Author Archives: John Holcomb

Future Looks Tough for Some GA Pecan Producers

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Uvalda, GA |

Here in Southeast Georgia, this is the heartbreaking scene that pecan producers in the region woke up to after Hurricane Helene’s destructive march through the state. As you can see, pecan orchards like one, were almost completely leveled by winds of more than 100 miles an hour that toppled trees that producers have worked so hard to grow over the last decade, and were full of this season’s crop.

“This type of wind that occurred at this location, which is far into the state of Georgia, lower Montgomery County was 109mph, was the recording. With a hurricane, your damage actually comes not just from the wind, but from the rain. And everybody knows we were brought so much rain. The square foot of the canopy that’s extended, that picks up the wind, it just blows these trees straight over and in a hurricane, a lot of times we’ll see thirty percent tree loss and we think that’s so bad, forty, sometimes fifty, but again, at this location we’re at the eighty percent tree loss for trees more than ten years old,” says Andrew Sawyer, Area Pecan Agent.

What makes this storm so devastating is the timing, as producers were already struggling as inputs have driven up their cost of production, as well as the fact that the industry itself has was in the midst of transitioning to different, more sustainable varieties.

“For the industry as a whole, we were already struggling. We had the price issues with pecans the last few years. That’s been really hurt by the cost of the inputs. Treatments, our fungicide programs, these are desirable, these have a lot of disease. So, they’ve had a very strong fungicide program; there have been more than ten sprays in this orchard this year, but on the other side of the road from me is a different variety that doesn’t have as much spray. So, the state of Georgia, was already involved in switching orchards, if you will, from high management varieties to low management varieties. These are varieties that still have great production and kernel quality, but we were in that transition. This storm, for all that they’ve gone through, really, really has added to the difficulties,” says Sawyer.

However, the immediate effect is not what’s most concerning, as storms like this one, and damage like this has a lasting impact, as producers will have no choice but to replant, and will have to wait at least seven years for those trees to start producing.

“Normal storm events, we worry about losing some trees and then losing the crop for this year, but with the tree, we can have another crop next year. In a situation like this, if the trees are leaning just forty-five degrees, thirty degrees at this age, their roots are so damaged they won’t come back and they won’t be able to make a crop in a situation like this. You don’t come back with a crop next year. If you replant, which is the only option, we’re not looking for a crop here until now, seven, eight, nine years from now,” says Sawyer.

By: John Holcomb

One Blow After Another for Row Crop Producers

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Alma, GA |

Imagine working your entire life for something and then, in what feels like an instant, it gets destroyed by a hurricane. For some, that’s hard to imagine, however, for many across southeast Georgia, like Daniel Johnson, a row crop farmer in Pierce County, it very much is a reality.

“We’ve got damage. We’ve got some home damage. We’ve got shelter damage to back of barn damage. The good thing is, my family’s safe; that’s what it’s all about. We can replace material things, but the family’s safe, but we pray for everybody’s safety and maybe everything can get back to normal. You know, I don’t know what normal is anymore, but agriculture is hurting. The community’s hurting as a whole. Agriculture was already hurting because of crop prices and input costs, but now we’ve took a double hit, and Tropical Storm Debbie was pretty devastating to us for our crops and I never dreamed it all would come at one time, you know, 30 days apart you might as well say,” says Daniel Johnson, Owner of DL Johnson Farms.

According to Johnson, what makes this storm so devastating is how it basically kicked farmers when they were already down, as he says the year as a whole has been horrific, and now, as you can see, what crop they have been able to grow, has now been blown away.

“Cotton was already at a point that it was unprofitable. So, every bowl we could pick was going to be a plus for us and now we don’t have it. I think we’ll still be able to pick some cotton, some is probably not going to be harvestable, some of this has already been through drowning, droughts, and tropical storms. So, we’re beat from the get go. What people don’t understand is twenty years ago, commodity prices were the same as they are today, if not better,” says Johnson.

For now, Johnson says he has no choice but to continue on, as this year’s peanuts are just days away from being ready to harvest, but for cotton, he says it’s too early to tell if he’ll be able to or if it’s even worth harvesting.

