Author Archives: John Holcomb

Garden Consultant on a Mission to Inspire, Educate Others

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Blairsville, GA |

For Erika Nolan, this is her happy place, this is her passion, as several years ago, she became interested in growing plants and vegetables that are healthy, wholesome, and nutritious; not just for her though, as she says helping others do the same is without a doubt her calling.

“I was so obsessed with plants, and I was so obsessed with spreading the word of how to grow food and optimize your health, that I came to a place where I decided this is how I can change the world, is through health and through growing your own food. Because whether it’s meat or eggs or vegetables, none of it is the same at the grocery as it is when you grow it on your own homestead. The nutritional value is optimal. So, in order to optimize your health and get everything you need, learning how to do it, even on a small scale, is empowering,” says Erika Nolan, Garden & Homestead Consultant.

Nolan says she became so obsessed she decided to start her own business called Instar, in which she consultants anyone, anywhere in the world that is interested in starting their own homestead.

“I realized that I was able to connect with people and communicate to help them individually, and that as my social media was growing, I could help people virtually from anywhere. So at that point, I started consulting and I’ve worked with people in almost every state of the United States. I’ve worked with people out of the country, from Australia to Egypt, and it’s all just taken off from there,” says Nolan.

According to Nolan, interest in homesteading has become popular over the last decade or so, but the COVID-19 pandemic really peaked people’s interests as shelves became empty and fears about health became reality.

“I think the pandemic did have such a huge influence on the homesteading movement. One because of health, but two because of the lack of resources and people getting freaked out by seeing grocery stores empty and needing to provide for their family. So, there was this sense of urgency to figure it all out. I’m optimistic about it not just being a trend, because there was a point in time where this was just a lifestyle. So as soon as more people hop on board and see the value in homesteading, which a lot has to do with health, a lot of it has to do is straight up independence. Then I could see us kind of returning back to our roots,” says Nolan.

As you can see, Nolan and her family are very much living out her philosophy, something she finds extremely important as she wants to show people what a sustainable homestead can look like.

“I often relate eating home grown food to watching a movie film in color for the first time, which I know a lot of us can’t necessarily relate to, but if you could imagine only seeing movies in black and white, and then all of a sudden seeing The Wizard of Oz in color and thinking, ‘oh, there’s a whole another world out there,’ that’s what it’s like with tasting your own homegrown food, raising your own eggs with your chickens, or anything else. So, it’s very important to be able to demonstrate what I’m doing through some educational content, and also just plain up inspiration,” says Nolan.

By: John Holcomb

Farmers Dealing with Heat, Drought and Storms

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Watkinsville, GA |

Some of Georgia’s biggest crops like peanuts, cotton and corn are now in the ground. And so far, Mother Nature has been less than kind, with temperatures being well above average despite the highs never reaching triple digits, due mainly to the increased heat at night.

“We’re seeing temperatures not get down that low. So, we’re seeing a lot of this moisture. The moisture causes problems for fungal diseases, causes problems for some crops like corn that need cooler temperatures to do well, causes problems for livestock because livestock are mammals just like us and they need cooler temperatures, really to do well too,” says Pam Knox, Agricultural Climatologist.

However, the biggest concern is the complete absence of rain in some areas of the state as 158 different counties are reporting drought conditions, including 16 of those in severe drought. And while an increase in precipitation is forecasted over the next month, it is likely to be pretty spotty.

“It may not be in the same part of the state every time. One, they’re not going to move very fast because we’re not in really much in the way of jet streams right now, but they’re going to move a little bit. And so, they develop in one place, drop rain there, wet up the soil so that the next day, that can start to produce thunderstorms. Over time, you would hope that it would kind of distribute over the area, but thunderstorm rain is really spotty and even within a county, you could get no rain on one part of the county and several inches on the other part,” says Knox.

This increased heat might also cause problems later in the summer, as the warm ocean waters indicate tropical storms are likely to be in the rise this year.

“The tropics will really start to pick up, probably around mid-August. It’s supposed to be a really busy year. The ocean is hot. There’s not much wind shear because we’re in neutral conditions right now, headed for La Nina. And so, once the storms start popping, we could see a lot of storms coming in, almost like a freight train,” says Knox.

That means farmers will need to be prepared to harvest their crop on a moment’s notice if the situation arises to maximize their yields.

“People that are worried about timing of harvesting are really going to have to watch carefully because you’re going to want to know when those storms are coming in and you’re going to want to be able to prepare for that. So, this year, the real watch word is get ready now. Make sure you got your paperwork in order. Make sure you know what to do. Make sure you got plans for your workers and your families and so on just in case,” says Knox.

