South Georgia Ag Scene - TownNews · 2017. 7. 25. · hen, Indiana, has provided its community with locally grown produce for almost 100 years. The family-owned business grows, packs

Ag SceneThe Moultrie Observer • The Tifton Gazette • The Valdosta Daily Times • Thomasville Times-Enterprise

South Georgia

July 2017

Inside: • Growing large acreages

of tomatoes can be a risky venture

• Immigration Crackdown: An Uneasy Feeling

Page 2 Ag Scene July 2017

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A look at

what’s inside:Page 6: Immigation Crackdown

Page 11: Sweet Grass Dairy

Page 17: Tomato Risks

Page 20: Colquitt FFA

Page 21: Destination Ag

Page 28: Peanut Program Testimony

Page 30: Cotton Diseases

Page 34: Trilateral Meeting

Page 39: 10 Reasons for Farmer Injuries

July 2017 Ag Scene Page 3

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Learning to control marestail or pigweeds

Controlling marestail or pigweeds poste-mergence in soybeans is always easier when the weeds are small – less than 2 inch-es tall is preferable for good control. Once weeds get taller, they are often considerably more difficult to control. However, condi-tions are not always conducive to getting optimal postemergence weed control. The wet weather in many areas this spring may cause weeds in some fields to get larger than you intended. The following are some suggestions for controlling these weeds postemergence in soybeans.

Marestail

Marestail tend to be difficult to control even when the plants are small and in the rosette stage, but become even tough-er when plants get more than 6 inches tall. That is why fall and early burndown treatments are critical to the long-term management of marestail. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. In addition, there are populations of marestail that have developed glyphosate resistance in many areas. However, some marestail populations are still susceptible to glyphosate, and even resistant plants are not completely immune to glyphosate.

The most effective herbicide treatment for controlling marestail in Roundup Ready soybeans is probably a tank-mix of glypho-sate plus FirstRate. The combination of the two herbicides seems to work better than either herbicide alone, even on resistant plants. It is important to use the full labeled rates of glyphosate and recommended adjuvants, including ammonium sulfate, to optimize control and help minimize the risk of developing more resistance. Other tank-mixes to consider with glyphosate for controlling marestail would include Classic and Synchrony herbicides. Unfortunately, some marestail may also be ALS resistant, in which case FirstRate, Classic, and Syn-chrony would also be fairly ineffective. This just further emphasizes the importance of early spring weed control.

If Xtend soybeans are planted, Xtendi-max, FeXapan, or Engenia should be some of the most effective herbicides for poste-mergence control of marestail in soybeans. Remember that Xtendimax, FeXapan and Engenia can only be applied to Xtend soy-beans.

Another option to control marestail in soybean is to plant Liberty Link soybeans and use Liberty herbicide. It is important to remember that Liberty can only be applied postemergence on Liberty Link soybeans.

Waterhemp and Palmer amaranth

If preemergence herbicides weren’t ap-plied or didn’t get activated in a timely man-ner, early-emerging waterhemp or Palmer amaranth may not have been controlled and can grow rapidly. Flexstar, Cobra, Marvel, and Ultra Blazer can be fairly effective for controlling small pigweed, but are less ef-fective as the pigweed gets larger, especially Palmer amaranth. These herbicides also provide some residual weed control, so tank-mixes of these herbicides with glyph-sosate should be applied within 3 weeks after planting to optimize performance. Producers may try to cut the rates of these herbicides to reduce soybean injury. How-ever, lower rates of these burner herbicides still cause similar soybean burn symptoms

and weed control is often reduced.Pursuit and Harmony were once fairly

effective for pigweed control and can still provide good control of susceptible popula-tions, but many fields now have ALS-resis-tant waterhemp and Palmer amaranth.

If Xtend soybeans were planted, the new dicamba products Xtendimax, Engenia, and FeXapan again are an option to help control broadleaf weeds, including the pigweeds. However, just as with other postemergence pigweed treatments, the pigweeds need to be less than 3 to 4 inches tall to achieve opti-mal control.

Likewise, Liberty herbicide can be used in Liberty Link soybeans to help control small pigweeds. Liberty is also most ef-

fective on smaller weeds and generally requires higher spray volumes to achieve good coverage and weed control.

Residual herbicides such as Zidua, Outlook, Dual Magnum, and Warrant can also be added to any of the previously men-tioned postemergence herbicides to provide some extended residual control of pigweeds. This may be especially helpful if a good rate of residual herbicide was not used earlier or with heavy pigweed pressure. £

Dallas Peterson is a Weed Management Specialist ([email protected]) and Doug Shoup is a Southeast Crops and Soils Spe-cialist ([email protected]). K-State’s Agron-omy eUpdate is available online at www.agronomy.k-state.edu).

BY DALLAS PETERSON AND DOUG SHOUP

UGA ExtEnsion sErvicE

Pigweed is a tenacious problem for South Georgia farmers.


MOULTRIE — So far there seems to be little pressure on the immigration issue in Colquitt County but with 15,000-plus mi-grants here on any given day, one can bet that it’s in the back of farmers’ minds. And with talks of deporting illegals and building a wall on the border, it’s a very uneasy feel-ing.

Almost a third of Colquitt County’s $500 million-plus annual farmgate revenues come from vegetables. Vegetables are very labor in-tensive. A common refrain is, “you can pick tomatoes with a combine.”

It’s also a consensus that without that work force, mostly Hispanic, the local econo-my would take a disastrous hit.

The window of opportunity for vegetable production is a tight one. So on the day of harvest a dependable work force, provided by crew bosses, must be on hand. Unlike row crops, vegetables can’t be stored.

There’s another saying that parallels this situation, “You can only eat so many tomato sandwiches.”

Colquitt County’s vegetable production is the largest in the state and includes a wide variety of cabbage, squash, melons, bell pep-pers, hot peppers, tomatoes, beans, eggplant, cucumbers, sweet corn, cantaloupes, etc. Oth-er area counties have similar production.

While some observers, who have little if any farming background, say that locals could harvest this produce, this brings a chuckle from the producers.

“There’s not enough local Americans willing to do this work,” said David Weather-ington of H&W Farms near Norman Park in Colquitt County.

Weatherington said producers do give locals the chance if they meet qualifications, but the results are not good.

“We’ve had one local worker over the last 18 years to work more than a month or two .. out of 400 applicants,” said Wetherington.

Workers are paid on production. It’s hot long hours in the South Georgia sun. The workers earn greater than minimum wage.

H&W uses the federal H-2A program to meet its farming needs. H-2A is a guest-work-

er program.Shelly Zorn, Payroll Development Author-

ity executive director in Thomasville, said it would be devastating to the local economy if these individuals were removed from the workforce.

A taste of what could happen was illus-trated back in 2012 when new immigration polices were adopted. Vegetable and fruit growers around the country lost an estimat-ed $140 million because of workers being afraid to show up for work.

The concern is not limited to South Geor-gia. Voices of concern about a crackdown come from all over the nation.

For years, farmers across the country have hired migrant workers to do the more physical labor. These foreign individuals are legally admitted into the United States for

specific, temporary purposes on what’s called an H-2A visa, intended primarily for seasonal agricultural work.

Kercher’s Sunrise Orchards near Gos-hen, Indiana, has provided its community with locally grown produce for almost 100 years.

The family-owned business grows, packs and ships specialty crops ranging from peaches to peppers on a 600-acre farm. With so much produce to tend, the family of three needs outside help to get the work done.

“It’s all hand-picked,” said co-owner Maureen Kercher. “The actual harvesting takes a good 25 people, and then the packing and shipping takes about 50.”

Outside help is necessary for the business’ survival, but maintaining that help year after year is a growing concern. The lack of local interest in field work has left Hoosier farm-ers with limited options for hiring help.

“It’s a constant worry,” she said. “It’s an ongoing problem.”

In order to make up for the lack of local laborers, Kercher said they have always hired migrant workers to fill their needs, ma-ny of whom come back every year.

“It’s kind of a fear of the unknown,” Ker-cher said. “There’s a definite stress there for

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Immigration crackdown: Very uneasy feelingCNHI NEWS SERVICE

‘There’s not enough local Americans

willing to do this work.’

David Weatherington

H&W Farms

See Uneasy on Page 7


them and for us. Our crops are so time sensi-tive to get them out of the field, and get them packed and sold. We just can’t all of a sud-den have 25 people gone for some reason.”

The president’s hard-line approach to illegal immigration and increased arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have left immigrants of all kinds walking on eggshells.

Immigration lawyer Thomas Ruge said to enter the country as a temporary worker, job seekers must fill out an I-9 form document-ing they have authorization to work.

In turn, farmers must prove they are un-able to recruit American workers and need outside help.

Farmers have to fill out petitions to the Department of Labor and visa requests with U.S. Immigration Services. For some, the process can be costly and farmers may not even get the number of workers they need.

Ruge said when he explains this process to farmers, they often give up.

“They just throw up their hands and say, ‘It’s too complicated, I’m not sure how I’m going to get what I want,’ and they don’t do it,” he said.

But the need for able bodies willing to do

the work remains.Howell Farms, headquartered in Middle-

town, Indiana grows tomatoes and pump-kins on a 1,000-acre farm. Co-owner Adam Howell estimates that 70 percent of his employees at the peak of harvest season are migrant workers.

