James_May-June_2026_web - Flipbook - Page 49
kickstart further investment or
purchase specific equipment that
can make a big difference.
“Merging the Rural Center
under the GDA has been a good
fit for a number of reasons. Rural
and agriculture blend well together, and with agribusiness being
Georgia’s number one industry,
we’ve seen how effectively the Rural Center and the GDA have been
able to work in sync,” said Charlie
Fiveash, executive director of the
GRC. “The Commissioner and the
Department are exposed to economic development opportunities
on a statewide and local level, so
the GRC is able to birddog on potential projects and opportunities,
making it mutually beneficial.”
The most recently announced
project was $50,000 for the City of
Sparta to fund engineering services
and grant writing for upgrading
and repairing aging natural gas infrastructure. With a median household income of around $32,000,
Sparta and Hancock County is
one of the poorer communities in
the state. Without some outside
assistance, it could be difficult for
the already cash-strapped local
government to find the funding to
upgrade or plan for the future.
A number of the projects the
GRC provides assistance on are
healthcare-related. Georgia’s rural
healthcare is in a difficult pinch,
with healthcare costs constantly
increasing and rural areas unable
to keep up economically.
For example, in Dodge County,
a GRC grant of $142,000 helped to
replace the Dodge County Hospital’s 25-year-old phone system and
upgrade their Wi-Fi and network
reliability. New mobile nursing
carts will also aide the not-for-profit healthcare provider to deliver
high-quality and affordable care.
“The response we’ve gotten
from rural hospital leaders to our
recent grants has been very gratifying and reaffirms the importance
of supporting the viability of these
facilities and the critical services
they provide,” said Scott Blount, associate director of the GRC. “These
hospitals are often among the largest employers in the communities
they operate, and their value to the
quality of life for those surrounding
communities can’t be understated.”
“I’ve been impressed with the
impact a small grant can have on
a rural community, whether at a
struggling, rural hospital, or with
support for a needed infrastructure
upgrade,” said Fiveash. “As someone who loves rural Georgia, I’ve
enjoyed the diversity in projects
and the Center’s ability to provide
human capital to a community in
need of not just monetary funding
but assistance in all areas of promoting economic prosperity.”
Fiveash also points to the leadership of Department of Agriculture Commissioner Harper, pointing to the autonomy given to the
GRC but also providing insightful
direction and vision to ensure the
GRC fulfills its mission.
“The broad range of projects
pursued by the Rural Center follow
along well with a point Commissioner Harper often makes: The
extensive reach of activities and
impact at GDA touch the lives
of almost every Georgian,” said
Blount. “The Commissioner travels
the state and consistently touts
the work GDA does on behalf of
Georgians, and his vocal support
for the work of GDA’s employees,
including the Rural Center, helps
to elevate awareness of the Rural
Center. That elevated profile that
comes with being a part of the Department does nothing but expand
the reach and opportunities for the
Rural Center.”
The Peanut Industry
Despite being known as the
Peach State, the peanut is actually
Georgia’s official state crop— naturally, the state fruit is the peach (and
