More than 300 students, parents, teachers and friends celebrated Agriculture Day in Georgia March 13 with Commissioner Tommy Irvin, Gov. Sonny Perdue and numerous state senators and representatives. The 73 award winners in the annual essay and art contests ate breakfast at the Agriculture Department before participating in the Capitol ceremony.

The top award winners received cash prizes along with the “Georgia Grown” medals presented to all winners.  The total number of students selected for the awards was 91.  All first place winners received $200; second place, $100; and third place, $50.

Irvin, Gov. Perdue and several members of the General Assembly presented the awards and medals to the winners who came to the Agriculture Day event.

The theme for this year’s Agriculture Day contest was “Young People in Agriculture:  Learning, Doing, Dreaming.” 

Agriculture Day featuring the student contests are sponsored each year by the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the Georgia Agriculture in the Classroom Council.  The essay contest was open to students in grades four through 12 and the art competition to kindergarten through 12.

First place winners in the art competition were: Kindergarten-3rd grade — Catherine McLean, 7, first grade, Ebenezer Elementary School; 4th-8th grades — Chandler Evans, 13, home school in Muscogee County; 9th-12th grades — Kevin Spikes, 15, ninth grade, Lanier County High School.

Essay winners who placed first were: 4th-8th grades — Madison Saxon, Lula Elementary School, Hall County; and 9th-12th grades — Taylor Eernisse, a home school student in Stephens County.