“It’s going to be a wait and see. If we had an average crop, we’re forty, fifty percent less than what we had. There again, if we can save some of it, but is it going to cost more to save it than we’re going to make? We know that’s going to happen already. If we picked the fool crop, we were going to lose money, but we got to make the best of it and just hope the economy turns and things change. It kind of takes the words away from me, because you just don’t know sometimes what to think or what to do,” says Johnson.

However, despite the devastation, Johnson is still hopeful and optimistic everything will work out for them in the end.

“It’s just a wait and see game. We hope we all come out better than what we are, but we’ll overcome it somehow. This ain’t the first rodeo. We’ve had storms before but nothing like a year like this, let’s just say that,” says Johnson.

By: John Holcomb

Hurricane Helene Proves Devastating to Georgia Ag

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Lakeland, GA |

Take a ride through any rural community in Southeast Georgia and it’s impossible to miss the utter destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Perhaps no industry was more impacted than agriculture, as the more than one hundred mile an hour wind gusts laid waste to any and all fields in its path.

“Utter devastation, utter devastation. We’ve seen pecan growers that have lost half their trees. We’ve seen cotton growers that have lost their entire crops. We’ve seen blueberry growers that have just been decimated. We’ve seen produce growers that have been decimated and it’s just utter devastation. It’s heart breaking,” says Russ Goodman, Chairman of the Senate Ag Committee.

With the damage being so extensive on these farms, the financial ramifications are likely to be felt for many years to come.

“This farm here next year had a potential of doing 350-400 thousand pounds on this one farm. We have another fifty acres that was new plantings and those also have been wiped out. It’s sickening. Not going to cry about it but it will make you tear up. It’s just a lot of hard work that’s gone and the financial loss for next year is going to be devastating,” says Alex Cornelius, Owner of Heagan Blueberry Farm.

“You see plans they had for their children and grand children laying on the dirt and broken. You see their retirement gone with no protection. You see an opportunity that we may not can get here and salvage this,” says Chad Nimmer, Procurement Forester with Pierce Timber Company.

While the financial impact of this storm can easily be seen, the emotional damage caused by Hurricane Helene is a little harder to define.

“It’s heart breaking. You kind of go home and be inside and everything be somewhat normal and day by day, you’re out here working still and looking at it and it’s just, it’s heart breaking. It’s every day, as much time, labor, effort and heart, blood, sweat, and tears that’s been put in it, to see something like this happen, it’s just unbelievable and unbearable,” says TJ Moore with Moore Farms.

“It’s generational. I mean, especially in a perineal crop like pecans, these trees were standing in here, I was in the third grade; that was thirty-nine years ago when we planted these. So, it’s something you grew up with. So, it has a real, real strong emotional pull with it,” says Buck Paulk with Shiloh Pecan Farms.

“We need all kinds of help. We don’t need Democrats, we don’t need Republicans; we need Americans to help us and all of us come together. We have never faced it like this before. I think we’ll just have to keep on trying the best we can, but sooner or later, if it’s just year after year, we’ll just have to quit,” says Ben Strickland with Strickland Farms.

This is a legitimate concern as Helene was the second major storm in the past couple of years to make its way through the area. And with the state’s number one industry relying so heavily on Southeast Georgia to provide for a number of different sectors from produce to timber, getting these farmers back on their feet is essential for the health of not only the state, but the nation as a whole.

“When you look at agriculture in the state of Georgia, it’s one in seven jobs in the state of Georgia either indirectly or directly. Where I live, here in rural South Georgia, it’s about one in three and we’ve got to keep the American farmer in business. I mean, food security is just as a big of a part of national security as national defense is,” says Goodman.

By: Damon Jones

Immersive Fair Exhibit Showcases Forestry

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Perry, GA |

Ag is of course big business here in Georgia, and a new exhibit inside the Georgia Grown Building at the Georgia National Fair is aimed at making people aware of that fact with the new “Seedlings to Solution’s Experience” – an exhibit designed to showcase Georgia’s thriving forestry industry, which happens to be number one in the country.

“We came to agreement with Commissioner Harper to bring a new life to and contemporary look to Georgia Grown and give the fairgoers and the people who attend who don’t know anything about Georgia agriculture, Georgia forestry, etc., and rural communities that thrive by those industries, but to give them a new, modern, conventional look at, it’s big business; AG’s big business. Forestry’s big business,” says David Bridges, Director of Georgia’s Rural Center.

