Our Impact

Making A Difference in Our County

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension continues working hard for its constituents. Where we translate the science of everyday living for families, farmers and communities to foster a healthy and prosperous Georgia.  The following are examples of Extension’s impact in the county over the past year.  

Download our annual report (pdf)

_{Ag and Natural Resources}   

_{Cook County agriculture in 2025 was another year that brought familiar and unfamiliar challenges.  Low commodity prices, weather challenges and maximizing production are issues faced by agriculture producers each year.  2025 saw cotton fields become infested with a new insect, the cotton jassid during the growing season.  UGA extension researchers conducted in-field trials to evaluate control measures from which that data was disseminated to county extension offices.  The county extension offices disseminated that real world data to their respective agriculture communities.  This is called the UGA Extension County Delivery System.  Cook Extension collaborates with UGA specialists to conduct in-field agriculture trials to investigate new and existing agriculture production practices.  In 2025 Cook Extension collaborated with local farmers and UGA extension specialists to install a irrigated and non-irrigated peanut variety trials.  Six varieties were planted in each location and compared to the standard “GA-06”.  In addition a cotton variety trial tested 10 cotton varieties in Cook County.  A peanut fungicide trial was established in 2025 to investigate 10 peanut fungicide programs efficacy against common peanut diseases.  All data generated is an unbiased research based source of local information that is disseminated to local agriculture producers.  These farmers utilize this data from which to base their production decisions.   Cook County extension has garnered productive relationships with local agriculture producers and UGA Extension Specialists that has proven to be an integral part of the success of the agriculture industry in Cook County.}

_{4-H Youth Development}                                                                          

_{In 2025 Cook County 4-H Club registered many youth for Summer Camps, Project Achievements, BB Team and Livestock Shows. They're other opportunities like the State 4-H Council thats a Georgia 4-H core program and is the constitutional meeting of the 4-H Council which includes the election of our Georgia 4-H state officers. At the 5th grade level officers are elected per classroom. And the 8th through 12th grades are elected at the beginning of the 4-H year during annual 4-H Kick-Off.  In Cook County, In-school 4-H club meetings are delivered by the 4-H Agent and the 4-H Program Assistant during school months. 4-H provides so much for your child to become and be their best in personal development, communiuty service and careeer readiness. The County 4-H Agent visits the Cook Elementary Schools to teach lessons that meet the Georgia Performance Standards, and enhances the childs learning.  Newsletters are handed out inside and outside the classrooms on a monthly basis. Enrollment for Cook County 4-H club was 1168 in 2025. Cook County has a new 4-H Agent thats prepared to continue to make great things happen for the Cook County 4-H Club program in 2026.  Please come by our office location and sign your child up and meet our 4-H staff.  Lets help make a future for your child with life-long everlasting memories with leadership, resilience and independence.}