Author Archives: John Holcomb

Fruits, Vegetables and More in Savannah

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Savannah, GA

For the past 21 years, fruit and vegetable growers from all over the Southeast have made their way to the annual Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable conference – a four-day event that’s purpose is to equip producers within the industry with all the tools they need to see success back on their operations.

“We are back in person in Savannah for the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference; our attendance is at record levels, but it’s the one place where you bring together all of the fruit and vegetable production side of the industry all under one roof, so everything a grower needs from seeds and equipment to fertilizer and then most importantly is knowledge,” says Chris Butts, Executive Vice President of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. “We’ve got four full days of education sessions, full of real-world information that our growers can take back and put to use on the farm.”

One of the educational topics discussed at the conference was food safety – an issue that Rob Martin with the UGA Small Business Development Center says is vital to the fruit and vegetable industry and believes it’s something that can be controlled.

“We know from the data that annually, one in six people in the United States gets sick from some kind of food borne illness,” says Martin. “So, of those numbers, the amount that are hospitalized, the amount that die, three thousand people a year die due to food contamination, so when you think about the importance, that’s the importance. I can handle getting ill and sick after eating something, but put me in the hospital, losing a family member because of something like that, that’s pretty serious, and when we know food safety is basically something we control.”

According to Alexis Hamilton, Extension Specialist with Virginia Tech, food safety is a matter that must be practiced by every single person working on the operation.

“There’s so many people that are involved in producing food and making sure that everyone is onboard with every action that they partake in; in the packing house or in your fresh produce operation, making sure that every one of those is aimed at producing safe food is going to go a long way to ensuring that the product that makes it to the market is one that we can safely enjoy,” says Hamilton.

However, making that a reality is a different story, which is why Martin believes the best way to make sure everyone is doing their part, is by making food safety a part of the culture within the operation.

“Just like anything else, with an operation, if the owner, the manager, the line down is not bought into the process, we can’t expect our employees and workers to be bought in. So, it’s important for us to understand as managers and owners that if we don’t show it and exude it, and give that example, then we can’t expect our employees to. So, that’s the importance of kind of building that culture, going about that process and just making sure it’s a, it’s a requirement and a focus on importance for the operation,” says Martin.

By: John Holcomb

San Juan Hosted 2023 AFBF Convention

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San Juan, PR

After years of planning and endless challenges, including two major hurricanes, San Juan finally got to say, “Welcome, Mi Familia” to American Farm Bureau’s annual convention. It’s a time to unite and hear the opinions of current agriculture leaders as well as future ag leaders on the current state of the farming industry. It’s also a time to put aside the daily stresses of farm life and enjoy the sights and sounds the host city has to offer, or in this case the host island.

“San Juan right now, so far would be at the top of the list,” says Daniel Johnson, First Vice President for Georgia Farm Bureau. “We’ve been to a lot of conventions, a lot of places, and this compares to anything we have in the United States. I mean, their convention center is wonderful. It’s state of art.”

Tom McCall, GFB President adding, “I was pleasantly surprised. All the facilities and the hotels down here, and there’s a good crowd. They’re expecting around five-thousand people from across the country.”

While many of the attendees used this convention as a destination vacation, for the GFB Young Farmers and Ranchers taking part in the various competitions, vacations aside, this was a business trip.

“I come down here with a job and task at mind, and also, like I said, to meet new people and experience this convention. This is my first time ever attending American Farm Bureau, so I wanna soak it in and learn. That was my main reason for coming down here,” says Hart County Young Farmer, Brian Fleming.

Admitting he was nervous before his presentation in the Excellence in AG competition, Fleming says he stayed up all night rehearsing, which resulted in little to no sleep, but once he got going, Brian was smooth, confident, and spoke with emotion when expressing his passion for agriculture.

“From the time I was a little boy, ag’s been my life. As I got older, Farm Bureau became my life and the two combined together. Like I said in that last slide, I want the future generations to have that same opportunity that have been afforded to me over the years. So, that’s where my passion comes from,” says Fleming.

Brian however, wasn’t the only one with passion on his side. Willie Sizemore of Leesburg had a virtual cakewalk to the sweet-sixteen of the discussion meet. This future lawyer arrived in Puerto Rico with well thought out opinions and ideas for the purpose of problem solving, which of course is the whole premise of these discussions.

