Author Archives: John Holcomb

Equipment Prep Important Before Season Starts

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TIFTON, GA – Let’s face it, there’s not much worse than being in the middle of something and then having to stop and fix your equipment. Believe me, been there, done that. So, in order to try and help not make that happen, I recently traveled down to Tifton to talk with a UGA extension specialist about the importance of getting your planter and irrigation systems prepared for the upcoming season.

Wesley Porter, Extension Precision Ag and Irrigation Specialist with the University of Georgia says, “if we get out there and have a breakdown with this piece of equipment or have issues with this piece of equipment, it’s really going to cripple us moving into the year. So, if we have a bearing go out, we have a seed meter system fail, we notice we have a problem somewhere else in this system, and we’re going to take two or three days to get it fixed or time to parts in, then we got to pull it back to the shop to get it fixed, that’s critical lost time.”

Here in Georgia, time is very important, as windows for planting are sometimes slim with our unpredictable shifts in weather.

“We feel like we have extremely variable weather, very few good days to get planted, so we’re already kind of in a hurry,” says Porter.

For the planter, the things you really want to focus on are the depth and down force settings and also the seed meter performance.

“We want to make sure our seed meters are actually singulating the way they’re actually supposed to, they’re dropping the correct number of seeds, that we’re not pulling too many doubles in there, too many skips or misses in there,” says Porter. “You have to have the proper downforce set to maintain that depth. If we have too light of a downforce, and too hard of a soil type or too dry of a soil type, we’re going to be too shallow of a depth.”

Perhaps the most important thing you want to make sure is running properly is your irrigation system.

Porter says, “It’s very critical from an irrigated standpoint that we have this system up and running to par prior to going out to the field and planting and trying to irrigate the system. If we try to turn on the irrigation system after we’ve got our crop in the ground, and we determine at that point we kind of have a bad failure, we’re going to get behind on our irrigation and could cause major crop issues.”

For those irrigation systems, you mainly want to focus on making sure there are no leaks and that the nozzles are working properly.

“So, a lot of times, we do see a lot of leaks on these systems, whether those leaks are occurring at the boots of the pivots, whether they’re occurring at nozzles, sprinklers that have fallen off, been broken, or busted, etc., that’s a very easy fix. If you see those leaks right now, go ahead and get those fixed, because usually they’ll translate to issues in yield in the field,” says Porter.

This may seem like a lot of extra steps, but it could save you a lot of time and possibly even a good bit of money later on into the season. If you find it difficult to find time to do this before the season starts, doing it after is also a good option.

“You’ll know if you’re having little problems with some of the parts in there; it’s fresh on your mind,” says Porter. “Go ahead and get those replaced at that time, get those serviced, maintenance, whatever else need to be done. Then when we pull it out in the spring time, there’s not as much to do, just some light greasing and stuff like that.”

Some of this can be difficult and maybe even confusing if you’re not familiar with it, but all hope is not lost.

“I would strongly encourage you if you have any questions or you kind of have a second guess about what’s going on with this piece of equipment, contact your local county extension agent and have them kind of do a look over with you and talk to you about checking the components and of course you can always go back to your local dealer that you purchased the equipment from,” says Porter.

For a step by step checklist, click here.

By: John Holcomb

USDA Announces $8.4 Million to Support Veterans and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers

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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of Partnerships & Public Engagement (OPPE)  announced up to $8.4 million in available funding for training and technical assistance for socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers. Funding is made through the USDA’s Outreach and Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers and Veteran Farmers and Ranchers Program (also known as the 2501 Program).

“The USDA is committed to reaching all farmers and ranchers,” said OPPE Director Diane Cullo. “Through the 2501 program, the USDA is building lasting relationships among these farmers and ranchers, the local organizations that serve them, and the USDA’s local, state, regional, and national offices.”

The 2501 Program was originally authorized by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990. 2501 grants seek to enhance the equitable participation of socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers in USDA resources and programs, such as Farm Service Agency loans or grants through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP). Projects may focus on conferences, training sessions, educational materials, or new programs to help these farmers and ranchers thrive and succeed.

Eligible applicants include community-based organizations, networks, or coalitions of community-based organizations; 1890 or 1994 institutions of higher education; American Indian tribal community colleges or Alaska Native cooperative colleges; Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education; other higher education institutions; Indian Tribes or national tribal organizations. Eligible entities must have experience in providing agricultural education or other agricultural-related services for socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers.