“To be able to present forestry and to show Georgians such a great experience at the fair is so exciting for us. We’ve been working on this for a year, and we can’t wait to have people come in, learn about forestry in Georgia. Learn what makes a working forest tick. Learn the importance of forestry in Georgia outside of, you know, your typical paper or lumber in your home, but to be able to see all the many ways that we use wood products here in Georgia and in the world,” says Wendy Burnett, Director of Public Relations for the Georgia Forestry Commission.

What makes the exhibit so unique is the fact that it’s an immersive experience – one that allows people the chance to explore the forestry industry from the time the tree is planted as a seedling until it’s harvested and used to create products consumers love and enjoy.

“If you feel a certain way about forestry that’s negative or you don’t understand why we have to harvest trees or why forests need to be managed; the best thing that we can do is take you on a field trip and show you the forest and show you what we’re doing, let you behind the gates to see what management looks like every day and the stewards that are making that happen. The cool part about this exhibit is that gives us an opportunity to bring really the forest to the average fair grower and the people who are coming and visiting this fair,” says Matt Hestad, Senior VP of the Georgia Forestry Association.

In the end however, the ultimate goal they hope to achieve is just bridging the gap between Georgia’s forests and consumers by showing them the different aspects of the industry and its important role in their everyday lives and more importantly, our state’s economy.

“We really wanted to give people the broad view of forestry in Georgia to see all the different careers available for instance in forestry. It’s not just a logger, it’s not just a sawmill worker. There’s so many different careers in forestry. We also wanted people to understand what it means to have a working forest, and that it’s okay to harvest trees because we’re planting more trees right back to replace those. And we want them to understand that Georgia’s forests are a renewable resource. We want them to understand that they should feel good about using forest products that come from Georgia’s working forests,” says Burnett.

By: John Holcomb

Farm Monitor and ABAC Partner to Highlight Ag Stories

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Tifton, GA |

Despite only becoming a four-year school just over fifteen years ago, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College has now grown to more than thirty-seven hundred students from all over the world, offering fourteen different bachelor’s degrees in everything from fine arts to nursing. And it’s a curriculum they are always looking to expand on.

“We have so many of our students that spend four years here and go right on to vet school, med school, law school. And so, just seeing how competitive we are and we’re also working on getting our elementary education program approved by the board of regents and hope that we can get that program added to our offerings for next year. So, we’re continuing to grow our offerings into Bainbridge. We would like to add some ag related courses, as well as continuing to build our additional four-year programing there,” says Tracy Brundage, President of ABAC.

Of course, the college is best known for their School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, where students can specialize in a number of different fields across the industry. And this past year, they added one more to the list, along with a brand new twenty-seven thousand square foot facility to house it in.

“That is our largest school with over fifteen hundred students enrolled. And we do have a relatively new program, that’s our bachelors of science in agricultural technology management. And the good news is from when we started it last year to this year, it’s growing and we’re really excited about the potential. This program is, broaden scope, prepares students for a wide variety of jobs, including technical careers that includes sales or management in the production, processing or manufacturing of agricultural materials,” says Brundage.

It’s no secret that the average age of farmers is on the rise, which is why ABAC’s goal of preparing their graduating students for the workforce is more important than ever.

“We’ve improved our retention rate. We have new initiatives with our career center. Our placement numbers, we did over two hundred and fifty-four of our students were placed in internships in the School of Ag and Natural Resources over the summer. And we have a long tradition of internships that really are a key reason why ABAC graduates are sought after by our employers,” says Brundage.

It’s not just academics that is seeing a major expansion, as the athletic department is also making some major changes.

“We’re really excited about transitioning from two-year athletics to four-year athletics. We’ve made that transition that’s complete. We’re actually beginning in the NAIA right now. So, we have our fall sports participating. We brought back men and women’s basketball. And as I mentioned last time, that was something we were really excited about to add to our enrollment and retention initiatives,” says Brundage.

That excitement extends to marketing a well, with the college partnering up with Farm Monitor TV. It will provide them a platform to highlight some of the many innovative things they are doing on and away from the farm.

