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.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

UGA Worth County Extension provides research-based information for Worth County citizens and producers through educational production meetings, on-farm research, farm and site visits, and individual consultations. In 2023, the educational production meetings held for growers included the latest UGA information on: corn, peanuts, watermelons, and cotton production; and on crop budgets/economics, row crop disease management, and row crop weed management. The county agent conducted on-farm applied research with local growers in a corn variety trial and a cotton variety trial. Vegetable acreage and production in Worth County has increased in recent years. The Tri-County Vegetable Agent, Ty Torrance, leads educational sessions, assists growers in the county in vegetable production, and conducts multiple on-farm trials in vegetables. Agents disseminate information through the social media outlets of Worth County Ag blog site, Twitter, and Facebook, and through email newsletters. Along with assisting growers and residents of Worth County, agents also educate youth audiences. In the fall of 2023, the agents were able to teach students in 1st Grade at Worth County Primary School about the importance of agriculture in Worth County and about how plants grow.

4-H Youth Development

Worth County 4-H provides an environment that enables participants to develop skills through the essential elements of independence, generosity, belonging, and mastery. Youth in 4-H develop skills that are valuable to themselves and the community, helping them grow into successful adults. In 2023, Worth County 4-H had an enrollment of 307 youth and a total of 28 clubs. Monthly 4-H Club Meetings were held for Worth County fifth-grade, homeschool, middle school, and high school students. Thirty-two members participated in Cloverleaf District Project Achievement, while eight 4-H members were contestants in Junior/Senior District Project Achievement. Two senior 4-H’er went on to place 3rd at State 4-H Congress in the Beef and Financial Planning and Consumer Economics project areas. Camps in 2023 included Cloverleaf at Rock Eagle 4-H Center, Junior at Camp Jekyll, and Senior 4-H’ers at Rock Eagle. Worth County 4-H’ers attended multiple state events. Worth County had entries in the Goat and Swine livestock shows. With the Grand Champion Wether coming from Worth County. The Georgia 4-H Project S.A.F.E. (Shooting Awareness, Fun and Education) had members from Worth County 4-H compete at district and state shotgun matches. Our Land Judging Team placed 1st in the Junior competition. In addition, many Worth County 4-H members participated in fundraisers, such as the Vidalia Onion, Sweet Potato, and Coca-Cola sales. Funds were used to support 4-H projects like camp and District Project Achievement. A total of 14 certified adult volunteers assisted 4-H with various projects. Worth County 4-H’ers continue to “make the best better” in our community, state, and world.

Family and Consumer Sciences

All Worth County second-grade students received a lesson about added sugar. This lesson created the awareness of the amount of sugar they are drinking in sodas, sports drinks, and juice. The lesson also pointed out the negative effects of too much sugar in their bodies, such as childhood obesity.

Download Our Annual Report (pdf)