Sunbelt Expo is saying goodbye to one of its own. Gina McDonald, Vice President of Marketing is retiring after 20 years. Rest assured though, she’s leaving the position in very good hands. The person now charged with trying to fill Gina’s shoes is Becca Turner, who prior to joining Sunbelt Expo was associate professor of communications at ABAC.
ATLANTA, GA – It was an impressive show of strength for the Georgia Farm Bureau recently in Atlanta, as hundreds of members attended Georgia Farm Bureau Day at the Capitol.
Once a year, two different worlds come together as farmers from all over the state make the trip to Atlanta for a chance to have their voices heard at the state capitol, and as always, the turnout was impressive as around five hundred farmers packed the depot for a morning briefing by GFB President, Gerald Long.
Alex Bradford, State Affairs Coordinator for Georgia Farm Bureau says, “the main goal today is to just let legislators know of farm bureau’s presence across our state and the strong grassroots network that we have that pays attention to the political process and is heavily involved, and they participate, they’re up to date on their issues, they’re active, and when things are impacting them on the farm, they don’t hesitate to show up and voice those concerns or support for issues their legislators are carrying at the capitol every day.”
This day is an important one for agriculture, as it gives farmers a chance to connect with those that represent them and ultimately make decisions that affect them and their operations on a day to day basis.
Daniel Johnson, South Georgia Vice President for Georgia Farm Bureau says, “today is a good opportunity for our members to get out and see our representatives and let them know what they need or feel, because I’ve always been under the impression, and still am, that these people work for us, we elect them to be here, and we need to make sure they’re doing their job.”
Members are not the only ones that look forward to this day in Atlanta. Representatives are also happy to see members there, packing the capitol building full, being active, and talking with them about issues they’re facing.
“As legislators, we really look forward to our constituents coming up, our AG people, let us know what’s on their mind. It’s very important that we hear straight from them, the issues, and we can take it straight back to the legislature and work on those things,” says Robert Dickey, Representative for Georgia’s 140th District.
As legislators open session, they open up the floor for debates on legislation, but according to state affairs coordinator, Alex Bradford, it’s not always new legislation, it is often times legislation that has already been passed and needs some work.
Bradford says, “a lot of times it’s identifying things that may not be the direct consequence of a bill or the intent, but may have some repercussions that impact agriculture, and we try to identify those and rectify that situation with committees before the vote on them on the floor.”
While at the capitol, President Long, as in past years, got a chance to take the podium in both the house and senate to address legislators, showing his importance to the Georgia AG industry as the state’s largest AG organization.
“We thank you all for everything you all do, to help agriculture be successful so that each county in this state can be successful, and not only make agriculture number one in Georgia, but make Georgia number one in the nation,” says Long.
During their lunch break, representatives joined members for a meal back at the depot where Governor Deal was in attendance and took the podium, showing just how much importance and respect this organization has.
“It’s the largest AG organization in the state of Georgia, and we have got to have a voice. I don’t care if you’re a hunter or a fisherman, or in agriculture, or anything, Georgia farm Bureau can give you the voice on the legislative side of anything that comes up in this state,” says Johnson.
By: John Holcomb
Tifton, GA – Whether you run a small family farm, or thousands of acres, it’s essential to set a yearly budget for your operation. And that’s especially true in this economic climate, as there is very little room for error.
Amanda Smith, Extension Economist for the University of Georgia says, “compared to a few years ago, variable costs are less than they were, but they are coming up, and compared to a few years ago, commodity prices are less than they were. So, with variable costs coming up and commodity prices not being as high as they were, margins are getting tighter.”
Those margins include input costs that should be considered when deciding what direction to go in for the year.
”There are so many things they have to think about when deciding what to plant. Crop rotation is one of those things. The economics of the cost of the crops as well, looking at what potential prices might be as well as what they think their cost of production might be,” says Smith.
While the University of Georgia does provide plenty of tools to help it shouldn’t be the only thing farmers rely on when making those decisions.
