Ray Covington Superintendent
Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center

Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center

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

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Our Work and Priorities

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 farmers 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, various ornamentals and beef cattle. 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 own research at the center. To learn more, check out the Virtual Field Day where you will here 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 ethno-botanical gardens. Georgia Mountain REC serves several school groups annually with the help of the Community Council. This group also promotes educational seminars and maintains a public garden on the campus.

If you need assistance with landscape and/or farming decisions, contact your local county agent. Here in Union County it is Jacob Williams, located at the Civic Center. Union County Extension Office

About us


 

Announcements!

Seminars and Programs link- click here to see a list of all the programs scheduled this season!

The Gardens are open with our amazing tour guides May through September, Mondays from 9-12. The Gardens are open to the public year-round during regular business hours.

 

 


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.
Last year, UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences generated an economic impact of $686.3 million, divided between teaching ($241.3 million), research ($182.3 million) and outreach ($262.6 million) in the report. CAES News
CAES research keeps Georgia's agriculture industry on leading edge of innovation
The University of Georgia Office of Research recently announced a record-breaking fiscal year 2022 with more than a half billion dollars spent on research and development. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences was responsible for $112.8 million of the total, up $13.8 million from fiscal year 2021 in overall money spent on research from all funding sources.
Newly purchased sensors will allow growers to monitor fertilizer movements in their soil over time and adjust irrigation and other production practices to minimize fertilizer loss through leaching. CAES News
UGA Extension helps farmers improve efficiency, save 100 million gallons of water
Over the last few decades, water use-related disagreements between Georgia and its surrounding states have held the spotlight in the Southeast. To address the need for conservation, the Agricultural Water Efficiency Team (AgWET) was created to train University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents to transfer advanced irrigation scheduling knowledge to growers through a unique one-on-one educational approach.

CAES Events

The UGA Horticulture Club presents: the 66th Annual Spring Plant Sale March 31 through April 2, AND April 7 through April 99AM - 5PM Houseplants, Herbs, Veggies, Landscape Plants, Trees and more! 111 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA Follow @UGAHORTCLUB for more info!
Mar 31
03/31 - 04/02 Horticulture Club Spring '23 Plant Sale 111 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA
The UGA Horticulture Club presents: the 66th Annual Spring Plant Sale March 31 through April 2, AND April 7 through April 99AM - 5PM Houseplants, Herbs, Veggies, Landscape Plants, Trees and more! 111 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA Follow @UGAHORTCLUB for more info!
Mar 31
03/31 - 04/02 Horticulture Club Spring '23 Plant Sale Hoticulture Riverbend Lab, Athns, GA
The Plant Sale is the major recurring fundraising event organized by the IPBGG GSA every year. The IPBGG GSA buys seeds of different plants (fruits, vegetables & herbs) in advance, grows them in greenhouses, and prepares them for sale at different locations at the UGA Athens campus on specific dates. The money raised during the Plant Sale is used by the IPBGG GSA to cover the costs of the GSA following year's activities such as Journal Clubs, Cookouts, Ice Skating, Trivia Nights, Bowling, etc. And so, the quality of the IPBGG GSA activity is highly influenced by the amount of money we raise every year with the Plant Sale. Additionally, the Plant Sale is a great opportunity to meet new people, network within the Institute and with other graduate students working on Plant Sciences, and have some fun together.  This year's plant sale is being held in collaboration with the Plant Biology Graduate Student Association.
Mar 31
9:00AM - 6:00PM IPBGG Plant Sale sponsored by the IPBGG Graduate Student Association In front of the Tate Center and CAGT (111 Riverbend Road), Athens, GA