Author Archives: 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

Ag Leaders Join Lawmakers to Discuss 2025 Session

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Perry, GA |

In just over four months, state legislators will be returning under the Gold Dome and kicking off the 2025 session. Just like with every year, there are a number of ag issues they’re hoping to address this upcoming session, which is why the annual Joint Agriculture Committee Chairmen Ag Issues Summit is so important, as they discuss issues within agriculture with ag industry leaders and professionals.

“We had a great Ag Summit, Chairman Goodman and I had a lot of great speakers talking about ag economy and what’s going on all over our state referring to ag and trying to get it on our agenda as we go to the legislative session later this year. My goal is to bring AG to the forefront. As a real priority economic driver of our state and how important it is for the economy of our state that agriculture is successful and profitable. We’re trying to highlight some real headwinds that Georgia agriculture has right now,” says Rep. Robert Dickey, Chairman of the House Ag Committee.

Of course, one of the biggest, if not the biggest headwind Chairman Dickey mentioned is the economic uncertainty many of our state’s farmers are facing. Something Tyler Harper, Commissioner of agriculture says is a real threat he sees everyday and is something that needs addressing sooner rather than later.

“The state of the ag economy in our state, there’s a lot happening. As I mentioned a minute ago the low commodity prices that we have, in some cases, historically low commodity prices; you combine that with high input costs, you combine that with a rail strike in Canada that disrupts supply chains. You combine that with uncertainty in farm policy and ag policy because we don’t have a farm bill right now. There’s a lot of farmers and a lot of producers around our state, and I know I even see it in my own operation at home, we’ve seen the increased cost in seed, fertilizer, and chemicals, the increased cost in feed and those low commodity prices are significantly hurting bottom lines. It’s going to make it a lot more difficult for our farmers and producers to come through this. High interest rates, you combine that with everything else that’s going on and you throw in a natural disaster here and there; it definitely it has a snowball effect this year on the ag economy and I’m hearing that from producers all over the state,” says Tyler Harper, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture.

In the end, Chairman Dickey and his Senate counterpart, Chairman Russ Goodman are aiming to learn about and prioritize the issues Georgia agriculture is facing as legislators prepare to head back to Atlanta at the beginning of the year.

“I want to make sure our voters and our representatives all across the state know the importance of ag and support it when we get to Atlanta and have policy that moves ag forward, and I think we’ve got to have it on both sides of the aisle, whether you’re urban or rural or in AG or wherever. Agriculture is so important for our state and for the long-term viability. This really elevates it and gets it on people’s priority list,” says Dickey.

By: John Holcomb

Uncertainty for Producers Relying on Guest Workers

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Tifton, GA |

Down in Tifton recently, producers gathered for the annual Agricultural Relations Forum – an event that’s designed to educate and inform growers on the ever so changing guest worker programs producers utilize on their operations. The importance of the event can’t be overstated as it comes at a time when producers have been burdened with frequent, drastic changes to the program so many of them rely on.

“The biggest factor that drives the need for this event is the ever changing regulatory environment that we find ourselves in. For a grower that is focused on growing a healthy crop, keeping up with six hundred pages of regulations and new rules is a challenge. So, if we can synopsis that into two days and again, let them have the information so that they are compliant, so that they know they’re operating their farm the way that the rules stipulate, but also the way they want to be able to operate and treat their employees who come back year after year and become part of their families,” says Chris Butts, Executive Vice President of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Grower’s Association.

In the last few years, growers that utilize the program have had to adapt to sudden changes; changes that have caused a lot of uncertainty – the biggest being the wage rate, which has increased more than twenty percent in just two years – a huge hurdle for producers, especially when that rate could change at any time.

“One of the biggest factors influencing the effectiveness of the program is what we call the adverse effect wage rate. And that becomes, in effect, a de facto minimum wage rate for all AG work in your area. That rate that can be increased, at any time during the year. The last few years, we’ve had a twenty-one percent increase in ’23 and ’24. That comes after the fact that our growers may have already had contracts to provide produce to their suppliers. So, that uncertainty comes in with ‘I can’t identify what my labor costs are going to be next year because I don’t know what the pay rate is going to be'”, says Butts.