“We’ve been looking for ways to build partnerships to really elevate our brand and brand recognition on a national level. And we’re really looking forward to this partnership and the activities that we jointly have planned to really provide ABAC with that visibility and to be able to just share the good news and the stories of our students and the great work that they’re doing and how successful they are and how we really are helping to meet the workforce needs of the number one industry sector in the state of Georgia, which is agriculture,” says Brundage.

By: Damon Jones

Georgia Peanut Tour Showcases Commodity Strengths

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Americus, GA |

More than one and a half million tons. That’s how many peanuts are grown and harvested here in Georgia each and every year. So, it should come as no surprise that the annual Georgia Peanut Tour attracts guests from all over the world. This three-day tour takes them on the journey from planting to processing and everything in between. And one of their first stops was at a seed development company, where it all begins.

“Well, out here, we take breeder material from UGA breeders. We increase that. They give us about a hundred and forty pounds of seed from their breeding programs. We take that and we increase it and we increase it again until it’s available for public to buy. We’re kind of the bridge between the public breeders and the commercial buyers,” says Justin Tanner, Manager of Georgia Seed Development.

The number one goal for this kind operation is to maintain the integrity of the seed, even while being mass produced.

“Seed production is different than food production. The way we handle our seed, the way that it’s treated for purity and quality to ensure that the variety remains pure. It is our number one goal that the genetics remain just as pure as the time we get it from the breeder,” says Tanner.

Once in the ground, getting the crop all the way to harvest is quite an undertaking. Thankfully, there are companies like GreenPoint Ag that help the grower keep their peanuts healthy and strong.

“Yeah, we’re a full-service ag retailer here in Cordelle, Georgia. We sell everything a farmer needs from crop nutrients to precision ag services, agronomy services, all insecticides, herbicides and fungicides that are needed to protect the crop through the growing season. It’s important to support farmers. We give them all the things they need to protect their crop, keep the pests out of it, keep all the diseases out of their crop so they can make a good harvest and sustain a profitable operation,” says Clint Powell, Manager of GreenPoint Ag.

While here, attendees got to hear about some the latest treatment options, as well as all the dedication it takes to keep Georgia’s peanut industry running smoothly.

“I hope they enjoy seeing what we do. I love my job here and I hope everybody takes away that we’re devoted to the farmers of Georgia and supporting them and giving them everything they need. We’re very versatile. We’ll go anywhere in the state needed to support the growers. I just hope that they realize how important agriculture is for the state of Georgia, for the economy of Georgia. It’s not just farmers. It’s the entire area that we’re living in here in Georgia,” says Powell.

Even though there are many cogs in the machine when it comes to peanut production in the state, it’s important to note how they are all pulling in the same direction.

“The message that I would like to get across is that we’re all here to support the farmer. We’re all here to support the industry. There’s a lot that goes into it, a lot of hard work. We’re all committed to the farmer of the area and we all love agriculture. That’s why we’re in this industry,” says Powell.

By: Damon Jones

Ellijay Apple Season Looks to Be Strong

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Ellijay, GA |

If you take a stroll through the North Georgia mountains this time of year, there are a few things you’re guaranteed to see: Beautiful mountains and apple orchards just like this one, B.J. Reese Orchards in Ellijay, who are busy harvesting deliciously ripe apples just like these. As you can see, the trees produced a fantastic crop, which according to owner, John Reese, is one of the best crops they’ve ever had.

“We had a real good spring. The apples got pollinated good. We put bees in the orchard in the spring to help pollinate the fruit, and a lot of times if it’s rainy or it’s cloudy, your apple trees don’t get pollinated good and that can hurt your crop too. So, we got a good pollination this year, and it’s one of the best crops that we’ve had. We had a little frost damage on some varieties, but overall, it’s one of the best crops we’ve had,” says John Reese, Owner of B.J. Reese Orchards.

However, growing one of the best crops they’ve ever had wasn’t an easy process, as growing apples is a year-round job, as they constantly have something to do in their orchards.

“Well in November, when you pick your last apples, you usually go through about November, first week or two in November and pick the rest of the apples that haven’t been picked. A lot of apples don’t come in until the first of November or last of October. And so, soon as we pick those, we start going in and, pruning the trees. So, uh, end of November, really, December, January, February and March, we’re pruning the trees and we push up old trees, and we get ready to plant new trees in the spring,” says Reese.

Aside from just growing and selling the apples like a typical farming operation, they also have a huge focus on agritourism; inviting the public to come pick apples, play games, and see the many other on farm attractions.

