Georgia Farm Bureau News - July 2011 Issue

FARM BUREAUThe Voice of Georgia Farmers

N E W S

G E O R G I AVol. 73 No. 4 July 2011

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GeorGia Farm Bureau News July 2011 / 3

table of contentsjuly 2011

departmentswe, the farmers

PAGE 4

legislative updatePAGE 5

commodities updatePAGE 10

around georgiaPAGE 20

public relations staff Paul Beliveau Director Jennifer Whittaker Editor Lillian Davis Publications/Advertising Manager Jay Stone Print/Web Specialist Denny Moore TV Producer/Anchor Rick Treptow Senior Radio-TV Specialist Michael Edmondson Web/Video Manager Mark Wildman Radio-TV Specialist Dean Wood Radio-TV Specialist Damon Jones Radio-TV Specialist Vickie Amos Office Coordinator

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(Photo by Jay Stone) These tantalizing peaches were shot in June at Pearson Farms in Peach County. “The peach crop is surprisingly good for the drought that we’ve had,” said Lawton Pearson. “We’ve had excellent quality, excellent sugar because they’re so small. The trees are coming out of it. I feel like we’re going to have a good year, and that’s saying something with an April and May drought, which we’ve never seen before.”

Farmers voice concerns over H-2A program & Ga. immigration lawGeorgia farmers expressed their frustration over limited access to farm workers during a listening ses-sion with U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-1st Dist.) on June 30 in Homerville. PAGE 6

FSA: More counties likely to receive disaster declarationsOn June 28, the USDA issued disaster declarations for 22 Georgia counties that suf-fered crop losses this spring. An additional 26 counties bordering those were named contiguous disaster counties. More Georgia counties are expected to qualify for disas-ter designations as crop loss assessment reports are filed this summer. We also take a look at how the drought is impacting Georgia farmers. PAGE 8

SE Georgia experiences historic wildfire seasonThe wildfires in Southeast Georgia this year have charred more than 340,000 acres in and around the Okefenokee National Wildlife Ref-uge, including more than 40,000 acres on private land. Georgia For-estry Commission Director Robert Farris says the 2011 fires are worse than those in 2007. PAGE 11

New buyer, research updates highlight annual tobacco tour The emergence of a new buying company made the mood of the annual Georgia-Florida Tobacco Tour upbeat. Tour participants visited private farms in south Georgia and north Florida along with UGA research farms in Tifton to see research on disease and pest control and variety trials. PAGE 12

Demand for pecans raises prices, acreagePecan growers are enjoying higher prices thanks to increased demand for their crop in the U.S. and abroad. Emerging foreign markets, especially in China, are leading grow-ers to plant new orchards to meet the growing demand for their crop. PAGE 14

GFB Art & Essay contest winners announcedEnjoy the artwork of the top three winners of the GFB Art Contest and read the win-ning essay by Lynlee Poppell. PAGES 16 & 17

Stock Horse of Ga. holds inaugural eventMore than 30 Georgia stock horse enthusiasts from across Georgia and Alabama per-fected and showed off their skills during the inaugural Stock Horse Versatility Event in April at the Quercus Cattle Company Arena in Gay, Ga. PAGE 19

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4 / July 2011 GeorGia Farm Bureau News

As this great country continues to move forward and mature, it is expe-riencing growing pains. Our leaders - from the president of the United States to Congress, from our state legislators to our local government - are wrestling with the many challenges our nation faces that have to be dealt with or they will consume us. We are one nation, under God. We have to work toward being united together for the good of all. That is easy to say, but difficult to accomplish. Just take issues like drought, water use, immi-gration and taxes as examples. Does drought affect everyone? Sure it does, even if some think it doesn’t. Drought affects crop production, which affects food prices - therein touching everyone. Even small businesses in rural Georgia hurt because of the lack of cash flow on the farm. Georgia Farm Bureau has tried to help farmers battling the drought by ensuring they have the resources they need. Your organization made the Uni-versity of Georgia drought management webinars available for farmers to watch in their local Farm Bureau offices. We have educated the general public by featur-ing drought stories on the Georgia Farm Monitor and providing updates in our weekly Leadership Alert newsletter. The Georgia Farm Bureau Public Relations Department has worked with the other media to help them understand drought issues and arranged interviews with farm-ers around the state. Thanks to the farm-ers that took time out of their busy sched-ules to do these interviews because it is important that we tell our story. Water issues are important to all our