“What’s interesting about this competition compared to the state is you get all these nationwide perspectives,” says Sizemore. “You know, we had an individual who was competing with us that raised pigs in Nevada outside of Las Vegas and fed leftovers from the casinos to their operation to reduce input costs. We’ve got to wake up early in the morning, put on a suit at the beach, and that’s not a normal thing you would do, but it’s important to represent Georgia Farm Bureau this way and to represent our County Farm Bureau, Lee County Farm Bureau. For me, it’s important to show up prepared and and do well, and that’s why I’m here is to do well. It might be a business trip, but it’s a fun trip at the same time.”

By: Ray D’Alessio

Northwest Georgia Sheep Farm Making Sheep’s Milk Cheeses

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LaFayette, GA

In Northwest Georgia, these ewes are getting to enjoy some R and R before starting their next production cycle – a time in which they produce milk that will be made into artisan sheep’s milk cheeses. This of course, not a common practice here in the US, but is something Brent Smith and Hannah Walker set out to do four years ago and now have what they believe is the only sheep dairy in the state.

“We bought this farm in 2019 and there was nothing out here,” says Brent Smith, Co-Owner of Rosemary and Thyme Creamery. “There was no driveway, no covert, and no fences. There were pastures but the weeds were up about head high, so since 2019, we’ve been developing everything that’s out here. Um, and the first thing we built was the milking parlor and the creamery.”

After getting the farm up and running, they started working to build up their flock – one that produces the best quality milk and will do well here in Georgia.

“We have east Friesians and Saint Croix. East Friesians are the typical dairy breed. They have high quantity milk, so that usually gives them a little less butter fat, so adding the Saint Croix, not only are the Saint Croix parasite resistant, they also have more butter fat in their milk, so it helps make really great cheese and we want to get the Saint Croix parasite resistance into the flock down in Georgia just because there’s a lot of parasites down here in sheep,” says Hannah Walker, Co-Owner of Rosemary and Thyme.

As you can see however, their hard work has paid off. They’ve managed to build up a great flock and have perfected the cheese making process and now make several different types of delicious sheep’s milk cheeses that take the farmer’s markets in the area by storm – something they take great pride in as sheep’s milk cheese has quite the reputation around the world.

“Some of the best cheeses in the world are sheep’s milk cheeses,” says Smith.  “Pecorino Murano out of Italy, Manchego out of Spain, Roquefort out of France – those are all award winning cheeses that are made out of sheep’s milk, and anywhere you travel throughout the rest of the world, people make cheese out of sheep’s milk, goat’s milk, and cow’s milk, and they probably have more cheeses made out of sheep and goat’s milk than they do cow’s milk, but in the United States, the cow dairy is the king of the dairies, and most of our cheeses are made out of cow’s milk cheeses.”

Unfortunately, though, Smith says that presents quite the challenge for them, as many don’t know about or have never had sheep’s milk cheese.

“People don’t know about sheep’s milk cheese, and some are not only hesitant, they don’t want to try, because they think they think it’s too different. So, they’re very hesitant to even try it.  If we can get them to try it, over 90 percent of them really like it. So, it’s just the fact that we’re into a territory where people don’t really know about our product very much, and because of that we sample it and we try to educate,” says Smith.

By: John Holcomb

Frost Proofing Key to Protecting Fruits

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Enigma, GA

While cold temperatures are to be expected in December, having them dip into the teens is very unusual in Georgia, and a major cause for concern amongst producers. It’s why they were left with some tough decisions on very short notice after a severe cold front to end 2022.

“We started trying to prepare the best we could, watched every weather report that came out,” says Tim McMillian, Owner of Southern Grace Farm. “So, we made sure that our frost protection was ready to go. We made sure that our row covers were ready to go, and, of course we had everything on the farm to make sure we had the water out of it and make sure it didn’t burst.”

With strawberries being the furthest along, getting them protected was a priority. While they were caught a little shorthanded, it appears this year’s crop was salvaged despite some minor damage.