Smith says, “the University of Georgia row crop enterprise budgets that we create are representative for South Georgia. They’re not going to be accurate for the particular farm. So, ideally, each farmer will take the budget and adjust the numbers to reflect their typical yield and production practices. And the big thing they need to think about is, alright, what potential problems might we see coming up in the future. If they maybe had some disease problems or a nematode issue in a particular field, are they going to need to have some additional sprays for chemicals to treat that to make sure that they have enough yield? So, accounting for all of the costs is really, really important.”
Budgeting for the weather and possible problems in the field aren’t the only things that should be taken into account, as unexpected costs to repair machinery is also a major problem farmers are facing today.
”A lot of times, what has happened in the past is a good gauge as far as an estimate of what those costs might be, but we’re also aware that farmers are not replacing implements are rapidly as they had several years ago when farm incomes were a little bit higher and holding onto tractors a little bit longer as well. So, repairs and maintenance might be a little bit higher because they are dealing with older equipment,” says Smith.
So, while a number of factors need to be considered while setting the yearly budget, there is one practice that can make the process much easier and effective.
Smith says, “keep good records. So, hopefully they’ve had excellent records from last year and the year before and several years back. And so, then they can evaluate those and see, alright, where have we been spending extra money? Is there a particular area that we can focus on managing our costs?”
By: Damon Jones
Melissa Copelan Mathis is the 5th generation to farm on family land in Monroe County, Georgia. Aside from raising cattle and helping run a family-owned business, she is a wife and mother of two. As if that weren’t enough, she’s also a tireless advocate for Georgia agriculture. She volunteers in schools, to help teach kids about AG. Here is her story.
Duluth, GA – Horticulture experts and enthusiasts from all over the state recently gathered for the annual Wintergreen Trade Show and Conference.
Whether it was plants, equipment, or even pine straw you were looking for, you could find it all under one roof at the Infinity Energy Center in Duluth, as it played host to the premiere horticulture showcase in the state. Those in attendance got a unique chance to meet a number of the region’s top vendors face to face and get an update on an ever-changing industry.
Chris Butts, Executive Director of GGIA says, “essentially what it offers is a world of contacts all under one roof. It would take days, weeks, and months for you to be able to go and visit with all these vendors and suppliers from across the country. It offers you the convenience of being able to visit with all these folks under one roof. It’s the largest event for the greens industry in Georgia, three full days of education along with exhibitors from across the country.”
This is Georgia’s only multi-day trade show and conference with experts holding seminars through the three-day event. It’s information that is not only important to the individuals, but the industry as a whole.
“Professionalism in our industry is a big deal. We want our members and the industry in general to be up to date on different trends but also in regulations as far as pesticide application and that sort of thing. So, it increases that professionalism. It’s also a draw to bring those folks in and while they’re here they can go to the show. They can meet new vendors for different supplies for their business,” says Butts.
While there is plenty to look at in this trade show, it’s pretty clear to see what this year’s trend is.
Dr. Michael Dirr, horticulturist says, “color, color, color, and color. What colors? Yellow, purple and red, blue, but never green. Green is not a color. The industry has kind of gotten to a point where we’re kind of like decorators and that’s the trend. It’s smaller because many of our gardens, our landscapes are smaller, but they still want the color element, whether it’s hydrangea three feet or whatever it might be, a gardenia with white flowers and fragrance.”
And that’s good news for an industry that was in dire straits following an economic recession just over five years ago. But with the economy gradually improving since, it’s an industry that has never been in better shape.
“We lost 30-40% of our nurseries and production capacity. Gradually, we’ve built back up. Building starts are high everywhere, commercial and residential, and that is largely driving the big number in sales. There’s nothing but positivity. Everyone is feeling that. This is a great year, record sales, sold out in many cases, so, our future looks good. Let’s hope we can keep it going,” says Dirr.
And that’s important to the state as a whole, as the horticulture industry has a major financial impact in a number of different sectors.
“The industry has an estimated economic impact on the state of $7 billion a year and employs up to 70,000 Georgians. Like you said, that includes everything from turf grass, to pine straw, to flowers, shrubs and trees. It’s touches the lives of many Georgians and that’s an important part of Georgia’s agricultural economy,” says Butts.
By: Damon Jones