“A lot of what we do with the vegetables still requires a lot of hand labor,” Howell said. “The migrant labor group is the most willing and able to do a lot of that work.”

Even though his farm hires documented workers, Howell said, he has sensed a feeling of uneasiness among them.

“We have noticed a difference among people that were in the country already,” he said. “I think a little bit of hesitancy to move around the country and go to where the work is seasonally.”

Howell said he wishes Howell Farms could hire local help.

“There’s plenty of people locally, but as long as they can qualify for support and not have to work, they’re not going to,” he said.

Howell, like Kercher, is concerned about securing workers in the years to come.

“Right now we think that we’ll be able to get the labor that we need for harvest,”

Howell said. “But it’s always in the back of my mind.”

Mace Thornton, spokesperson for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the need for agricultural labor reform is clear.

“Farmers need access to legal and stable temporary workers,” Thornton said. “The bottom line is that when it comes to agricul-ture, America can either import our labor or

import our food.”Kercher agreed, and said that the supply

of legal labor coming into the country to compensate for the lack of local help is an issue that needs to be fixed.

“It needs to be resolved in an equitable fashion,” she said. “There’s no quick fix to this. We want to secure our borders, but we need workers, too.”

Hispanic migrant workers wash squash ready for shipping in Moultrie

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Farmers converge for July Field DayMOULTRIE — Just a few days ago, about

400 farmers from around the Southeastern U.S. converged on the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition site in Moultrie for the July Field Day — a prelude to the Expo to be held in mid-October.

These were hardcore farmers who know that keeping up with the latest research is crucial to their continued farming success.

With a combination of scattered show-ers interspersed with irrigation — espe-cially on the corn crops — the visitors saw a lush and vibrant farming operation that included some 30 tram stops where they were versed on seed varieties for cotton, corn, soybeans and peanuts. They toured good stands of row crops with corn as high as seven feet.

As well, these farmers also were updated on the latest in herbicides and presticide trials.

One of the major points of interest was forage.

“We showcased alfalfa and Bermuda grass,” said Chip Blalock, Expo director.

Forages are more than just “pasture grass.” Crucial to the production of feeder calves in this part of the country, forage research has reached new heights, said Blalock.

For instance, the Field Day displayed five different varieties of Bermuda grass. University of Georgia forage expert Dr. Dennis Hancock was on hand to detail the varieties for the visitors.

Attention to forages is stronger than it’s ever been, paralleling a greater demand for grass-fed beef. And while Bermuda grass may be the king of this crop venue, more and more research is going into the produc-tion of alfalfa, not generally considered a South Geogia forage crop.

Actually, the Expo farm has a 12-year stand of alfalfa which is almost unheard of.

On the Expo’s Darrell Williams Research Farm, alfalfa is being drilled in with Ber-muda in some stands.

“The beauty of alfalfa is that it can be drilled in November and cutting can begin in May,” said Blalock.

“We’ve learned that alfalfa doesn’t like the humidity of this area nor the heat. We’ve about got a handle on the heat prob-lem, but the heavy moisture issue is still a challenge,” he said.

North of Macon, one can find significant alfalfa crops. And researchers are hoping that in the near future, this forage will be adapted to conditions south of Macon.

Blalock said the development of various Bermuda grass varieties has come a long way since Coastal Bermuda was the stand-by.

The variety and diversity of research has put a world spotlight on the Sunbelt Expo.

While going into July was still some-what of a drought situation, las year’s Field Day was innundated with wet weather which meant the challenge to control pig-weed.

In fact, the control of this pesky invasive plant is also part of the current research

going on at Expo. Controlling this weed presents a significant problem, however, in this part of the country. Spray drift has to be considered with each application be-cause of the heavy vegetable production in this area ... Colquitt County especially.

Colquitt County is the largest vegetable producer in the state with spring and fall crops. Vegetable production here runs the gamut from melons and peppers to cabbage, squash, beans, beets, cucumbers, turnips, kale and other crops.

In addition to varieties of crops along with discussions of herbicies and insecti-cides, University of Georgia Extension per-sonnel were on hand to talk about efficien-cy in irrigation. As well, the right amounts of fertilizer applications and the timing of those applications become more crucial as producers consider the bottom line.

“How to be better environmental stew-ards is a key topic these days,” said Blalock.

More and more attention is being placed on the amount of water taken out of South Georgia aquifers, particularly in Southwest Georgia.

Most of Colquitt County is in the Su-wannee River Basin but points west are in the Flint River Basin which has a morato-rium on irrigation wells. That western area

is subject to what has become known as the “Water Wars,” a contest between Georgia, Florida and Alabama over the management of this natural resource. That contest may be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

While irrigation permits are still al-lowed in the Suwannee Basin, state EPD specialists say a moratorium could be com-ing for this area.

“I’m working closely with the folks in Florida to try to prevent some of those issues like we’re seeing over in the south-west,” said Cliff Lewis, assistant branch manager of Environmental Protection Divi-sion’s Watershed Protection Division.

Colquitt County Extension Agent Jer-emy Kickler agrees that it’s just a matter of time before water issues become more contentious in Colquitt and surrounding counties.

Lewis said Florida folks, also in the Suwannee basin, already are expressing concerns.

Meanwhile, many of the farmers on hand for the Field Day will return for the big show (Sunbelt Expo) Oct. 17-19 where the 600 acres of crops they previewed in July will be harvested. They will also view some 100 acres of equipment and technolo-gy displays.

BY DWAIN [email protected]

DID YOU KnOW

Colquitt County is the largest vegetable producer in the state of Georgia with spring and fall crops.

A uniform stand of cotton on display for Expo Field Day in Moultrie


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Rainy month increases likelihood for watermelon diseases

TIFTON — June’s rainfall increased the potential for diseases to strike south Georgia watermelon fields, according to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension experts.

Plant diseases, such as phytophthora blight, fruit rot, downy mildew, gummy stem blight and anthracnose, have a tendency to take hold in watermelon fields as a result of heavy moisture.

The pathogen responsible for the phy-tophthora blight thrives in wet conditions and attacks watermelon fruits, causing pre- and postharvest yield losses. Gummy stem blight is a fungal disease that causes necrotic, dark-colored lesions on leaves and, in severe cases, gummy exudations on stems, UGA plant pathologist Bhabesh Dutta said. Anthracnose is a fungal disease that also prefers warm, moist conditions. Symptoms include necrotic, irregularly shaped lesions on leaves and dark, sunken spots on fruits.

Dutta believes these diseases could im-pact yields if farmers don’t maintain a strin-gent treatment program this growing season.

“While some places in southern Georgia may have had only a couple of inches of rain in the last couple of weeks, there have been other places that have had more than 8 or 9

inches. Thus far, growers have been diligent with their fungicide sprays, and disease has not been a problem that has impacted farm-ers across the board. But, due to conditions in specific locations, it may become an is-sue,” UGA vegetable horticulturist Timothy Coolong said.

Between June 1 and June 18, Moultrie, Georgia, received 4.07 inches of rainfall, according to the Georgia Automated Envi-ronmental Monitoring Network. During the same time period last year, Moultrie received only 4.4 inches. In this interval, Moultrie saw 14 rainy days compared to just six rainy days the previous year.

Tifton, Georgia, received less rainfall from June 1 to June 18 this year than last year — 2.6 inches compared to 3.26 inches. However, there have been 13 rainy days in Tifton during this period in 2017 compared to just seven rainy days this time a year ago.

“Conditions are certainly not ideal. I think if you ask most growers, they would prefer warm and dry conditions. Earlier this spring, the weather was warmer and drier than is typical, but with continuous rain events like we’ve had recently, conditions are now favorable for the development of several diseases,” Coolong said.

Increased rainfall does mean a decrease in temperatures. In Moultrie last year, from June 1 to June 18, the average high tempera-

ture was 90.42 degrees Fahrenheit. This year, the average temperature for the same time period is 85.97 F. In Cordele, Georgia, last year’s average high temperature was 92.29 F compared to 86.95 F this year.

“Last year, the second week in June was quite warm. The temperature was in the low- to mid-90 degree range every day for sev-eral days. The high temperatures with clear skies caused sun scald damage to the mel-ons,” Coolong said. “This week is supposed to be mostly cloudy, meaning less potential for sunburn. But the disadvantage is that the wet weather could lead to more disease potential.”

The accumulated rainfall means growers must pay the extra cost of chemical appli-cations. Farmers could invest $70 or $80 per acre in a spray program to combat these dis-eases, Coolong said.

“If you add that up over several hundred acres, it is a significant weekly expense,” he said. “I would say that vegetable growers prefer dry conditions. Spray control for these diseases can be very expensive.”

Watermelons are grown predominantly in south Georgia and had a farm gate value of $124.5 million in 2015, according to the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development.

BY CLINT THOMPSONUniversity of Georgia, college of Agricultural

and Environmental sciences

PictUrE tAKEn BY cLint tHoMPson/UGA

Shows watermelons harvested for research on the UGA Tifton campus.


Sweet Grass Dairy handcrafts variety of cheeses

THOMASVILLE — Wisconsin is not the only place known for cheese making.