“With the strawberries, we used row covers just like a blanket, like we use in our homes,” says McMillian. “Some of our strawberries we used one row cover and on some we used two row covers and we found that the two was better than the one. We think that where we used two row covers we’re going to be on schedule. We really don’t think it affected them that much, but where we used only one cover, we’re probably going to be a month behind with the, with the fruiting.”

However, protecting the citrus crop is a little more labor intensive as each tree must be individually taken care of before the freezing temperatures.

“With the citrus, we use wraps or tunnels or teepees. Inside of that wrap or teepee is an emitter that emits water, and it’s a spray. The theory is that it’ll create heat inside of that wrap and keep the graft of that tree warm enough that it doesn’t damage it,” says McMillian.

While these trees did suffer damage, the extent won’t be known for quite some time. However, the rest of the crops appear to be in good condition.

“With the citrus, it’s just way too early to tell,” says McMillian. “We think it will be six months to a year before we can really know just how bad it’s hurt us. With the rest of our fruit though, we have plums and blackberries and if you can grow it in South Georgia, we just about grow it. We really don’t think we’re going to see any effects.”

Even though this type of weather might be out of the norm, it is something growers will need to keep in the back of their mind when planning for the future, which is why this event can serve as a good learning experience when preparing for the next growing season.

“I hope we learn a lot from this and I hope that the University of Georgia and the Citrus Association gather information from all the growers across South Georgia and we can kind of figure out what worked best,” says McMillian. “I’m hopeful that this is going to be a learning experience and we will gain some wisdom from it.”

By: Damon Jones

Georgia Farm Distilling Their Crops for Bourbon

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Senoia, GA

As we all know, there is no “I” in team, but there are multiple “I’s” in Doc Brown Farm & Distillers, and teamwork is what this organization is most proud of.

“We’re all different. We have similarities, but we have differences and we all bring something different to the table,” says Paige Dockweiler, Co-Founder of Doc Brown Farm & Distillers.

Paige Dockweiler, the “Doc” in Doc Brown was born in Cordele and raised on a farm – Paige’s father was a successful soybean, watermelon, cotton and corn producer. Paige however pursued a different path. When she’s not making spirits, Paige is focused on lifting the spirits of others as a Registered Nurse and Specialist in oncology and hematology.

“I tell people, and we’ve trademarked the phrase high heels and cornfields because we’ve basically traded our high heels and suits in for cornfields and boots,” says Amy Brown, the other Co-Founder of Doc Brown Farm & Distillers.

Amy Brown spent 32 years in the corporate world, and like Paige, she too has deep ties to agriculture having grown up on a small farm in Hog Mountain. Lastly, there’s Amy’s son, Dan. A full-time pilot for UPS who admits, flying isn’t his only passion.

“Yeah, you know what’s funny is a lot of, a lot of pilots, are farmers also,” says Dan. “So a lot of times the guy I’m flying with owns land or grew up on a farm. And so we can relate to each other, about what each of us do on our off time. Then when I am up there flying, I make my to-do list of things I need to do when I get back home.

Yes, Dan, Amy, and Paige each have a lot on their plates, but it hasn’t stopped them from pursuing that one common goal of making quality spirits the old way. Using heirloom grains grown directly on their farm. The grain of choice: Jimmy red corn.

“It’s a red variety of corn that grows, um, of course, as you can see, deep red burgundy and we harvested it,” says Amy. “We took it to the grist mill, had it ground into a specific type of grit type substance. Um, but the grits have to be a little bit more, uh, grainy for the mash. This year we added a white called Hastings prolific and then, uh, also a blue corn called a blue Claridge. But we all come from families that love the land.”

“For us, with our end product being bourbon and growing these rare heirloom corns that many people have forgotten about,” says Paige. “Bringing back the heritage and the legacy of the Indian culture and this Indian corn that they used to eat. And of course it is edible in some ways, but we use it to distill. And for me, I have a lot of pride in knowing that we’re growing this heirloom corn as clean as we can. We’re distilling it. It’s as clean as it can be distilled. And using the waters that we have up in North Georgia.”

