It’s amazing to see young people in ag creating ideas to further celebrate and support farmers and ranchers. That’s exactly what happened with the origins of Georgia’s farm specialty license plate — it’s “Ag Tag.” The design came from FFA and 4-H members who were attending the Governor’s Honors Agriscience Program back in the mid-2000s. The students researched other states’ agriculture tags and generated their own ideas of what should be on it.
“We want to make sure that all Georgians recognize how important agriculture, agribusiness and agriculture education are to this state,” said former state Sen. Greg Goggans, who introduced the bll in 2007, making the plate available in 2008. “It is my hope that when drivers see this tag on the highway they will be reminded of the hard work that goes into putting food on our tables.”
The tag’s design features a barn and silo, along with crop fields and a sturdy wooden fence. In the bottom corner are the logos for FFA and 4-H, the two youth programs that benefit from funds raised by the specialty plate.
“This tag is a win-win-win project,” said then-State 4-H Leader Roger “Bo” Ryles at the time of the tag’s launch. “4-H will win, FFA will win, and the students will win by receiving scholarships and access to programs that will increase their knowledge and understanding of the environment.”
While “Peach State” may be a phrase that comes to mind when people think of this Southern state’s agricultural output, there is much more to what is grown. Georgia grows almost half of all the peanuts in the United States, with a value of more than $600 million (country musician Luke Bryan famously has roots on a Georgia peanut farm).
In the 1700s, Georgia became the first colony to produce cotton commercially, and it is the source of modern Vidalia onions, known as the sweetest onion in the world. Today, Georgia also leads the nation in broilers and value of egg production. In all, there are more than 42,000 farms across 9.95 billion acres, making agriculture the state’s largest industry.
And yes, peaches are certainly among them, but the state is “only” third in the nation in production.
The Ag Tag helps to support this industry and pave the way for future ag careers. Renewing Ag Tags in Georgia costs $55, with $10 of each plate going to Georgia FFA and Georgia 4-H.
“These funds will be used to support work that’s relative to each organization’s mission,” John K. Wilkinson said while serving as State Director of Agricultural Education. “And to promote agriculture, agriculture awareness and environmental education.”
Though Goggans was front and center in getting the Ag Tag legislation created and ushering through the constitutional amendment that authorized the tags by a 67-33 margin, he was also joined at the time by Sen. John Bulloch, chairman of the Senate Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, and Sen. Brian Kemp, chairman of the Senate Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.
“It is important that we continue to fund the great work that is being done by 4-H and FFA in this state,” Kemp said. “With the advancement of technology, there is new frontier of agricultural careers to be conquered. These funds will help agriculture education programs meet the challenge.”
