Author Archives: John Holcomb

Georgia FFA Convention Holds 90th Convention

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Macon, GA – It was a celebration of the past and present at this year’s Georgia FFA convention as the organization celebrated 90 years since its beginning, allowing the current FFA students to get to see how the organization has changed into what it is today.

“I think it’s neat for the students to understand that we used to look different, that we used to sound different, that agriculture used to be different, and what they can do is pretty eye opening because if you would have asked those folks 90 years ago about driving a tractor with a GPS or having women owning farms I don’t think anybody would have believed it but look where we are,” says Ben Lastly, Executive Secretary for the Georgia FFA Organization.

Georgia’s FFA Organization is the third largest FFA organization in the nation and continues to grow each and every year.

“It’s really exciting,” says Brooks Fletcher, North Region Vice President. “We’ve seen monumental growth. Over the past 20 years, Georgia FFA has continued to grow. It’s really exciting this year, we’ll break over 42000 FFA members in the state.”

Since its start in 1928, the organization has had a focus of shaping the future leaders of the agriculture industry. Giving them leadership skills and career development skills that will help them in whatever career they choose in life.

“The thing I like to tell folks about FFA is that it’s going to prepare them for success regardless of where their career is in the future,” says Chip Bridges, State FFA Advisor. “The leadership skills, the personal development skills, the instructional components in FFA prepare them for whatever they choose to do in the future.”

To help really get started, the convention had a special guest. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue spoke to the more than 6000 that were there. His message was on the importance of resiliency and perseverance and how the FFA has done that now for 90 years and needs to continue that into the future.

“The principles they teach and the relationships they build among themselves and with the ag teachers in those schools are bonds that will last a lifetime,” says Sonny Perdue. “Ask any alumni of FFA and they’ll tell you how important it was in shaping their whole careers and lives in many ways, teaching them the principles in which to live.”

There was also another special guest, and that was Governor Nathan Deal. Deal was there and made history as he signed new legislation into law. Senate Bill 330 or the Green Agricultural Education Act was passed by the general assembly during this past session.

“Now across the state, any school system that offers an ag course, also must offer FFA and SAE as part of the instructional model, so basically makes our model of instruction, it puts it in legislative code, which is very big for us, but also another component of the bill allows agriculture education to take that three model of instruction and duplicate it into the elementary grades K-5,” says Bridges.

The bill passed in the general assembly without opposition, showing just how much support the FFA and agriculture has here in the state of Georgia.

“We’re very thankful for the support we have across the state of agriculture education from school administrators, superintendents and principles, the legislature, the department of education, the community, the businesses all of the support that we have make it possible to promote and grow the FFA,” says Bridges.

By: John Holcomb

 

Deal Signs Green Agricultural Education Act into Law

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Macon, GA – History was made at this year’s Georgia FFA Convention as new legislation was signed into law by Governor Nathan Deal.

Governor Deal signed Senate Bill 330, or what is called the “Green Agricultural Education Act” in a ceremony during one of the general sessions.

“This piece of legislation puts into statute what FFA really has been doing for a very long time,” Deal said. “It puts it in a format where it can’t be tampered with very easily without changing the law.”

“Now across the state, any school system that offers and Ag course, also must offer FFA and SAE as part of the the instructional model, so basically, it puts our model of instruction into legislative code, which is very big for us,” said Chip Bridges, State FFA Advisor.

The bill sets up a pilot program to expand agricultural education into elementary schools. Currently, the FFA only has chapters at the middle school and high school levels, but SB 330 calls for a minimum of six elementary schools around the state to participate in the pilot program to determine whether and how an elementary agriculture education program could be implemented statewide.

The pilot is to begin with the 2019-2020 school year and will last three years, after which the DOE will report the results to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees.

You can read over the entire bill by clicking here.

 

 

 

 

National FFA Officer Shares Story

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HAHIRA, GA – The National FFA is one of the largest student run organizations in the country and each year six students are elected to be the faces of the organization so to speak. One of those six students is Ian Bennett, from Hahira, Georgia. The Monitor sat down with Ian who spoke about his love of Agriculture, the FFA and what he hopes to accomplish as the Southern Region Vice President. You can watch his story below.