The deadline for applications is May 15, 2018. See the request for applications for full details. Learn more about this funding opportunity through two teleconferences on March 28, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. EST and April 25, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. EST. To join each session, call 1-888-455-1685 and use passcode 7087935.

Examples of FY 2017 funded 2501 projects include a grant to the National Hmong American Farmers, Inc., to provide technical and direct assistance to Hmong farmers in central California who face barriers to successful farming due to poverty and cultural and linguistic isolation. A Florida State University project reached veterans with workshops, online agricultural courses, and 15 farm apprenticeships and managerial apprenticeships at private farms.

UGA Golf Course Included In Top College Courses

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ATHENS, GA – Designed by famed architect Robert Trent Jones, the University of Georgia Golf Course is recognized as one of the top college courses in the nation. It’s a reputation earned in large part because of all the work put in by its grounds keeping staff and their relationship with the UGA turf grass program.

Quilting Guilds Keeping Art Alive

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AUGUSTA – Quilting is an art form that has been passed down for many generations. It used to be a way to keep families warm, but it has transformed into more of a hobby these days. We paid a visit to a quilting guild in Augusta, and found out how this art has changed over the years from what it used to be and how quilting guilds are keeping this unique craft alive.

Farmers Talk Ag Issues with Lawmakers

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WASHINGTON, D.C – From the moment the plane touched down in DC, the young farmers and ranchers from Georgia had a very busy couple of days ahead of them. Each minute is a valuable one as they get the chance to meet with legislators and let their voices be heard to the ones that represent them.

“Us as young farmers want to have a voice up here because everything that we do is taking over the next generation of farming or business, so, we’re trying to get to see where policies are affecting us or are going to affect us, so we feel like what we need to say should be heard and I feel like this is a trip for us to be heard on,” says Dustin Covington, GFB Young Farmers and Ranchers Chair.

Zippy Duvall, President of American Farm Bureau says, “when they come to Washington, they realize what an important role they can play by being here in person talking to congressmen and senators and being able to realize that there is a place that their voice can be heard.”

The trip couldn’t have come at a better time, as several big issues are being discussed on the hill that could directly affect anyone in ag. One of those big issues of course is the Farm Bill. Members got to hear from AFBF lobbyist, Dale Moore as he spoke about how the farm bill could be completed quickly due to the upcoming midterms, as those members up for reelection want to get their work accomplished.

“The policy issues or a lot of those things have been worked on over the past couple of years. Both committees have spent hours and hours, days even in various hearings, town hall meetings, listening sessions, so one of the things we know is they’ve got a good handle on how they’re going to work with the policy, how they’re going to meet the budget challenges they’re going to have to work with,” says Dale Moore, Executive Director of Public Policy at American Farm Bureau.

Trade was also a big topic as NAFTA negotiations have been underway. Senator David Perdue had a meet and greet with the group and talked about some issues including trade. He reassured the group that that they know how important trade is to AG and that their interests are the top priority at the negotiating table.

“The president knows now the relationship the ag community has in the NAFTA agreement, and so he’s going to be very careful with that,” says Perdue. “What we’re trying to do is protect American workers, American industries, and at the same time, developing closer working and trading relationships with our trading partners like Mexico and Canada.”

We also got the chance to talk with Senator Perdue about infrastructure. In order for the ag industry to be successful, infrastructure needs to be up to date. Here in Georgia, roads have already seen repair, but the next big thing is broadband to be able to connect to the world digitally.

“I met this week with the Georgia Department of Transportation folks, and they are on it. I think there’s a way to combine our interstate layout of our interstate highways with broadband piping to get capabilities into these rural communities. We know that’s a big deal,” says Perdue.

Another part of rural development; having a steady workforce. Senator Perdue talked about the importance of revising the H2A law and how it will help rural communities in Georgia and all over the country.

“We know we’ve got to attract workers back into those areas,” says Perdue. “So, in the ag community, we know that the H2A law has got to be revised, we’re working on that, and we know that if you give people the opportunity to make a decent living, the rural communities will thrive and they’re thriving right now.”