“Never in a million years did I think I would be a farmer or add onto that, a bourbon maker,” says Amy. “And I call myself a bourbon farmer. And that’s usually the phrase that catches people’s attention because you can be a corn farmer, a soybean farmer, watermelon farmer, but when you say you’re a bourbon farmer, that brings a lot of interest, because they’re like, ‘I didn’t know bourbon grew out on the land,’ and that’s where you get to tell your story of the love of the earth and the love of the land and the end product.”

Like any good farmer will tell you, be it a traditional farmer or in Amy’s case, a bourbon farmer, achieving that end product is not a race. In fact it’s more like a marathon, but oh, once you cross that finish line, the feeling is one of relief, joy, and euphoria. Then again, that might be the bourbon talking.

“You know, when you’ve, when you harvest the corn and you grind it and you distill it and you put it in the barrel, then you have to wait and you’re like, ‘Oh man, I hope it’s good,’ you know, and then when you get a glass of it out and it’s actually good, it’s really a great moment, because you created that and it’s a really cool thing to be able to taste the flavors of the corn and the grains together,” says Dan.

“You have to have two things to have good bourbon; actually three things,” says Amy. “You’ve gotta have good grain, you gotta have good water, and you gotta have good barrels. And we’re fortunate that in the state of Georgia, we are able to gather all three of those components together. We have fabulous corn. We use the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountain limestone filtered water out of a deep, deep well. And then believe it or not, our barrels are made here in Georgia as well at a place called the Gainesville Cooperage. It’s the only cooperage in the state of Georgia. So, everything we do is Georgia grown from our corn, to the water, to even our barrels. We don’t even get our barrels outside of the state.”

By: Ray D’Alessio

7 Year Old Georgia Girl Becomes National Ag Sensation

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South Fulton, GA

When you first observe Kendall Rae Johnson in her garden, she appears to be your typical seven year old. Just a little girl; playing, laughing with her friends, and truth be told she really is just a kid at heart, but ask Kendall Rae for a tour of the garden, and that same little girl grows up before your very eyes.

Kendall Ray certainly knows her way around the garden. Exactly how, and when she developed that knowledge and love for gardening, her parents say they first noticed it when she was just three years old.

“When her grandmother would tell us to bring her collar greens out and just put them back in the ground or put them in a pot or something, so we could have collar greens again in a couple months off of the same stalk; and she was interested on how these, she would go out and look at how it would produce new little stalks and stuff like that. And she’d be excited about it; Like ecstatic,” says Quentin Johnson, Kendall Rae’s Dad.

“You know, she’ll see a yellow leaf. She’s going to question, ‘why is it yellow? Well, what type of bug is eating it? Can we find, she calls it the culprit?’ ‘You know, where is the culprit?'”, says Urusla, Kendall’s mom.

Most kids her age don’t want anything to do with vegetables, but for Kendall, it’s an unexplainable passion that’s blossomed in her.

“I enjoy it so much because it means sharing food with the whole community”, says Kendall.

Sharing and community: Two of the major emphasis and foundation for which ‘A Grow Culture’, Kendall Rae’s business entity was built upon. As mentioned, she’s a certified farmer and a member of various farm organizations, including Georgia Farm Bureau. Her story, capturing the hearts and attention of many, some of which felt the need to step up and lend a hand. Last December, Kendall Rae, Mom, Ursula, and Dad, Quentin were invited to the big apple for an appearance on Good Morning America. Once there, Kendall Rae was presented with an early Christmas gift – A check for ten-thousand dollars to help with future farming endeavors.

“I think it’s pretty good that I talk to people, and I, and I love it because I get to meet new friends everyday,” says Kendall.

“It definitely almost breaks me into tears almost every time I think about it, because I, would never, myself as a kid, I never had that much confidence. You know, she’s so young with a lot of confidence and just like you said, she just walked up to you and gave you a hug. She’s not really afraid of anybody,” says Quentin.

“She did an interview with, I think it’s Boyd Elementary School. And from kindergarten through fifth grade, she was entertaining to everybody. She was entertaining to everybody. The fifth graders wanted to ask her a question. She used a fifth grade word. She said microbes, which they know it as microorganisms, but she did the short version of it. And then the teacher had to step in and say, ‘she’s talking about microorganisms people’, but she’s using the word microbes. She’s using the terminology, compost, you know, soil. And I mean, she can use everything. She knows the plant cycle. So, she’s allowing those who are younger than her. Those who are right at her age, her peers, you know, and beyond to kind of connect with her in a way that is just brilliant,” says Ursula.