Spring is U-Pick Season

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FAYETTEVILLE, GA – With temperatures on the rise, so are the amount of people making their way to U-Pick operations like Adams Farm, a 4th generation operation that gives visitors not only a fun day in the field, but also satisfies all their produce needs.

“We pick berries. Right now, we have strawberries that are ready and soon we will have blackberries and blueberries and raspberries that are ready. That’s the U-pick operation, but we also have a large roadside market where many of our vegetables later in the season will be offered to people to purchase. The U-pick is what’s going on right now and it’s the fun thing. You know, you can’t help smiling because everyone comes in excited and they leave very happily with a bucket full of huge, red strawberries,” says Virginia Adams.

That is very apparent as people of all ages get their fill of some the freshest strawberries right out of the field. It’s an activity the Adams’ have been happy to share with the public for the past two decades.

“Probably in the year ’98 a lot of land we were renting was sold and they built schools on it. So, we were cut down to not much acreage. So, we had to change our operation entirely. So, we started the U-pick part of it,” says Russell Adams.

This year’s strawberry crop looks to be another good one despite cooler weather early in the spring. As for his secret to success, Adams credits attention to detail.

“Just a lot of love and care is all I can tell you. They’re on a regular fertilizer program and we just look after them. We sat up a lot of nights protecting them when they got cold, freeze protecting them and fertilizing them, and everything else that goes along with it,” says Russell.

With that cooler weather, it was important the fruit be frost protected. However, Adams’ method of doing so was unlike the majority of producers.

“Well, I do it a little differently from a lot of people,” says Russell. “I use irrigation on mine. A lot of people use row covers. The main reason I do that is because I have a lot of things I freeze protect other than strawberries. I do my blueberries also and I can’t put row covers on blueberries. So, I just do the whole thing at one time.”

Those who stop by also get an education on what it takes to produce their food, which is more important than ever as the surrounding areas have become for urbanized.

“Most people don’t know about agriculture,” says Virginia. “The children think that it comes from the store. But they learn when they come on a farm that’s a U-pick, that it really does not. You have to see it growing in the field around you to know what it’s all about and it’s fun to share the story and to have people know where their food comes from, from the people that toil hard for it to go to your table.”

Spreading this information along with her family is one of the true joys Virginia has running this Fayetteville mainstay.

“The fact that I’m able to work with my family, my daughter is a part of our business and my husband and it gives me great pride to be to say we are a fourth-generation farmer and it’s going to be passed down to the next farmer who will take it over. That makes me proud,” says Virginia.

By: Damon Jones

 

New Artificial Intelligence Technology Changing Dairy Industry

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WAYNESBORO, GA – Artificial intelligence, it’s something you see in the Marvel Comic movies, but it’s closer to reality then you would think as it’s being implemented into the dairy industry. Connecterra, a tech company that’s using TensorFlow, a technology created by Google, has designed these trackers, called IDAs, that sit around the neck of the cow.

“With this collar, we can measure the behaviors of the cow. So, we know whether she is standing or laying, eating, rumination, drinking, walking, all of the standard behaviors of the cow,” says Niels Molenaar, Customer Success Manager for Connecterra.

While the cow is wearing the collar, the tracker collects data that can provide insights on the health, heat stress, feeding, efficiency, and estrus of the cow.  The data is then wirelessly transmitted back to a cloud using these antennas where it can be accessed on a computer and even on a cellphone.

“In this situation, it’s grabbing all these types of data from these cows 24 hours a day and it’s able to synthesize that data into actual insights for farmers. So, tensor flow is great in these data heavy tasks and is really able to pull out with deep learning way that can actually aid the farmers in their production,” says Justin Burr, spokesperson for TensorFlow.

This farm in Waynesboro, is the first farm in the United States to adopt the new technology. The owner, Richard Watson, says that the technology is much needed not only on his farm, but on farms all over the country, as herd sizes have grown, making it difficult to manage at times.

“The ability to keep track of animals, to monitor animals to insure their well-being, that they’re being fed well, that they’re in good health and that their welfare is being managed becomes a lot harder for a fewer number of people over these large herd sizes,” says Richard Watson, Owner of Seven Oaks Dairy. “So, there’s become a need for technology now, to assist dairy farmers in monitoring their animals, to making sure their well-being and welfare needs are being met and that they’re in good health and being fed adequately.”

