Multimedia Project- ABAC

Down in South Georgia right off Interstate 75 is a place that many don’t know about.  Abraham Baldwin Agriculture College is home to nearly 3,300 college students that are pursuing degrees in an array of majors. The campus that stretches over 400 acres is a beautiful place to live and study. Students come from all around to attend ABAC. The school currently has students from 8 states and 19 different countries. The college is very diverse, from agriculture majors to nursing students; ABAC is known to have something for everyone.

ABAC is most commonly known as an Agricultural school; however the largest program of study on the ABAC campus is nursing. Not only is it the largest but it is also the most successful. 98 % of the students that complete the nursing program pass the NCLEX examination for R.N. licensure. ABAC was recently named “Georgia’s State College of Choice” and is also one of the most affordable colleges in the state.

Tifton, GA is home to this beautiful college. The small town of Tifton gets much recognition because of ABAC. ABAC has an economic impact of $251 million dollars each year in just Tift County



Sigma Alpha Sorority Members
Photo Credit: Erin O'Quinn

Smaller colleges normally do not have Greek Life organizations but with ABAC this is not the case. ABAC is currently home to two fraternities, Alpha Gamma Rho and Kappa Sigma. Along with the fraternities the campus also has Sigma Alpha sorority. Greek organizations are not the only student lead clubs ABAC has. There are over 40 clubs and organizations on campus for students to get involved in. The student life at ABAC looks to be outstanding. Students at ABAC say that the college provides a quality education and a phenomenal student life.


Students Studying in the Tutoring Center

Academics at ABAC are taken very seriously. The college has an on campus tutoring center where students can go and get help from instructors and tutors in any subject. The college is rather small; the student to professor ratio is 25 to 1. The campus truly has a friendly, at home feel.

It may not be the most well known place in the world; in fact some may have never heard of it. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is a very interesting place and seems to always be filled with excitement. From the beautiful campus to the wonderful academics ABAC has something to interest everyone. Right off of Interstate 75 one will find, “Georgia’s State College of Choice”.

Farmers: The Everyday Hero

“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower

The above mentioned quote has an abundance of truth to it. Farmers rarely are given the appreciation that they deserve. As I have said before I grew up on a large farm and agriculture supported my family solely. It has never occured to me that people don't support farmers until recently. My question is why? Farmers put everything they have into supplying food and goods for others. I often see those Americans that fully support the Military and the everyday heros, While I believe those people are heros I also think that a farmer is a hero! We as Americans live in a country that doesn't not struggle like other countries, we do not have children dying of starvation because we do not have the land and resources to grow food. We live in nice houses, drive the latest vehicles, eat fancy meals, and are constantly updating our closets with the latest fashions. Many things go into making these things possible for us but in reality, the farmer plays a huge role. Take the time, and thank a farmer. After all they do give time to YOU!

Even college students need a little Ag Education

"You mean Dippin Dots are a by-product of Dairy cows?" Phrases such as these were heard all over the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College campus on Friday, April 13,2012. The Ag Clubs and organizations on campus held the first annual Agriculture Awarness day. The clubs and organizations set up booths in the center of campus with information on many different Ag related products. From Cotton , Dairy, Peanuts, Beef and Pork, students had the opportunity to see just how everything they use on a daily basis is related to Ag.
It amazes me how even college students don't know how much agriculture impacts our lives. The goal of the Ag awareness day was to educate the students on campus about the ag industry. My earlier post was all about ag education in the school systems and how it is important that highschool students have the opportunities and resources to have knowledge of the Agriculture industry. After working Ag Awarness day I now know even more that Agriculture Education is vital.

The picture below is from Ag Awareness day.

Photo By: Mary Porter

Is Agriculture Education really neccessary?

Often times I hear students that do not have an agriculture interest or are not enrolled in an ag major say  that they feel Agriculture Education has no value to our school systems. While I do respect the opinions they speak, I have to disagree. I feel that Agriculture is something that every student growing up should know about, It bothers me to hear a highschool or even in some instances college student ask the question " where does my milk come from?" or "What do they use to make my clothes?"

