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TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) - The Georgia Peanut Commission announced the hiring of Taylor Arnold as its new executive director. Arnold will succeed longtime director Don Koehler, who is retiring after more than four decades of service to Georgia’s peanut industry.

Arnold has a multifaceted background in agricultural leadership, farm program administration and on-the-ground experience in production agriculture. Since 2017, he has served as County Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Worth County, where he managed county office operations, supervised staff and oversaw the implementation of key federal programs supporting farmers.

In that previous role, Arnold directed the following programs:

• Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program
• Agriculture Risk Coverage/Price Loss Coverage
• Conservation Reserve Program
• Livestock Forage Program
• Multiple disaster assistance initiatives

Arnold has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from Mercer University.

“I am honored to join the Georgia Peanut Commission and work on behalf of the growers who make Georgia the nation’s leading peanut-producing state,” Arnold said. “I look forward to continuing the commission’s commitment to research, innovation, and industry collaboration. Don Koehler’s impact on this industry is immeasurable, and I am grateful to follow in his footsteps.”

Arnold will begin as executive director at the commission on Jan. 1, 2026. Koehler will serve as senior executive director until his retirement on July 31, 2026.

The Georgia Peanut Commission represents the interests of more than 4,000 peanut farmers across the state.

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