Georgia Peanut Commission shows off Tifton Headquarters - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Georgia Peanut Commission shows off Tifton Headquarters

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Gary Black Gary Black
Jimmy Blitch Jimmy Blitch
Zippy Duvall Zippy Duvall

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TIFTON, GA (WALB) -

Hundreds of Georgia's agriculture leaders were in Tifton Tuesday morning to see the new Georgia Peanut Commission headquarters.

Officials believe it is a building that will help peanut farmers for years to come.

The peanut crop means a lot to Georgia farmers. That was even more evident when all of these people gathered to get a view of the new Georgia Peanut Commission Headquarters.

"Visitors will come as they pass through this great tourism place of Tifton," said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black. "We wanted a place right here close to I-75 where people could visit and learn more about peanut production in Georgia."

They want visitors to be educated about the challenges and accomplishments for peanut farmers.

"We have come a long way, baby!," said peanut farmer Jimmy Blitch. "We have increased the yields 350%. And they are still going up."

The new building is all about branding. The outside railing, the historic memorabilia, and even the landscape will all remind you of peanuts. 

Agriculture leaders are literally going nuts over this place. Right beside the building is what they call the peanut pond. And when it is finished, it will be in the shape of, you guessed it, a peanut.

The building is energy efficient, so it will show what modern day agriculture really entails. 

"When visitors get off in Tifton, they can go over and see what agriculture used to be like over at the museum across the interstate," said Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall. "Then, they can come over and see what modern agriculture is like here at the peanut commission building."

While it will help peanut farmers, the ultimate goal for the Peanut Commission is to educate people about the importance of caring for those who make our food.

"But, they actually don't know how it gets from their farm to the table," Black said. "To have venues like this to be able to reach out to people, just the random visitor, can make a dramatic impact."

That impact can now begin, they made sure that you can't miss seeing the importance of peanuts.

Officials in Tifton say the Peanut Commission will bring tourists and students from all around to learn more about how they help agriculture in Georgia. 

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