Team Agriculture Georgia
Created in 1996, Team Agriculture Georgia (TAG) was instituted by the United States Department of Agriculture State Food and Agriculture Council (SFAC) to identify opportunities for collaborative outreach to the agricultural community with emphasis on limited-resource and beginning farmers. SFAC in Georgia is the primary USDA interagency forum through which state-level heads of the three county-based USDA service organizations — Natural Resource Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, and Rural Development — can coordinate seamless interagency program delivery, collocated offices, and streamlined operations.
Team Agriculture Georgia seeks to improve state and Federal customer service and offer appropriate training to limited-resource and new and beginning farmers. Membership is open to all individuals, groups, or organizations in Georgia that provide agricultural programs or services to Georgia landowners and land users. The organization is sustained by the collective resources of its partners and collaborators, namely: USDA Farm Service Agency, USDA Rural Development, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Risk Management Agency, U.S. Forest Service, Georgia Department of Labor, Georgia Forestry Commission, Georgia Department of Public Health, Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Fort Valley State University, University of Georgia, Georgia Organics, Federation of Southern Cooperatives, AgGeorgia Farm Credit, AgSouth Farm Credit, Seven Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Council, Oconee River Resource Conservation and Development Council, and Central Savannah River Resource Conservation and Development Council. The execution of TAG's outreach is the responsibility of its leadership council, which is elected biennially, and designated consultants. Seven Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Council, a 501c3 nonprofit, leads TAG's programs and serves as its fiscal agent and administrative partner, supervising the coalition’s grant awards, finances, and project outcomes.
Mission Statement
Team Agriculture Georgia’s mission is to improve local, state, and Federal customer service to all landowners and land users — with emphasis on small, beginning, and limited-resource farmers.
Executive Committee
Anthony Prillaman, Chair, USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
Christy Smith, Vice-Chair, AgSouth Farm Credit
Karla Hollis, Secretary, USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement/1890 Program Liaison
Brenda Hallman, Treasurer, Seven Rivers Resource Conservation & Development Council
Seven Rivers Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Seven Rivers RC&D seeks to address common environmental issues, develop compassionate assistance programs, enhance the resilience of natural resources, and create economic opportunities for rural Southeast Georgia. Founded in 1993, the Council originally served nine counties bounded by seven rivers: the Altamaha, Alapaha, Ocmulgee, Satilla, St. Mary’s, Suwanee, and Willacoochee rivers. Its reach now spans a 20-county area, touching three additional rivers, and the organization has been inducted into the National Association of Resource Conservation & Development Councils “Circle of Diamonds.”
Seven Rivers has administered programs to fund public park improvements, build new boat landings, and provide environmental and agricultural education in the classroom. In conjunction with the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and USDA NRCS, the Council hosts the annual Conservation Production Systems Training Conference to share best practices to conserve water and improve soil health on local row-crop farms. Its innovative Wheels to Work program enables low-income families without transportation to work to purchase a vehicle at 0% interest. With support from USDA Rural Development, it has also helped over 100 low-income families increase their access to clean water by financing improvement or installation of new household wells at 1% over ten years.
In addition to operating a shared farm implement bank, the Council has worked with row-crop producers on multiple projects to implement critical Best Management Practices in the Alapahoochee and Upper Satilla watersheds. In 2015, it received a USDA Rural Development Rural Business Development Grant securing de-seeding equipment to help members of the Georgia Pomegranate Growers Association expand and add value to their fledgling industry.
Mission statement
Seven Rivers RC&D fosters opportunities for local people working together to develop, enhance, and protect our natural resources for the betterment of our economy and the environment.
Seven Rivers is located in Baxley, Georgia. It can be reached at 912-367-1168.
TAG Partners
The Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development is part of UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, combining the missions of research and Extension by providing feasibility and marketing services, agricultural and demographic data for private and public decision makers, and by conducting analysis related to policy issues in Georgia agriculture and providing that information to relevant decision makers.
Georgia Organics has been rooted in providing direct support to small and organic farmers across our state since the 1970s. The organization’s 17-member team champions organic agriculture and healthy families by prioritizing farmer prosperity, engaging children with good food in their cafeterias and classrooms, and convening local leaders to address their own food access issues by making organic and local food accessible to all.
