Growing On Podcast

Presented by Georgia Farm Bureau

"Growing On" is a show produced by the Georgia Farm Bureau to discuss agriculture related issues and topics to help promote and advocate for Georgia agriculture as well as educate consumers about the production of food and traditional farming practices. 

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Episode 55: Rooted in Tradition, Focused on the Future: ABAC President Dr. Tracy Brundage on Agriculture, Growth, and AI

In this episode of Growing On, we sit down with Dr. Tracy Brundage, President of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC), on the campus in Tifton, Georgia. Dr. Brundage shares her path to higher education leadership and what drew her to ABAC's distinctive, experience-driven mission. We talk about the college's 118-year agricultural heritage and how it has grown into a four-year state college now serving over 4,150 students across four academic schools, agriculture, nursing, business, education, and more, drawing students from 154 of Georgia's 159 counties and 37 countries.

Dr. Brundage walks us through ABAC's hands-on learning model, from the 400-acre J.G. Woodruff Farm and the Langdale Teaching Forest to the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Forest Lakes Golf Club, and explains why the college's near-100% placement rates in agriculture and nursing reflect a philosophy where experiential learning has always been core to the curriculum, not an add-on. We also dig into ABAC's role in strengthening rural Georgia's workforce, how the college decides which new programs to launch, and how ABAC is preparing students to use AI responsibly while doubling down on the durable human skills, communication, critical thinking, and adaptability, that employers still value most.

It's a conversation about staying rooted in tradition while building for what's next.