After leaving the farm, tour attendees traveled over to the Southwest Georgia Research and Education Center and Georgia Seed Development. Here, they split into two groups to tour each.
Georgia Seed Development is responsible for overseeing the foundation plant material production in Georgia. As a nonprofit, self-supporting organization, GSD provides economic support for new business opportunities that help keep agriculture as Georgia’s No. 1 industry. This effort has resulted in more than $15 million of additional support for University of Georgia cultivar development since 1997.
Overseen by an 11-member board, operating funds are derived from seed and vegetative plant material sales, as well as royalty fees for cultivars developed by UGA.
GSD works closely with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the University of Georgia Research Foundation and the Georgia Crop Improvement Association in supporting various research projects and in bringing new cultivars to market. GSD has an active seed production program for most crops grown in the state including peanuts, soybeans, small grains, cotton, canola, blueberries and bahia grass. Their programs maintain varietal identity and high seed quality as they increase seed quantities from a small amount of breeder seed to a sufficient volume of certified seed and plant stock for commercial crops. Quality factors such as purity, germination and freedom from noxious weeds are monitored during the certification process.
Georgia Seed Development also maintains foundation material of vegetatively propagated turfgrass and horticultural cultivars developed by the University of Georgia and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service.
GSD’s peanut program is housed at their Plains, Georgia, location. They recently completed a multi-year expansion of this facility to add enhanced equipment for drying, storage, shelling and treating peanuts. The Plains facility also has the capacity to condition and store small grains and soybeans using an air-screen machine with flat bag storage. A large temperature- and humidity-controlled room at this site provides long-term seed storage.
View the 2024 Georgia Peanut Tour Photo Album.