More uncertainty comes for producers as a lawsuit has been brought forth that is challenging the overreach and unfairness in the many burdensome and unfair rules and regulations the Department of Labor has issued.

“The latest rules we feel were an overreach by the Department of Labor outstripping the authority granted to them by Congress. And in fact, they’re conveying rights to foreign ag workers in the country that even U.S. citizen workers don’t receive. The pay rate is now twice in Georgia what the minimum wage is. Those pay rates become disassociated from really the economic realities in our rural communities, but because of the rules, that becomes the de facto wage rate. And we are now paying a wage rate that’s oftentimes twice what other industries in that area are paying. That leaves us uncompetitive with our foreign competitors and susceptible to seeing more of our food supply come from other countries,” says Butts.

Ultimately, Butts says that the rules and regulations have been changing in a way that has left growers at a very unfair advantage, especially when you add in all of the many other challenges that they’re dealing with.

“We find ourselves at the intersection of trade policy and labor policy that is leaving our growers uncompetitive, or at a competitive disadvantage to foreign competitors. For food security, we’ve got to make sure that American growers have a future and growing fruits and vegetables in the U.S the sustainable,” says Butts.

By: John Holcomb

GFB State Board Members Tour UGA Research Labs

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Athens, GA |

Widely regarded as one of the premiere colleges for agriculture in America, the University of Georgia prides itself in keeping up to date with the latest research and technology within the industry. Recently, this group of GFB board members got to check out some of those advances the university has made and learn how they help keep the state’s biggest industry running strong.

“Well, we realize that the largest economic impact to Georgia is eighty-three and a half billion dollars worth of economic impact to the state of Georgia through agriculture. No matter what folks tell you, ag is the number one industry in the state. So, therefore, all the research and the dedicated people that work at the university, is very, very important to our farmers who actually grow chickens, cows, hogs and turn dirt for the crops that we grow,” says Georgia Farm Bureau President, Tom McCall.

One of the highlights of the trip was a stop here at the new poultry science building, a fifty-four-million-dollar facility that houses state of the art laboratories, classrooms, and meeting spaces all dedicated to the number one commodity in Georgia.

“It is providing some of the most cutting edge lab space and teaching space to help us really advance what we do on the research side, as well as teaching that next generation of leaders that can step into our poultry industry, which is the biggest part of our number one industry agriculture,” says Nick Place, UGA CAES Dean.

“You know, the poultry industry is so big in this area, in the state of Georgia, we definitely welcome the research they’re doing, not only on the research side, but we need it on the production side for the state of Georgia to keep being the number one industry with poultry helping lead that. So, definitely an awesome facility,” says GFB Board Member, Russ Moon.

The group also got a tour of the center for animal and dairy science, where they got an update on everything from meat processing to groundbreaking research on regenerative medicine. It’s a diverse learning experience that will help serve both these ag leaders and in turn, the entire industry in the future.

Well, we need to know and we represent the farmers in the state. We are the largest ag organization in the state. So, everything we can learn and everything our board of directors can learn, to better represent our members, especially our farmer members; it’s important for us to be able to see this and be able to maybe help a farmer someday,” says McCall.

University leaders like President Moorehead and CAES Dean Nick Place also dropped by to not only to highlight all the good work being done, but also show their appreciation for their partnership with the Georgia Farm Bureau.

“That partnership we have between the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences with Georgia Farm Bureau is very important. We see us as key partners together to really work on elevating what we do with the number one industry in the state, agriculture,” says Place.

By: Damon Jones

Cotton Producers are Still Hopeful for Strong Yields

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Tifton, GA |

This growing season has certainly been a challenging one for cotton growers here in Georgia, as producers continue to get hit with one challenge after another, time and time again. However, according to Camp Hand, Extension Cotton Specialist, despite those difficulties, the crop still is turning out to be a great one.

“Up until now, the crop looks really good. It seems like we’ve been getting what we need in most places. That June spell might hit a little harder than other some of our earlier planted dry land, really in the middle part of the state probably suffered a little bit more from that dry June than other places, but the crop, I think is looking really good,” says Camp Hand, Extension Cotton Specialist.

