A new report by the Organic Farming Research Foundation finds disparities between Georgia’s land grant universities when it comes to organic farming.The University of Georgia gets high marks while Fort Valley State University has a ways to go.

The report ranks the schools using very specific criteria. It asks; does the school have a certified organic farm? Are there faculty dedicated to teaching organics? And does it offer a major, minor or certificate in organic farming.

Despite UGA’s high ranking of 7 out of 8 and Fort Valley’s score of 1, Jonathan Tescher with Georgia Organics says both schools are improving their programs

“Everything that we’ve seen over a long period of time is that they’re continuing to develop more capacity to build and serve the demand of the organic industry in Georgia as it continues to grow.”

Fort Valley recently installed a 10-acre organic fruit orchard. UGA has its own sustainable agriculture team. Land grant universities receive federal funds.

Tags: University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University, GPB, Josephine Bennett, Georgia Organics, organic agriculture, Organic Farming Research Foundation, Jonathan Tescher