Sweet Grass Dairy is Thomasville’s own cheese-making business — boasting a 140-acre farm, dairy production facility, a local retail space, and online ordering.

The plant, at 19635 US Highway 19 N, was built in 2000, co-owner Jessica Little said. Little and Jeremy Little, husband and co-owner, bought the business in 2005.

The cheese-making process Sweet Grass Dairy uses is a “very, very old process,” Lit-tle said.

The process begins in the dairy plant’s packaging room, which houses two different vats. The larger vat makes cheeses six days a week.

Heating the milk to a proper tempera-ture, adding starter cultures, along with getting the acidity process started and drop-ping the pH to the right level, takes about an hour-and-a-half, depending on the cheese.

The cheese curds are hand-poured into

individual molds. The room also is equipped with draining tables for the cheese curds once in perspective molds.

The cheese curds are turned and flipped while shaping up and remain on the drain tables for two days.

Once the cheese is shaped properly, the cheese is then salted.

“All of our cheeses are hand-salted with Atlantic sea salt,” Little said.

BY JORDAN [email protected]

DID YOU KnOW

• Sweet Grass Dairy distributes cheeses to 38 states.

• Roughly 500,000 pounds of cheese has been made this year.

PHoto coUrtEsY oF sWEEt GrAss DAirY

A Sweet Grass Dairy worker pours the cheese curds in the cheese molds.

See Sweet Grass on Page 12


Little said the purpose of the salt, a natu-ral preservative, is to dry out the acidity.

The cheeses stay in the salting room for two days, and are then moved to the aging cooler for a minimum of two months.

Sweet Grass’ blue cheese, known as “Asher Blue,” typically ages for four months in order to accumulate the proper amount of mold.

Once aged properly, each cheese is hand-labeled and hand-packaged for distri-bution.

Sweet Grass’ product line includes a va-riety of staple products.

Best-seller and homage to the City of Roses, “Thomasville Tomme” and award-winning “Green Hill” are among the staple Sweet Grass selections.

“Heat,” Sweet Grass’ version of pepper-jack, makes “awesome nachos” during foot-ball season, Little said.

“Griffin” is a new cheese flavor. The cheese is made by taking the Tomme recipe and soaking the curds in Terminus Porter from a local Georgia brewery for a malty, earthy flavor.

Cheese enthusiasts can buy the variety of handcrafted cheeses at the Sweet Grass Cheese Shop, 123 S Broad Street.

“We want the cheese shop to be the way people interact with our brand,” Little said.

Today, the Cheese Shop is a “fusion of a retail space, creative pub food, craft beers, storied cocktails, and an exquisitely procured wine list located in historic down-town,” according to Sweet Grass’ website.

Along with Sweet Grass Products sold at the cheese shop, the bulk of Sweet Grass’ products are sold to distributors.

Sweet Grass Dairy distributes cheeses to 38 states. Roughly 500,000 pounds of cheese has been made this year.

SWeeT GRASS:

PHoto coUrtEsY oF sWEEt GrAss DAirY

A cow at the Sweet Grass Dairy farm. The cow's milk used for the cheese has a yellow tint due to the cows' all-grass diet. JorDAn BArELA/tiMEs-EntErPrisE

Sweet Grass Dairy's "Asher Blue" cheese in the plant's aging cooler.


New tobacco varieties could reduce black shank disease

University of Georgia Cooperative Ex-tension research trials of new tobacco vari-eties could help farmers reduce the level of black shank disease in their fields to 15 per-cent, according to Tony Barnes, Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension agent in Atkinson County, Georgia.

If the research proves successful, Geor-gia tobacco farmers who plant these new va-rieties could save as much as $1,463 per acre as compared to farmers who grow varieties impacted by black shank disease.

“We are seeing success in some of the newer varieties, but in a severe year, it doesn’t matter what the variety is, black shank will eat it up,” Barnes said. “We are getting better responses from these variet-ies, though.”

Black shank is a fungus that turns the tobacco plant yellow as it slowly wilts and dies. The disease spreads through the field and to other fields through water and equip-ment. Chemical treatment programs must be applied to ensure older tobacco varieties withstand the disease, which can wipe out a crop under the right conditions, according to Barnes.

UGA scientist Paul Bertrand, who stud-ies tobacco diseases on the UGA Tifton cam-pus, recommends growers plant varieties like CC-143, NC-925, NC-938, CC-1063 or GL-925 in fields with a history of black shank disease.

“A farmer generally makes about $4,180 per acre. If the farmer takes a 50 percent loss due to black shank, which is not un-common with some of our older varieties, the financial return is reduced to $2,090 per acre. That is just not profitable after input costs are calculated,” Barnes said.

UGA Extension’s research goal is to re-duce the loss from black shank disease to 15 percent. Farmers can sustainably produce tobacco with low levels of black shank dis-

ease, Barnes said. The weather plays a role in treatment

applications in severe years. Since black shank moves upward through the tobacco plant, chemical applications must be made

to the base of the roots. The roots must then absorb the treatment before it leaches out. If it rains, farmers can’t get into the field to apply the treatments, leaving their plants vulnerable.

“There are varieties that are not resis-tant, but the growers like them because of how they grow and cook out. However, if they plant those varieties in a field that is infected with black shank, they’re probably going to lose a lot of their crop,” Barnes said.

Barnes advises growers to stay out of

fields with a history of black shank disease for at least two years, but preferably for four to six years.

Additionally, UGA Extension experts advise growers to clean their tractors, equipment and trucks before moving from one field to another field to avoid spreading the fungus.

In 2015, Atkinson County farmers cul-tivated 582 acres of tobacco. The county ranked ninth in Georgia for tobacco produc-tion, with a farm gate value of more than $2.4 million.

BY JULIA RODRIGUEZUniversity of Georgia, college of Agricultural


PAUL BErtrAnD/UGA

File photo shows black shank disease in tobacco. New tobacco varieties could reduce levels of black shank disease

‘A farmer generally makes about $4,180 per acre. If the farmer

takes a 50 percent loss due to black shank, which is not uncommon

with some of our older varieties, the financial return is reduced to

$2,090 per acre. That is just not profitable after input costs are

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Tony Barnes

Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent

DID YOU KnOW

• In 2015 Atkinson County farmers cultivated 582 acres of tobacco.


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For more information on this exhibit, contact Museum Curator and Assistant Di-rector Polly Huff via e-mail at [email protected].

Wood pieces by local woodturners Steve Woodham and Herman Hannon are a part of the exhibit at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village at ABAC.


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Growing large acreages of tomatoes can be risky

ATLANTA – The tomato may be a main-stay at summer cookouts, but some Georgia growers have been less eager to welcome the beloved produce to their fields.

For them, tomatoes represent a costly – and risky – endeavor. It can cost about $11,000 per acre to grow tomatoes, only for disease to wipe them out, says Bill Brim, with Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton.

“We really walk real slow with tomatoes because they’re so expensive to grow,” Brim said of the farm’s 150 acres dedicated to tomatoes – just a fraction of its overall produce operation. “You can lose a lot of money real quick with tomatoes.”

Brim knows the risks all too well. The yellow leaf curl virus, which plagued the region a decade ago, reemerged last fall and devastated his tomato crop. Brim mus-tered about 300 boxes per acre, which was a far cry from the expected 3,000 boxes, he said.

That virus has reappeared just as anoth-er has been seemingly snuffed out.

The tomato spotted wilt virus, a particu-larly brutal disease, took a toll on Georgia’s spring crops over the last few decades. It has also found its share of loathers among gardeners wanting to slice up their own homegrown tomato.

Seed companies have since trotted out dozens of new seed varieties fortified against that spring virus, and those of-ferings are the focus of a new trial that researchers say is meant to make Georgia producers more comfortable with growing the popular produce.

The Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Re-search Center, located in the state’s hal-lowed onion country, is trying out a dozen new varieties created in the last few years that are resistant to the tomato spotted wilt virus.

“They can’t rely on information gen-erated in the ‘80s or ‘90s because all those varieties are outdated,” the center’s Cliff Riner said of growers. “So we’re trying to rewrite the book.”

Once the tomatoes are harvested in the coming weeks, growers will be invited in to examine the center’s harvest and par-

ticipate in a sort of tomato tasting, which Riner called the “true test.”

Tomatoes are a valuable crop in Georgia that was worth $54 million in 2014, accord-ing to the most recent Farm Gate Value Report from the University of Georgia. The majority of them were grown in large oper-ations in the southwest corner of the state.

Even so, they represent just a sliver of the vegetables grown here, although it’s enough for Georgia to claim a top spot for total production in the country. California and Florida easily grow far more.

The state’s growers typically cultivate about 3,500 acres of tomatoes ever year. Compare that to the state’s reigning vege-table, the onion, to which farmers dedicate about 12,000 acres.

The expense of growing tomatoes is what scares many farmers away, said Tim Coolong, an extension vegetable specialist in Tifton who is working with Riner on the study. The crop, which must be staked, requires steep upfront costs and is labor-in-tensive.

Other crops, such as snap beans, come with much lower initial costs.

“We see more growers trying 100 acres of snap beans where they would never touch tomatoes,” he said.

Coolong said the trial is geared toward farmers in Georgia who might be willing to dabble in tomatoes on a small scale. He said onion farmers, in particular, have late-ly started to diversify.

