James_May-June_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 48
Hitting the Ground Running
Harper is a 7th generation farmer from Ocilla, farming peanuts,
cotton, beef cattle and timber. He
previously served as a state senator, so he has familiarity with how
the state government works and
an administrative understanding of
the numerous facets of the sprawling Department of Agriculture.
When Harper was first running
for the commissioner position,
he noted in interviews one of the
things he hoped to bring to the job
was some new perspective.
“A lot of times what we miss
in government is forgetting we’re
in the customer service business,”
Harper told The Brunswick News.
“Yes, we have a role as a regulating
authority, but you’re our customer.”
Just in the past couple months,
Harper has been working on avian
flu issues in the poultry business,
administering block grants for Hurricane Helene damages, the Vidalia
onion pack date, investments in
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COMMISSIONER TYLER HARPER
rural healthcare and the seizure of
120 pounds of marijuana from an
illegal facility in DeKalb County.
Customer service requires flexibility and understanding, something
Harper brings to the job both from
his experience as a legislator but
also as a farmer.
Besides the signature events
in Perry and Moultrie, the Georgia
Department of Agriculture hosts
Ag Week during the legislative
session each year— highlighting the
industry both statewide and for the
legislators at the State Capitol.
“Georgia agriculture is more
than an industry— it’s the backbone
of our state’s economy, the bridge
that connects urban and rural Georgia together as one, and, for our
state’s farm families, it is our way
of life,” said Harper. “During Georgia Ag Week, we proudly celebrate
Georgia’s #1 industry and the farm
families who fuel its success and
provide the food, fiber, and shelter
all 11 million Georgians rely on, and
we encourage all Georgians to do
the same.”
Georgia’s Rural Center
Another of those initiatives
from GDA is the move of Georgia’s
Rural Center for Innovation and
Prosperity from the University
of Georgia to the GDA. Begun
in 2018, Georgia’s Rural Center
(GRC) has invested more than $3
million in a range of projects, with
work touching on all 159 counties
in the state. The majority of the
investments are small, helping to
