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
4-H served every Banks County fourth, fifth and sixth grader through monthly in-school club meetings. Our 2024-2025 volunteer-led archery club has 45 active archers. In 2024, five Banks County 4-H’ers placed in the top 5 of their class at the state archery competition, and over 50 attended summer camp, many with the help of scholarship donations solicited by 4-H staff.
Agricultural and Natural Resources
Agriculture is the largest industry in Banks County, with a Farm Gate value in 2024 of greater than $270 million. Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) in Banks County programming provided on-site technical consultation to Banks County farmers, as well as hosting programs on backyard poultry and home gardens. Our ANR programming also offers soil, water, forage and other testing through the Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Lab on Athens' campus.
Family and Consumer Sciences
UGA Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) outreach, resources, and programs help improve the quality of life for individuals and families in Georgia. We provide research-based information through training and dissemination of publications, and link families, businesses and communities to university faculty and resources. Common questions cover food safety, food preservation, dealing with mold and mildew, healthy meal planning, nutrition, family budgeting, Low Income Nutrition Education resources and more.
Family and Consumer Sciences in Banks County offered Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, preparing 134 returns for 181 clients. FACS also hosted several canning workshops, diabetes cooking classes, and walking wellness programs.