Jill Nolin covers the Georgia Statehouse for CNHI’s newspapers and websites.

BY JILL [email protected]

‘We really walk real slow with toma-

toes because they’re so expensive

to grow. You can lose a lot of money

real quick with tomatoes.’

Bill Brim

Lewis Taylor Farms

VALUe OF TOMATOeS In GeORGIA

$54 millionSource: Farm Gate Value Report

PHoto BY DWAin WALDEn

Migrant workers harvest tomatoes near Omega, Ga.


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Colquitt FFA does community proud in MaconMOULTRIE — More than 50 Colquitt

County FFA members recently attended the 89th Georgia FFA State Convention held in Macon. Students had the opportuni-ty to practice premier leadership, personal growth, and career success as well as expe-rience the theme of “Transform.”

Students were inspired by the retiring addresses of the Georgia State FFA offi-cers, were applauded on stage in front of the 5,800 FFA members, FFA advisors, par-ents, and guests in attendance, and compet-ed in speaking contests.

Nine senior members earned their State FFA Degree and four of them were in at-tendance at the Convention: Mary Grace Harbin, Garrett Harrell, Edwin Espindola and Tyler Robinson. Also receiving their state degrees but not in attendance were Kylie Branch, Dykes Hurst, Josh Glass, Karli Parker, and Lane Goodroe

Among the 750 Georgia FFA State De-gree recipients, all have the opportunity to become State Stars in their specific area. Only three students, one from North Region, one from Central Region, and one from South Region of the 750 are selected to be the Stars, and two were from Colquitt County in separate categories.

Garrett Harrell, the South Region Star in Agricultural Placement, won the state event in that category, earning him a schol-arship with his project based on Mobley Tomato Farm.

Tyler Robison was was named the South Region Star Farmer.

Laura Jean Oliver was a state finalist in the Extemporaneous Public Speaking Com-petition. Hannah Craven from C.A. Gray was a state finalist in Junior Prepared Pub-lic Speaking and competed while at State FFA Convention. Vaidehi Patel competed in FFA creed speaking where she earned third place in the state and was honored on stage.

Eight Colquitt County students were state finalists in the Agricultural Profi-ciency Awards and had to interview for the State Award. Elizabeth Beacham was a state qualifier with her Diversified Horti-culture Award and earned first place in the state. Mary Grace Harbin was a state qual-ifier in the area of Outdoor Recreation and earned second place in the state. Morgan Hart was a state qualifier in the area of Agricultural Services and earned second place in the state. Garrett Harrell was a state qualifier in the area of Agricultural Processing and earned first place in the state. Libba Johnson was a state qualifier with her Veterinary Science Project and earned first place in the state. Jacob Mur-phy was a State Qualifier with his Agricul-

tural Mechanics and Design Fabrication Project and earned first place in the state. Tyler Robinson was a state finalist with his Fruit Production project and earned first place in the state. Murdock Wynn was a state finalist with his Diversified Livestock project and placed second in the state. All students winning the state contest will ad-vance to the national competition.

Kaitlyn Hart was awarded a scholarship to attend the FFA Washington Leadership Conference. Kirk Beacham was also select-ed to serve as an ambassador of the con-vention and assisted in escorting sponsors around the convention.

Mary Grace Harbin entered a project into the State Agriscience Fair with a topic centering around hatching chickens using a shell-less method and placed fourth in the state.

Winning teams were also honored on stage. The state winning Ag Marketing Team comprised of Kaitlyn Hart, Logan Moore, and Mary Logan Tostenson was awarded its plaque on stage. The state win-ner in Job Interview was Tyler Robinson. Kirk Beacham was honored on stage for earning third in the state Lawn Mower Op-eration and fourth in the state in EMC Wir-ing competition. Connor Hart from C.A. Gray was honored on stage for earning second in the middle school Lawn Mower Operation competition.

Tyler Robinson, son of Brandon and Tracy Robinson, was elected to serve as a State FFA Officer to serve over 41,000 FFA members statewide. Only eight students are chosen to serve on the State FFA Offi-cer Team each year. Robinson’s position as South Region State Vice President will enable him to interact with leaders in the agricultural community as well as middle and high school FFA members around the state.

The election process began with a day-long series of interviews that allowed Hart to speak before the delegates and more than 5,800 attendees and in turn to be elect-ed to serve on the officer team. As a state FFA officer, he will be trained extensively in public speaking, delivering workshops, and interacting with leaders. Hart will

travel all year long and make visits to FFA chapters around the state of Georgia. He will also serve as a delegate for Georgia at the National FFA Convention.

Morgan Hart who served as a 2016-2017 state FFA officer helped to preside over the state convention leading a session and de-livering a retiring address.

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Newly elected State FFA Officer Team including Tyler Robinson

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Planting Seeds: Destination Ag gets kids involved in agriculture

TIFTON — Sarah Prokosch flashed a huge smile as the youngster approached the sheep for the first time. The friendly greet-ing from the Abraham Baldwin Agricultur-al College student seemed to reassure him as he reached out his tiny hand to touch the wooly exterior of the animal. Then he offered up a big grin.

Destination Ag had another convert.“All of our six learning stations with

Destination Ag are interactive,” said Gar-rett Boone, director of the Georgia Muse-um of Agriculture and Historic Village at ABAC. “The kids thoroughly enjoyed get-ting to interact with the farm animals. They loved getting their hands dirty, digging in the dirt, and turning a wrench on lug nuts in the Ag Careers learning station.”

Thanks to an initial gift of $250,000 from the Harley Langdale, Jr. Foundation to the ABAC Foundation, the Destination Ag program at ABAC opened its doors to pre-k through first grade students in Tift, Colquitt, and Cook counties in September 2016.

Nine months and 5,000 students later, the program is already another success story in the history of ABAC.

“The ABAC staff at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture exceeded our expectations during the inaugural year of Destination Ag’s operation,” said Donnie Warren, the Harley Langdale, Jr. Foundation Executive Director. “They are raising the bar for agri-culture and natural resources education in our area.”

The trustees of the Harley Langdale, Jr. Foundation let ABAC President David Bridges know in a tangible way just how much they appreciate the job ABAC is do-ing with Destination Ag on June 5 when they committed $1 million over the next four years to continue the program.

“Through this additional support from the Harley Langdale, Jr. Foundation, ABAC will continue to plant seeds that will ensure the growth of Georgia’s number one indus-try, agriculture, for the next generation and beyond,” Bridges said. “This support has made it possible for us to invest in the lives of these students who will one day be the agricultural leaders of this state.”

Steve McWilliams, a former president of the Georgia Forestry Association and now a consultant to the Harley Langdale, Jr. Foun-dation, also predicts tremendous dividends for Georgia agriculture.

“The most responsible citizens are those who understand and appreciate the basics of what sustains their families and com-munities,” McWilliams said. “In Georgia, nothing accomplishes this more than ag-riculture. If we educate our young people today, they will be better prepared as adults to make decisions and support policies that

promote and encourage agriculture, forest-ry, and other natural resource industries.”

Boone said around 180 students a day at-tended the Destination Ag programs, which always began with an orientation session under the renovated Opry Shelter.

“Each group received an energetic orien-tation about what they were about to expe-rience,” Boone said. “Then we divided them into groups of 20 to 30 students so they could go to six different learning stations, two each for plant, animal and career.”

ABAC students served as the instructors. With enthusiasm and wit, they kept the students’ attention for 20 minutes at each station.

“The most rewarding part of being a student instructor was the interaction with the students and seeing their reaction when you “blew their minds,” usually when we did product games on the topic of how ag-riculture related to their lives every day,” Prokosch said. “We were able to learn a lot from actual teachers and mold our pro-gramming to fit their needs as well. Not only is Destination Ag fun for the children, but it helps teachers knock out some of their curriculum.”

Teachers of the visiting students agree with that assessment.

“It was just awesome to see those ABAC students there,” said Kim Jacobs, a first-grade teacher at G.O. Bailey Elementary in Tifton and a 2009 ABAC alumnus. “Teach-ing these students not only gave them the chance to give back but also gave them an opportunity to add to their education. They were wonderful.”

Jacobs said the ABAC students allowed each member of her class of first graders to plant corn and then showed them all the different products that contain corn.

“That kept them engaged,” Jacobs said. “My kids got to water their corn, and then the ABAC students taught them about the different parts of a plant.”

Boone said the young visitors also learned about plant ecosystems and the im-portance of forests at that learning station.

The kids discovered new facts about sheep in the animal section. They also heard about the process where wool is removed from the sheep and how yarn is made. Boone said mules and cows were also a part of the animal station.

“My kids really liked playing with the nuts and bolts in the career learning sta-tion, where they learned about the job of an ag mechanic,” Jacobs said. “Having a hands-on activity to go with it makes it really special. What makes Destination Ag stand out is that it’s local. We go on differ-ent field trips, but this trip is geographical-ly placed right where we are. Some of their parents and grandparents were farmers. My kids can relate to that.”

At the career station, the ABAC students

also served up the life of a poultry farmer and a soil scientist for the kids.

