Author Archives: John Holcomb

Annual Cotton Commission Meeting Updates Producers on Economic Outlook

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Tifton, GA

At the University of Georgia’s Tifton Conference Center, cotton producers, industry professionals, and experts recently gathered for their annual meeting – a time for producers to fellowship, get updates on the industry, and hear from experts before the 2023 season gets underway.

“It’s just an event to try and gather as many cotton producers from across the state as humanly possible in one place at one time to discuss what’s going on in the cotton industry for 2023 and beyond, as well as a time together to fellowship, meet with our extension specialists and extension agents to learn about new farming techniques and practices and technologies, as we make plans for 2023,” says Taylor Sills, Executive Director of the Georgia Cotton Commission. “We’re good at growing cotton here in Georgia, so they’re looking to find ways to pinch a penny without cutting a corner to continue to produce that sustainable, high quality crop as we move into the next year and beyond.”

Perhaps the most anticipated part of the meeting each year are the cotton production workshops where growers can hear from experts like Camp Hand, Extension Cotton Specialist with UGA, who spoke to producers about the upcoming year. Hand says growers need to be making the most of every dollar as input costs are still high and the price of cotton is down at least forty cents from where it was last year.

“Even though inputs were high, cotton prices were high,” says Hand. “Almost a year ago, the contract price of cotton was a dollar and thirty cents, which is really good. I mean it’s been a long time since it was over a dollar, but now we’re looking down the barrel of a situation where the contract price for December is about eighty-five, ninety cents maybe and input prices hadn’t gone down that much, and so margins are going to be a little thinner for our guys.”

According to Amanda Smith, a Senior Public Service Associate with UGA, one big concern for producers this year is the drastic increase in interest rates – an issue that Smith says could double interest expenses for producers.

“Last year, interest rates may have been around four, four and a half percent for some producers and this year, it may be between seven and nine percent, and so, their interest expense has increased significantly from last year, and so maybe they had interest expense of fifty thousand dollars on an operating note last year, this year, it could potentially be one hundred thousand dollars and that is dramatic thinking that they haven’t increased their operation size or their not farming more acres; it’s the same size of acres that they’re farming but a much bigger expense because of interest alone,” says Smith.

It’s because of that reason, Smith says growers, more importantly than ever before, need to know their cost of production for the year so they can make decisions that will best keep them financially sound.

“More important than ever is to know cost of production, and when producers know their cost of production, then they can have an idea of what their break-even price is, and so, if they know their break-even price and they can potentially market it above that break-even price, they know they’re covering their costs and gonna make some positive margin,” says Smith.

By: John Holcomb

Presidents’ Conference Focuses on Unity

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Perry, GA

With agriculture being so diverse and spread out across Georgia, bringing together industry leaders to discuss issues facing different areas of the state can be challenging. However, it’s a gap the Georgia Farm Bureau President’s Conference looks to bridge by gathering the more than one hundred and fifty county presidents under one roof.

[Tom McCall – President, Georgia Farm Bureau]
“The good thing about getting all the presidents from all over the state together in one room is they get to know each other,” says GFB President, Tom McCall. “We have a good many new presidents that were elected back in the Fall. This is their first conference here. We want the guy from South Georgia to know the guy in North Georgia, so they’ll be able to talk to each other and know who they’re talking to, especially when it comes to a legislative issue that we need help all over the state.”

That type of cooperation between farmers will not only help them on their operations, but also strengthen an already heavy presence in the legislative arena.

“Our people up there are top notch, trusted, and reputable. So, we want to get all our people to be able to help them take care of farmers,” says McCall. “Farmers are who we look after. That is our main goal, is our members and our farmers and that’s what we all get together and talk about what we can do better to help them promote the largest industry in the state.”

Aside from the networking, a number of informational sessions were also available such as connecting with the younger generation and a new priority issue, the mental well-being of farmers.

[Lily Baucom – Executive Director, Georgia Foundation for Agriculture]
“They say that farming and forestry and other ag related professions is the most stressful industry. We found that actually sixty-five percent for first generation farmers are having thoughts of suicide at least once per month,” says Lily Baucom, Executive Director of the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture. “The data is extremely startling. We’re trying to look in on how to support different demographics like first generation farmers, like female farmers, farmers of color who have a different and unique set of stressors.”