By: John Holcomb

New Ag in the Classroom Initiative Turning Heads

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GAINESVILLE, GA – Part of Georgia Farm Bureau’s mission is to educate people about agriculture, and how agriculture produces the food and fiber of our lives. The way Georgia Farm Bureau does that is through the GFB Foundation for Agriculture, which was started back in 2014.

“The Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation is an avenue for Farm Bureau members and agricultural enthusiasts around the state to spread the message of Ag in the Classroom, scholarships, leadership development, consumer education, really just in an effort to increase agriculture literacy across the state,” says Katie Duvall, Executive Director for the GFB Foundation.

One of the biggest parts of the foundation is Ag in the Classroom, which is a program that takes volunteers into local schools in the community and teaches lessons to kids about ag. Hall County, which didn’t have an Ag in the Classroom program yet, took the ag in the classroom initiative and modified it to get more people involved.

“We saw the need of bringing agricultural based lessons to the elementary school students in Hall County. So, we got together and decided to create a new name brand that would possibly tie in our community in helping us reach all 26, 27 elementary schools because we knew it was going to be quite a task to be able to do all of that on our own so we come up with the name HallGROWS, which is Hall, for Hall County, Georgia and GROWS stands for growing real opportunities with students,” says Justine Palmer, office manager for Hall County FB.

Just like other Ag in the Classrooms, they would take a volunteer and would go into schools in the county and teach different ag lessons to kids. They didn’t just stop there, though. With their new initiative, they would make it to where they could reach as many classrooms as possible with things like workshops.

“We started deciding, well, we really need to touch more people,” says Palmer.  “So, that’s when we decided to have an educator workshop. At that educator workshop, we were able to bring teachers to us, to give them the tools to be able to send them back to their classrooms and spread it out that way.”

The initiative also focuses on communication with the schools. Like sending them teaching materials in emails each month.

Palmer says, “after we have an educator workshop, they sign up for a monthly e-blast, and that is an email link that goes to them that we designed that focuses on one commodity every month.”

The program has been working so well, the Hall County team got the chance to go to Nashville and showcase their new initiative and share the idea with others at the trade show.

Caroline Lewallen, volunteer for Hall County FB says, “if it’s a brainstorming idea for someone, it helps them jumpstart or start from scratch like we did, an Ag in the Classroom program in their community, then we want to be able to give that idea and share that idea with others.”

Hall County Farm Bureau is very excited about this new initiative that is working so well. However, there are some challenges to making this work efficiently. The main one being manpower.

“We have over 17,000 elementary students just in our county,” says Palmer.  “So, in order to reach all of those and go get them the education of where their food and fiber comes from, it’s going to take some manpower and it’s going to take people to pull together in our community.”

By: John Holcomb

Ocmulgee Public Fishing Area Re-Opened

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HAWKINSVILLE, GA – Anglers around the state are now welcome to cast their lines at the Ocmulgee Public Fishing Area, as it has officially opened their gates back up to the public after a six-year restoration.

After nearly six years of waiting, anglers can now officially cast their lines back into the waters of the Ocmulgee Public Fishing Area. This 106-acre lake, which was best known for its trophy largemouth bass, was shut down back in 2012 after major problems with the lake bed were discovered.

Tim Bonvechio, Senior Fisheries Biologist for DNR says, “the lake developed a sink hole and compromised the lake bottom, so the lake started to leak. Which it wasn’t sustainable for the fish population out here.”

That began the lengthy process of applying for government funding, draining the lake, and then fixing the problem. With such a large area to cover, the repair was long and complicated.

“Essentially, they just dug out a 24-acre footprint from this 106-acre lake where the engineers identified where the leaks were and borrowed the clay off our site here and put back two feet of clay on top,” says Bonvechio.  “So, basically, it’s a 24-25-acre footprint across the whole lake bottom in the middle there where they found the compromised areas.”

So far, so good, as there have been no problems spotted since the lake began refilling back in January of 2017.

“Right now, we’re only ten inches from full pool. So, it’s pretty neat to look out here right now and see that we’re just about where we need to be for the water levels,” says Bonvechio.

While having proper water levels was the first step, it wouldn’t be a fishing area without the fish. Back in the spring last year that problem was solved as more than 500 bass were stocked along with a number of other species.

“We really are excited to be out here and have the lake open to the public again,” says Bonvechio.  “We’re not holding back any recipes here. This is a trophy largemouth bass fishery as well as productive crappie and brim, blue gill and red ear. So, we’re really excited to have the lake open again for the public to enjoy. We got a couple year classes of bass now in the lake and several crappie, bluegill and red ear sunfish, and lots of forage we stocked in here. So, the lake is getting up and going.”