“I have changed my major to ag educa-tion since I worked with Destination Ag,” Prokosch said. “Even if I don’t start out teaching, a new career goal of mine is to be the best advocate for agriculture that I can be no matter where God takes me in life.”

Boone said the ABAC students still had full responsibility to their studies on the main campus.

“Most of these ABAC students are ag communication majors, ag education ma-jors, diversified ag majors or rural studies majors,” Boone said. “They are paid em-ployees, but they still go to their classes on the main campus. They work in Destination Ag when they don’t have a class.”

The Destination Ag program runs from 9

BY MIKE CHASON

There’s nothing like digging in the dirt for Destination Ag students

See Destination Ag on Page 22


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a.m. until 1:30 p.m. for each group. The vis-iting students bring their own lunch for an on-site picnic at the Museum.

“These school children do not have to pay to participate in Destination Ag,” Boone said. “The cost associated for their participation in Destination Ag program-ming is picked up by this very generous gift from the Harley Langdale, Jr. Foundation. That first gift allowed us to develop and im-plement a dynamic, living laboratory that showcases agriculture and natural resourc-es by offering transformational experiences to children and teachers.”

Boone and his staff made program adjustments as the year progressed. The changes helped to make Destination Ag as comprehensive as possible.

“As a student teacher, I learned how to adapt to last minute changes and situ-ations,” Prokosch said. “I learned all the things you must consider when doing any activity or lesson with the students.”

When the second year of Destination Ag begins in September, the program will involve pre-K through second graders in Tift, Colquitt, Cook, and Berrien counties. About 7,000 students are expected to attend the program from through May 2018.

“We plan to add one grade and students from one other county each year,” Boone

said. “We’ll add second graders this year, then third graders, fourth graders and eventually fifth graders. Our plans are to add Berrien County this year and then Ir-win, Turner, Ben Hill, and Worth.”

Warren believes the investment in the young people of South Georgia will pay dividends.

“We have a responsibility to teach our children about their connection to the land for their food and shelter,” Warren said. “Destination Ag will play a vital role in living up to that responsibility for years to come as the program grows and attracts additional support.”

McWilliams believes Destination Ag is a fertile field for partnerships.

“Destination Ag creates a unique op-portunity for partnerships with other ag organizations and businesses that are com-mitted to ag literacy in Georgia schools,” McWilliams said. “Right now, the Destina-tion Ag staff and the staff at the Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation are actively engaged in combining their strengths to im-prove the curriculum of the program and increase access across the state.”

Ginger Orton, president of the ABAC Student Government Association and an intern with the ABAC advancement office, contributed to this story.

DeSTInATIOn AG

ABAC student Sara Prokosch introduces a Destination Ag student to a sheep.

More photos on Page 24


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Every learning station is a new adventure for Destination Ag students. Destination Ag students enjoy the outdoors with ABAC student Kaylee Hatcher.


Hay that has been cut and then rained on can lose quality in four ways. These in-clude: 1) leaching of soluble carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, 2) increased and pro-longed plant respiration, 3) leaf shattering, and 4) microbial breakdown of plant tissue.

Leaching of carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals is usually at its highest when the hay has dried somewhat and we then have a prolonged rain. Rainfall right after cutting usually results in less leaching of nutrients and a quick splash-and-dash shower nor-mally doesn’t result in large losses of these nutrients on freshly cut hay.

Increased or prolonged respiration occurs when hay is not allowed to dry sufficiently to stop the plant’s metabolic processes. Hay must reach moisture content of less than 30 percent for respiration to be reduced to acceptable levels. Hay that is rained on when relatively green will continue to respire for longer periods of time, resulting in the loss of forage nutrients and dry matter yield.

Likewise, partially dried hay that is rained on can continue to respire for longer periods resulting in lower quality and yield of hay.

Increased leaf shatter is another problem associated with hay that has been rained on. Wet hay usually means more mechanical handling of the hay in order to dry it. Since leaves tend to dry quicker than stems, any increased raking or tedding tends to shatter leaves from stems. Since more of the soluble nutrients are in the leaf tissue, the loss of leaf blades while raking and baling can re-duce hay quality substantially. Loss of leaf blades can also result in reduction of dry

matter yields.Microbial breakdown of plant tissue

occurs when fungi, molds and other micro-organisms begin to feed on the downed hay. These organisms develop rapidly in warm-moist conditions and feed on the dead plant material. Hay that is lying on the ground and remains wet for long time periods be-comes a perfect environment for these or-ganisms to live and breed. They can quickly consume plant nutrients and destroy plant cell structure resulting in loss of dry matter yield, nutrient content and given time, will completely rot the hay.

What are the consequences of hay be-ing rained on? Research conducted at the University of Kentucky by Michael Collins indicated that we can lose up to 5 percent of the dry matter per inch of rain on cut hay. Digestibility can be reduced by 10 percent or more due to leaching of nutrients and leaf shatter. A similar study done at Iowa State University reported protein loses of 3 per-cent and total digestible nutrient reduction of 4.6 percent.

One fact seems to hold true, you still can-not tell what the actual quality of the hay is until you have it tested. Testing it is your best strategy for determining the nutrient quality you will get from the hay. Sampling rained-on hay will give you the information you need to design a supplementation pro-gram that will keep your animals in good shape during the winter feeding period. Your local county Extension Educator can help you with sampling techniques, hay probes, and testing. For a small investment of time and money, testing will pay off big in the health and nutrition of your herd.

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Rains made hay harvesting challengingBY BRIAN PUGH

Farm talk newspaper

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Persistent rains in late June made hay harvesting a bit challenging in Colquitt County.

DID YOU KnOW

Hay that has been cut and then rained on can lose quality in four ways 1. Leaching of soluble carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals 2. Increased and prolonged plant respiration3. Leaf shattering 4. Microbial breakdown of plant tissue.


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Ag museum sets summer hoursTIFTON — The Georgia Museum of Ag-

riculture and Historic Village at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will move to its annual summer operating schedule beginning July 1.

Museum Director Garrett Boone said the Historic Village, Art Gallery, and Mu-seum will be open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission will be $7 for adults, $6 for senior adults, $4 for children five years old and up, and free to children four and under.

The Museum, Art Gallery, Historic Vil-lage and Vulcan Steam Train will be open each Saturday in July from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Saturday admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $5 for children five years old and up and free to children four and under. ABAC students receive free admission with a student ID.

The administrative offices will remain open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.–5

p.m. during July. The Country Store will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

On July 3, gates will open for fireworks and a picnic at 7 p.m.

Admission is $10 per passenger car seat-ing up to eight people and $20 for larger vehicles. Veterans and current members of the United States armed forces will be ad-mitted at no charge with the presentation of a valid military service ID. The Country Store will be open from 9 a.m.–5 p.m. on July 3. All other attractions will be closed that day.

The Museum, Art Gallery, Historic Vil-lage, Country Store and administrative of-fices will be closed on July 4 in observance of Independence Day.

For more information on the Georgia Museum of Agriculture, interested per-sons can call (229) 391-5205 or visit the web site at www.abac.edu/museum.

SUMMeR HOURS

•Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-3p.m.


From chicken and rice to politicsSo how do chickens get into politics? Well,

it has to do with how they are processed. In this instance, the speed at which they are processed.

Probably few consumers think of poultry processing when they are shopping. Their thoughts more likely are grill, bake or fry and what spices to use? Dark meat or white meat? Perhaps chicken and rice or chicken and dressing?

Around South Georgia, numerous poultry production houses can been seen, particu-larly in Colquitt and surrounding counties. Many of them are contracted to provide raw product for Sanderson Farms, a large poultry processing plant in Moultrie.

Anyone who has ever toured one of these plants readily notes the high tech, precision systems required to process these birds to meet the public’s demand.

One congressman, Rep. Doug Collins of Gainseville, Ga., another large poultry producing area sees a need to speed up the processing lines … again a matter that few if any consumers have given much thought. In brief, few would have thought of this as being an issue.

Collins sees this as a factor in competing with international trade. China, for instance, is allowed to eviscerate chickens faster than the U.S. which those in favor of a change in rules say affects the bottom line.

Collins recently sent a letter to Agricul-ture Secretary Sonny Perdue urging him to consider implementing policies that would

make U.S. poultry processing facilities more competitive in the global marketplace.

The release stated, “Currently, poultry pro-ducers in South America, Asia, Canada, and

Europe are safely operating at line speeds that outpace the maximum speeds allowed in American facilities, which represents a sig-nificant disadvantage to northeast Georgia’s poultry industry and America’s domestic production. Agriculture remains a vital di-mension of Georgia’s economy, while poultry production generates more than $18 billion for the state economy and $10.9 billion for the Ninth District economy annually.”

At the moment, poultry processing plants can eviscerate up to 140 birds per minute. Collins would like to see that increased to 175.

Collins said broiler producers are being handcuffed by these line speeds while com-petitors in Europe, Asia and Canada operate at line speeds of 175 to 200 bids per minute.

Line speeds were set for worker safety as well as to help prevent contaminations.

Collins maintains that a faster line will not adversely impact worker safety or food safety.

Paul Pressley, executive vice president of industry programs at the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association in Tucker, Ga., said speeding up the line makes plants more efficient.

There has been no indication if and when Perdue will respond to this request. It is not without contest as representatives of workers are likely to challenge any faster line speed based on worker safety concerns.

