Moultrie Tech Environmental Horticulture Students Meet
Governor Perdue
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Pictured, from left to right, are Moultrie Technical College/Tiftarea Academy Environmental Horticulture students Jamie Keen and Lauren Mauldin with instructor Cherie White, Heather Gilman, Governor Sonny Perdue and Patricia A. Lague of Tifton Quality Peanuts. |
TIFTON, GA. Moultrie Technical College Environmental Horticulture students and instructor Cherie White traveled to the new Tifton Quality Peanut Plant for their opening day ceremonies on October 25 th and were treated to a meet and greet with Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and many other local dignitaries.
White said, “The students that attended walked away with a new respect for Governor Sonny Perdue and a great appreciation for the American farmer and the peanut.”
She added that the students discussed their affiliation with Moultrie Technical College and their dual enrollment status at Tiftarea Academy with the governor.
Tifton Quality Peanut Plant board members gave tours of the new facility where peanuts are shelled and housed in a dome to seal in freshness. Students learned about the process of sorting and distributing the raw peanuts by large machines into large burlap sacks that hold over 2,000 pounds of peanuts.
The opening ceremonies were conducted by Tyron Spearman of the National Peanut Buying Point Association along with company president and CEO Larry Lemley.
Among those congratulating the peanut processing company were Grady Thompson, Tift County Development Authority; Paul Johnson, Mayor of Tifton; Earl Denham, President/CEO Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce; and Irvin Branch, Chairman, Board of Directors Tifton Quality Peanuts, LLC.
With an introduction from Branch, Governor Perdue took the stage to praise the peanut plant for being the first in the nation and the first in Georgia. He also reminisced about his long days of harvesting peanuts and applauded Tifton Quality Peanut Plant for making the dreams of the surrounding farmers come true.
Following the ribbon cutting for the new plant, attendees received a bag of raw peanuts and were treated to grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter parfait ice cream, an assortment of chocolates with peanuts and several other varieties of peanuts.
Media Release – November 16, 2005
Contact: Jana Wiggins, Moultrie Technical College, Director of Marketing
(229) 217-4139 OR
Cherie White, MTC Environmental Horticulture instructor
(229) 391-2641
Email: jwiggins@moultrietech.edu; cwhite@moultrietech.edu
