The Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center is located in Blairsville, Georgia, in the uppermost part of the state. Established in 1930, the 445-acre station provides assistance to farmers in the mountain region, giving them information applicable to the area with its own distinct soil and climatic conditions. It resides in USDA Zone 7A, having a shorter 180-day growing season with an average rainfall of 57 inches.
A unit of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences—and home to UGA’s new Heritage Apple Orchard—the center’s current research focuses on commodities like apples, grapes, blueberries, field corn, sweet corn, soybeans, fescue, orchard grass, alfalfa, ryegrass, tomatoes and beef cattle. The climate in the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills is perfect for evaluating cold hardiness for new cultivars. UGA graduate students often conduct their own research at the center.