Of course, a big concern is the effect of Hurricane Debby, however, according to Hand, though there were some direct losses, the crop faired the storm well as the bolls on the plants hadn’t opened just yet. However, his biggest concern is the fact that some producers are not able to get equipment back into their fields, which will hinder their ability to manage and possibly harvest their crop.

“I think there’s definitely some direct losses, but the thing that concerns me a little bit more are the indirect losses from delays being able to get in the field from, from dirt roads being washed out and stuff like that. We’re definitely going to be delayed getting back in the field. Also, it could take until harvest. The good news is that it wasn’t quite as bad as most people thought, but the bad news is we’re still in August and we got us a long way to go,” says Hand.

Another concern growers are dealing with are pests, specifically boll feeding ones such as stink bugs, that can do a lot of damage this time of year when the plant is most susceptible.

“Stinkbugs are the primary boll feeding bug, but we also need to be aware that there are other bug species that can do similar injury. One that’s kind of we’re seeing a little more frequently for this late in the season is tarnished plant bug and clouded plant bug, but they’ll also feed on these developing bolls. We have a dynamic threshold that when we’re in that third, fourth and fifth week of bloom and a lot of cotton is in that time frame where it’s most susceptible or most sensitive to yield loss from these boll feeding bugs,” says Phillip Roberts, Extension Entomologist.

Roberts says one other pest to be concerned about is the silver leaf white fly, as he says they do well in drought conditions growers here in Georgia saw earlier this summer and need to be dealt with in a timely manner.

“June was a very dry month, and silver leaf white fly really does well during dry conditions. Thankfully, we started receiving rainfall in July, but white fly numbers did kind of get a foot in the door. We do want to remind growers, when you see a few white flies in the field, they should influence every decision you make,” says Roberts.

By: John Holcomb

Atlanta Program Brings Farm Fresh Produce to Food Deserts

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Atlanta, GA |

Here in Atlanta, these boxes of fresh produce are being packed into bags, where they’ll be loaded onto a truck and taken to and handed out in neighborhoods classified as what’s called a “food desert” – an area with a population of people that are generally low income and have trouble finding or affording fresh, nutritious, and wholesome foods.

“When we think about food deserts, we always think about like rural places, right? You think metro Atlanta, this bustling city, how could anyone be in a food desert? Well, we have a different problem. We have food swamps where neighborhoods are inundated with high calorie, nutritionally low foods. Then their access to fresh fruits and vegetables isn’t that great. Like their grocery store might have some produce, but is it high quality? And then is it cheap or is it expensive? It normally is expensive and so people are going to spend their food dollars on stuff that is shelf stable that they know is actually going to be good,” says Cecilia Tran, Family & Consumer Sciences Agent for Fulton County Extension.

That’s where Fulton Fresh’s comes in, as it’s a program that’s designed to allow those in designated areas the opportunity to not only receive fresh produce, but get to learn how to store it, prepare it, and cook it into a nutritious and wholesome meal.

[Shirley Dodd/Coordinator, Fulton Fresh Mobile Market]

“What the program does, it’s a nutritional program, and we go in what’s designated as food deserts in Fulton County. We do a nutritional class where the ladies teach various health topics. They do a food demonstration. They let the participants sample the demonstration, and then we give them a bag of produce. What we try to do is, whatever the demonstration is, we try to put that in the bag so they could go home and make that particular dish,” says Shirley Dodd, Fulton Fresh Mobile Market Coordinator.

According to Dodd, they often have nearly one hundred people at each stop; proving just how beneficial and much needed the program is in the areas that they visit.

“They love it. Yesterday, we went out and in both sessions we had close to 100 people. We have people that follow the truck and come to location because we do it just the ten weeks in the summer; two five week sessions. If you come to the market, then you basically have your groceries because this bag of produce; you can eat out for a couple of days depending on how many is in the family,” says Dodd.

However, Tran says what’s most valuable isn’t just the free bag of produce, as she believes the skills and knowledge they’re gaining will set them up for future success.