Healthy and productive cows is something that is obviously very crucial for the success of a dairy farm and right now, with the prices of milk like they are, the importance is even greater, which is why this technology couldn’t come at a better time, as it could end up saving farmers a lot of money.

“That ability to diagnose and identify those animals early helps us to prevent problems from occurring,” says Watson. “This is very important for farmers economic stand point, a 10 percent lift in productivity through early detection of health problems or feeding problems adds several hundred thousand dollars of income a year that can be saved, through the adoption of this technology.”

One great thing about the artificial intelligence program is that it’s always learning; learning about the cow, and also learning about the farmer. Over time, it will adapt to the farmer’s wants and needs.

“So, with the learning aspect of IDA, it really allows the system to not just know the cow, but also know the farm and the farmers practices. So, overtime, IDA starts to understand what works for the farmer and what doesn’t. So, it really communicates in such a way that it’s useful for the farmer,” says Molenaar.

By: John Holcomb

 

Pecan Industry Launches First-Ever National Consumer Campaign

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Fort Worth, TX –  Pecans have been hovering below the radar for most Americans – often dismissed as an ingredient just for holiday pies. Even though pecans are the only major tree nut indigenous to America, many people in the country are unaware of the versatility, health benefits, American heritage, and year-round availability of pecans. That’s all about to change.

Today the pecan industry launched its first-ever national consumer campaign to help America’s native nut proudly claim its spot as a super nutritious, super versatile and super local nut. American Pecans, The Original Supernut™ is a brand positioning for pecans and a consumer education initiative to get Americans to think about pecans in a new way.

“The American pecan industry has a rich history dating back centuries and a powerful story that is largely untold – our goal is to change that,” said Mike Adams, a Texas pecan grower and chairperson of the American Pecan Council – a new organization formed as a result of a Federal Marketing Order (FMO) for pecans approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2016. “Other nuts, to their credit, have benefited from large consumer campaigns for decades. Now, we want to shine a light on our industry that has come together to share the story of the American Pecan.”

Pecans, Humble No More
The new integrated marketing campaign includes digital advertising that showcases all the glorious ways to enjoy pecans that are #notjustpie, a national media integration along with media partnerships and influencer advocates to elevate the little-known health benefits of pecans. It also includes digital and social media, including a partnership with two of America’s top digital platforms, Serious Eats and Simply Recipes, which will feature “shoppable” pecan recipes that make it easy to buy pecans via Amazon Fresh – marking a first for a commodity board.

The campaign will help change America’s perception of pecans, focusing on three major reasons they truly are The Original Supernut.

  • Pecans are super nutritious: Even though pecans are typically considered a dessert nut, they are extremely nutrient dense and nearly two decades of research document their heart-health benefits.* Pecans are among the highest in “good” monounsaturated fats, and contain plant protein, fiber, flavonoids and essential minerals, including copper, manganese and zinc.
  • Pecans are super versatile: They are an easy snack right out of the bag or mixed with dried fruit for a fast trail mix. They can be tossed onto morning oatmeal, yogurt parfaits, and salads. And while pecan pie is a holiday favorite, pecans can be used in many savory recipes such as pasta, dips, and even tacos – the possibilities are endless.
  • Pecans are super local: Of all the major tree nuts eaten in the U.S., pecans are the only ones indigenous to America. Once grown wild and enjoyed by Native Americans, pecans are now harvested in 15 states across the pecan belt.

The marketing campaign and brand positioning, developed by Weber Shandwick, was led by consumer research that guided the development of the campaign. The research revealed current attitudes and beliefs about pecans, demonstrating that the top-of-mind recall of pecans was significantly lower (15%) for pecans compared to other nuts.1 Many consumers did not even think of pecans as a “nut,” but rather a baking ingredient. Pecans were most associated with pies, sweets and indulgent desserts, while other nuts were more likely to be linked to snacking and nutrition.

“Our objective is to broaden the appeal for pecans as more contemporary and preferred as an everyday snack or versatile cooking ingredient,” Adams said. “We are elated by the positive consumer testing of our new brand and there’s a real sense of optimism throughout the industry for what this campaign can do.”

