News and Press

Ribbon cutting marks grand opening of Cold Vegetable Processing Facility

by ChaNae Bradley

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Students and Ryan Golphin officially cut the ribbon for the grand opening of Fort Valley State University’s Cold Vegetable Processing Center.

Excitement and expectation filled the cool October air for the official ribbon cutting and grand opening of the new Fort Valley State University (FVSU) Cold Vegetable Processing Facility.

Nearly 75 alumni, elected officials, students, faculty and staff witnessed the ribbon cutting and walked inside the 5,520 square foot building for a short tour and demonstration of its use.

The facility houses equipment for shelling, washing, grading, chopping, slicing and packaging of fresh vegetables. The equipment can handle large quantities of produce in an efficient and safe manner inside an air conditioned and well lighted facility.

Ryan Golphin, who oversees operations for the facility, is one of many who helped to bring the operation to fruition.  After a visit to a similar site housed at Alcorn State University, Golphin said he was able to envision the same idea for FVSU’s campus.

“I’m very excited about this facility. It also provides our students an edge, especially those that are majoring in agriculture to gain hands-on experience,” Golphin said. He also shared the importance of helping farmers create value added products and obtaining Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification, a training offered by FVSU to help farmers prepare their produce for grocers.

Furthermore, Golphin said the facility can handle leafy greens such as collards, kale and cabbage, as well as peas like black-eyed peas and purple hull peas. He said this is helpful to farmers due to prices and equipment.

(Left) J’Sean Wooley, student assistant for agriculture research, and Terrious Miles Jr., senior agriculture engineering major, provides a demonstration of the machinery used to wash and cut collards inside the FVSU Cold Vegetable Processing Facility.

“Small farmers can’t always afford top of the line equipment, so we have it here for them. Storage has also been an issue for small farmers. We have storage here to include walk in coolers and freezers which can help,” Golphin said. 

In addition to farmers, community groups also see opportunities with the FVSU Cold Vegetable Processing Facility.

Mike Morrison, food procurement manager with the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank, shared how he could find use for the facility.

“This here is going to be a tremendous help,” Morrison said, referencing distribution of fresh produce to soup kitchens, food pantries and churches. “This can help us get more food out to the needy.”

Mark Latimore Jr., PhD, associate dean for FVSU’s Cooperative Extension Program, said this is another way to engage and provide services to our community.

“We want to help farmers build markets and help them make more money,” Latimore said. Furthermore, he said this provides an opportunity to grow more produce on campus to supply to Sodexo, the food service provider for FVSU’s cafeteria. It also allows students to receive specialized training beyond the classroom.

The FVSU Cold Vegetable Food Processing Facility will release their prices for processing soon. For more information about the facility call (478) 825-6296.

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• Categories:
• FVSU Agriculture College

• Tags:
• Extension

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