Georgia 4-H Ag Tech program connects communities with precision agricultural technology
Georgia 4-H Ag Tech program connects communities with precision agricultural technology
Georgia 4-H’ers are putting their hands to larger service by learning and sharing precision agricultural technologies in their communities.
Created in 2022, the Georgia 4-H Ag Tech program expands upon the national 4-H Tech Changemakers initiative, extending the subject area content to include agriculture-specific skills.
During the annual Georgia 4-H Ag Tech training held in Tifton on September 11-12, 18 county teams participated in trainings that illustrated skills in agriculture technology topics including wildlife camera tracking, pond invasive species, GPS guidance aids, rainfall aids, and the Department of Natural Resources’ best practices. Youth are then empowered to provide hands-on and impactful technology demonstrations to farmers, landowners, and other youth in their areas.
During the past three years of programming, 4-H Ag Tech county teams have reached a combined total of over 12,278 youth and adult participants. These youth leaders have held presentations at workshops, festivals, production meetings, growers’ meetings, association meetings and at local schools.
The 2025-2026 cycle represents the fourth year of the program, and it continues to expand ground across the state. Participants observe new agricultural technology advancements hands-on and learn about their use in a supportive environment.
County teams represent all four UGA Extension districts and include Atkinson, Bibb, Burke, Cobb, Coweta, Decatur, Gordon, Habersham, Houston, Madison, Mitchell, Peach, Pulaski, Screven, Tattnall, Toombs, Wheeler, and Worth counties.
“We are excited to continue to update our topics to include new areas in order to appeal to larger landowner audiences,” said Katie Bowker, program coordinator for 4-H Ag Tech. “We are also looking ahead to grow into more urban agriculture topics and widen our impact.”
At the training, youth are given the opportunity to learn directly from University of Georgia precision agriculture specialists in an academic setting. UGA Tifton specialists worked in partnership with Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) and their new Agricultural Technology building to host the event. Programming included a college tour for the youth attendees to connect their learning with college degrees and future career paths.
Many UGA faculty, staff and graduate students from Athens and Tifton have contributed to the training and implementation of 4-H Ag Tech this year including James Johnson, Cody Mathis, Morgan Grizzle, Sarah McNair, Kyle Johnsen, Wes Porter, Katie Bowker, and Kasey Bozeman. Additional program specialists that spoke this year include Nick Gladden and Erin Porter from ABAC, Jennifer Ward and Diana Mcgrath from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Tyler Mameli from the Georgia Forestry Commission.
Georgia 4-H empowers youth to become true leaders by developing necessary life skills, positive relationships, and community awareness. As the premier youth leadership organization in the state, 4-H reaches hundreds of thousands of people annually through University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices and 4-H facilities.
Written by Alyssa Haag
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (working cooperatively with Fort Valley State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the counties of Georgia) offers its educational programs, assistance, and materials to all people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status and is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action organization.