But Kendall Rae’s enthusiasm for farming, not only contagious to her peers and children alike, but also to adults, especially her dad.

“This is the longest I’ve ever stuck to anything. And it’s just because she gave me a passion for it because I mean, I love it too now, you know, because learning the different things about growing and stuff like that is fascinating. So it’s been keeping my attention for some years now,” says Quentin.

By: Ray D’Alessio

Startup Company Can Help With Your Future Gift Giving

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Norcross, GA

After starting out with a small, thirty-box order nearly a decade ago Georgia Crafted has now become largest curator of locally produced products in the state, shipping out tens of thousands of gift boxes each and every year. All in an effort to expand the client base past just local farmers markets.

“Their consumer is just that person on the other side of the table buying their product. And our idea was, well, wait a minute, if we could partner with people all over the country. Maybe we could partner with companies who are looking for client gifts or employee gifts. You know, we can take one product and get it into the hands of so many more people at one time. And then we’re helping, you know, not only promote that small, local maker, but we’re helping promote the concept of shopping local,” says Erin Zwigart, Owner of Georgia Crafted.

That type of exposure can be difficult for local businesses owners as many don’t have the time or know how for self-promotion.

“They’re family run businesses, you know, they’re trying to get their kids to their ballgames and do dance classes and, you know, do all the things. I think that just being able to support those small, local companies, makers versus large corporations, it just goes such a long way. The impact that it can have to me, is just phenomenal,” says Zwigart.

While these products are created in a relatively small area, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to choose from when picking out the perfect gift.

“At this point, we carry over two hundred different products made by local makers. So, that’s going to be different snack products. It’s going to be different bath and body products or home goods. And so, it’s fantastic because people can come onto georgiacrafted.com. They can pick and choose the style products they want and know right then and they’re helping to support only local Georgia makers,” says Zwigart.

That kind of variety also spotlights just how diversified agriculture is within the state.

“I mean, you think that we carry so many Georgia Grown products. You know, we’ve got pecans. We’ve got peanuts. We’ve got, you know, beef jerky and honey. I mean, these are all, a lot of these people, they’re farmers. You know, they’re out there growing their product. So, again, the impact that it can have on these products is just amazing,” says Zwigart.

And it’s not just the business owners that see the benefits, but also the customers, as they are able to buy gifts that is sure to suit every different taste.

Zwigart says, “You know, the impact that I feel that Georgia Crafted can have goes such a long way again, not just on that local maker, but it’s even on our end consumer. You know, it’s hard to buy a gift. It’s not easy. Everybody at this point pretty much has what they need. So, I always say you buy one Georgia Crafted box that has four or five products and you’ve just helped support four or five, technically six, small, local businesses.

Even though Georgia Crafted has a warehouse full of local products, they are always looking for more, which is why they encourage every Georgia maker to reach out.

“All they have to do is go to georgiacrafted.com, if it’s an artisan or a maker looking to submit their product, there’s actually a submission application that they can fill out. But honestly, my phone number is on the website. My email is on the website. Call me. Text me. Email me. I’m always here,” says Zwigart.

By: Damon Jones

Cold Winter Blast Impacts Georgia Citrus

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Ochlocknee, GA

Here in this citrus grove in Southwest Georgia, a battle took place – a battle for survival as the Christmas week arctic blast brought frigid wind and temperatures to the area colder than any they’ve seen in years, which meant growers, like Lindy Savelle, who owns and operates Georgia Grown Citrus, had to spring into action – working day in and day out to freeze protect their trees if she wanted them to survive.

“We freeze protect our trees using a Microjet that puts out fourteen gallons per hour per tree, and it’s the making of ice that creates biothermal units that keeps, keeps the temperature of the bud union of the tree from freezing. It’s so counterintuitive, but it works. And so, it was uh, quite incredible. We ran the system day after day without turning it off, but here on our farm, we turn it on at thirty-six and we don’t turn it off until it gets up to thirty-six, sometimes thirty-eight, depending on the chill factor. But it is huge to freeze protect these trees, um, I don’t know how you would really survive without doing something to protect them,” says Savelle.