The U.S. annual pecan harvest averages about 300 million pounds, which is a large portion of the global pecan supply. However, pecan production is significantly lower than other major tree nuts that have benefited from Federal Marketing Orders for decades, such as 2 billion pounds for almonds and 1 billion for walnuts. Pecan growers have planted thousands of acres of new trees in the last few years in anticipation of the expected increase in demand.

Pecans: Not Just Pie
To help illustrate the versatility of pecans beyond a pie, the campaign kicks off amidst National Pecan Month with a New York City pecan pop-up called “The Not Pie Shop” (110 Bedford Street) that will be serving a complete pecan menu (everything but pie) and will feature shelves full of innovative pecan products – from pecan milk, pecan butter and pecan oil to pecan snacks, flour and meal. Pecan cooking demonstrations will be conducted by superfood expert Dawn Jackson Blatner, RDN, New York chef Matt Abdoo, Lexi Davidson of ‘Lexi’s Clean Kitchen’ and Erin Alderson of ‘Naturally Ella.’

“I’m thrilled to help unveil one of the best-kept superfood secrets,” said Blatner, registered dietitian and author of The Superfood Swap. “Pecans have been overlooked for years, so it’s time to recognize pecans as a supernut. They’re packed with valuable nutrients that we need every day, and there are so many different, delicious ways to enjoy them.”

Pecans are a part of a $9 billion industry,2 and nut consumption in the U.S. has been steadily increasing, due to the strong evidence that nuts are heart-healthy* and provide plant protein and unsaturated fats. However, pecans have not enjoyed the same positive trajectory compared to other nuts.

“We are excited about deservingly earning a role on the national stage with our sister tree nuts. The health-conscious consumer is the real beneficiary of eating a natural food that is authentically local, powerfully nutritious, and truly delicious – the American Pecan,” Adams said.

Visit AmericanPecan.com to learn more about the American heritage, health benefits and creative uses of pecans, or visit @AmericanPecan on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest.

About the American Pecan Council

The American Pecan Council (APC) is a group of passionate pecan growers and shellers whose life work is dedicated to growing, harvesting and processing America’s native nut. Founded in 2016 through a Federal Marketing Order, the APC’s mission is to promote the many benefits of the American Pecan and help tell the story of this truly unique nut. With oversight by the USDA, APC aims to build consumer demand, develop markets and establish industry standards. APC is based in Fort Worth, Texas, and funded by pecan handlers in 15 pecan-producing states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. To learn more visit www.AmericanPecan.com

Urban Atlanta Café Meeting Demand For Fresh, Locally Grown Food

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ATLANTA, GA – Meeting the demand for fresh, locally grown food in an urban restaurant setting – that was the vision of Atlanta’s Chuck Meadows.  And now that vision has come to fruition. Here is the story behind Jim Adams Farm and Table.

Georgia Cattlemen Gather for Annual Meeting

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PERRY, GA –  Just like in past years, the annual Georgia Cattlemen’s Association’s convention was a big hit as producers from all over the state of Georgia came together. The three-day event gave producers the chance to learn about new technology and learn about what’s happening in the Georgia beef industry.

“Our mission is to unite cattlemen and bring life blood to the industry. So, we strive to do things through legislation, through education, to make the industry more profitable for beef cattle producers in the state of Georgia. So, we host events like this one this weekend where we can offer education, where we can offer futuristic thinking, things that are maybe coming down the line in the next few years that people need to be thinking about,” says Kristy Arnold, President of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association (GCA).

The theme of this year’s convention was “Georgia Grown”, which focused on marketing and selling beef that’s grown, well, here in Georgia.

“A lot of times we get questions from producers that may be interested in producing a local beef product, and then I also get calls on a regular basis about consumers wanting local beef,” says Will Bentley, Executive Vice President of the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association. “So, we’ve kind of tailored our convention this year towards the educational side of, if you want to produce beef that goes direct to consumers, this is how you do it, these are the regulations, these are the opportunities, these are the challenges.”

The importance of this event can’t be expressed enough as it allows producers to be exposed to everything they would need to have a successful operation all in one place. It even lets them learn from industry leaders in their cattleman’s college.