While an uncomfortable topic to discuss, having a more open dialogue is the first step in combating the problem.

“You are your best asset on your farm and without you, there is no farming. So, I think it’s something as simple as talking about ag safety on the farm is really how you fold into talking about this issue. But if we don’t talk about it, we’re not going to address the stigma. And so, we’re trying to do more sessions and presentations like this, working with county farm bureau leadership so it is a topic of conversation and people feel more comfortable sharing what they’re going through,” says Baucom.

With so many different commodities and regions of the state represented at this annual event, the takeaway is really quite simple.

“I want us to be able to take ideas back home whether it be from north, middle, south, wherever from in the state of Georgia and use those ideas from different people that we may not have heard to follow along on the eighty-five years and growing to make us grow better over the next year for our future generations,” says McCall.

By: Damon Jones

Georgia Peanut Commission honors farmers and industry supporters

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TIFTON, GA

Attendees were able to fine-tune their farming operations with information gained at the 46th annual Georgia Peanut Farm Show and Conference Jan. 19, 2023, at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, Georgia. The show is sponsored by the Georgia Peanut Commission.

The one-day show offered farmers a chance to view the products and services of 100 exhibitors and education opportunities. The University of Georgia Peanut Team presented an educational peanut production seminar focusing on the impact of weather on peanut growth and development, disease management, challenges in fertility and peanut sustainability. An industry seed seminar was held, which highlighted peanut varieties available for 2023.

The Georgia Peanut Commission installed the seventh recipient into the Georgia Peanut Hall of Fame by inducting Sonny Perdue, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia. A portrait of Perdue, unveiled at the Georgia Peanut Farm Show, will be displayed at the GPC headquarters in Tifton, Ga. Prior to becoming chancellor, Perdue was the 31st Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from 2017 to 2021. He also served two terms as the governor of Georgia, from 2003 to 2011, and was a member of the Georgia Senate from 1991 to 2001, where he chaired the Senate Higher Education Committee and eventually became Senate President Pro Tem.

Additionally, the Georgia Peanut Commission presented awards to individuals and businesses for their service to the peanut industry and promotion of peanuts across the United States. The award recipients include Distinguished Service Award – Gary Black, former Georgia Agriculture Commissioner; Research and Education Award – Calvin Perry, retired superintendent of the University of Georgia’s C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park, and the University of Georgia Peanut Team; Innovator Award to William D. Branch, peanut breeder at the University of Georgia; Promotion Award to Bob Parker, president of the National Peanut Board; Media Award – Peanut Farm Market News; and the Georgia Peanut Special Award to Darlene Cowart, vice president of Food Safety and Quality with Birdsong Peanuts.

The Outstanding Georgia Young Peanut Farmer Award, sponsored by the Georgia Peanut Commission and BASF, was presented to Adam Curles, Camilla, Georgia. The award is presented to one Georgia peanut farmer based upon the applicant’s overall farm operation; environmental and stewardship practices; and leadership and community service activities. Curles, a fifth-generation farmer, grows peanuts, cotton and corn. Curles strives to utilize innovative stewardship practices on the farm to reduce his carbon footprint and water usage. He is also active within a number of community and agriculture organizations within his county and across the state of Georgia.

In addition to the Outstanding Georgia Young Peanut Farmer Award, the Georgia Peanut Commission and Agri Supply presented the Outstanding Georgia Peanut Farmers of the Year Award to individuals representing each of the commission’s five districts. The GPC board members started this award to honor farmers who have the passion, diligence, leadership and desire to see the peanut industry in the state of Georgia continue to be the highest quality. Winners include District 1 – St. Elmo Harrison, Whigham; District 2 – Armond Morris, Tifton; District 3 – Lamar Black, Millen;
District 4 – Barry Martin, Hawkinsville; and District 5 – Jack Miller, Leslie. These farmers received a sign to display at their farm and gift cards from Agri Supply and the Georgia Peanut Commission.

By: Georgia Peanut Commission

Peanut Show speakers discuss allergies and farm bill

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Tifton, GA

Peanut producers and industry allies attending the 46th Annual Georgia Peanut Show Jan. 19 heard updates on numerous policy issues from various speakers during the event lunch.