For the most part, Savelle believes they faired pretty well, as they only lost a little bit of fruit on the trees left from harvest and had a few broken limbs, but much of the foliage looks as though it’s been burned, which Savelle says will have to be cut back and will most likely effect next year’s production.

According to Savelle, “When it’s frozen and it starts to thaw out, things start to happen. So, it takes time to reveal that. But say we had to cut back the whole, all of the foliage that’s on this tree or cut back the limbs because of burn back, that will affect production next year because you’re cutting off the production part of the tree. So, it could affect us that way. I don’t think for our Satsumas, we’re going to see a lot of production drop. But some of these other varieties, like the grapefruit, the Tangos, those sorts of things, and certainly any tree that was still putting on new growth; all of that’d be burned and have to be cut off. And that’s where you lose your production is anytime you have to cut limbs off, you’re going to lose volume.”

For now, though, Savelle believes that it’s just a waiting game, as they won’t know the full impact for a few weeks and still have two whole months of Winter weather ahead of them.

“Recovery’s just going to be looking and watching for the next few weeks. We won’t start cutting on these trees or trimming back anything. There’s really not much we can do until the Spring because who knows what January and February will hold for us. Because anytime you do anything to the tree, it’s waking it up. It’s not allowing it to stay dormant. And that’s what you want, you want it to stay dormant. And it’s likely that we’ll have another event, hopefully not this brutal, but it’s always a possibility in Georgia, we’re going to have a freeze event. So we just, you’re in the watch mode for the next two months really, uh, just to see what kind of damage you might have had and um, just kind of the wait and see,” says Savelle.

SCOTTY RAINES NAMED 2022 GEORGIA FARMER OF THE YEAR

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MOULTRIE, GA

Scotty Raines didn’t grow up on a farm, but his father kept a large garden at home. His mother, a beautician, had a beauty shop behind their house. So Scotty began his agrarian career by selling produce from the garden—tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and corn—to her customers. He also participated in FFA at Turner High School and, after graduation, became a farm technician with Agratech Seed Research. In 1991, he married Melanie, a girl he’d grown up with, and two years later began farming full-time in partnership with his father-in-law.

Raines said, “I’m very proud of my family. My wife keeps her accounting skills sharp by maintaining the books for three area churches. We are active in First Baptist Church of Tifton. When our oldest daughter, Celie, was in school, she was in the marching band. It was quite a feat because she is hearing impaired. Our second daughter, Christian, is an EMT. She loves helping people, although she battles Lupus and is in pain most of the time. I think this helps her relate to her patients.”

He added, “Her husband, Justin Pate, works full-time on the farm and has a passion for volunteer fireman work. He was just awarded the Turner County Most Responses and Responder of the Year awards. He and Christian have been working on their certification to become foster parents.”

Raines recalled, “My father-in-law and I originally farmed about 500 acres and eventually expanded to 1200 acres. I ventured out on my own to purchase 30 beef cows in 1994. During our partnership we purchased two farms; the remainder of the acres we worked was rented. My wife and mother-in-law were very active in the operation.”

In the spring of 1996, his father-in-law suffered some major health problems, so Raines finished the crop that year. He began farming on his own a year later with 1000 acres that grew over time to 2300 acres, with 1199 acres owned and 1101 acres rented.

Crop yields at Scotty Raines Farms Partnerships are as follows: 760 acres of cotton yielding 940 (conservatively) lbs/acre; 385 acres of irrigated peanuts yielding 5880 lbs/acre; 800 acres of cotton yielding 860 lbs/acre; 200 acres of non-irrigated peanuts yielding 4760 lbs/acre; 120 acres of corn yielding 219 bushels/acre; and 35 acres of watermelon yielding 100,000 lbs/acre. Raines also owns 27 beef cattle.

For marketing his crops, Raines uses a variety of techniques. In 2001, he purchased 25 percent of Hat Creek Peanut Company, a peanut buying facility and a chemical and seed selling point owned by four larger farmer groups. In 2022, Hat Creek Peanut Company will be entering into the trucking business to further help the owners and other area farmers to handle their commodities more efficiently.”