The big question is whether these unprecedented conditions are a trend or just an anomaly. While predicting the future is anything but certain, Knox says the former is definitely a possibility.

“I don’t know that there’s been any studies say that there’s a trend towards this in the future, but it’s something we have to keep in mind because the tropics are kind of expanding as the earth gets warmer. That means we’re going to be in in the area of the tropics where the air is descending as it does over the Sahara Desert and the US Southwest and so on. So, we could see more frequent patterns of these high pressures that just dominate the area,” says Knox.

By: Damon Jones

Control options for fall armyworms

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The fall armyworm is by far the most important caterpillar pest in pastures and hayfields. These pests can quickly decimate a field of any forage crop, often selecting higher quality material first. If not controlled, the FAW can cause severe economic damage and total forage loss. Reports of fall armyworm have rapidly increased over the last week across the Southeastern US.

Scouting for fall armyworms and their damage 

Careful scouting is the best way to prevent economic losses. The University of Georgia Extension Service recommends using an insect sweep net to identify low populations of fall armyworms before significant feeding damage occurs. Sweep samples should be collected in the early in the morning and late in the afternoon when the fall armyworms are more prevalent. Some birds such as geese or cattle egrets may serve as an indicator of armyworm activity, but this is not always guaranteed especially in the Coastal Plains where the birds are always present. 

Unfortunately, fall armyworms usually go unnoticed until feeding damage occurs. Damage can appear differently depending on the forage type and conditions. Fall armyworms prefer high-quality, well-maintained forage and they will select high quality pastures and hayfields first. Most damage begins with ragged leaves or areas with stripped stems. In hayfields or pastures with tall growth, damage can be devastating with nearly all tender green vegetation being removed. 

Damage may appear as thinned out grass and brown spots in overgrazed pastures which may be misdiagnosed as drought damage. The damaged patch will usually increase in size as the fall armyworm population builds. The brown color results from dehydration of plant tissues following fall armyworm feeding. Often the only vegetation left in the field after a severe fall armyworm infestation will be tough stems. Fall armyworm outbreaks are more prevalent during drought because some of their natural enemies are less active under these adverse conditions. 

 Prevention and Control 

Textbook treatment thresholds are typically recommended at three fall armyworm larvae per square foot, but weather and forage demand may dictate a more conservative threshold. Harvesting a hay crop may be the best option for armyworm control if hay is close to cutting time and the fall armyworms are at the fully grown larvae stage. 

If insecticides are required, be sure to follow all label instructions. Insecticides are labelled for specific life stages of the fall armyworm. In general, small caterpillars are easier to control than larger ones and insecticides are only recommended when the fall armyworms are less than ¾” long. Several insecticides are available for young larva, but we should pay careful attention to grazing or harvesting restrictions related to these products. The products recommended for use in Georgia are listed in the graphic below. You may want to consider a residual control option. Products vary in their length of residual control and application cost, so you will need to determine the potential returns on this investment. For more specific insecticide recommendations for your area, please consult with your local Extension Agent.

By: Dr. Lisa Baxter – University of Georgia State Forage Extension Specialist

Sweet Watermelons Available Despite Weather Challenges

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Rochelle, GA |

Nothing says summertime quite like a big, juicy, sweet watermelon. Thankfully, Georgia has plenty of producers that grow them, pack them, and get them into stores for people to enjoy during the summer months. One operation that’s busy doing just that is Bloodworth Farms, as they’re right in the middle of harvesting – something they’re no doubt excited to see after having to plant later than expected and having to endure a challenging growing season.

“It was really, really wet in the early spring, we were struggling to get field work done. We hold a lot of water here, our dirt’s kind of heavy, so it made tillage and things like it very difficult. We were down to the date, we had a set date of planting somewhere around March the 20th, but the rain didn’t stop. We got them planted. The rain kept coming, kept coming and we battled disease. You can see these fields right here, they look beautiful compared to what they did a month ago, because the disease from the rain was just hard,” says Clayton Bloodworth with Bloodworth Farms.

Thankfully, the harvest season is going much better, as Bloodworth says the rains have slacked off, which allows them to get in and out of their fields with ease.

“It’s been perfect, the busses can travel down the drive roads. They can get up and down. We still have enough soil moisture that has kept the plants going. We had to supplement a little bit with overhead irrigation, but all in all, harvest season has been as good as you can ask for,” says Bloodworth.

However, Bloodworth says another challenge this year has been his overall cost of production continuing to rise, which in the end, gets passed along to the consumer and can end up creating issues with demand.

