EDITORIAL: Salute to another successful Expo

Colquitt County has once again celebrated a successful Sunbelt Ag Expo. The farm show wrapped up Thursday with tens of thousands of visitors over three days.

A 2016 report estimated the Expo has an economic impact across 20 South Georgia counties of $20 million. The biggest piece of that is no doubt in Colquitt County, where the show has been headquartered since 1997.

The Expo draws more visitors to Colquitt County than any other event throughout the year. Those visitors fill local hotels, eat at local restaurants and buy gas at local stations.

Plus, as a farm show, it works to meet the needs of the agriculture industry — the largest economic driver in the county. New products and processes displayed at the Expo help farmers do their work more efficiently or more successfully. That supports our local economy in ways we can’t immediately trace.

Part of Colquitt County’s success is built on the success of the Expo. We salute them for another great year.