He commented, “I was confident it would provide us with a more active way to market our peanuts. Hat Creek and I later bought shares in Tifton Quality Peanut, a produced- owned shelling company that’s also grower owned. They shell the nuts and sell directly to companies like Mars Candy. Doing business this way puts us closer to the consumer and retailer in terms of sales. And anytime you can get one step closer to the consumer, I believe you’ve made a step in the right direction.”

In the beginning of his farming career Raines marketed his own cotton through local gins. He remembered, “Since I was so busy on the farm, joining Staplcotn, a marketing cooperative, was a better solution. It’s a great time-saving and solid way of doing things. And because we carefully manage insect pests and harvest in a timely manner, we maximize our cotton quality and therefore receive the best market price possible. I’m proud to say that our farms won a Georgia Cotton Quality Award in Region One in 2021.”

Raines’ cattle are marketed through one of the best stockyards in the South, located in his home county of Turner. Watermelon sales are conducted by brokers who handle the boxing and shipping of the produce. Raines added, “We monitor the corn market ourselves. Most years we put the corn in our bins and market later in the year at a higher price.”

Scotty Raines Farms Partnerships recently purchased a bale picker to allow for faster harvesting and reducing the number of laborers in the field. And they have purchased a precision planter with individual hydraulic down force. This planter helps to get the seed placed at the right depth, even over terraces, and doesn’t overlap seed. The aim is to produce a better, more uniform stand at planting and a better harvest in the fall. Raines also has a cabin on his land that serves as a wedding and meeting venue, generating extra income for the farm.

Meeting challenges faced by all farmers is a constant undertaking. For Raines, a major effort has gone into converting dryland production into irrigated production. He has used long-term leases with landowners, purchased irrigated land/irrigation systems,

and updated outdated irrigation systems. Another decision was to diversify by adding a watermelon crop and by increasing the number of corn acres under cultivation.

Raines has also had to deal with rising input costs over the years. He explained, “In 1993, we bought a tractor for $35,000. Now that same tractor costs $200,000. We buy fuel in bulk to save money, but now a 7500–lb. tank might cost $37,000 to fill up. And the prices we get for crops don’t always equal what we paid to plant and nurture them through to harvest. It’s a constant balancing act.”

Of course one of the most prevalent unknowns is weather. Raines said, “Irrigation helps with drought, but hurricane Irma in 2017 and Michael in 2018 really hit us hard, and we haven’t fully recovered from those two events when we lost most our crop. Since crop insurance was insufficient to recoup the losses, we were able to do some refinancing to overcome the impact of these natural disasters.”

In the area of environmentally helpful practices Raines uses variable rate fertilization of lime, potash, and MAP to increase the nutrient efficiency and reduce the potential of oversaturation of unneeded nutrients and fuel wastage. The application is all based on the five-acre grid soil sample taken annually. To protect watersheds and reduce the potential for soil erosion, the farm maintains terraces and waterways.

He noted, “My farm has collaborated with the University of Georgia Extension on research efforts such as soil moisture sensor projects that monitor moisture status and manage water applications. This has greatly reduced the amount of irrigation water used to produce a crop. I also purchase bulk chemical contains to minimize plastic waste. When we do use plastic containers, they are recycled.”

Raines added, “We use conservation tillage methods and winter cover crops, like clover and rye, and now triticale, on the vast majority of acreage. It’s an important tool to help with weed control, improve soil moisture holding capacity, and support the long-term sustainability of our farm.”

On the local county level, Raines is a current member and former chair and president of the Turner County Younger Farmer Association and a former president and board member of the Turner County Farm Bureau. The Raines’ were named Ashburn Turner County Farm Family of the Year in 2001. On the state level, he is the Georgia Farm Bureau District Director, serves on the Suwannee-Satilla Water Council, and was formerly the Southern Region Director of Georgia Young Farmers. Raines was also named Middle/South Soil & Water Conservationist of the Year in 2003. On the national level, he has served as a member of the Farm Bureau World Congress of Young Farmers. Melanie Raines currently serves as the chair of the Turner County Board of Elections.