“I did not realize how far over my initial budget I was and just didn’t really take into consideration the cost of the machinery, the cost of our repairs, the daily inputs. It might not be a big increase, but at the end, when every single one of them has increased a little bit, little bit, little bit, the bottom line is it has greatly increased over the production that we’ve had in the past three or four years, and it’s going to be a continuing problem because this cost is going to have to trickle down to the consumer. And where’s that fine line where that consumer is going to say, ‘hey, I can’t afford to buy this. This is a luxury item. This isn’t a staple’,” says Bloodworth.

Despite those challenges this season though, Bloodworth says the crop has turned out to be worth the headache, as demand for watermelons has remained steady.

“So far, the demand has been good. The price fluctuated dramatically between the Florida market to the Georgia market. I was really expecting the prices to be borderline ‘hey, is it even going to be worth picking?’ But they’ve been decent. We’ve had a lot better, but to be honest with you, we’ve been very fortunate,” says Bloodworth.

By: John Holcomb

Family Takes a Leap of Faith Following a Move South

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Ellenwood, GA |

What started out as just an idea and a leap of faith has now transformed into this flourishing garden and farmers market. However, just like starting up any other business, it didn’t come without its share of challenges.

“2010 we had moved down from up north, from New York, all the way down to Dublin, Georgia. We just felt that we had a calling to change our life and do something different. When we started farming, it was difficult for us. We didn’t really know what we we’re doing, but we had some great neighbors that taught us a couple of things to kind of get us started and after a couple of years, we started selling to farmers markets,” says Raphaela Polanco, Owner of Atlanta Harvest.

In 2018 they moved their operation to the bustling city of Atlanta, where they provide a community starved for fresh produce, with a one stop shop for all their needs.

“We’re about fifteen minutes from the Atlanta airport. Here, we have a market stand where we sell directly to our customers. We’re in a food desert area and so, we have a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. We got local dairy, meats, eggs, value added products, jams and jellies. Also, on our farm we have our summer crops growing. We have our squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Our customers, they can walk around the farm and see what we’re growing and see what’s in season,” says Polanco.

Providing that type of experience is one of the main goals for Atlanta Harvest, as giving the next generation some time on the farm will help them appreciate all the work that goes into growing their food.

“A lot of young children come to the farm. It’s their first time that they’re actually seeing a farm. A lot of times they see fruits and vegetables and they think they come from the grocery store. So, having them to be able to come to a farm, a farm near them where they can see that food comes from the dirt and here’s farmers, here’s agriculture leaders who are actually planting and growing the food that I can use for consumption and help to make me strong and healthy. It’s such a life changing experience for young children and those in the community that have difficulty getting fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s just so great that there’s somewhere that is close to them that they’re able to have this access,” says Polanco.

It’s access they are more than happy to provide to a grateful community.

“When I come out here and I get to interact with people and they let us know ‘hey, thank you so much for being here. I was looking for something like this in my area. I thought I had to go hours south or other areas in Georgia’, but knowing that there’s something like this available near them and they’re able to share that with their friends and family just makes such a big difference and means so much to us,” says Polanco.

By: Damon Jones

2024 Sunbelt Ag Expo Field Day Offers Self-Guided Tour for Farmers

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Moultrie, GA |

This year’s Sunbelt Expo Field Day is no longer just a single day. Now thru July 24th, the Research Farm and its roads are open for a self-guided tour. Farmers can drive through and access the latest seed and chemical varieties, as well as agricultural research, all from the comfort of their vehicles. This flexible approach aims to boost attendance and make it easier for farmers to stay informed.

“One of the things we always heard was conditions were perfect for spraying Thursday morning, I couldn’t come to Field Day. Any number of things. Now you can come at your leisure. If you go to church on Sunday, go out, eat lunch, come to the fields, look at the plots. We’re just trying to make it more convenient for our farmers to come in and see the latest technology for farmers to carry back to their operation, make decisions for 2025 and beyond, to enhance their economic and environmental sustainability,” says Sunbelt Ag Expo Executive Director, Chip Blalock.

For more information, make sure to visit sunbelt expo.com.

Value-Added Products Prove Helpful for More Income

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Athens, GA |

It’s no secret that Georgia is home to some of the most recognizable culinary treats from peach ice cream to candies nuts and everything in between. These value-added products are not just beneficial for consumers’ taste buds, but also the farmer’s bottom line, as it provides yet another stream of income throughout the year.