“We start our u-pick and our family fun on the farm the last weekend in August and through September and October. Depending on the crop and the weather, sometimes we’ll take the apple picking on in the first week or two in November. We have a petting farm, cow milking, and we have pony rides. We also have an apple canon where kids can shoot apples at a target. We have a wagon ride where we have some longhorns that we ride by and see the longhorn cattle. We have a scavenger hunt as well that’s like a corn maze. We also have pig races on the weekends,” says Reese.

Of course, another huge part of their operation is their store front, where people can come get freshly made, value added products that are all made from the apples they grow on their farm, like jams, jellies, and of course, fresh apple pies.

“We make our own cider and all the stuff that we grow like our jams, jellies, relishes, and chow chow is made out of our stuff that we grow and we also make our own apple pies. We use our apples in anything that we sell in here; we try to use our apples to make it,” says Reese.

By: John Holcomb

Field Day Provides Crop, Research Updates

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Tifton, GA |

In Tifton recently, producers got an up close and personal look at the latest cotton and peanut research. It’s an event that’s an important one for producers as they get to see firsthand the important, grower funded work that’s being done that will keep the industry successful for years to come.

“We’re all in need of new information. Certainly in a trying times that we’ve got economically on the farm. We need to know the latest and the greatest, and of course, some of the stuff really won’t be available for commercial production for several years, but it’s good to have an idea of what our researchers are doing. The other side of it is it gives us a firsthand look at what our researchers are doing, the effort, the information and work that they’re putting in to get these improvements in our growing process and it just makes you feel good about how our research dollars are being spent,” says Joe Boddiford, Chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission.

Of course, another important aspect of the event is getting to hear updates from experts on this year’s crop. This year was of course a rough one from the start as producers had a hard time even getting the crop planted, which according to UGA’s Scott Monfort, has now delayed most of this year’s peanut crop.

“Overall this year has progressed to be a pretty decent year. Every year, we have a lot of bumps and bruises to get to where we’re at today. We had a lot of rainfall in May that pushed our planting season back 2 to 3 weeks. So, a lot of our acres were planted last week of May going into June. Then we went from being extremely wet to extremely hot and dry in June. So, we fought some things to get this crop up and going,” says Extension Peanut Agronomist, Scott Montfort.

Since getting it up and going, producers have still had a challenging time, as the weather has caused a number of disease issues for peanut producers.

“Problem we face this year has been tomato spotted wilt virus. It will be a problem every single year, but growers need to look in their fields now. More spotted wilt than you want? What could you have done earlier to do it? Leaf spot diseases are always a problem for Georgia’s peanut farmers, always; but this year they’ve been a little bit slow to develop. I think that that warm, dry weather we had mid-season kind of was a restart button for this disease. Now growers are facing leaf spot diseases. They need to take an opportunity to manage them, but I think it’s been a little slow. The disease that’s been number one issue for us and certainly environmentally driven has been part of that has been white mold. White mold flourishes when we have warm, moist, humid nighttime temperatures. We’ve had that even when we’re not getting rain. If we have heat, if we have warm days, it can be,” says Bob Kemerait, Extension Plant Pathologist.

Monfort says that the rollercoaster of weather has continued to be a trend all throughout the growing season, as even now, dryland peanuts are suffering from the lack of rain. However, he says despite that, the crop could still turn out to be a decent one.

“The dryland crop is struggling. That’s around 49 percent of our crop is dryland. We had a lot more irrigated this time. And so that’s the one that I’m really concerned about as far as how is that going to fare out. I think it’s, it’s a good, maybe slightly above average crop,” says Monfort.

By: John Holcomb

Georgia Farmer Earns National Recognition

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Tennille, GA |

No matter what you’re growing, the health of your soil determines both the quantity and quality of your product. It’s a concept not lost on Eddy Turner, as he’s been spending years improving the condition of his farm through the use of numerous management practices, including the planting of cover crops.

“In the wintertime, we’re putting crimson clover, Persian clover, kale, daikon radish and oats. All that biomass when it’s mature in May, we mow it back down and put all that biomass back on the ground. Then we follow that typically with sorghum and we’ll plant no till sorghum in that land. Then in September, we will shred all of that sorghum back down and put all that biomass back down on the ground,” says Eddy Turner, National Soil Health Champion.