CNHI NEWS SERVICE

AP

Broilers await to be moved to processing line

DID YOU KnOW

• American poultry processing plants can eviscerate up to 140 birds per minute.

• Europe, Asia and Canada operate at line speeds of

175 to 200 bids per minute.

• Collins wants to increase American plants to 174

birds per minute.

AP

Rep. Doug Collins chats with colleagues on House floor.


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4-H learns importance

of water conservation

South Georgia 4-H members recently learned the importance of water conser-vation during the 4-H20 Camp’s stop at the University of Georgia’s C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park (SIRP) in Camilla, Georgia, on Wednesday, June 14.

The presenters, including several UGA faculty and staff, introduced approximately 100 students to the various ways water is used in agriculture. During all three days of this year’s camp, including Thursday’s last stop at a water park, Water World, in Dothan, Alabama, presenters taught chil-dren to conserve water, a valuable natural resource.

“Our main goal is to help kids gain a better understanding of the importance of water in this region, where it is so pivotal to the success of our farmers,” said Calvin Perry, SIRP superintendent. “Because of the role agriculture plays in our state, south Georgia is a major user of water. We can all be more conservative and more efficient.”

On Wednesday, the students heard from UGA Cooperative Extension specialist Gary Hawkins, who discussed water resource management, and Mitchell County, Georgia, 4-H member Kyle Hamilton, who talked about solar power and pumping water for agricultural purposes. Extension irrigation specialist Wes Porter discussed irrigation in agricultural crops while emphasizing water efficiency.

Other speakers included UGA Extension 4-H Specialist Melanie Biersmith; Baker County, Georgia, Extension Coordinator and Mitchell County Family and Consumer

Sciences agent Sylvia Davis; and Mitchell County 4-H assistant agent Debra Cox.

The Mitchell County Extension office started 4-H20 Camp in 2008 amid growing concerns over water use in south Georgia. Since then, the camp has grown tremen-dously and attracts participation from other counties and other states.

“We started the 4-H2O Camp 10 years ago in the wake of the water wars with Georgia, Florida and Alabama,” said Jenni-fer Grogan, Mitchell County Extension coor-dinator and 4-H agent. “Because of Mitchell County’s place in the agricultural world, we wanted our youth to understand why it is important to save water.”

Water is also an important resource for animals in the ecosystem, a message that Nick Fuhrman, also known as “Ranger Nick,” emphasized to the students. Fuhr-man, an associate professor in UGA’s Col-lege of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, allowed the students to see and interact with many of the animals he uses as teaching tools on the “Ranger Nick” segments of the “Georgia Farm Monitor” television show.

“Having Ranger Nick here with his ani-mals shows the 4-H’ers that we’re not the on-ly ones using water. Water conservation is extremely important to the future of these animals, and I’m glad he was able to be here to emphasize that point,” Perry said.

The 4-H students participated in different water conservation activities at SIRP. They made snow cones from ice, created a mural and played in water under a center irriga-tion pivot.

The 4-H2O Camp began on Tuesday, June 13, at Gin Creek in Colquitt County, Georgia.

BY MICHAEL PANNELLUniversity of Georgia, college of Agricultural


Congress hears

testimony on peanut

program importanceWASHINGTON, D.C. – Tim McMillan,

farmer from Enigma, Georgia, testified recently in support of maintaining the pea-nut provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill and the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program in the next farm bill. In his testimony, McMillan says, “If the PLC program had not been in place, I am afraid many farms in the South-east would no longer exist because of the downturn in the farm economy which has plagued us the past three years.” McMillan testified on behalf of the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation today at the hearing ti-tled, “The Next Farm Bill: Commodity Poli-cy Part II” before the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.

The Southern Peanut Farmers Fed-eration’s member organizations produce approximately 80 percent of the U.S. peanut crop. The Federation members include Ala-bama Peanut Producers Association, Flor-ida Peanut Producers Association, Georgia Peanut Commission and Mississippi Pea-nut Growers Association.

According to McMillan, the Federation supports maintaining the current PLC program in the 2014 Farm Bill including the current reference price for peanuts, a separate peanut payment limit and storage and handling provisions.

According to McMillan’s testimony, the 2014 Farm Bill was drafted during a period of high prices on the farm. “When we com-pare average prices in 2011-12 to 2016 prices, we see a 30 percent decline in peanut pric-es,” he says. “I see the real impact of these numbers in the faces of my neighbors and

hear it in discussions with lenders and our suppliers.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture pro-jected 2017 net farm income in the U.S. to be $62.3 billion which translates to a 49.6 per-cent decline in net farm income since 2013.

The PLC program has worked for pea-nuts, McMillan adds, but peanuts are not sufficient to carry an entire farming opera-tion. “In a time when corn and cotton pric-es have been depressed and with the lack of a cotton PLC program, more pressure has been placed on farmers to plant peanuts by lenders,” McMillan says.

Currently, demand of peanuts has kept pace with the supply of peanuts. U.S. per capita peanut consumption increased 12 percent from 2012 to 2016. The peanut in-dustry has also witnessed strong growth in the export market growing by 71 percent between the 2008 and 2014 Farm Bill.

For more information and a copy of the complete testimony provided by McMillan visit, www.southernpeanutfarmers.org.

LAUrEn AsBELL/UGA YoUnG scHoLAr

Debra Cox, Mitchell County 4-H agent Debra Cox, speaks during 4-H20 camp recently.

DID YOU KnOW

The U.S. Department of Agriculture projected 2017 net farm income in the U.S. to be $62.3 billion which translates

to a 49.6 percent decline in net farm income since 2013.


Pork Producers Council: Don’t disrupt nAFTAThe National Pork Producers Council

has told the Trump Administration a dis-ruption to the North American Free Trade Agreement could mean bad news for pork producers.

NPPC recently issued a statement urging the administration to maintain tariffs at zero. They also called for no disruption of trade with two of the U.S. pork industry’s biggest export markets.

“We let it be known that pork producers and others in agriculture said this is a re-ally important market for us, both Canada and Mexico,” Dave Warner with NPPC said.

Warner said if they want to modernize NAFTA that’s great.

“But we can’t withdraw from that agree-ment and have it revert to where we are get-ting a tariff put on our products going down there. Mexico is our number two market, right behind Japan, Canada is our number four market so we can’t have any disrup-tions in pork trade,” Warner said.

The Trump administration recently sent a letter to Congress notifying lawmakers of its intent to renegotiate NAFTA with Cana-da and Mexico Thursday.

The letter initiates a 90-day period in which Trump trade officials must consult with Congress on the objectives of the trade talks. Thirty days prior to negotiations starting, the administration must make public a “detailed and comprehensive sum-mary of the specific objectives” for a new agreement.

FARM TALK NEWSPAPER

UGA ExtEnsion sErvicE

Mexico is the number two market for U.S. hog exports.

UGA’s new fruit pathologist specializes in multiple fruit commodities

Jonathan Oliver’s study of blueberries and his homegrown knowledge of citrus makes the Palatka, Florida, native a valu-able addition to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Stationed on the UGA Tifton campus, Oliver recently joined the college as a fruit pathologist specializing in blueberries, blackberries, citrus, pomegranates, olives and mayhaws.

“Georgia has a tremendous array of commodities just in fruits. That’s one of the reasons I am excited about working here,” Oliver said. “We have established fruits, like blueberries, and up-and-coming fruits, like citrus, that should only continue to grow in popularity. Hopefully, I can help our farmers continue to be as successful as they have been.”

Georgia is a national lead-er in blueberry production. Georgia blueberries were valued at more than $255.7 million in 2015, according to the UGA Center for Agri-business and Economic De-velopment’s farm gate value report.

Oliver previously worked at Auburn Universi-ty, where he studied Xylella fastidiosa, the cause of bacterial leaf scorch in blueberries.

He coordinated some of his research with UGA Cooperative Extension county agents in Georgia and hopes to continue those studies in his new role at UGA.

“I want to find out whether there is any resistance to this disease in blueberry cultivars. I’m interested in looking at blue-berries’ tolerance to Xylella fastidiosa and the interaction between that pathogen and blueberry itself,” Oliver said.

Blueberry expansion in Georgia over the last couple of decades led to the discov-ery of new pathogens, Oliver said. He hopes to uncover better management methods for these pathogens.

In his new role at UGA, Oliver will also help the citrus industry continue to expand in Georgia. More than 150 acres of satsuma oranges — potentially more than 21,750 new citrus trees — have been planted in south Georgia in the last four years, according to Jacob Price, UGA Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in Lowndes County.

Oliver is researching citrus greening, a bacterial disease that has wiped out a substantial number of trees in Florida. The disease, spread by an insect that has been found in south Georgia, is the largest threat to citrus production worldwide, according to Oliver. While citrus greening has only been found in Georgia’s coastal counties, Oliver wants to be proactive in keeping Extension county agents updated on its

progression. “Citrus greening in Georgia’s citrus is

a question. If it’s likely to be a problem, we should know before people get too invested in growing more citrus in Georgia,” he said.

Oliver is also working to ensure that Georgia farmers plant disease-free citrus seedlings.

