Shout Out!

Breaking the ICE!

Brent, Chris, Derick, Rebecca, Amanda, Maggie, Mark, Duane, Sherry, Trey, Tate, Jesse, Jutt, Craig, Jon, Steve, Jenni, Sarah, Rock, Tim, Brandon, Kristi, and Doc!

Missing you all..not equally!!

Great frist session.Hope everyone made it home safe!

Session One

Wow, the week went by really fast.  I had a great time meeting new folks, learning from the presenters and being challenged.  I am looking forward to the next session!

Whew, what a first week!

If I were a plant, then the AGL program would be the richest and best soil available, and my cohorts Miracle Grow©... Thank you to EVERYONE who is making this growth possible.

Teambuilding: Swing Shot at Rock Eagle

  

(Sorry for the self portraits! I was too busy having fun to get group shots.)

Day 1 of Session I brought with it a lot of fun teambuilding exercises. Many of us had never met the others before we gathered at Rock Eagle in Eatonton but we quickly made introductions.

Dr. Strickland and Kristi Farner had a great afternoon planned where the class got to break loose and get to know each other while thinking outside of the box through outdoor games. The obvious highlight of the day was when each member was harnessed up, got strung up on a cable, and was hoisted high into the air by a series of pulleys powered by class members. We each agreed to go all the way to the top and when we pulled the rip cord, we swung like a pendulum among cheers, shouts, and encouragement from our classmates.

After the adrenaline-pumping high flying session, we all gathered together to talk about our experience and discuss how trust was crucial in the exercise. We reflected upon the fact that each and every person had a specific task and the person flying had to completely trust that the ground crew that pulled them into the air would hold the rope until just the right time.

Class member introduction: Sarah Cook

Hello! I’m Sarah Cook and I am very proud to be a member of the inaugural class of the AGL program in Georgia.

I am the Special Projects Coordinator at the Georgia Center of Innovation for Agribusiness, a program of of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. The Center of Innovation for Agribusiness provides expertise and connections to help Georgia’s agribusiness industry grow and compete globally by connecting clients directly to key resources, emerging technologies and university research. At the Center, I am responsible for planning major events and I also work with agritourism operations and small food processors.

Personally, I am married to my high school sweetheart, Justin, and we have an 18 month old son, Wyatt. I am graduate of Georgia Southern University with a BBA in Regional Economic Development and I am currently pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Georgia in Agricultural Leadership.

I look forward to sharing my experience in AGL and the opportunity to grow, enhance, and advocate for the agriculture and forestry industries in Georgia.

First 2 Days...

Fantastic start to a two year adventure! From being a human projectile in the "swing shot" and the deep and intimate sharing at Rock Eagle to the initial building of a framework from which to hang all of the learning, I am definitely putting on my seat belt. I'm seriously looking forward to the rest of this session and all of the ones to come.