In years past, when Scotty and Melanie have taken some free time, they’ve gone to St. Augustine to kick back and relax. More recently they’ve headed to the Gulf side of Florida, renting a small house or condo on the beach in Panama City or Destin. He said, “We also like go deer hunting with our daughters. Well, it’s more like I fix up the deer stands, and they do the hunting.”

After spending a long time in the risk-laden business of agriculture, the reward of seeing things grow to fruition is still quite real for Raines. He commented, “We recently needed to plant 140 acres of peanuts on dryland on the north side of our property. The planter sat there for three weeks until the good Lord sent half an inch of rain so that we could go ahead and do what we needed to do. The same thing happened recently on the south side of our farm with cotton. We got one inch at almost the last possible moment. So that’s when we gladly give thanks for prayers answered.”

Scotty Raines was nominated for Georgia Farmer of the Year by Guy Hancock, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Turner County ANR Agent. He said, “I nominated Scotty Raines for this honor because he is a true representative of Georgia agriculture. He is a great collaborator on UGA Extension projects and is always willing to support our research and outreach efforts.”

He added, “Despite having to overcome numerous adversities in recent years such as tornados, hurricanes (Irma in 2017 and Michael in 2018), and other extreme weather events, Scotty has maintained a strong farming operation and a positive attitude through it all. He is always working towards integrating technology into his farm such as soil moisture sensors, GPS, and variable rate equipment to make the operation more efficient. The Raines family’s resilience and significant investments in agriculture have earned them the respect of those in their community and beyond.”

A distinguished panel of judges will visit Scotty Raines, along with the other nine state winners via zoom at a later date this summer. The judges include John McKissick, long- time University of Georgia agricultural economist at Athens, Georgia; David Wildy, Manila, Arkansas, the overall winner of the award in 2016; and Joe West, Tifton, Georgia, retired dairy scientist and assistant Dean of the University of Georgia Tifton Campus.

Atlanta Falcons and The Dairy Alliance Celebrate Sustainability at Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s Urban Garden

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ATLANTA (April 11, 2022) – The dairy farm families of Georgia, the Atlanta Falcons, and The Dairy Alliance gathered at Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s Urban Garden to celebrate their mutual commitment to sustaining the surrounding community and protecting the environment. 

The community urban garden at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is used to share the importance of our food system’s ecological footprint with students in as part of the stadium’s STEAM Program. Now in its fifth year, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium STEAM program, presented by Georgia Power, pairs a tailored STEAM tour with a classroom curriculum that teachers can incorporate into their lesson plans pre and post stadium tour.

The community urban garden features prominently in the AGSTEM tour option, which focuses on regenerative agriculture, carbon sequestration climate solutions, hyper-local food systems and careers aligned. Newly installed signage at the community urban garden showcases the commitment of Georgia dairy farmers to nourish communities in Atlanta and throughout the state with sustainably produced milk. 

The Dairy Alliance contributed sustainability-focused educational materials to the AGSTEM tour curriculum and sponsors students to attend STEAM program tours as part of their Fuel Up To Play 60 partnership with the Atlanta Falcons, now in its thirteenth year.

“We have been fortunate to have such a great partnership with The Dairy Alliance and appreciate the support of our STEAM tour curriculum they provide,” said Mercedes-Benz Stadium Tour Operation Manager Dawn Brown. “Their support helps us elevate our education program and impact thousands of students each year in a fun and exciting way.” 

The STEAM program presented by Georgia Power, allows students to visit Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while learning how STEAM comes to life through career focused curriculum. The program reaches an average of 600 classrooms and 30,000 students per year.

“The AGSTEM tour was an eye-opening experience because I was glad to see a large organization not only integrate sustainability into their daily operations, but be an intentional leader in the sustainability space.” Brandon Crumsey – Compost Connectors at Booker T. Washington High School 

In addition to serving as a laboratory for the AGSTEM tour in the STEAM Program, the community urban garden provides the Westside Works culinary program and stadium associates opportunities for a hands-on approach to growing food and carbon sequestration. 

“Georgia dairy farmers are proud to partner with the Atlanta Falcons to bring awareness to dairy’s low environmental footprint and highly nutritious product to nourish families in Atlanta and across our great state,” said Georgia dairy farmer Kenneth Murphy.