“Farming can only take place during certain times of the year, but if you are a farmer and you have excess produce, say for example one thing I like to use is blueberries. So, consumers like to see a nice, big, juicy blueberry. Sometimes they’re not big and juicy. Sometimes they’re a little bit small. Sometimes they’re tart. So, now they have their fresh market. They have this waste product or excess product that they’re making into a value-added product, and that value added product can then be sold year-round and have a nice, steady stream of income for the farmer instead of relying on one time of a year having that fresh market,” says Kaitlyn Casulli, Extension Process Specialist.

That’s why the University of Georgia, thanks to a one point five-million-dollar grant through USDA, has launched the VIBE program, which provides aspiring entrepreneurs with access to business development resources both on and away the farm.

“We will provide one on one technical consultations with people. So, helping them think through their product and their process and then we also partner with a number of organizations both within and outside of the University of Georgia. Then, in the classroom and lab space, we do a bit of technical support here. So, measuring things like Ph and water activity for shelf stability and then, in the classroom we’ll be able to give workshops. So, inviting farmers in, value added producers out to University of Georgia and proving them with a larger group experience to collaborate with other farmers, learn from other farmers and also get the technical knowledge that we’re going to be proving them with in that workshop,” says Casulli.

With so many different factors to consider when starting up a new value-added venture, this program can be an invaluable tool for farmers when deciding what product to produce and the type of equipment that will be required.

“We would help them kind of spec out processing lines. So, if they want to say, freeze some produce or go into canning, we could help them spec out installing something in a current facility, help them find the appropriate equipment and scale to work at and with the Good Agriculture partnership, perhaps find them some funding and help them with their financial management aspects of starting up this value added processing. We’re hoping that with more advertising and more word of mouth spreading this program, that we’ll be able to get the word out and get farmers to capitalize on the services,” says Casulli.

By: Damon Jones

Georgia Lawmaker Dedicated to State’s Ag Industry

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Roopville, GA |

For David Huddleston, agriculture and advocating for agriculture has always been a passion for him, as he grew up working on the farm and today, works full-time as a poultry, forage, and cattle producer. However, a few years back, Huddleston had the urge to take that passion to the next level by deciding to run for state office.

“Back in 2017, I got to represent Georgia with the cattlemen’s association on the YCC trip. That’s the trip that starts out in Colorado and works cross-country to Washington, DC. So in 2017, that was the first time ever that I had the opportunity to be in Washington, DC and had a number of office visits set up with some congressmen. I was getting a picture made on the U.S. Capitol steps and I said, ‘if someone from Roopville, Georgia can be up here in DC and to be that voice, then somebody needs to be that voice back at home.’ So in 2017, I put a five year goal in plan to work toward somehow, someway, being that advocate at state level or at a higher level,” says Huddleston.

Huddleston took that goal and ran with it, getting elected to the Georgia House in 2022, even getting the chance to serve as Secretary for the House Ag Committee, which of course is no surprise, as the ag industry, especially its preservation is a huge priority of his.

“I think the biggest thing is I talk about preservation of agriculture, and a lot of times you think you’re talking about preservation of agriculture as the land itself, which is very important. We have got to have the land to, number one, provide food and fiber, to the citizens of the state, if not the whole country, but one of the my big passions is youth. I think preservation of farmland is for the next generation, is for the youth of today is our leaders of tomorrow. So, any programs or any opportunities that I have to represent them, to see them succeed, is probably one of the things I set as priority,” says Huddleston.

For Huddleston, in the end, he believes that ag is something worth fighting for, as he says it’s vital in being able to keep our nation secure and allow future generations, like his son, the chance to continue carrying on the legacy that is farming.

“I think the importance of being involved in ag goes back to provide food and fiber, not only here locally, but to wherever. You hear our commissioner of ag, he talks about food security is national security. So, the passion there’s been farming my entire life. My parents, my grandparents had been in farming, but I think it’s just being out in the outdoors, working with your hands, knowing that you can make a difference. To see the sun come up first thing in the morning and everything come to life, but I think ultimately it’s the passion part of it just goes back to knowing that even my son that’s helping me full time on the farm, it’ll be here tomorrow for him. Now, being in Atlanta, it goes back to being that impact, the voice, the eyes, the ears, of our districts, but not only of our districts, but the agricultural sector of the whole state,” says Huddleston.

By: John Holcomb

Georgia’s Growing Wine & Muscadine Production

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Acworth, GA |

It’s long been said that preparation is the key to success. And with so many different factors to consider both in and away from the field, that certainly applies to starting up your own winery. It’s why the Georgia Wine Producers put on this New Grape Growers Symposium twice a year in order to give those interested both the information and confidence to make that leap.

“Definitely do it, but get an education first. Know what you’re heading into. Know the laws and rules and regulations in your locale before you even put a shovel into the ground,” says Jane Miller, President of the Georgia Wine Producers.

