On Second Thought For Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Agriculture continues to be a heavyweight industry in Georgia, contributing over $75 billion to the state’s economy. Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black wants to double down on that success with Georgia Grown. The branded logo is associated with producers, sellers, manufacturers, and any Georgia business that wants to further align itself with the Peach State. We sit down with Black to talk about Georgia’s perception around the world as an agricultural player. We also hear from Georgia Grown member Ross Harding, CEO of Verdant Kitchen, about his decision to join the program and what it has done for his business.

Then, Peach Dish is a  subscription service that delivers fresh ingredients for Southern-inspired meals. The "On Second Thought" team tries out one of the company's flavorful recipes.

We talk about (and taste test) some Georgia grown products on today's show.

Plus, for more than a hundred years, Georgia has claimed the peach as its own. The fruit adorns our license plates and our street names, and it earns money for the state. But what makes the peach such a Southern success? Its sweet taste, of course, but also its fuzzy skin according to Kennesaw State University Professor Thomas Okie. His theory about peach skin – also known as peach pubescence – is featured in the book, “The Georgia Peach: Culture, Agriculture, and Environment in the American South.” Okie discusses peach farming in Georgia.  He's joined by Dan Horton, professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Georgia, and Al Pearson, a fourth-generation peach farmer and co-owner of Pearson Farms. 

And the blight problem in Atlanta continues to be a financial concern for the city. Conservative estimates conclude that Atlanta is spending millions of dollars in code enforcements and services on worn down and vacant properties. Recently, these abandoned lots have also been increasingly used as dumping sites for dead bodies. The corpses recovered included several vagrants who overdosed on narcotics and two female murder victims who were allegedly strangled to death at separate times. We bring together a group of professionals who have studied Atlanta’s blight to discuss the problem: Georgia Tech Professor Dan Immergluck, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Willoughby Mariano, and community activist Tina Arnold of Sustainable Lakewood.