Monroe County breaks ground on $4 million agriculture center

The new center aims to provide educational opportunities for young people and support agricultural growth in Monroe County.

MONROE COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Monroe County leaders have broken ground on a new agriculture center expected to cost about $4 million.

District One Commissioner LaMarcus Davis says plans for the project date back to 2012, when former Commissioner Jim Hamm first proposed the idea.

The center is part of a larger effort to expand agricultural and recreational facilities in the county.

Luke Quick, an agriculture agent with the University of Georgia, says the center will provide educational opportunities for the next generation.

“Here in this county, we are a beef and poultry county, but we’re also growing in a lot of ways,” Quick said. “For me, this is a fantastic educational opportunity.”

Quick says he’s excited to see young people learn more about agriculture and explore what they can grow.

“I’m kind of a teacher at heart, so seeing this next generation age into what they can grow,” he said.

Georgia Power also donated money for a new greenhouse at the Monroe County recreation facility. Oglethorpe Power contributed funding for a walking trail.

The facility will be built on the undeveloped portion of the rec department property close to the complex’s new entrance/exit off of Fairview Church Road.