Georgia Peanut Commission names Taylor Arnold as new executive director

A new executive director is learning the ropes at the Georgia Peanut Commission after its longtime director decided to retire.

The commission announced in December that Taylor Arnold would be filling the position, succeeding Don Koehler, who has served Georgia’s peanut industry for more than four decades.

“We are excited to welcome Taylor Arnold as the next executive director of the Georgia Peanut Commission,” said Joe Boddiford, chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission Board, in a news release. “Taylor’s passion for agriculture, strategic vision, and proven leadership make him the ideal person to guide the commission into its next chapter. We are confident he will continue building on the strong foundation established under Don Koehler’s leadership.”

The Georgia Peanut Commission is funded by farmers, with $2 of every ton funding the commission’s mission to promote, research and educate Georgia’s more than $2 billion industry. In 2024, Georgia farmers produced 50% of peanuts in the U.S., which was more than 1.6 million tons, according to the commission’s website.

Arnold is excited to continue the work of the commission to support farmers, fund research in the industry and educate the public about the benefits of peanuts, he said.

“I just see being a part of Georgia Peanut Commission as being able to be a proactive voice for the agriculture community,” he said.

Arnold looks forward to working with the commission staff and board to transition to the position.

“My predecessor, Mr. Don Koehler, who I’m going to get to work with for the next few months, has been the executive director for 40 years and is just a wealth of knowledge and has been a titan for the industry, and I’m just so excited to get to work and learn from him,” he said.

Arnold said he grew up in the agriculture industry in south Georgia on his family’s farm, and after graduating from Mercer University, he felt drawn back to south Georgia.

“Growing up in it, it just felt like my calling,” he said.

Arnold has served as the County Executive Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture since 2017 in Worth County and chaired the District Payment Eligibility and Limitation Review team.

“I know everything that the agriculture community is going through today economically, what it takes, and how hard these farmers work,” he said.