The Destination Ag education program at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture recently committed to a partnership with YANMAR America EVO//Center.

The EVO//Center will incorporate the Destination Ag curriculum-based agriculture and natural resource educational programming into its Academy, which is a focal point of the EVO//Center.  Destination Ag programming will complement the current YANMAR Academy field trip offerings and community outreach.

“We are extremely excited about this partnership and the opportunities that lay ahead,” said Garrett Boone, Director, ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture (GMA).  “Since the inception of Destination Ag, our goal has been to have a statewide presence.  Having Destination Ag in the northern part of the state, with a global partner that shares our same objectives, is a tremendous stride forward in achieving that goal.”

“A sustainable future begins with education,” said EVO//Center Marketing and Event Coordinator April Zoby.  “Working with local school systems and helping to develop a passion for the past, present, and future of agriculture is an incredible opportunity.  My goal with the curriculum that Destination Ag has shared, as well as with existing programs, is to make our programs fun, engaging, memorable, and exciting for the children who visit the YANMAR EVO//Center.”

Destination Ag, which launched in September 2016, provides a dynamic, living laboratory that showcases agriculture and natural resources by offering transformational experiences to children and teachers.  This program connects students and teachers to the sources of their food, fiber, and shelter and emphasized the importance of agriculture and natural resources in their daily lives.  In the past three years, Destination Ag has touched the lives of over 22,000 elementary school students.

YANMAR America’s EVO//Center opened north of Atlanta in Acworth in 2017. This 50,000-plus square foot facility features a multi-purpose showroom and a state-of-the-art training academy.  The facility is focused on the customers’ experience and is designed to support dealers, customers, and community through a mission of empowering sustainability.

“What a great partnership,” said Jared Adams, EVO//Center’s Marketing and Events Manager.  “YANMAR’s mantra, ‘A Sustainable Future,’ and the EVO//Center’s ‘Empowering Sustainability’ fit perfectly in line with the curriculum offered by ABAC and the Destination Ag program.  ABAC and the GMA team have eagerly supported our joint efforts to make this a statewide program.  We, at YANMAR America’s EVO//Center, are proud to be Destination Ag of North Georgia.”

Through this partnership, both programs will be able to leverage each other’s resources to expand the sustainable agriculture educational mission that both organizations uphold.  The partnership will expand the Destination Ag curriculum offerings beyond the confines of South Georgia to create a significant presence across the state and beyond.

“YANMAR America is excited to be part of this great program offered by ABAC’s Museum of Agriculture,” said EVO//Center’s Tim Miller, Senior Manager, Learning and Development.  “Destination Ag has helped thousands of Georgia school children learn about agriculture, food sources, and forestry products.  The YANMAR EVO//Center and Academy are proud to join forces and bring this exciting curriculum to the students of North Georgia, many of whom are not exposed, or even aware of, the state’s leading industry.”

Key components that make up Destination Ag that will be offered at the EVO//Center include onsite curriculum based field trips; hands-on, experiential learning; post-secondary student-led instruction; a focus on agriculture and natural resource based careers; development of community and industry partnerships; community outreach; and the development and implementation of elementary agriculture and natural resource educational materials.

“Through this partnership we will continue to raise the bar for agriculture and natural resource education throughout the state,” Boone said.  “An essential component in that effort is the development of industry partners, such as YANMAR America, who are passionate about providing opportunities to connect students, teachers, and parents to the critical roles that agriculture and natural resources play in their everyday lives.”