Thank You! The Georgia Ag Experience Generator Fund Goal Reached

We are thrilled to announce that thanks to the generosity of our community, the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture has reached its $20,000 goal to replace the Georgia Ag Experience generator.

The GAE mobile classroom has inspired more than 85,000 students with hands-on, STEM-based lessons about agriculture across 400+ school visits. After years of service, the original generator had reached the end of its life — and this campaign ensures the classroom lights, simulators, and stations can keep running.

We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to every donor who gave, shared, and supported this campaign. Together, you made this possible!

Special thanks to our top donors:

• Clayton County Farm Bureau

• West, Marc And Teresa

• Henry County Farm Bureau

• Branch, Randy

• Dougherty County Farm Bureau

• McCann, Mark and Julia

• Chestatee/Chattahoochee RC&D Council

• Gwinnett County Farm Bureau

• Douglas County Farm Bureau

• Jeff Davis County Farm Bureau

• Newton County Farm Bureau

See Full Donor List Here

Because of your support, the Georgia Ag Experience will keep rolling into classrooms across the state, preparing the next generation of Georgia’s agricultural leaders.

🍎 Make It a Mountain Weekend: Your Guide to Picnic on the Farm in Blue Ridge

Looking for the perfect excuse to sneak away to the mountains before fall hits full swing? We’ve got you covered.

Picnic on the Farm is headed to Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge on August 23, and we’re making a weekend out of it. If you’ve never been to Blue Ridge—or even if you have—this is the kind of trip that’s good for the soul. Here’s how to turn a Saturday picnic into a full-blown weekend adventure:

Friday Evening – Hit the Road

Leave after work, roll the windows down, and head north to the mountains. Blue Ridge is just a few hours from most parts of Georgia, and the views are worth every mile.

✨ Where to stay (affordable but great):

• Comfort Inn & Suites Blue Ridge – clean, walkable, and convenient

• Blue Ridge Rustic Inn – a charming roadside option close to town

• Or rent a cozy cabin with friends or family → Find cabins here

Saturday Morning – Fuel Up Before the Fun

Start your day with a local breakfast and mountain air.Top picks:

• The BumbleBee Café – a cozy local favorite for classic breakfast plates, biscuits, and good coffee

• Serenity Garden Café – charming spot with outdoor seating and Southern-style breakfast

• The Trailer Drive-In – a true local gem with no-frills breakfast and early hours

  
  

Saturday Afternoon – Picnic on the Farm at Mercier Orchards

Here’s the main event:

• Hard cider + wine tastings

• Picnic lunch, homemade at Mercier's farm market + Mercier's Famous Fried Pies

• Live bluegrass music

• U-pick apples

Whether you come for the food, the music, the views, or just to take a deep breath and reconnect, you’re going to leave feeling good.

📍 Mercier Orchards | August 23 | 1 PM - 4 PM (12 PM VIP Early Entry)

🎟️ Ticket deadline: August 8 → https://www.gafoundationag.org/picnic

Saturday Evening – Wind Down in Downtown Blue Ridge

After the picnic, take a stroll through downtown Blue Ridge, shop a bit, and grab dinner and drinks at some local favorites:

• Browse local boutiques and shops. Be sure to swing by Oyster Fine Bamboo Fly Rods. A one-of-a-kind stop where you can watch artisan fly rods being handcrafted

• Enjoy dinner and drinks at Harvest on Main, Black Sheep, The General Ledger, Chester Brunnenmeyer’s Tavern, or Blue Ridge Brewery, all walkable, and perfect for relaxing after a day on the farm

Wherever you land, you’ll find good food, great drinks, and a welcoming vibe to wrap up your mountain weekend.

Sunday Morning – Coffee + One Last Stop

Before heading home, slow down and soak up the mountain air:

• Start your morning with coffee at Das Kaffee Haus, where you can sip from the balcony and watch the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway roll by

• Grab a sweet treat from The Sweet Shoppe of the South, yes, the Cupcake Wars winners!

• Pop into Huck’s General Store for nostalgic snacks, old-fashioned candy, and small-town charm

• Or try something unexpected at the Blue Ridge Olive Oil Company. Taste your way through specialty oils and vinegars and take home a foodie souvenir

A slow Sunday stroll through downtown is the perfect way to close out your Picnic on the Farm weekend.

Plan Your Trip Checklist

1. Buy your Picnic on the Farm tickets here by August 8th

2. Book your stay in Blue Ridge

3. Save your favorite stops from this guide

4. Invite a friend or two

5. Pack your farm-chic picnic outfit & a good appetite

Ready to join us?

Tickets are on sale through August 8, and this is one of our biggest fundraising events of the year. Purchase tickets or learn more here.

All proceeds support agricultural education, student scholarships, farmer mental health resources + disaster recovery, and Georgia Farm Bureau programs like Ag in the Classroom and Young Farmers & Ranchers.

Turning Fallen Trees into Lasting Support for Georgia Farmer

Donor Spotlight: Georgia Woodturner Thom Suddreth

After Hurricane Helene, woodturner Thom Suddreth of Kennesaw, Georgia, drove to the Dublin area to collect pecan wood from a property where 15 trees had been lost in the storm. What began as a routine materials trip quickly became something more.

“While we initially went just to get some pecan wood, seeing all the storm damage in the area left a profound impression on us,” Thom shared.

Inspired to give back, Thom and his wife, Cheryl, created the Helene series, a collection of handcrafted, live-edge pecan bowls made from trees damaged beyond agricultural use. Each signed and numbered piece is sold at art shows across the state, with a portion of proceeds donated to the Weathered But Strong: Hurricane Relief Fund.

This spring, Thom donated the proceeds to support ongoing recovery efforts. Donations to the Weathered But Strong Fund continue to support long-term recovery efforts for farmers, future disaster relief initiatives, and critical programs focused on farmer mental health.

While the initial $1.7 million raised through the Weathered But Strong campaign has been fully distributed to those impacted by Hurricane Helene, ongoing contributions allow us to extend support beyond financial recovery, investing in mental health resources, training, and resilience tools that help farmers weather more than just the storm.

Support the fund at https://www.supportgeorgiafarmers.org/donate-now.

Explore Thom’s work at https://www.georgiawoodturner.com/.

Learn more about the Weathered But Strong Fund https://www.supportgeorgiafarmers.org.

About Georgia Foundation for Agriculture:

The Georgia Foundation for Agriculture is a 501(c)(3) organization that prepares the next generation of Georgia leaders for success in agriculture and also supports programs that address the challenges facing agriculture and works to preserve the future of farming. Donations to the Weathered But Strong: Hurricane Relief Fund go to the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture and are tax-deductible under IRS 170(b)(A)(VI). Learn more at GAFoundationAg.org. GFA is a registered charity under the Georgia Secretary of State (Georgia Registered Charity Number: CH015635; EIN: 47-2035360).