National Peanut Board President & CEO Bob Parker encouraged members of the peanut sector to submit comments before Feb. 21 asking the USDA Food & Nutrition Service (FNS) to include peanut butter in the food packages given to families through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). Parker explained that the USDA FNS has proposed updates to its food package program that do not include peanut butter, which research has shown should be introduced to infants beginning as early as 4-6 months help prevent peanut allergies.  The early introduction of peanut-containing foods is encouraged in the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Allergies are the biggest single barrier too peanut consumption,” Parker said. “Research has shown that giving children a little bit of peanut butter starting between four and six months of age reduces their risk of developing a peanut allergy by up to 86 percent. Early introduction of peanuts to children has the potential to prevent an estimated 34,000 peanut allergies each year among WIC recipients alone. If peanut protein is not included in the WIC food packages, peanut allergies could disproportionately affect food insecure families and health inequity will increase.”

Peanut groups calculate the cost of feeding an infant the amount of peanut butter it needs from six through 11 months to prevent allergies to be $4.88 while the estimated annual cost of managing a peanut allergy for a child is $4,184.

Visit www.earlyintroductionforall.org to learn more about the issue and to submit comments encouraging the USDA to include peanut butter to Food Package II for infants ages six through 11 months.

U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, a member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and Washington lobbyist Bob Redding discussed efforts being made to pass a new farm bill before the current one expires Sept. 30.

“It’s probably one of the toughest bills to get passed, so you need to work closely with your associations, and we need to know what you need sooner rather than later,” Scott said. “Over half of the House members have never voted on a farm bill and about one-third of the Senate hasn’t.”

Redding predicted that the new farm bill would result in minor changes to existing programs.

“These farm bills are evolutionary with minor changes or revolutionary with major changes,” Redding said. “This year is likely to be an evolutionary year, which is what you want.”

Georgia’s new Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper thanked his predecessor Gary Black for his service and for leaving Georgia’s Department of Agriculture in good standing.

“The transition we worked on together went very smoothly. We’re working hard to make certain your department of agriculture is one you can continue to be proud of,” Harper said. “You’ll see a few new faces but most of Commissioner Black’s staff we’re keeping and I told them to keep  working hard to promote Georgia Grown products, including peanuts.”

By: Jennifer Whittaker

Farmers generally hesitant to dive into carbon markets

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There is a strong case that agricultural soil is a viable tool for storing, or sequestering, carbon. It can be done. On the question of whether doing so can be used to generate income through carbon markets, farmers aren’t yet sold.

A pair of Purdue University professors, Dr. Shalamar Armstrong and Dr. Nathanael Thompson, presented current information on field crops’ relationship with U.S. carbon markets during the 2023 UGA Corn Short Course, held Jan. 17 in Tifton.

Armstrong, an associate professor in the Purdue department of agronomy, reviewed how carbon sequestration works and offered research showing the potential carbon storage yield in the United States.

There are three general components in the short-term global carbon cycle: Pools, which have the capacity to store, accumulate or release carbon; sinks, which absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than they release, and sources, which are natural or artificial producers of carbon or carbon-based compounds.

Soils are one of the main pools, and in agricultural situations they can be sinks with certain production practices, primarily through reduced tillage and double-cropping, Armstrong said. Tillage disturbs the soil, prompting microbial organisms to metabolize carbon in the soil and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Reducing tillage leaves carbon in the soil.

Carbon is captured through photosynthesis, so increasing the time that plants are  photosynthesizing increases the amount of carbon captured.

“If you’re growing corn and then you come back and you grow rye behind it, you’ve just moved from a single-cropping carbon system to a double-cropping carbon system,” Armstrong said.  “Two different crops, two different plants, two different sets of roots in the ground, multiple periods of time, causes greater photosynthetic capture of carbon. Then the potential increase in soil organic carbon, the conversion from those plants into some semipermanent pool of carbon …. that generates what we call a carbon credit.”

Nationally, U.S. agriculture has the potential to store as much as 187 million tons of carbon.

It’s the credits that can be bought and sold. A company can buy a carbon credit from the government, allowing that company to generate defined quantities of CO2 gasses. Or, the company can buy carbon offsets from other non-governmental entities. A farmer who is generating carbon credits can sell them as offsets to an entity looking to reduce its carbon footprint.

