UAC participates in committees and councils.
The Georgia Urban Ag Council participates in numerous industry committees and councils that convene regularly throughout the year. The Spring 2025 meeting season was particularly eventful, and Mary Kay Woodworth, Executive Director, represented UAC at several meetings. We are grateful for the opportunity to represent the industry, support their initiatives, and communicate our activities to these esteemed groups.
March 6: Chattahoochee Tech Industry Advisory Committee, Acworth GA. Jim McCutcheon, HighGrove Partners, is a member of the industry advisory committee and represented this group at the March meeting. McCutcheon and Woodworth are working with Environmental Horticulture Director John Hatfield to enhance his programs.
April 30: University of Georgia Horticulture Industry Advisory Committee, Tifton GA. Woodworth chairs this committee, under the direction of Leo Lombardini, Horticulture Department Head. The spring meeting showcased the work of researchers in the blueberry, vegetables, pecan, peanut, precision ag and other areas.
May 9: Gwinnett Tech Industry Advisory Committee, Lawrenceville GA. Rusty Lee, Heirloom Tree, and Woodworth are the chair and vice-chair of this committee. They, along with other committee members, plan to meet with Jennifer Roberts, the new Dean of this program, with guidance from Environmental Horticulture Director Aaron Poulsen.
May 15: University of Georgia “Commodity Connections” Committee in Athens GA. Lead by Dean Nick Place and Regina Fitzpatrick, PhD, this meeting included UGA CAES updates from Place, presentations and dialogue with Associate Deans Mike Toewes and Harsha Thippareddi, and presentations by Animal & Dairy Science professors and researchers.
May 21: Georgia Water Wise Council (GWWC) at NG Turf, Douglasville GA. This is a council of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals and promotes water conservation and efficiency practices, standards, and policies to benefit Georgia residents. GWWC brings together water utilities, landscape, turfgrass, nursery, and non-governmental organizations to meet our shared water demands through all weather patterns. Our May field trip to NG Turf was a great opportunity to discuss turfgrass and horticulture water needs, as well as promote the conservation measures that our industry upholds.
Chaired by Bryan Tolar, Tolar Capitol Partners, the group also nominates and awards the Fox McCarthy Award for Innovative water Conservation and the Phil Karr Award for Outstanding Leadership in Water Conservation. Recent recipients of these awards have included UGA’s Dr. Brian Schwartz (Phil Karr Award) and the UGA Turfgrass Team, led by Dr. Clint Waltz (Fox McCarthy Award).
The Georgia Urban Ag Council is Georgia’s premier green industry association for professionals involved in all sectors of the industry,
