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
The Banks County 4-H program provides fun and educational activities including experiential learning and in-school program delivery. The Banks County 4-H program allows 4-H members to acquire knowledge and develop life skills that will allow them to become self-directing, productive, and contributing members of society. Banks County 4-H staff members met with all fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade classrooms once a month during the school year. Our in-school 4-H program in 2023-2024 focused on healthy living and agricultural literacy.
Some other highlights of our 2024 programming include:
- 4-H brought 10 Banks County competitors to District Project Achievement at Rock Eagle—a 150% increase over the previous year. One Banks County senior placed 1st and will represented Northeast District at State Congress in July.
- The state archery competition in May saw five BC competitors place in the top 5 in the individual portion of the competition.
- Two Banks County seniors were honored with 4-H Scholarships.
- Camp followed quickly on the heels of archery season. Four new adult volunteers assisted with Cloverleaf and Junior camp. Forty-six Banks County 4-H'ers went to Cloverleaf Camp at Wahsega and 10 attended Junior Camp at Burton on Tybee. Our agent and 4-H'ers raised over $8,000 this spring to support the 4-H program, and to ensure that ANY Banks County child who wants to go to camp or attend a 4-H event is able to do so.
Agricultural and Natural Resources
Agriculture is one of the largest economic contributors in Banks County, contributing approximately 273 million dollars according to the most recent FarmGate Report (2022). By far the largest contributor is the poultry industry accounting for 253 million of that total, making Banks county a top 10 poultry county in the state. This value is primarily driven by the commercial broiler and both hatching and table egg industry in the county. Beef cattle is second in value to the county, contributing close to 6 million dollars in FarmGate value. Other major contributors include hay production and honeybees.
Lab services and diagnostics are one of the core resources provided by Cooperative Extension. From July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, 131 soil samples, 22 water samples, 37 forage and hay samples, and 2 animal waste samples were submitted from Banks County. These test results and consultations are essential for producers to identify areas that need improvement to create a more efficient and profitable system.
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.
In 2023 and 2024, the FACS Agent coordinated the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program (VITA). This program trains volunteers to prepare state and federal tax returns, 100% free of charge. In the 2024 tax season, our VITA site assisted 181 clients file 134 returns (more than 2x the returns filed in 2023). We helped 83 senior citizens and 62 low-income taxpayers. With our help, taxpayers claimed $30,476 in Earned Income Credits, $111,373 in federal refunds, and $35,731 in state refunds. The IRS estimates the economic impact of our program to be $247,459.