Thompson, an associate professor of agricultural economics at Purdue, said that farmers to this point have been slow to enter the carbon markets. He cited data from the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, a survey of 400 farmers about their sentiments regarding the farm economy. Thompson noted that the survey pool is generally representative of U.S. agriculture, and it shows that between February 2021 and August 2022, less than 9% of respondents had discussions with companies about receiving payments for capturing carbon. And less than 1.5% entered into contracts to sell their carbon as offsets.

“These markets are in their infancy,” Thompson said. “There are a lot of unknowns, a lot of details that need to be figured out.”

In large part, farmers have been slow to enter the carbon market because the money being offered falls short of offsetting the cost of adopting carbon-capturing practices. Current prices, he said, range between $10 and $20 per metric ton (2,205 pounds). The cost to convert from conventional tillage to conservation tillage is about $40 per acre. Thompson said that if a farmer is capturing 0.5 metric tons per acre, that farmer would have to sell at a price of $80 per acre to cover the cost of conversion.

“It all relates to economics in terms of cost vs. benefits,” Thompson said. “There’s quite a bit of work left to be done on the price side.”

By: Jay Stone

ABAC President Strives to Advance School, Region

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Tifton, GA

While more than a thousand miles might separate her previous stop at Keystone College and her new home at ABAC, the gap between the two institutions isn’t nearly that great according to newly appointed school President, Tracy Brundage. In fact, it’s the similarities that really attracted her to the job.

“Everybody asks me, ‘why did you come to South Georgia?’, and it’s the mission of the school you know, it is pretty far away from Pennsylvania, but really, I lived in many rural areas in Pennsylvania. So, I’ve been around agriculture my entire life. I’ve lived in rural communities in Pennsylvania. I’ve worked in schools that have had a mission similar to ABAC with the hands-on experiential mission,” says Brundage.

That career, which has spanned more than three decades, has given her the necessary tools in order to succeed in the new position.

“I felt that, you know, my experience and the skills that I’ve developed along my 31 plus year career pathway really prepared me well. I spent the first six years of my career in educational roles in the private sector. And then I transitioned into higher education 25 years ago,” says Brundage.

It also helped shape her leadership philosophy, which is centered around the students and what they need to succeed in today’s environment.

“We need to always remain relevant and innovative in my opinion and not be afraid of being revolutionary in the ways that we prepare and serve our students,” says Brundage. “So, I’m a very student-centered leader and continue to provide those transitional experiences, those hands-on applied learning experiences that will not only contribute to their overall career success, but also help them become the very best that they can be in their lives.”

On that note, the college has recently started two programs that will not only fill a major void in the job market, but also attract new prospective students.

“We do have those two new bachelors’ programs that we brought in in the Fall with agricultural technology management, which is just such a growing field within the agriculture sector, and criminal justice, which is totally online. So, we’re able to broaden our service area. So, how do we take a very good educational institution here and kind of open it up a little bit to other populations and stake holders just beyond the traditional students,” says Brundage.

While some changes might be on the horizon, it’s important to Brundage to honor the tradition of the school while moving it into the future.

“ABAC has a really proud past and I’m going to work hard each and every day to build upon that past and continue the long-standing legacy of this college within our community, this region, the state of Georgia, and even beyond,” says Brundage.

By: Damon Jones

46th Peanut Farm Show Educates Producers on Devastating Disease

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Tifton, GA

For the past forty-six years, peanut growers here in Georgia have made their way to the Georgia Peanut Farm Show – a yearly event that gives producers the chance to fellowship with one another, see the latest and greatest equipment, and hear updates from experts on the industry.

“It’s just a great, information sharing show here for peanut growers and peanut representatives. Those who quit learning, quit growing, and certainly in today’s technological age and the environmental concerns that we have, there’s new information, there are changes if not every day, certainly every year and we need to update our farmers and keep them as up to date and informed as we can about issues and new products that are coming up, so that we can continue to be profitable in the industry we all love,” says Joe Boddiford, Chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission.

Aside from getting to meet with vendors and see the newest equipment, producers also got to attend production seminars in which industry experts, like Bob Kemerait, an Extension Plant Pathologist with the University of Georgia, spoke about a devastating disease many growers dealt with this past season known as tomato spotted wilt virus.

