Children are involved in agriculture all across Tallapoosa County – through clubs and organizations like 4H and FFA.
More than 1,400 are participating in 4H programs and others take part in learning more about agriculture through programs of the FFA and showing livestock.The interest in agriculture stretches beyond Tallapoosa County, though. According to the University of Alabama Division of Agriculture Research and Extension, Alabama generated around $4.7 billion in agricultural cash receipts in 2020.
To help promote agriculture to youth and to help several other organizations in Tallapoosa County, the Tallapoosa County Commission approved the purchase of approximately 60 acres of property on U.S. Highway 280 in Jacksons Gap. The idea is to create a multipurpose facility and campus to serve agriculture, education, emergency management services, tourism and more.
Alabama Cooperative Extension System Tallapoosa County extension coordinator Shane Harris said conversations about an arena for showing livestock has been ongoing and it's where the idea of a multipurpose agricultural center came from.
“We were looking at building back the animal science program following the [local] success of 4H and FFA,” Harris said. “We assembled the 4H and FFA teachers and other organizations across the county just to see what the interest is in building that program.”
The conversations lead to the idea of an outdoor arena, something not currently available in Tallapoosa County.
“The kids that want to show or do other events, have to go elsewhere to north or south Alabama to do the shows,” Harris said. “If you have a youth animal science program, it’s nice to have somewhere they can show and have those kinds of educational programs.”
Further conversations expanded the idea to include multiple organizations, something that can be found in a couple other places across Alabama and Georgia including Clanton and Carroll County Georgia.
“The biggest need in this county is a multipurpose facility for educational program events and conferences,” Harris said. “The organizations represented in the conversations liked that idea and united on building an agricultural and educational center for Tallapoosa County that is modeled in those places.”
Harris said many of those currently involved in programs that would be served by a multipurpose arena are already traveling to the other facilities.
“They are modern facilities and have multiple complexes and assets for the county,” Harris said.
Discussions grew more and other partners started to support the idea such as tourism, the Tallapoosa County Commission and both boards of education in Tallapoosa County began to support the idea of a multipurpose facility.
Jacob Hodnett is with the Tallapoosa County Farmers Federation and has children involved in many of the activities a multipurpose center could host.
“We were in Dothan last week showing pigs,” Hodnett said. “We have to go outside the county. My brother is more involved than I am and has been looking the last couple years trying to find a place in Tallapoosa County to host a show.”
Hodnett said shows can be hosted outside the county with Tallapoosa County in the name but it's not the same.
“When you start looking at all the groups that can benefit from having that multipurpose facility where you can come together to train, do shows, house meetings,” Hodnett said “There are a lot of different possibilities.”
Harris, Hodnett and Tallapoosa County Commissioner John McKelvey have been trying to get the idea off the ground.
“We have been doing a lot of leg work at different venues that have already been set up,” Hodnett said. “Some have had issues, some have flourished. There are a lot of pieces to put together but one of the main ones is finding that piece of property where we can say this is our foundation. Where we can start and be very beneficial to the people of Tallapoosa County.”
Harris said the groups are liking the idea of a multipurpose event center.
“We want to have arenas, shows and festivals for the kids from the agricultural standpoint but one of the difficult things from extension is finding a multipurpose program facility,” Harris said. “We don’t have any training rooms. We don’t have conference centers. We are missing conferences that are going to other locations.”
Harris said the state beekeepers go to Clanton’s civic center for meetings.
“They have 600 people there every year,” Harris said. “From an economic standpoint we think it would be a great investment that could be utilized. The sky's the limit. The ideas are unlimited, there’s lots of visions. One thing that has flourished in the last two months, is all these organizations are united in this effort.”
Harris said other nearby counties have nothing like what is being proposed.
“The Lee County Fairgrounds is used but they have no indoor facilities,” Harris said. “Chambers has a small indoor/outdoor area that is used sometimes. Elmore [County] is considering something similar. Blount County is in the process of constructing something right now.”
Harris said a district level center is being envisioned that could house Extension, USDA, EMA, master gardeners and more, to go along with multipurpose space.
“We are looking at Carroll County Georgia with its multipurpose complex and grounds with the different organizations housed there,” Harris said..
McKelvey requested the commission purchase 60 acres of property to use portions of it for this purpose. The commission approved spending up to $5,000 per acre pending appraisal at last week’s meeting.
“You got to have property before you can start,” McKelvey said. “We are over the first hurdle.”