“The skills that they learn here and a little bit of that education really helps them through out to the next year. When they come back, they’re like, ‘I did this and this and this, and I see my numbers come down.’ Like last year, I told somebody that if you don’t like eating breakfast foods for breakfast, don’t eat that. And she came back the next year and she was like, ‘you changed my life.’ And I was like, ‘what?’ Something so simple, but for things that are common sense for some, it’s not for everybody. And we kind of take for granted what we know, and so it’s really important that we get out here and do that education,” says Tran.

By: John Holcomb

2024 Commodity Conference Tackles Tough Policy Issues

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Tifton, GA |

Just like the agricultural industry here in Georgia, there’s plenty of diversity at the annual GFB Commodity Conference where the organization gives out their highest award, this year’s recipient being former president of the Georgia Beekeepers Association Reg Wilbanks, welcomes in guest speakers from different sectors of agriculture, and most importantly, starts shaping public policy for next year.

“The commodity committees are made up of people that produce those commodities. So, they are the experts that we need, on what they need, and what the particular commodities’ need. And it’s the beginning of what the whole purpose of Farm Bureau is, which is to represent farmers in the legislative arena. The policy that is presented here and passed in Jekyll is what our public policy lobbies and works on in Atlanta and Washington DC.,” says Tom McCall, President of Georgia Farm Bureau.

2025 could be an important year as there are a number of financial uncertainties facing the entire industry.

“There’s a lot of concern about prices. We went through a period of very high inflation in 2021 and 2022. A lot of the crop prices and livestock prices went up with that, but now we’ve started seeing some agricultural prices come down. Now, of course, the other side of the coin is, if the prices farmers pay for their inputs comes down, that provides some offset, but there’s typically a lag. So, you’re starting to see some compressional margin,” says Dr. Roger Tutterow, KSU Professor of Economics.

Despite some of those concerning trends, there is still plenty of optimism for the future.

“I don’t see us going into a really deep recession. I think we have to commend the fact that the economy has held up as well as it has given the degree to which the feds raised short term rates. I think the long-term fundamentals of the economy are still strong,” says Tutterow.

Those in attendance also got an update from Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tyler Harper, who spotlighted some of the recent pieces of legislation that will benefit producers including one that will help preserve farmland within the state.

“As we close out the year, obviously we’re focused on the Farmland Conservation Fund and that program. We’re looking forward to convening the board and getting to work on farmland protection here in the state of Georgia building off of legislation that was passed this past session. Thanks to the General Assembly, the Speaker, the Lieutenant Governor and the Governor, we were able to get two million dollars in that fund,” says Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, Tyler Harper.

That is essential to keeping the state so agriculturally diverse, which is spotlighted by the twenty different committees represented at this conference.

“The fact that Georgia has a lot of latitude and a lot of elevation lets us grow everything from grapes and apples up in the mountains to vegetables and produce and tobacco and cotton and peanuts; we’re the largest peanut producer in the country. So, that whole variety, when you throw in the different latitudes, the elevations that we have, the soil types, lets Georgia be a major player in agriculture in the United States,” says McCall.

By: Damon Jones

State’s Forage Suffering Due to Drought, Fall Armyworms

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Tifton, GA |

Summertime is usually a productive time for forage producers here in Georgia, however, mother nature had other plans as it’s been nothing short of a headache as at first there was too much rain, then not enough mixed with scorching temperatures. According to Lisa Baxter, State Forage Extension Specialist, though things have seemed to turn around lately, the effects from this year are far from over.

“I think the last time we had spoken in the spring, we were almost dealing with the opposite of now, where we were in too wet of conditions. We’ve, pivoted since then; don’t let the green grass behind me fool you, we’ve had some periods of pretty extreme drought throughout parts of Georgia. So the worst graphic that I saw, certainly 60 to 70% of our state was in some level of a D1 to D2 drought. The problem really was when that drought hit, because that was June to early July for a lot of us. We’re not feeling those effects as much now as what I anticipate we will six months from now, when everyone’s starting to feed hay, and there just isn’t going to be as much hay to feed,” says Lisa Baxter, State Forage Extension Specialist.

To make matters worse, the dry weather ended up giving fall armyworms a chance to become established, to which now, they have been found in more than seventy percent of the state’s counties.