“The disease caused by tomato spotted wilt virus leads to significant yield reduction,” says Kemerait. “It leads to stunting of the plant, wilting of the plant, and also leads to a much lower pod yield on it, and so if we don’t manage tomato spotted wilt virus it’s very likely that our yields could be off by thousands of pounds, and that’s why it’s so important. We’ve been seeing this virus, tomato spotted wilt virus in peanuts since the mid nineties. The problem in 2022, the 2022 season was it was more severe than it’s been in recent years. It was really, in some fields, was devastating, and we’re not exactly sure why that was but we believe the Winter we had, or didn’t have – it was a warm winter, the impact on the thrips populations, the vectors that transmit the virus may have been a factor, but also because it’s been a few years since our growers have had a really bad year with the disease, they may be becoming a little bit lax, not focusing as much on all the management strategies that they have.”

Kemerait says the importance of having the correct management strategy can’t be overstated, as growers only have one chance to keep the virus under control.

“When they close the furrow, when they move their tractors out of the field, there’s nothing really else they can do to protect the crop, and the UGA Peanut Team works with growers to facilitate the information and also help them understand they get once chance to fight this disease. You either put the right combination down at planting or you don’t. There’s no going back,” says Kemerait.

It’s because of that reason Kemerait says it’s vital producers utilize Peanut RX – a planting tool that will help them minimize the risk of the disease on their operations as they gear up for this upcoming season.

“If you are serious about fighting tomato spotted wilt virus in 2023, you must pay attention to Peanut RX,” says Kemerait. “Peanut RX is available to our growers through a website, peanutrx.org they can also go to our production guides, the University of Georgia extension and they can also get it from various companies as well; following the steps to minimize the risk of this very important disease.”

By: John Holcomb

Georgia Dairy Producers Gather in Savannah

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Savannah, GA

Between the new technology, information sessions and networking, the more than 500 in attendance for the Georgia Dairy Conference got a one stop shop for updates on the industry. It’s an industry that received some much-needed relief in 2022 thanks to a number of factors.

“We go back a couple of years ago, prices, milk prices were low. We saw milk production decline, more dairy farmers go out of the business, got rid of cows. So, supply went down. Then as people started recovering from pandemic, milk demand went up. So, we had some dairy demand exceeding dairy supply,” says Industry Consultant, Calvin Covington.

That was good news for Georgia dairymen after years of struggling to turn a profit, and while a drop in price is expected, there is still plenty of room for optimism heading into the new year.

“2022 was a record year for milk prices, not only here in Georgia, but throughout the United States. Milk prices will be lower next year or here this year in 2023. And my projections are prices will be down about ten to fifteen percent. Even though prices are going to be lower next year, we still need to keep it in perspective. That could still be the third highest milk price in history,” says Covington.

While those high prices are a welcome sight for milk producers, they are also the main reason there’s likely to be some recession in 2023.

“Milk prices were high, it brought on more milk,” says Covington. “Dairy farmers reacted and produced more. Now we have more production. But these high prices raised consumer prices in the store. Prices of milk, cheese, butter went up. The demand has softened. Demand has also softened in the export market. So, now we’ve got more milk, lower demand, bringing prices down.”

Combine that with the ever-rising cost of production and dairymen are once again looking to do more with less, which is why getting the most up to date information at events like this are vital to the success of their operation.

“The cost to produce a hundred weight of milk keeps increasing,” says Covington. “All costs keep going up. And that’s a large part of this conference here. A lot of expert speakers giving information to dairy farmers how they can better manage or control their costs because margins are shrinking. So, it’s going to be less money to operate on this year.”

However, if recent history is any indicator, milk producers here in Georgia are capable of weathering any storm.

“Georgia showed the highest increase in total milk production of any state last year, so dairy farmers here do a good job in Georgia. They’re able to manage not only in the better times but also in the not so good times. So, they, they will survive,” says Covington.

By: Damon Jones

Atkinson County Citrus Operation Thriving

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Axson, GA

Just a few years ago, this grove that you see here, Gillis Grove was nothing but a dream in its earliest stages of reality, however, today, as you can certainly tell, it’s a beautiful, fully grown and fully operational satsuma grove full of fresh, juicy fruit ready to be harvested – an endeavor the Gillis family set out to do in 2018 when they saw an opportunity and ceased it.