Despite all the hard work and patience that goes into it, the results speak for themselves as he’s been able to replenish the nutrients lost during growing season, while also setting these fields up for future success.

“What we’re doing is we’re trying to build the organic matter in the soil so that we’ll have improved water holding capabilities. Our soils here, they don’t hold water very well because of the low organic content. So, this field we looked at earlier this morning, we more than doubled the water holding capacity of that soil,” says Turner.

That’s just one of the soil conservation practices being done here on Turner Farm, which is why Eddy was recently became one of just five Soil Conservation Champions within the state. And those efforts extend to his biggest crop, more than a hundred twenty-five acres of Bermudagrass hay.

“Just like we’re building biomass on these fields of cover crops, we also try to build biomass on our hayfields by leaving them to grow at the end of the year. We don’t harvest right up until frost. A lot of people do, but we try to allow our grass to grow so that it’s got plant growth above the ground by the time frost hits in the wintertime. Then the energy that’s stored in that plant feeds the roots through the rest of the winter, makes it very robust when it comes out in the spring,” says Turner.

While these practices have obvious benefits to both the environment and ecosystem, it also can help boost the farmer’s bottom line. That was emphasized more than ever in 2024, as extreme heat and lack of rain were common throughout the state.

“This year, with the drought in June and now a drought in August, these are the years that doing this sort of thing gives you the greatest benefit. I would encourage anyone to look closely and if no till is possible for them, or certainly, if it’s not no till, minimum tillage so that you allow the soil, the roots to develop a network in the soil that will help with water infiltration and also help build organic matter in the soil,” says Turner.

By: Damon Jones

A New Wine Vineyard in Elbert County

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Elberton, GA |

Once the sixth largest wine producing state in the country, Georgia has really seen an industry resurgence over the past decade with new wineries opening up every year. And one of the newer ones is Blue Cielo Farms in Elberton. It’s a business idea that came about while tending to some land on a completely different property.

“One day we were spraying the tree farm in Commerce and we came across some grapes. And it was a really hot summer day, and I was getting really tired of spraying these weeds and what not on the tree farm. And so, when we came across these grapes, I said ‘wow, why are we getting rid of these grapes? Let’s just grow them,'” says Cassandra Wiseman, owner of Blue Cielo Farms.

That was the beginning of the Wisemans journey into grapes, which eventually lead to the purchase of this property ten years later. And while there was some initial hesitation to expand their business, it was an opportunity they just couldn’t pass up after speaking with the owner Helen Lyman, who was looking to continue her late husband’s dream of opening up a winery in Elbert County.

“We just really bonded with her and just had a sort of kinship and, it sounds a little bit trite, but I just felt that there was a connection and that maybe this is what we were really supposed to do was to take over this property as she was furiously searching for someone to take it over and continue her husband, Dale Lyman’s dream rather than turning it into pasture and just building houses,” says Cassandra.

In February of 2023, that dream officially became a reality as this thirty-three-acre farm, which grows eleven different varieties of grapes, was opened to the public. It’s a labor of love that doesn’t come without plenty of hard work and patience.

“Really, the weekends I’m spending in the vineyard on Saturdays and Sundays really tending to the vines. It’s a lot of fun, but it is a lot of work and it’s very gratifying going from pruning right through to harvest. They come with challenges. Muscadines grow easiest I would say, here in Georgia. On the hybrid side, the viticulturists and specialists have done an amazing job of coming up with varieties; hybrid vinifera that grows well here in Georgia. We have a lot of red clay here on this property. It holds the moisture, the Ph levels are pretty decent, but with the right vineyard management program you can grow grapes very successfully that produce wonderful wines here in Georgia,” says Gary Wiseman.

Those wines are on full display here at Blue Cielo Farms, along with a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of views. It’s a little slice of heaven that inspired the name, which is an homage to Cassandra’s previous job as a Spanish teacher.

“So, I wanted to bring that with me into my new career. That’s where I came up with the name Cielo. Cielo means sky or heaven, and so, that’s why we call it Blue Cielo. We believe that Cielo means tranquility, optimism, and serenity. So, that’s what we try to carry in our brand and at our winery,” says Cassandra.

By: Damon Jones