TIFTON — Leaders of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College are confident their newly completed facility will offer boundless opportunities to the college’s students.

ABAC staff, faculty, and community members convened at the new Agricultural Technology Building the morning of Sept. 18 in honor of its completion and opening to the students of ABAC.

With over five years of development and $11 million in funding behind it, the new 27,500-square-foot building has been designed with multipurpose in mind. More than 15,000 square feet has been divvied up between a pair of long-span high-bay spaces, one of which is open air for use as agricultural demonstration or multipurpose space, while the other is planned more for simulation labs.

The remainder of the facility’s space has been dedicated to offices and and classrooms.

During the opening ceremony to commemorate the building, ABAC President Dr. Tracy Brundage highlighted this versatility, stating that during the planning stages the college’s executive committee had identified that flexibility, along with functionality, a need to be operations-friendly, the ability to showcase technology, and the potential to have an immediate and lasting impact on ABAC’s students and the surrounding area’s economy were vital priorities to be incorporated into the Agricultural Technology Building.

Brundage was confident that the facility would be able to support large scale equipment needed for education in the college’s agricultural engineering technology, precision agriculture, and forestry programs, certain it could easily hold any of the largest pieces of agricultural equipment on the market.

Due to this and ABAC’s partnership with various industry partners, she asserted the institution would be able to meet the educational needs of the college’s Agricultural Technology Management students, ABAC’s newest major, through extensive hands-on experience.

“This project and its completion provides ABAC with yet another way to tell our students, our industry partners, and the world that we recognize the continuing evolution of agricultural equipment and that we are — and will remain — at the forefront of educating the agricultural leaders of tomorrow,” Brundage said.

The ABAC president expressed her gratitude to the industry professionals, who offered their support to the project and the education of the college’s students, and to her staff and faculty for their hard work and planning in bringing the new building from conception to reality.

Dr. Jerry Baker, ABAC interim dean and provost, was similarly proud to see the building fully developed.

Recounting when the Agricultural Technology Building was only a concept, he felt its completion marked a significant milestone in ABAC’s progression towards innovation and excellence in agricultural education.

Baker asserted the building’s multifunctionality would certainly lend itself to all of ABAC’s students and the surrounding community — and it had begun to do so already, with local organizations like 4-H holding events and programs at the facility over the summer and prospective students touring the building to get an example of what ABAC had to offer.

Moreover, he was certain the institution would help provide ABAC’s agriculturally focused students the means to revolutionize the field.

“This state-of-the-art facility is more than just a building — it is a testament to our commitment to equipping the next generation of agricultural leaders with the tools and knowledge they need to address the challenges of tomorrow,” Baker said. “Here, students will have access to cutting-edge technology, undergraduate research opportunities, and hands-on experiences that will prepare them to revolutionize the industry.”

Following this ceremony, ABAC staff and faculty gathered for a ribbon cutting to commemorate the building’s official completion.

Guests were encouraged to tour the new facility or take part in a tour of the college’s farmlands.