“Sitting here today at the time of recording, we are actually at 70% of Georgia counties reporting damage from the fall armyworm. We have isolated reports every summer, but every 5 to 6 years, we hit this point of very widespread damage. We do tend to see these more widespread outbreaks in periods of drought, and we certainly had all of those kind of cards fall into place for us this summer. It’s very disheartening for a lot of producers, but the better you take care of your grass, the more they prefer that material,” says Baxter.

Baxter says what makes fall armyworms so challenging compared to other pests is how destructive they can truly be.

“The challenge with the fall armyworm, compared to a lot of other pests that we have, is they are entirely destructive, not just a portion of the plant. So, if you’re lucky, you just see a little bit of chewing on the leaf. Pretty typical what we’d see out in a in a hay field normally, but in these big widespread instances of damage, that’s where we start getting into total field loss if we’re not careful and being proactive with our insecticides,” says Baxter.

According to Baxter, the most important thing that can be done right now is being proactive and thinking ahead, as she believes resources may be hard to come by later in the year.

“So, if we’re sitting here today with a lot of uncertainty, we need to start thinking about culling sooner rather than later. Buying hay certainly sooner rather than later. Getting it tested, making sure we’re supplementing properly and again, making those decisions now, not in December or January when we’re really going to start feeling all of these confounding effects,” says Baxter.

Baxter recommends contacting your local extension office if you need assistance with managing fall armyworms or any other forage pest.

By: John Holcomb

Are Georgia’s farmlands disappearing?

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Statesboro, GA |

In an age of constant change, traditional industries like agriculture are always at risk of being left behind. And that was never more evident than in the latest Ag census conducted by USDA, which shows more than twenty million acres of US farmland being lost to development since 2017. It’s a trend that is not so recent here in Georgia, as the state has really been feeling the effects for decades.

“Since 1974, we’ve lost two point four million acres of farmland to developments, and that’s row crop land. That’s not counting forestry land, to developments and warehouses. So, if you take that number and multiply, do another thirty years, you’re talking about another two point four million acres and of course, very, very fortunate Georgia is growing so fast and provide so many opportunities for people, but also, we also got to be cognizant that we’ve got to be able to feed our people too and feed the world,” says Sen. Billy Hickman, from Georgia’s 4th Congressional District.

It’s a delicate balancing act that the Georgia legislature is hoping to navigate with the newly formed Senate Study Committee on the Preservation of Georgia Farmlands chaired by Senator Hickman. Him along with six other state senators will hold meetings across the state in order to find the best solution in bridging this gap.

“We met last summer with thirty-five farmers in our community, and we heard their concerns about farmland. We got farmland in our community that’s renting for a hundred dollars and acre but it’s selling for twenty-five thousand dollars an acre for development or warehouse and all. So, we decided that with the Hyundai plant coming, that we’re very much supportive of it but we’ve got to have a balance between economic development and farmland,” says Hickman.

The goal is not just to gather facts, but also bring awareness to the problem. And in doing so, getting the attention of lawmakers in Atlanta in order to make some real change.

“I just finished my fourth year in the Senate and what I’ve learned in a very short period of time is that we can talk about all these things, and we can stand on the outside and sit on the curb and talk about it, but until the legislature buys in on something, that’s when things really gets happening. So, you know, we’ve had in the last, I guess every year I’ve been in the Senate, four years, we’ve had different, very good, significant farm bills, and this study committee is another thing that we’ll probably have two or three bills that will come out of this study committee,” says Hickman.

And that would be good news not just for the state’s number one industry and the tens of thousands of farmers that keep it running, but also future generations that hope to follow in their footsteps.

“What I have learned throughout this whole process  is the biggest detriment to our farmland, the preservation of our farmland, is uncontrolled growth. I’m from a small community; Statesboro, Georgia. And I’ve always said that I want our children to have an opportunity to live in Statesboro and Bulloch County if they choose to. I want it to a situation where they don’t have to move somewhere else to make a living. So, it really is a two-fold situation trying to maintain a balance between economic development and also maintain a balance between farmland,” says Hickman.

By: Damon Jones