Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center

Ray Covington Superintendent

706-745-2655

Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center

195 Georgia Mountain Experiment Station Rd., Blairsville, GA, 30512

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Our Work and Priorities

Georgia Mountain Research & Education Center, or GMREC for short, serves our stakeholders by providing a controlled environment with skilled team members, where we conduct research projects from UGA faculty and students. After repitition and peer review, the results of their findings will make it into extension publications, presented to ANR agents, and shared with commodity groups to improve and enhance agriculture production. This is the foundation of the Land Grant Mission- Education, Research, and Extension. Most of our research areas are off-limits due to the nature of the projects. Scientists will share their work and preliminary results at annual field days.

The Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center lies in the uppermost part of the state in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Established in 1930, the 415-acre station provides research support for agriculture specialists who in turn, provide support to producers in the mountain region, giving them information applicable to the area with its own distinct soil and climatic conditions. The campus resides in USDA Zone 7A, having a shorter 180-day growing season with an average rainfall of 57 inches.

Current research focuses on commodities including apples, grapes, blueberries, field corn, sweet corn, soybeans, fescue, clover, orchard grass, alfalfa, ryegrass, tomatoes, and various ornamentals. The climate is perfect for evaluating cold hardiness for new cultivars that include Alfalfa, Crape Myrtle, Vitex, Abelia, Bermuda, Centipede, and Zoysia turf grasses. Additionally, UGA graduate students often conduct their research at the center. To learn more, check out the Virtual Field Day where you will hear from scientists and the work they do here at GMREC.

Most of the campus is closed to visitors except during designated tours but there are gardens the public can visit. Visitors can check in at the office and then tour the ethnobotanical gardens.

If you need assistance with soil testing, landscape and/or farming decisions, contact your local county agent. Jacob Williams is the UGA Extension Agent for Union & Towns Counties. Union County Extension Office.

About us

We investigate the latest production and technological practices, striving for producer profitability and sustainability.

Research and Education Centers (RECs) are hubs for innovation and discovery that address the most critical issues facing agricultural production throughout the state. Ultimately, our findings are shared with stakeholders through the extension and outreach efforts of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Agricultural Research Centers in Georgia Find your local county Extension Office

CAES News

Agricultural climatologist connects science to everyday life for farmers and communities 07/31/25

From her cozy office at the J. Phil Campbell Research and Education Center in Watkinsville, Georgia, Pam Knox has a clear view of the sky, and that is the way she likes it. In fact, she’s built a career on it. “One of the nicest things about studying meteorology is I can look outside the window and understand what's going on in the atmosphere, what's causing the kinds of clouds we get, and where the rain is happening and where it's not,” said Knox, director of the University of Georgia Weather Network.

Heat stress is dangerous for farmers and landscape industry professionals.

CAES News

Protect your body and mind from extreme heat in Georgia agriculture 07/22/25

When outdoor temperatures climb into triple digits and the humidity becomes suffocating, most people head inside. But for Georgia’s farmers, farmworkers and landscape professionals, the work doesn’t stop when the heat index rises to dangerous levels. As the hottest weeks of the year stretch ahead, the physical, mental and emotional risks of working outdoors increase. Extreme heat doesn’t just threaten crops, turfgrass and livestock — it wears down the people who grow our food and maintain our green spaces.

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CAES Events

This year’s field day will cover a variety of topics, including row crops. The event will be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the tour starting at 9:00 a.m. Lunch will be provided. Pesticide credits will be available. To RSVP, or for any questions, contact superintendent Scott Rogers at (229) 591-5158or by email at swgeorgia@uga.edu.

Aug 13

8:30AM - 2:00PM Southwest Georgia Field Day Southwest Georgia Research and Education Center, Plains, GA

This course will teach participants how to develop and document a food safety management program based on the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) for their specific operations.

Aug 25

08/25 1:00PM - 08/28 5:00PM Virtual Packinghouse HACCP

A one-day course for produce growers and packers who fall under FSMAs Produce Safety Rule.

Sep 09

8:00AM - 5:00PM Virtual Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training This will be held via ZOOM.

A one-day course for produce growers and packers who fall under FSMAs Produce Safety Rule.

Nov 20

8:00AM - 5:00PM Virtual Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training This will be held via ZOOM.

Agricultural innovation in the Appalachian Mountains