Fort Valley State University News March 16, 2011 Fort Valley State and Macon County team up for "one sweet deal" Macon County could soon get an economic boost resulting from a partnership with a major food packing company and Fort Valley State University. A possible initiative may help farmers meet a demand for canned, fresh and frozen sweet potatoes. The development of a central site where sweet potatoes grown statewide could be dropped off by individual farmers and then shipped off is being discussed. CEO Roderick L. Allen of Allens, Inc., a food packaging company in search of more sweet potatoes, asked Macon County development authority's Jimmy Davis for help. Davis, the executive director, recommended the participation of FVSU because of its location and agriculture program. Members of FVSU's Cooperative Extension Program held a March 3 meeting with Davis in Oglethorpe to discuss ways in which the university could assist in educating and recruiting farmers to harvest the crop to be shipped outside Georgia. Another issue the group discussed was shipping. Davis estimated the construction costs of a Middle Georgia cannery at from $6 to $9 million. Other crops would be processed at the facility year round, he said. Ricky Waters, FVSU's Macon County extension agent, said 15 to 20 farmers in his region would be interested in knowing more about the new venture. "This would have a tremendous economic impact for the farming community here in the county," Waters said. "We're looking forward to participating with Allens in this project." Allens, in business since 1926, has home offices in Siloam Springs, Ark. It produces name brand, packaged vegetables such as Popeye, Sugary Sam and Freshlike. Additional meetings to discuss the next steps are underway. For more information about the Cooperative Extension Program, call (478) 825-6296. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Program Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 404.592.4820 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children.