I understand that in some areas agriculture is not going to be a hot topic while in others students are far more educated on the industry because they live it everyday of their life. Agriculture Education enables students to get involved and see the industry first hand. Students that do not come from an Ag background are given the opportunity to learn and educate themselves on "the world outside of the city."

"I did not grow up with an ag back ground, in fact I grew up with no ag knowledge at all, but when I enrolled in my agriculture class at school a whole new world opened up for me, I saw everything in a different light. After enrolling in my ag class I started showing livestock. The Ag program at my school opened a door for me that I never saw before, I am now an Early Childhood Education major focusing on special education. My dream is to use my teaching and Agriculture knowledge and one day have a show team with the special needs children." says Rae Evans

Just like Rae many kids each year are affected by the Agriculture Education programs we have in schools, While they may not appeal to all youth, Agriculture Education is a valuable tool in the school systems today.

Photo Credit:

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1366&bih=564&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=bCZg7J8-5Zt3bM:&imgrefurl=http://www.naae.org/newsviews/10JulAug/email/index.html&docid=5sBFd1Mfd4eGLM&imgurl=http://www.naae.org/newsviews/10JulAug/email/imgs/Teach-Ag-logo.jpg&w=97&h=103&ei=iRmUT9fTGMq2tweQic23Cw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=218&sig=108406815160047589125&page=2&tbnh=82&tbnw=77&start=23&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:23,i:126&tx=66&ty=39

Agriculture......Where would you be without it?

Are you hungry? Do you live in a nice home? Do you have clothes on your back? Do you drive a car?  

     Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of our everyday lives we don’t stop and think about what our world would be like if we didn’t have agriculture.  Could we live without it?

     As the daughter of a full time farmer, every part of my life has revolved around agriculture. My family is solely supported by it, therefore it has always been very important to me.  If you stop and think about it, agriculture should be important to all of us. From the tires on our cars, to the houses that we live in, the clothes on our backs to the food on our tables—we all owe a big thank-you to a farmer somewhere.  Almost everything revolves around agriculture.

     Everyone needs to be educated on the importance of agriculture and how it will impact the rest of our lives. Children need to know where milk comes from, that it’s not from a store but from a dairy cow. Bacon and eggs aren’t just something that you always find on grocery store shelves, they come from someone’s farm. Agriculture is so much more today than just the family farm.

    In 1950, a Georgia farmer could feed about 27 people; in 2012 one farmer feeds more than 155 people and does so on less land. Education and technology have enabled farmers to increase yields and be more efficient.

     Georgia’s top 5 crops in order of ranking are:

Broiler Chickens- on an average day Georgia produces 23 million pounds of chicken. 

Cotton- Georgia ranks 3^rd nationally in cotton production, adding more than 1 billion dollars to the state’s economy each year.

 Forestry- of Georgia’s 36.8 million acres, 66% is forested.

Peanuts-2.2 Billion pounds of peanuts are produced in Georgia each year. This is almost half of all the peanuts produced in the United States in one year.

Beef- there are more than 1 million beef cattle in the state of Georgia with operations existing in all 156 counties.

    Although Georgia is called, “The Peach State”, it actually ranks 3^rd behind California and South Carolina in Peach production.

   Georgia’s horticulture industry employs more than 40 thousand Georgians, 1 out of 7 Georgians works in an agricultural field.

    Agriculture contributes more than 57 billion dollars annually to Georgia’s economy; it truly touches us all in our everyday lives.

    Back to my original questions: Are you hungry? Do you live in a nice home? Do you have clothes on your back? Do you drive a car?  Because of the Agriculture industry we are not hungry, we do live in nice homes, we have clothes we can wear and have vehicles we can drive.  Agriculture, could you live without it?  The answer is No! None of us could. The next time you get the chance thank a farmer!

Photo Credit:

http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&gbv=2&biw=1366&bih=564&tbm=isch&tbnid=qQakG-aec5yZHM:&imgrefurl=http://sdcornblog.org/archives/214&docid=ClzzZeKnHX4H4M&imgurl=http://www.sdcornblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/thankafarmer.jpg&w=864&h=575&ei=NBqUT6LFFoGo8AT29PCrBA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=63&sig=108406815160047589125&page=1&tbnh=115&tbnw=163&start=0&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:24,s:0,i:70&tx=88&ty=102