Our Impact
Making A Difference in Our County
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is working hard for its constituents. The following are examples of Extension’s impact in the county over the past year.
4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
In 2022, Candler County 4-H reached 593 students in grades 4-12. These students participated in Project Achievement, Project S.A.F.E. Shooting Sports programs, Cotton Boll & Consumer Judging, Poultry Judging, summer camps and program, local educational activities and exhibited livestock.
Candler County 4-H is active in the Candler County School System participating in events such as Heritage Days, Trunk or Treat and more. Other partnerships with the Metter-Candler Chamber of Commerce include the annual Farm Tour and Candler Youth Leadership.
Cloverleaf 4-H’ers in grades 4-6 learned about agriculture, soils, leadership, presentation skills and elected 4-H club officers. Junior and Senior 4-H’ers in grades 7-12 learned about communication and leadership. All ages of 4-H youth participate in community service projects for the good of Metter and Candler County.
AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES
Superior research and education are the driving forces of agricultural innovation, and no one knows this better than UGA Extension. Candler County has a diverse agriculture industry which yielded a Farm Gate Value of $41,032,623 in 2021. Production agriculture fuels the economy of Candler County to the tune of $47,220,553 per year. Annually, Candler County producers grow approximately 25,000 acres of row crops including cotton, corn, peanuts and soybeans.
The Candler County ANR Program offered 8 production meetings this year that had 367 attendees with topics covering cotton, corn, soybean, peanut, pecan, tobacco, vegetables, citrus, crop budgets, and pest management. Candler County also hosted the following field days: GA-FL Tobacco Tour stops, Citrus Freeze Protection, Vidalia Onion, and Forestry Field day with a total of 335 attendees.
The Candler County ANR Program conducted local research studies in 2022 for cotton, corn, tobacco, citrus, and onions.
Diagnostic testing is another service that is offered in Candler County. In the 2022 program year, the following test were conducted for our clients: soil (317), water (12), plant tissue (6), forage (8), nematode (5).
FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
The University of Georgia Extension Office in Candler County welcomed a new Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) Agent in August of 2022 to offer programming and expertise in the areas of food safety and sanitation, health and wellness, financial capability, and child and family relationships. The FACS program has quickly become a resource for food safety education, working collaboratively with the Georgia Grown Innovation Center (GGIC) in Metter to offer the nationally recognized ServSafe Manager Certification course and exam. This 2-Day course meets a need for many of the GGIC clients to possess a food protection manager certification and is marketed to Georgia Grown members throughout the state. The FACS program has also been integral with connecting community and state small food business owners with the Georgia Department of Agriculture regulatory agents through hosting workshops and sharing resources from UGA Extension’s Food Science and Technology department. So far, the programs in partnership with the GGIC have reached 90 individuals and have certified 14 ServSafe Managers.