“It’s the largest trade show specifically to the cattle industry where you can come out and get all of the equipment and implements that you may need for your operation,” says Bentley. “It’s a great opportunity to learn; a lot of producer education that goes on so that everyone knows what’s going on in the cattle industry, so we can all move forward together.”

Aside from getting to see the latest in equipment, it is also a learning opportunity for those in attendance as they get to hear about what challenges the beef industry is facing. One of the bigger challenges is making sure consumers are educated about the beef industry and not misled.

“They don’t really understand what we do, and they don’t understand that we, here in the United States, provide the cheapest, most wholesome, nutritious product as far as food and protein that there is in the world,” says Arnold.

Another challenge is one that most sectors of the ag world are facing, and that is the challenge of having an aging workforce. It’s something that the GCA is focusing on as they work to help producers that are just entering the business, which is something that can be difficult to do.

“The average farmer in the United States is well over sixty years old now,” says Arnold. “So, we’re really trying to work with the younger producers, getting them the footing that they need to be successful in ag, because it’s a very expensive industry to get into. Equipment is very expensive, all of the capital investments that you have to make are extremely hard to come by, unless someone leaves it to you in your will or you are born into a generational type family farm.”

By: John Holcomb

Meet the 2018 Georgia Farmer of the Year

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Since 1990, some of the top agribusiness leaders from 10 Southeastern states have competed to be named the Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year. This year, the state of Georgia will be represented by James Vaughn of Monroe County, who runs a successful cattle, hay, and timber operation. Watch the video below to find out more about James and his operation.

Pecan Growers Meet for Annual Conference

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TIFTON, GA – Whether you call them pecans or pee-cans, there is one thing everyone can agree on, they are a delicious, versatile nut that the state of Georgia has specialized in. The entire industry recently gathered in Tifton for the annual Georgia Pecan Growers Conference to check out new equipment and get advice on how to maximize yields. One important suggestion is to pay special attention to your older trees.

Lenny Wells, Pecan Horticulturalist for UGA says, “pecan trees as they age, they get big and old. A lot of times, those big, old trees, while they can still be productive, they have a lot more alternate bearing. With the practice of hedging and hedge pruning those trees, it invigorates the tree, stimulates the tree, and just makes them more consistently productive from one year to the next, and improves the quality as well.”

Even though harvesting season is still far in the future, it’s still a critical time for growers when managing their orchards.

“You know, it’s time to get out there and start burning down those herbicide strips between the rows,” says Wells. “It’s time to start fertilizing, and in a couple of weeks we’ll be spraying fungicides for scab for young trees. Ambrosia beetles are active this time of year, and so you need to be on the lookout for those and treat those if you need to.”

This is an important season for growers, as last year’s crop was significantly cut into by Hurricane Irma.

“We estimated about 30% damage on the crop. That seems to have held up pretty well, you know, with nuts blown down, limbs broken out, trees blown down, and then as we got into harvest we saw some quality issues that were related to the storm when those nuts we beat around up in the tree,” says Wells.

However, there was some good news, as those affected by the storm are now eligible for some government assistance.

“We just heard that the ECP money for help with assistance for clean up through that storm has come through. So, they just need to make sure they get with their FSA offices and fill out all that paperwork they need for that,” says Wells.

One of the biggest issues facing the industry over the past decade has been the lack of marketing, but thanks to the Pecan Federal Marketing Order, that concern is becoming a thing of the past.

Bruce Caris, Vice Chairman of the American Pecan Council says, “we have three pillars. The first one is nutrition and how healthy it is and the good aspects of eating pecans as part of your diet. The second is the heritage. It’s a native nut grown here in the US. And then taste and what a good nut it is just by itself.”

That message is about to go nationwide, as the American Pecan Council is rolling out a new marketing campaign later this month. It’s the culmination of a plan years in the making.

“We’ve been working on this for about 5 years where for 3 years, we went out and really talked with our constituents, the growers, and the processors, and said what’s important to you and what do you think as an industry we need to do,” says Caris. “It just excites me so much because we all know what a great story we have. We have the ability to tell it and be able to roll this out nationally. It’s the most exciting thing in my professional career.”

By: Damon Jones