“It’s important that all commodities, especially perennial fruit crops, start with clean material. I’m interested in different ways that we can screen seedlings and the different treatments that growers might apply when they initially plant their crop,” he said.

Oliver is conducting research at the UGA Tifton campus and at neighboring research stations in Alapaha, Georgia, and Alma, Georgia.

Oliver earned undergraduate degrees in plant pathology and microbiology and cell science from the University of Florida and a doctoral degree in plant pathology from Cornell University.

BY CLINT THOMPSONUniversity of Georgia, college of Agricultura


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Cotton farmers need to be wary of diseases

In addition to root-knot nematodes and target spot disease, Georgia cotton farm-ers should be prepared to fight bacterial blight, said University of Georgia Coop-erative Extension plant pathologist Bob Kemerait.

Kemerait advises producers, specifical-ly those who farm in fields with a history of bacterial blight, to consider planting re-sistant varieties and managing the residue from last year’s crop. Farmers could also rotate the affected field away from cotton for at least one season.

Infected seed can also spread bacterial blight.

“Like we saw last year, there were fields where cotton production hadn’t oc-curred in many years and bacterial blight showed up to a small degree. How did it get there? One of the possible reasons is that it came in on the seed,” Kemerait said.

Bacterial blight, also known as angular leaf spot because of the characteristic

geometric shape of the leaf lesions, caus-es water-soaked lesions on cotton bolls. The lesions are often most prominent at the base of the boll. The disease has been more problematic the past two growing seasons. Significant defoliation and boll rot were reported in the most affected fields.

“Bacterial blight is very much on the minds of our growers. In 2016, it was not severe or yield-limiting in most places, but there were some areas, especially in south-west Georgia, where yield losses did occur due to this disease,” Kemerait said.

No effective control product is available for growers to spray to control the disease, he said. Management tactics have to be employed before the cotton crop is planted.

Planting a bacterial-blight-resistant variety is one control method, but it comes with risks, Kemerait said.

“Growers should carefully consider a number of factors in addition to bacterial blight resistance when selecting a cotton variety,” Kemerait said. “There may be other, more desirable varieties, such as ones with nematode resistance or higher

yield potential.” Root-knot nematodes, which are mi-

croscopic worms, also threaten Georgia’s cotton production. They attack the plants’ roots, causing swollen galls to form in response to the infection. The knots serve as feeding sites where the nematodes grow and lay eggs. This stunts the plant’s growth.

Kemerait advises farmers to select a cotton variety based on past problems they’ve experienced in their fields.

“If you were significantly impacted by bacterial blight in 2015 or 2016, or you simply find any level of bacterial blight unacceptable, then you may want to select a variety with increased bacterial blight resistance and manage nematodes, if nec-essary, with nematicides,” Kemerait said.

He advises growers not to lose sight of other diseases, especially target spot dis-ease. Target spot disease, or corynespora, begins as a small spot and develops into white lesions with the characteristic, tar-get-like concentric circles on them. At this state, the plants begin to defoliate rapidly.

“Heading into this year, there’s no

doubt target spot is an issue that we need to be concerned with. Not every grower in the state needs to make fungicide ap-plications to manage it, but every grower should be aware of the disease, be aware of which fungicides are labeled for control and when to apply the treatments,” Kem-erait said. “Growers who have had high yield potential and high disease pressure in the past, especially in southwest Geor-gia, are most at risk.”

For more information about Georgia’s cotton crop, go to www.ugacotton.com.



COTTOn DISeASeS

• Root-knot nematodes

• Target spot disease

• Bacterial blight


Citrus trees planted through MitCo Grow program

CAMILLA, GA — Citrus fruit cultivars recently released by University of Georgia scientist Wayne Hanna are part of a new cit-rus grove planted in Camilla, Georgia. The grove will serve as an education site and provide homegrown fruit for the inmates who will care for the grove.

The UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Mitchell County, Georgia, Board of Commissioners, Georgia Citrus Association and Mitchell County 4-H and FFA programs collaborated to start the MitCo Grow program. The mission of the program is to educate Georgians about the state’s citrus industry.

As part of the MitCo Grow program, 100 citrus trees were planted in a grove located next to the Mitchell County UGA Coopera-tive Extension office. Mitchell County Cor-rectional Institute inmates planted 90 trees. The remaining 10 were planted during an event recognizing the program.

Among the trees planted, 30 consisted of Hanna’s three patented, seedless, cold-hardy citrus tree cultivars: a tangerine, ‘Sweet Frost’; a lemon, ‘Grand Frost’; and a grape-fruit, ‘Pink Frost.’ Hanna released these cultivars in November 2016, after studying them extensively in plots on the UGA Tifton campus.

“This is a great program because it really sheds light on an up-and-coming industry like citrus. For the past few years, citrus fruits have become more popular because farmers and homeowners are finding suc-cess growing these in South Georgia,” Han-na said. “In the type of climate we are used to in South Georgia, I feel confident they will grow and produce consistently.”

Mitchell County Correctional Institute inmates will tend the grove. They will also enjoy the literal “fruits of their labor” when the plants bear fruit in a few years.

“The grove will not only teach inmates a new trade, but will also be used by other county agencies to provide students and their local communities with information and exposure to this new commodity,” said Lindy Savelle, president of the Georgia Cit-rus Association.

The MitCo Grow program comes at a minimal cost to Mitchell County taxpayers. 1 DOG Ventures, a Mitchell County citrus nursery, supplied the trees for the grove, and Bell Irrigation and Labro Irrigation provid-ed the irrigation supplies and service. Wa-ters Agricultural Laboratories will test the soil, Graco Fertilizer will cover the grove’s fertilizer needs and Maxijet will provide mi-crojet sprinklers for the site.

“To make a program like this work, you need cooperation from multiple entities, and that’s what you see here. People are dedi-cated to seeing the citrus industry succeed here in Georgia, and I think it will,” said Jennifer Grogan, Mitchell County Extension coordinator.

Georgia Citrus Association board mem-bers; local farmers and investors interested in commercially growing citrus; and city, county, state and federal government repre-sentatives attended the planting ceremony.

This is the second collaborative project between UGA Extension and the Mitchell County Correctional Institute meant to save money for Mitchell County taxpayers. In 2014, former Mitchell County Extension agent Max DeMott met with Bill Terry, warden of the correctional institute, about offsetting the costs of feeding as many as 114 inmates. This meeting led to the donation of surplus crops by farmers in Mitchell and surrounding counties to feed inmates.

During his time as warden, Terry led the collection of bell peppers, corn, eggplants, cantaloupes, watermelons and greens. While Terry paid reduced prices for some produce, most of the vegetables have been donated at no cost. For more information on citrus in Georgia, go to www.extension.uga.edu.



cLint tHoMPson/UGA

Mitchell County 4-H members Madison Birdsong and Courtney Conine pour water for a citrus tree that was planted recently at the MitCo Grow event.


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Harrell awarded GFB

scholarship for agriculture MACON – Garrett Harrell, Colquitt

County Farm Bureau member, is one of nine students, statewide, to receive the 2017 Georgia Farm Bureau Scholarships for Ag-riculture for high school seniors awarded by the Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture. A student at Colquitt High School, Harrell received a $1,500 scholar-ship.

The scholarships recognize and assist de-serving and outstanding students pursuing college degrees in agriculture or ag-related degrees who plan to enroll in a unit of the University System of Georgia or Berry Col-lege for the 2017-2018 academic year. Harrell will receive the scholarship pending verifi-cation he has enrolled in a qualifying school and major.

Harrell, son of Julie Harrell, plans to

attend Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College majoring in agricultural education. Harrell, born into a 5th generation row crop farm family, hopes to further his education-al career by attending the University of Georgia’s (UGA) College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES) to obtain a bachelor and master’s degree in agricultur-al education.

“One of the purposes of the Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is to support students who want to pursue a career in agriculture,” said GFB Presi-dent Gerald Long. “We are excited to offer these scholarships to the selected students because they are the future leaders of Geor-gia’s agricultural community.”

Founded in 1937, Georgia Farm Bureau is the state’s largest general farm orga-

nization. Its volunteer members actively participate in local, district and state activ-ities that promote agriculture awareness to their non-farming neighbors. GFB offers its members a wide variety of benefits, in-cluding insurance, but enrollment in any of the member benefits is optional and not a requirement for membership.

The GFB Foundation for Agriculture is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation. Donations are tax-exempt. The GFB Foundation fi-nances activities and educational materials designed to increase the agricultural litera-cy of Georgia residents. Visit www.gfbfoun-dation.org to learn more about the founda-tion or to donate. Instructions for applying for the 2018 scholarships will be announced on the foundation website in the fall. Garrett Harrell


Federation launches ‘Peanut Program Works’ website, videoDOTHAN, Ala. The

Southern Peanut Farm-ers Federation recently launched a campaign web-site, www.PeanutProgram-Works.com, and video to showcase the benefits of the Price Loss Coverage (PLC) program in the 2014 Farm Bill and highlight its im-portance to farmers, their families and communities. The website, through a series of farmer pro-files, an informational video and fact points, demonstrates how so many peanut farmers rely on the stability brought to their market through the PLC program, which is known as the Peanut Program, and why it must be retained in the upcoming Farm Bill.

