Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
What does it take to grow the next generation of Georgia agriculturists — and how early do you need to start? In this episode, John sits down with Kaitlyn Marchant, Agricultural Programs Manager for the Georgia Department of Education and the first woman to hold the position, at her office in Watkinsville. Marchant shares her journey from a South Georgia cattle farm to 12 years in the classroom to overseeing ag education statewide — and what that experience taught her about building programs that work for every student, from rural Oglethorpe County to Atlanta Public Schools.
They dig into Georgia's nationally recognized K-12 ag education model, the difference between ag education and FFA (and why they go hand in hand), how COVID sparked a new wave of interest in food and farming, and why the pipeline from FFA to Farm Bureau's Young Farmers and Ranchers matters more than ever. Marchant also opens up about her own path into production agriculture, the community service initiative she brought from YF&R to the state FFA convention, and her vision for keeping Georgia's ag programs both rooted in tradition and ready for the future.
What does it take to grow the next generation of Georgia agriculturists — and how early do you need to start? In this episode, John sits down with Kaitlyn Marchant, Agricultural Programs Manager for the Georgia Department of Education and the first woman to hold the position, at her office in Watkinsville. Marchant shares her journey from a South Georgia cattle farm to 12 years in the classroom to overseeing ag education statewide — and what that experience taught her about building programs that work for every student, from rural Oglethorpe County to Atlanta Public Schools.
They dig into Georgia's nationally recognized K-12 ag education model, the difference between ag education and FFA (and why they go hand in hand), how COVID sparked a new wave of interest in food and farming, and why the pipeline from FFA to Farm Bureau's Young Farmers and Ranchers matters more than ever. Marchant also opens up about her own path into production agriculture, the community service initiative she brought from YF&R to the state FFA convention, and her vision for keeping Georgia's ag programs both rooted in tradition and ready for the future.
