UGA Cooperative Extension is a collaboration between UGA CAES and UGA FACS.

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Grady County
UGA Extension Office

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.

Download Our Annual Report (pdf)

4-H Youth Development

Grady County 4-H delivers dynamic, research-based educational programs that empower youth in grades four through twelve to develop essential life skills such as leadership, citizenship, public speaking, and critical thinking. Through monthly in-school club meetings and after-school programs at the Extension Office, we engage approximately 750 youth each year. Our programs support and enhance the Georgia Standards of Excellence by integrating University of Georgia resources into classroom learning. We also foster agricultural literacy through hands-on STEM activities that help students understand agriculture's vital role in health, well-being, and the economy. Even in an agriculturally rich community like Grady County, many youth and adults lack awareness of how food, fiber, and other agricultural products are produced—and the industries and careers agriculture supports. In addition to in-school programming, Grady County 4-H offers numerous opportunities for deeper engagement. Youth participate in activities such as Project Achievement, livestock shows, Cotton Boll and Consumer Judging, Wildlife Judging, Horse Quiz Bowl, Hippology, Horse Judging, Archery, Modified Trap, and Skeet, Trap, and Sporting Clays. We also offer traditional 4-H experiences like Summer Camp and Summer Fun Programming. Leadership development is a cornerstone of our work, with youth growing through project clubs and statewide conferences such as Junior Conference, Senior Fall Forum, and State 4-H Council. Grady County 4-H provides a broad and inclusive platform for young people to explore their interests, build confidence, and prepare for future success—both in their communities and beyond.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

The Grady County Ag & Natural Resources agent serves the citizens of Grady County in numerous ways.  It is the job of the agent to provide the citizens of Grady County with research-based, unbiased information on the latest scientific research through programs and workshops, field days, blogs, newsletters and mass media, phone call and in-person consultations, print and online publications and on-farm research and demonstration trials.  The topics the Grady County ANR agent spends most of his time on is row crop production, commercial vegetable production, pecan production, and homeowner issues.  Every year, the ag agent conducts numerous winter production meetings for the farmers of Grady County.  For 2025, the winter production meetings conducted were on the following topics: Peanut, Cotton, Row Crop Disease, Row Crop Economics, Vegetable, Pecan, Weed Management and Forages.  All of these meetings provided information and training to over 250 different individuals.  The ag agent also participates in numerous on-farm research and demonstration trials with the farmers in Grady County.  Cotton and peanuts are two of Grady County's most widely grown commodities.  According to 2023 UGA Farm Gate Value data, Grady County ranks 32nd in the state of GA for peanut production with over 10,000 acres with a value of $10,197,414 and cotton ranks 24th in the state with nearly 20,000 acres with a value of $15,906,360.  In 2024, the ag agent conducted a cotton variety trial, a cotton seeding rate trial, 2 corn variety trials (irrigated and dryland), a peanut variety trial, a hot pepper variety trial, a spring tomato variety trial, and a ThryvOn cotton trial.  

Family & Consumer Sciences

In response to Grady County’s persistent 40% obesity rate, the Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) program continues to provide innovative and accessible educational programs that support healthier lifestyles and strengthen community well-being. Building on the success of the 12-week Walk-A-Weigh program—which promotes physical activity, healthy eating habits, and nutrition education—FACS programming has expanded to address a broader range of critical needs.  The FACS agent has continued a strong partnership with local organizations, including Grady EMS, to provide regular CPR/AED certification courses. To date, over 75 community members have been empowered with essential life-saving skills, increasing emergency preparedness and community resilience.  In addition, a Health and Resource Fair was hosted to connect residents with vital services and health education services in our community. The agent has also become certified to teach and proctor the ServSafe Manager Certification Course, providing essential food safety training to local restaurant managers, food handlers, and business owners.  FACS programing further expanded to include certified food preservation education, with multiple adult canning classes offered to teach safe, research-based preservation methods. School-aged youth also benefited through Clovers in the Kitchen, a hands-on program that focuses on kitchen safety, nutrition education, and basic culinary skills aligned with MyPlate guidelines.   Through comprehensive education, community partnerships, and hands-on training, Grady County’s FACS program continues to make measurable strides toward a healthier, safer, and better-informed community.