“The Peanut Program works,” said Armond Morris, chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission and member of the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation. “It creates stability giving farmers the ability to secure loans, contract with shellers, buy from chemical and feed companies, and in-vest in farm capital equipment.”

The Peanut Program has given farmers like Michael Davis, a sixth-generation farm-er from Graceville, Florida, the reassurance they need to continue farming. “The Peanut Program serves as an important backstop allowing us to plan for the long term. With-out the Peanut Program, I believe that one-third of the farmers I know would go out of business, which would dramatically impact our communities,” Davis said.

Through the website, SPFF aims to educate policymakers, farmers and the ag-riculture community about why the Peanut Program must be retained in the upcoming Farm Bill. The Peanut Program is a sound, market-based solution that offers farmers a necessary price floor to support continued stability and access to lending, regardless of what is happening in the larger market. The program also helps to meet the ever-in-

creasing demand for peanuts both domesti-cally and internationally. Peanuts have seen continued per capita consumption growth for years, jumping from 6.60 pounds per cap-ita to 7.41 between 2012 and 2016.*

Caleb Bristow, executive director of the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, said: “In the supply chain for peanuts, what’s good for farmers is good for consum-ers. Changing the Peanut Program would have detrimental consequences for not only family-run farms like mine and rural com-

munities across the southeast, but it would threaten the availability of a healthy and nutritious energy source for billions of pea-nut lovers around the world.”

Peanut Program Works’ main message directly combats the attempts by the Florida Peanut Federation to drastically lower refer-ence prices and destabilize a program that works for peanut farmers, their families and their surrounding communities, South-ern Federation spokesmen said.

Don Koehler, executive director of the Georgia Peanut Commission and a member of the Southern Peanut Farmers Federa-tion, said that the policy advocated by the FPF would benefit only a small number of their members at the expense of peanut farmers throughout the Southeast.

“The fact is the Florida Peanut Feder-ation would undermine the market-based Peanut Program that works for peanut farmers, our families and our communities by pushing to dramatically lower the refer-ence price and championing a self-serving effort on behalf of a few farmers who want to arbitrarily declare peanut base - a move that would put farmers in our community out of business and wreak chaos in the mar-ketplace,” Koehler said.

“Peanuts aren’t publicly traded on the futures market so the price of peanuts isn’t

set until well after the peanuts are planted, and we’ve sunk big money into our crop. In order to meet the growing global demand for peanuts, farmers need a system in place that provides stability over time. And for-tunately, we have one,” said Mike Jordan, a Jackson County, Florida farmer.

The website, which was launched while the peanut industry was meeting at the 21st Annual USA Peanut Congress, urges and equips users to take initial steps towards understanding the Peanut Program and its sustained benefits, as well as the unrea-soned claims made against it.

A healthy and uniform stand of peanuts at the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo farm in Moultrie awaits the big Expo Show in October. Peanuts are among the key row crops of South Georgia.

DAn

KOeHLeR

DID YOU KnOW

•Peanuts have seen continued per capita consumption growth for

years, jumping from 6.60 pounds per capita to 7.41 between 2012 and 2016.

‘The Peanut Program serves as an important backstop allowing us to plan for the

long term. Without the Peanut Program, I believe that one-third of the farmers I

know would go out of business, which would dramatically impact our communi-

ties.’

Michael Davis

Sixth-Generation Farmer


Agricultural officials hold trilateral meeting in SavannahSAVANNAH — Agricultural officials from

the U.S., Canada and Mexico recently held a trilateral meeting in Savannah.

On hand were Lawrence MacAulay, Cana-dian minister of Agriculture, Jose Calzada, Mexico’s secretary of agriculture, and Sonny Perdue, U.S. secretary of agriculture and for-mer Georgia governor.

The following is a joint statement released by the three officials:

“Our three nations are connected not only geographically, but through our deeply integrated agricultural markets. Our trading relationship is vital to the economies - and the people - of our respective countries. We are working together to support and create good jobs in all three countries. We share a commitment to keeping our markets open and transparent so that trade can continue to grow. That mutual commitment was reaf-firmed in our discussions this week.

“The North American Free Trade Agree-ment has greatly helped our respective ag-ricultural sectors as well as our consumers who have benefitted from an ever-growing va-riety of safe, affordable food products all year around. While even the best trading partner-ships face challenges from time to time, our agricultural differences are relatively few in the context of the $85 billion in agricultural trade that flows between our three nations each year.

“Over the years, the United States, Mexico, and Canada have also worked collaboratively to protect plant and animal health, conduct joint research, and share best practices. These efforts have helped to eradicate several pests and diseases from the region, differenti-ating us from the rest of the world. Our three countries remain committed to continued collaboration to ensure a safe and reliable regional supply chain that makes the North American agriculture sector more competi-tive.

“Our visit to Georgia fostered the mutual understanding and personal relationships that will help North American agriculture thrive, improve our regional partnership and collaboration, and strengthen our trading relationship.”

GEorGiA Ports AUtHoritY/stEPHEn B. Morton

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue (left) Canadian Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay (left center) and Mexican Secretary of Agriculture José Calzada Rovirosa (right center) listen to Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch (right) during a tour of the Port of Savannah, recently. Ga.

‘Over the years, the United States, Mexico, and Canada have also worked collaboratively to protect plant and animal health, conduct joint research, and

share best practices. These efforts have helped to eradicate several pests and diseases from the region, differentiating us from the rest of the world.

Our three countries remain committed to continued collaboration to ensure a safe and reliable regional supply chain that makes the North American

agriculture sector more competitive.’

Lawrence MacAulay, Canadian minister of Agriculture, Jose Calzada, Mexico’s secretary of agriculture, Sonny Perdue, U.S. secretary of agriculture and former Georgia governor.


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Peanut Commission

hosts photo contestTIFTON — The Georgia Peanut Commis-

sion is hosting a photo contest June 7-Oct. 1, 2017, to fill the pages of the 2018 Georgia Peanut Calendar, “Photos from the Field.” Photos will also be selected to be used in various promotional projects by GPC throughout the year. Peanut farmers from across Georgia are encouraged to submit their best high resolution photo of peanut production on their farm. Winning entries will be selected for each month of the calen-dar, as well as the cover page. Below are tips to consider when selecting a photo to enter:•Makesurethephotoisnotoffensiveandavoid photos with large, easy to read corpo-rate logos.•Thinkaboutthemonthsof theyearandselect photos that represent them. For exam-ple, land prep work in the winter, planting in the spring, irrigation in the summer and harvest in the fall.•Makesurephotosaretakeninhorizon-

tal format. If they are vertical, most likely they will not fill the entire page of the cal-endar.•Selectaphotothatshowcasesyourfam-ily or what being a Georgia peanut farmer means to you.•Chooseaphotoyoufeelhelpsothersunderstand more about how you care for the crop they love.

Photo entries must be taken during the 2016 or 2017 peanut growing season and feature peanut production. Entries must also be high resolution (300 dpi), horizontal and not taken with a phone. If photos do not meet these requirements, they may be disqualified. Please submit photos in .jpg format and email them with an entry form to [email protected] by Oct. 1, 2017, for consideration.

Visit www.gapeanuts.com for complete details and to download entry form.

TIPS • Make sure the photo is not offensive and avoid photos with large, easy to read corporate logos. • Think about the months of the year and select photos that represent them. • Make sure photos are taken in horizontal format. If they are vertical, most likely they will not fill the entire page of the calendar. • Select a photo that showcases your family or what being a Georgia peanut farmer means to you. • Choose a photo you feel helps others understand more about how you care for the crop they love.


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Brazilian beef imports suspended; Perdue cites health safety issues

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Per-due recently announced the suspension of all imports of fresh beef from Brazil because of recurring concerns about the safety of the products intended for the American market. The suspension of shipments will remain in place until the Brazilian Ministry of Agricul-ture takes corrective action which the USDA finds satisfactory.

Since March, USDA’s Food Safety and In-spection Service (FSIS) has been inspecting 100 percent of all meat products arriving in the United States from Brazil. FSIS has refused entry to 11 percent of Brazilian fresh beef products. That figure is substantially higher than the rejection rate of one percent of shipments from the rest of the world. Since implementation of the increased in-spection, FSIS has refused entry to 106 lots (approximately 1.9 million pounds) of Brazil-ian beef products due to public health con-

cerns, sanitary conditions, and animal health issues. It is important to note that none of the rejected lots made it into the U.S. market.

The Brazilian government had pledged to address those concerns, including by self-sus-pending five facilities from shipping beef to the United States. This recent action to suspend all fresh beef shipments from Brazil supersedes the self-suspension.

Secretary Perdue issued the following statement:

“Ensuring the safety of our nation’s food supply is one of our critical missions, and it’s one we undertake with great seriousness. Although international trade is an important part of what we do at USDA, and Brazil has long been one of our partners, my first prior-ity is to protect American consumers. That’s what we’ve done by halting the import of Brazilian fresh beef. I commend the work of USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service for painstakingly safeguarding the food we serve our families.”

FARM TALK NEWSPAPER

Perdue says his first priority is to protect American consumers.


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Documents

South Georgia Ag Scene - TownNews · 2017. 7. 25. · hen, Indiana, has provided its community with locally grown produce for almost 100 years. The family-owned business grows, packs