2100 acres! They started out as simple shed serving the locals and visitors. Rutland farm broke grown in 2011 with…

  • A&M Farms

    A&M Farms is a Vidalia Onion farm found in “the heart of Vidalia Onion growing country.” They are located in Lyons, Georgia about three hours south of Athens. A&M also has additional farmland in Toombs County, Georgia. The farm was established in the late 1980’s and originally named M&T Farms. In December of 2020, Aries…

  • Pre-Trip Post: Lewis Taylor Farms

    Before our spring break study tour, the class was assigned different stops we would be making to research and present. My designated stop was Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton, GA. Lewis Taylor started farming in the 1930s as a transplant producer; however, the farm was purchased by Ed Walker and Bill Brim in 1985. Throughout…

  • Premium Peanut Pre-Visit

    Premium Peanut was founded in 2014 and currently operates the largest shelling facility in the world in Douglas, GA. It is a cooperative which consists of more than 200 grower-owners and has over eleven buying points. They are designed with the purposes to integrate the peanut production process, stabilize the market for growers in the…

  • Pike Creek Turf, Inc.

    Pike Creek Turf Farms is a family farm located in Adel, Georgia. The Allen family includes Jimmy & Quay Allen, Jaimie & Lynne Allen, and Dake & Kim Allen Boling. Starting out with just 100 acres in 1989, Pike Creek Turf was able to expand to roughly 2,000 acres in 2006. In 2006, Pike Creek…

  • Spring 2022 Blog Post – Mercier Orchards (Pre-trip Post)

    Mercier Orchards is located in Blue Ridge, Georgia and has a current range of about three hundred acres of land. Now onto its fourth generation, the orchards have been in operation for over seventy-five years. This family-owned orchard was founded in 1943 by Bill and Adele Mercier. When the orchard first began, it started with…

  • Three Sisters Vineyard

    Pre-Trip Post In Dahlonega, Georgia, to the east of the Three Sisters Mountain, we’ll find the Three Sisters Vineyard. The Three Sisters Vineyard is the first family vineyard and winery in Lumpkin County. The 184 acre farm was purchased by Doug and Sharon Paul in 1995, with their first harvest in August of 2000 and…

  • Pre-Spring Break Tour Blog (Cleveland Tree Farm)

    Cleveland Tree Farm is based out of Fort Valley, Georgia. Cleveland Tree Farm is a nursery that grows evergreen shrubs and different species of trees. Cleveland only sells in wholesale. This means they only sell in large quantities. They are well known throughout the Eastern United States. Cleveland was founded in 1983 by David and…

  • Spring Break Pre-Trip Post

    My stop is R&G farms in Dublin, Georgia. R&G is a small hydroponics farm specializing in lettuce, kale, and herbs. They have 2 greenhouses on their 10-acre property producing all of the crops that they sell. All crops grown at R&G farms are harvested and taken to market with their roots to ensure freshness and…

  • 2022 Spring Break Tour Pre-Trip Blog Soil3

    Soil3 is a humus compost that is made, and this company is a division of Patten Seed Company that was established in 2011. Their motto and what they try to achieve through their compost is, “The Natural Way to Build Good Soil Structure.” They say their compost grows stronger, healthier plants all while reducing the…

  • Lane Southern Orchards

    My assigned stop for the Tour of Georgia for 2022 was over Lane Southern Orchards. Lane Southern Orchards is known for the local foods and products that come from the heart of Georgia. Founded in 1908, Lane Southern Orchards has continued to grow over the years and has reached 11,000 acres of peach orchards, pecan…