Ag News
Opening ceremony kicks off 36th Annual Georgia National Fair
Posted on Oct 09, 2025 at 13:06 PM
By Jay Stone & Jennifer Whittaker
Near the end of the opening ceremony for the 2025 Georgia National Fair on Oct. 2, Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority Chairman Foster Rhodes called Gov. Brian Kemp and his wife, Marty, to the podium for a special recognition. Marty got there first, and Rhodes presented her with a commemorative livestock show-style belt buckle.
When Gov. Kemp stepped forward, Rhodes quipped, “I guess you finished second,” eliciting laughter.
Gov. Brian Kemp & First Lady Marty Kemp proudly display the belt buckles they received from Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority Chairman Foster Rhodes in recognition of the couple's unwavering support of the Georgia National Fair. / Photo by Jay Stone
It was a light moment to kick off the 36th annual Georgia National Fair, which promises to give many more light moments to approximately a half-million people over the fair’s 11-day run that culminates on Oct. 12.
“You can't organize and do that without a lot of help from everybody, and we are so blessed to have partners that really help us so much,” Rhodes said, making sure to acknowledge the contributions of the city of Perry, Houston County, Perry and Houston County fire and rescue squads and state and local law enforcement organizations. Rhodes said more than 20 law enforcement agencies from around the state would be represented during the run of the fair.
“The Georgia National Fair is a phenomenal event for our state every single year,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said afterward. “It's an opportunity where we get to showcase Georgia agriculture. Our state's number one industry gives young men and women an opportunity to showcase their livestock and what they've been working on over the years, but not only their livestock, it also gives them an opportunity to showcase other projects throughout the week.”
Kemp used his remarks to highlight the $531 million in block grants on the way to help farmers recover from Hurricane Helene, and he talked about overcoming adversity.
“Few embody that spirit of overcoming more than our farmers, who we proudly celebrate throughout this National Fair,” Kemp said. “Our state, just like this country, has deep roots in agriculture. It is not only Georgia's number one industry, it is an industry that impacts all others and built America.”
Kemp presented Rhodes with a proclamation celebrating the opening of the fair.
The ceremony, emceed by the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter (GNFA) Livestock Ambassadors, featured a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by Savannah Joe that drew loud cheers and consistent praise both during and after the ceremony.
From left, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper and Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority Board members Dr. Josh Whitworth and GFB President Tom McCall recite the Pledge of Allegiance during the opening ceremony. / Photo by Jay Stone
There was also presentation of framed certificates to 26 livestock show grand and reserve grand champions crowned at GNFA over the past year, and no opening ceremony would be complete without a ribbon cutting, with Gov. Kemp doing the honors.
Powerful Peanut Experience joins cotton & forestry exhibits
The Georgia Grown Building has become the agricultural Epcot of the Georgia National Fair. It started three years ago when the Georgia Rural Center (GRC) collaborated with the Georgia Cotton Commission and Magnolia Loom to unveil the immersive Seed to Shirt exhibit that shows visitors, via video, various stages of a cotton plant’s growth, how the crop is harvested and ginned. People are giving live demonstrations of how t-shirts, made of Georgia cotton, are sewn in a factory for Magnolia Loom. The cotton exhibit ends with fairgoers having the chance to pick out an ag-themed graphic to be pressed onto their t-shirt of choice that they buy from Magnolia Loom, a Sandersville-based company committed to using Georgia cotton to make t-shirts manufactured in the Southeast.
Last year the GRC joined forces with the Georgia Forestry Commission to give fair goers a chance to walk through a simulated forest while learning about the state’s forestry sector and why Georgia is the nation’s #1 forestry state.
Both exhibits are back and this year they’re joined by a new exhibit: The Powerful Peanut Experience.
“The Georgia Department of Agriculture has been working with the Georgia Rural Center to tell the story of Georgia agriculture through these exhibits,” Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper said. “We started with the Seed to Shirt exhibit in 2023, added the Seedlings to Solution exhibit last year and this year we’re excited to open the Powerful Peanuts exhibit. Georgia peanuts mean a lot to our state and this exhibit tells the story of how Georgia peanuts contribute to our national security and that Georgia produces 51 percent of all peanuts grown in our country.”
Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp were on hand to cut the ribbon for the peanut exhibit.
Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp, center, join Georgia Peanut Commission Executive Director Don Koehler in cutting the ribbon for the Powerful Peanuts exhibit in the Georgia Grown Building at the Georgia National Fair. Members of Georgia's ag community and state leaders also participated. / Photo by Jennifer Whittaker
“It’s been a tough time for agriculture in general and the timber industry,” Gov. Kemp said. “The good thing is you have a General Assembly, a governor and a commissioner of agriculture who are all laser focused on your industry and helping you survive. It’s an honor for Marty and me to be here, especially with the fair honoring the upcoming 250th anniversary of America. Agriculture and our fair, this is America right here.”
Stand at the entrance to the Georgia Grown market beside the last section of the cotton exhibit to get the full effect of the peanut exhibit. You’ll see 3-D wooden green peanut plants growing in a field. 3-D clumps of mature peanuts, made of wood and plastic, and their roots, hang from the exhibit ceiling, which doubles as the peanut field, giving the visitor the feeling of being below ground.
“This exhibit is a celebration of the hardworking farmers who grow peanuts. It’s designed to tell the story of peanuts from the field to the peanut shellers to the plate,” said Georgia Peanut Commission Chairman Joe Boddiford, who also is the Screven County Farm Bureau president.
The exhibit teaches visitors about the history of peanuts, how the crop is grown and harvested, the nutritional benefits of eating peanuts and how to easily incorporate them into one’s diet.
Longtime GPC Executive Director Don Koehler was surprised during the exhibit ribbon cutting ceremony to learn the exhibit is dedicated to him for his many years of service to the peanut commission. Koehler announced in January that he will retire Aug. 1, 2026, at which time he will have served 40 years in his position.
“I’ve been blessed by the farmers through the years, but I couldn’t have done any of this without my wife, Cheryl,” Koehler said, obviously surprised and touched by the dedication. He also thanked each member of the GPC staff for their work on behalf of Georgia's peanut farmers.
In true Koehler fashion, he soon started talking about the nutritional benefits of peanuts and advocating for farmers to get paid more.
“Georgia peanuts are a wonderful nutrition source. Halloween is coming, so I encourage you to buy candy that contains peanuts,” Koehler said. “But I’ve figured out that a farmer only receives 1.4 cents from an individual size packet of peanut M&Ms, which I paid $2.69 for at a convenience store. I encourage you to buy these Georgia Peanut Commission red packets of salted peanuts to hand out for Halloween.”
Pictured from left, GPC Chairman Joe Boddiford and Cheryl Koehler join GPC Executive Director Don Koehler in celebrating the Powerful Peanuts exhibit being dedicated to Don in recognition of his longtime service to Georgia's peanut growers. / Photo by Jennifer Whittaker
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