“My wife and I discussed growing citrus. We saw a couple of farms coming up in Georgia and we thought it was very interesting, new,” says owner, Logan Gillis. “So, we decided we’d put in these fifteen acres and diversify, and felt like there was a need for fresh citrus on the east coast. Such a sad story what’s going on in Florida, and there’s honestly, a little bit of an opportunity here in Georgia and with our climate; I know it’s not something people think about in the state of Georgia, as far as growing citrus, but citrus varieties have come a long way with being able to withstand the cooler weather, so we felt like it was an opportunity and we jumped right on it.”

As you can certainly tell by the trees loaded down with fresh fruit, they seem to be doing well, which according to Gillis, can be attributed to their South Georgia climate, which is great for the trees and allows them to produce a great crop.

“In the Fall, as we have a gradual, cooling of temperatures, it helps our trees go into dormancy faster,” says Gillis. “In other regions, they never go dormant; they’re vibrant all year. That’s not necessarily the case with us. We may not have quite as vigorous of a citrus tree, but that tree going into dormancy helps us as far as our tree being able to take the cold weather. Another thing the cold weather does is it increases our sugars and helps our fruit tree ripen. So, when we’re picking satsumas, everything is ready to go to the store when it comes off the tree, so it’s as good as it’s going to get – we’re not leaving it there hanging.”

After seeing such great success in the past few years, Gillis says they’re working on expanding their grove by adding acres and new varieties of citrus to the farm.

“The future is very bright. I mean we are in a fantastic region to grow citrus. We’re not limited on water supply, we’ve got good rich soils, we produce a fabulous piece of fruit, so I’m definitely investing more into the farm. I see it as a great way to diversify and really provide a quality product to our public. I’m very excited about it. In the spring, we’re planting grapefruit, tangoes, kishues, and a mandarin called a shiranui,” says Gillis.

By: John Holcomb

This Cobb County Company Finished Strong in Puerto Rico

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Acworth, GA

On the outside, these might look like just your ordinary shipping containers, but take a look on the inside and you might get a sneak peek into the future of mushroom production, as this prototype from MycoLogic implements controlled environment technology designed to maximize harvests.

“It’s about providing the optimized conditions to reduce the time for cropping as wells as to increase the yields of the mushrooms that were produced,” says Chris Cornelison. “So, the old adage time is money, right? So, the faster you can grow more mushrooms, the more profitable your operation is.”

The biggest obstacle to making a profit is the ever-rising cost of production. However, growing mushrooms in this kind of controlled environment keeps those expenses to a minimum.

“The biggest difference between plants and mushrooms is that mushrooms can grow in the complete absence of light. So, you save a lot of energy or save a lot of money on not having to um, use energy to produce light. In this container, we operate on about twenty to thirty dollars a month,” says Kyle Gabriel.

Another benefit to this type of production is farmers can make use of the byproducts their crops produce by fertilizing different types of mushrooms.

“One of our initiatives is trying to find locally sourced agricultural waste materials and then developing the correct formulation or the ideal ratio for different species of mushrooms to grow on. So, if we can find an area say in Georgia that has a large amount of cotton gin byproduct, peanut shells, corn shaft, we can sort of tailor what mushrooms will grow ideal for that particular region,” says Gabriel.

This would not only be beneficial to the farmer’s bottom line, but also the environment as a whole.

“You know, there’s a lot of byproduct in Georgia, whether it be peanut hulls or spent cotton gin byproduct that are perfectly suitable for mushroom cultivation. They’re produced in thousands of tons, right? And so, if we can recapture some of those residues to create a value-added product; not only is that good for sustainability, but that’s also good for the state’s economy,” says Cornelison.

“It will add to the circular economy where we’re recycling, we’re taking these byproducts that would be a burden to the farmer and they would sit in the field or they would be burned which is bad for the environment and then we can turn those into products that can grow mushrooms,” says Gabriel.

This idea already has a number of believers, as MycoLogic has partnered with multiple farmers across the state, which is the first step in their five-year journey finally coming to fruition.

“We are both applied scientists. So, we’re always looking move discoveries out of the academic laboratory and into the market to realize the full potential. So, the overall goal for the project is to continue to refine the technology based off of customer feedback and partnerships with existing growers and come up with a minimal viable product that we hope to launch in 2023,” says Cornelison.

By: Damon Jones