Each of the bass stocked has a chip implanted, which allows DNR professionals to track how the individual fish are growing. While the trophy level bass anglers were catching at this pond’s peak is still a few years away, there is plenty of good fishing to be had right now.

Bonvechio says, “a lot of our fish are grown on our warm water hatcheries across the state. We have several of those, so not just one hatchery, but several hatcheries have grown out the fish. We’re stocking advanced, catchable bass. Georgia has pioneered that, 11-month-old bass we’re stocking. So, we’re really excited about getting the lake going and an angler caught a five-pound bass the other day. So, we’re getting some decent sized fish in the lake already.”

By: Damon Jones

UGA Equestrian Team Working for National Title

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If you haven’t noticed, UGA athletics as a whole is thriving right now. Of course, the football team reached the national championship game. Men’s and women’s track have consistently ranked in the top three. Then there’s the equestrian team who have won six National titles since 2003 and appear to be headed for their 7th. We recently got the chance to hang out with them for a bit. They told us about their goals and of course the determination they have to reach them.

Secretary Perdue Testifies on Rebuilding American Infrastructure

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue yesterday, March 14th, testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation hearing entitled “Rebuilding Infrastructure in America: Administration Perspectives.” Secretary Perdue was joined by Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Department of Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

New Spending Bill Protects Cotton and Dairy Producers

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TIFTON, GA – Almost everywhere you looked around South Georgia last year, there were acres and acres of peanuts, as farmers planted a record 1.9 million acres. A big reason for that was the absence of coverage in the 2014 Farm Bill for cotton growers. It’s a problem those farmers and the National Cotton Council have been fighting ever since.

 

Don Shurley, Extension Economist with the University of Georgia says, “we want cotton on the same, level playing field as with other commodities. Other commodities like corn, wheat, soybeans, have a safety net under the 2014 Farm Bill. Cotton did not.”

However, after years of hard work, the crop is finally being added into the Title 1 coverage as an oilseed, which means it is now eligible for Price Loss Coverage and Agriculture Risk Coverage under the current Farm Bill. While the kick-in price of 37 cents might seem low, it’s actually a fair price when considering the calculations.

“This seed cotton program has what’s called a reference price,” says Shurley, “and that reference price is 36.7 cents. Farmers kind of on the face of it will look at that and say ‘Dang, that’s a pretty low price.’ Well, you have to understand how it’s calculated. That 36.7 is a weighted average price of both cotton and cotton seed. Cotton might be selling for 70-80 cents per pound, but cotton seed might be selling for 8 or 9. So, when you take a weighted average of both of those, it pulls that average way down to that 36.7. So, that 36.7 is a weighted average between the price of cotton and the price of cotton seed. And when you consider that, it’s really not that low.”

As for the STAX program, which was created as an alternative to Title 1 coverage, it could soon be a thing of the past.

“If you convert what’s called generic base on a farm now to this seed cotton base, then you would no longer be eligible for STAX. So, effectively what that means is that come 2019, or next crop year, STAX will no longer exist,” says Shurley.

The cotton industry wasn’t the only ones to benefit from the new Spending Bill, as milk producers also receive assistance. The cutoff for Tier 1 of the Margin Protection Program has been raised by a million pounds and premiums being paid by small and medium sized farms have been waived or greatly reduced.

Levi Russell, Applied Economist with UGA says, “for the Tier 1 milk production, which is everything below 5 million pounds of milk, so for a smaller dairy that is going to produce less than 5 million pounds of milk, those are the premiums they would pay between five dollars, I mean 5.50 up to 8 dollars’ worth of coverage.”

And it’s not just the smaller dairies get some aid, as Tier 2 producers will also benefit from a change to monthly payments.

“It’s going to be more efficient in the sense that we’re going to have a monthly calculation of the payments,” says Russell. “So, instead of every two months, say you know, one month the milk prices are really low and the feed costs are very high, and then the next month, maybe things got a little better and things would sort of wash out the payment, now since it’s going to be on a monthly basis, that’s going to help producers across the board, not just the smaller end, the smaller dairies, but also larger dairies as well. It’s going to make it more efficient.”

By: Damon Jones