“Local legislation is always important. How cooperative is your county or it’s not so often how cooperative they are, it’s just how much do they actually know? A lot of times, our wineries will have to introduce the idea of what we’re doing to the local legislatures. As soon as they see what we’re actually doing and how we’re impacting the community, then they’re really open to it most of the time,” says Bill Cox, VP of Georgia Wine Producers.

That planning also applies to which varieties you are hoping to grow, as both the climate and soil conditions will go a long way in determining which grapes will be most successful.

“One of the things that can be a downfall as we all are learning this process is if you plant stuff in the ground and then start researching what you need to do for that, a lot of the times the soil can be a very big difference. If you already have your grapes in the ground and you already have your trellis system in the ground, you can’t adjust your soil very much. We have a lot of acidic soils, a lot of compact soils that if you do not break that up and mix in some Lyme in order to make sure it’s a little bit more conducive to what the grapes need, you suffer on the long term,” says Dr. Sarah Lowder, UGA Viticulture Extension Specialist.

Despite all the work that goes into educating yourself, that hasn’t stopped a growing number of people from fulfilling their dream of opening up a winery, as they can now be found all over the state.

“Now, there’s almost a hundred wineries. We’re not quite sure. There’s around a hundred wineries in Georgia growing everything from vinifera, muscadine, fruit wines, Norton and Linus, Blanc to Blanc, some of the so called Native American grapes and we have wineries from Blairsville at the top of the state to Valdosta at the bottom of the state. So, it’s really an interesting time to be in Georgia,” says Miller.

That’s good news not just for the agricultural industry, but for the entire economy as well, with many rural areas of the state now becoming a destination thanks to its growing popularity.

“People want to go to a winery, but they want to go to five or six wineries in a weekend a lot more. So, if we can get more friends into this and more people involved, then all the supporting things also come with it, nicer hotels, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, all this other really cool stuff. So, when people come out to the wineries, they get to enjoy all of that and the whole community benefits,” says Cox.

By: Damon Jones

EPD’s Proposed Water Plan for Southwest Georgia

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Dawson, GA |

For the first time in more than a decade, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division is actively working on creating a plan to ease regulations put in place back in 2012 after one of the worst droughts the state has ever seen. That suspension, which halted any new withdrawal permits as well as any modifications to existing withdrawal permits on the Flint River Basin, was meant to protect water resources from being overconsumed.  However, that could all soon change after years of evaluation and data collection.

“The 2012 suspension was never intended to be a permanent suspension. We knew that we needed to use and manage the water resource effectively. So we’ve just been working over the last twelve years to get better water data, better metering data, to go through and evaluate that information. We’re also in a really unique position where we have funding from ARPA, that’s going to the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center for the for the development of an incidental take permit and a habitat conservation plan. That all sounds like a lot of jargon, but really what it boils down to is we have some threatened, endangered mussels in the lower Flint basin, and this is a way for us to protect our existing water users and protect those mussels, while at the same time, stopping and trying to think through how do we want permitting to look moving forward,” says Ania Truszczynski, Chief of the EPD Watershed Protection Branch

The proposed modifications are contingent upon two main factors: additional capacity being identified and the protection of water and those already permitted to use it, and if those criteria are met, new permits would be under drought restrictions that users would need to comply with to ensure proper management.

“When times are good, when times are normal, even when times are a little bit dry, you can irrigate just as anyone normally would, but when we get into a really significant drought, the kinds of things you saw in 2007, in 2011, restrictions can be put in place and that person would not be able to withdraw from the Floridan aquifer anymore to make sure that we were not using too much of that water resource. The second thing that we’re talking about is making sure that we’ve got really good compliance options. So if folks do have a situation where they’re irrigating outside of their permitted acreage, that we have a good path to compliance, it’s going to get them where they need to be, where we can protect the water resource, but we’re really all working together,” says Truszczynski.

According to Murray Campbell, a farmer who has been a part of this discussion since the first moratorium was put in place in 1999, says this modification would be a great win for those like himself, who wouldn’t be able to farm without irrigation.

“We are so much further down the road in the science and knowing what’s going on and being able to predict what will happen with the modeling. We are on the verge of being able to protect the permits that we have, which is important, to correct some of the inaccuracies that we have in some of the permits and that we can then see where those areas are, where we can open up and have some more permits that may be under a drought restriction, under a significant situation, but we have come so much farther where we were twenty-five years ago it’s unbelievable, and we are making great progress and it’s going to be good for agriculture,” says Murray Campbell, Owner of Murray Campbell Farms.

The EPD hopes to have a final decision regarding the current suspension in November.

By: John Holcomb