**[News Release]{.underline}**

**Golden Triangle receives grant from Rural Development**

*September 24, 2004, Savannah, GA* - A ceremonial \"big check\" for
\$266,816 was presented today to officials from Golden Triangle Resource
Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council, Inc., by F. Stone Workman,
state director of USDA-Rural Development at an annual meeting of the
RC&D councils.

"This grant allows Southwest Georgia Cooperative Development Center to
build on their previous success and extend services statewide," Workman
said.

Golden Triangle RC&D is a nonprofit covering nine counties in Southwest
Georgia and is serving as the coordinator of this project. They serve
Baker, Decatur, Early, Miller, Seminole, Calhoun, Dougherty, Grady and
Mitchell counties. With this grant comes a name change to Georgia
Cooperative Development Center.

"The expansion of the Cooperative Center will have a tremendous impact
on the economy of rural Georgia. Having each of the state RC&D's
involved and promoting the cooperative business structure can only be a
positive for our agricultural community," said Craig Scroggs, the
Georgia USDA Cooperative Development Specialist.

The grant is available through Rural Development\'s Rural Cooperative
Development Grant program. Grants provided under this program are to
establish and operate centers for cooperative development. The ultimate
goal is to improve economic conditions by developing or improving
cooperatives. The first grants awarded under this program were in Fiscal
Year 1997. Golden Triangle RC&D received a grant under this program in
FY 2001 and established the Southwest Georgia Cooperative Development
Center. Over \$6.3 million was made available this year nationwide for
this program.

With the initial grant money, Golden Triangle RC&D contracted with the
University of Georgia's Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development
to provide the technical assistance to interested cooperative groups.
County Extension Agents were trained in the cooperative business
structure so that they could serve as meeting facilitators and
informational conduits.

One cooperative that benefited in FY '03 was a group of local landowners
who formed Southwest Georgia Escapes. This group was formed as a
marketing cooperative to work together to advertise their agriculturally
related tourism opportunities. Hunting, fishing, bird-watching, winery
tours and horseback riding were some of the anticipated activities to be
made available from the members.

Other cooperatives that have approached the Center for assistance during
the past year include those interested in poultry litter processing,
cotton ginning, natural beef production, organic vegetables,
cantaloupes, peanut shelling, and a farmers market.

-more-

(page 2 of 2)

Dr. Bill Thomas, Cooperative Specialist at the University of Georgia
stated, "The creation of the Georgia Cooperative Development Center will
allow us to help people in rural Georgia organize into cooperatives to
increase their net income. We have

found that cooperatives allow farmers and others to work together to add
value to existing enterprises or to find new enterprises which will
increase their bottom line."

Golden Triangle and the Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development
continue to work closely with Craig Scroggs, the Georgia USDA
Cooperative Development Specialist. More information on the Georgia
Cooperative Development center is available at their website at
<http://www.swgacoop.com/>.

Information on Rural Development programs is available at

<http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/ga/>.

Information on forming a cooperative can be obtained by contacting Craig
Scroggs at <craig.scroggs@ga.usda.gov> or by calling 678-583-0866.

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