lives, on and off the farm. That is why we have worked so hard with the farmers who have given of their time to serve on the 10 regional water councils across the state. All of the 10 councils have submit-ted plans, and the public comment period has just ended. Farm Bureau submitted comments on several issues of concern as well. The councils did a great job and on behalf of Georgia Farm Bureau, I thank them all for their continued service to the people of Georgia. Our fears regarding the immigration law Gov. Deal signed this spring are now becoming reality. A lot of migrant labor bypassed Georgia this summer due to fear of being racially profiled. We are hearing reports of labor shortages across Georgia making this a very difficult sea-son. This is not only affecting our farms, but the small businesses in our rural communities are also hurting because the migrant workers are not spending money in the communities where they usually work and live. Realizing that the agricultural com-munity must have objective numbers from a credible source to be effective in securing a solution to the labor problem we’re facing, Georgia Farm Bureau is joining forces with other state agricul-tural organizations to help fund a study that will quantify the direct and indirect economic impacts of the labor short-ages Georgia farmers are facing. Dr. John McKissick, an economist at the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, will conduct the study, which will be released this fall. The labor issue has set off a chain reaction - it hurts farmers, the small busi-

we, the

farmersZippy Duvall, GFB President

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DIRECTORSFIRST DISTRICT: Henry J. West, Rydal SEC-OND DISTRICT: Bobby Gunter, Dahlonega; Randy Ruff, Elberton THIRD DISTRICT: George Chambers, Carrollton; Nora Goodman, Temple FOURTH DISTRICT: Marvin Ruark, Bishop; Wil-liam Hutchins, Winder FIFTH DISTRICT: Jim Ham, Smarr; Ralph Adamson Jr., Barnesville SIXTH DISTRICT: James Emory Tate, Denton; James Malone, Dexter SEVENTH DISTRICT: Ben Boyd, Sylvania; Gennis Folsom, Glennville EIGHTH DISTRICT: Phil Redding, Bluffton; Don Wood, Rochelle NINTH DISTRICT: Paul Shirah, Camilla; Lucius Adkins, Elmodel TENTH DIS-TRICT: David Lee, Alma; Daniel Johnson, Alma YOUNG FARMER CHAIRMAN: Wesley Hall, Cumming WOMEN’S COMMITTEE CHAIR: Donna Powell, Pelham

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Stand together or be divided and fall

GFB President Zippy Duvall spoke at the listening session about farm labor Rep. Jack Kingston held in Homerville June 30. “The bottom line is farmers can’t operate without a stable workforce,” Duvall said. “If E-Verify becomes law without a workable guest worker program, farmers are going to be hurting in rural Georgia and rural America.”

See WE, THE FARMERS page 19

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legislative updateJon Huffmaster, Legislative Director

Farmers need guest workerprogram reform

Georgia passed immigration leg-islation this year, and as Georgia Farm Bureau warned Georgia

legislators when they were considering the bill last winter, there have been negative consequences for farmers who employ immigrant labor. There are widespread reports of crops being left in the field be-cause of an insufficient number of workers for harvest. In June, Gov. Nathan Deal re-leased a report conducted by the Georgia Department of Agriculture that showed 11,000 farm jobs were unfilled. Mechanical harvesting works fine for field crops like cotton, wheat and soybeans that are dry and destined for further pro-cessing. But for many Georgia crops, such as peaches, blueberries, strawberries, mel-ons, cucumbers, squash and others, me-chanical harvesting is either impossible or results in a less marketable product. When subjective measures like ripeness and col-or are important, there is no substitute for human touch. Farm jobs are often temporary and require long hours under arduous condi-tions. Migrant workers generally move from state to state following crops as they develop in different regions of the country. Most Americans are not willing to do this, and as a result, the vast majority of farm workers are immigrants. Farmers need immigrant workers and so do consumers. American Farm Bureau economists published a study in 2006 outlining possible impacts to agri-culture if immigrant labor were restricted. The report concluded that Georgia could

expect to lose more than $200 million of annual farm production without migrant labor. That number has grown larger since the report was published. Nationally, the numbers are staggering. The Farm Bureau economists estimated that $5 to $9 billion of annual production would be at risk if migrant labor were not available. Farmers follow employment laws. They complete I-9 forms, withhold state and federal payroll taxes, remit those taxes to the government and comply with cur-rent guidelines. Farmers are the ones who are prohibited, under penalty of being sued, from questioning the validity of doc-uments they are given if the documents appear genuine. Farmers know the current system is broken. This is why more than 100 farm-ers showed up to express their concerns about migrant labor and the H-2A pro-gram at a listening session held by U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA 1st District) on June 30 in Homerville. GFB President Zippy Duvall was invit-ed to speak, and he called for a reworked agricultural guest worker program. Duvall outlined problems with the current H-2A program and provided a list of items need-ed for reform. H-2A is an expensive and complicated proposition. Farmers must purchase visas and pay transportation costs for workers to get to the farm (about $600 per worker). When the workers arrive, farmers must provide workers’ housing and transporta-tion. H-2A also mandates an inflated min-imum wage, the Adverse Effect Wage Rate

(AEWR). The federal government annu-ally sets the rate, and it varies from state to state. The 2011 AEWR for Georgia is $9.12 per hour. “An average farmer who needs 50 workers to harvest a crop cannot afford to use H-2A,” Duvall said. Key elements proposed by Farm Bu-reau in agricultural guest worker reform include: •Alltypesoffarmerswhoneedlabor,seasonal or year-round, should be accom-modated. The H-2A program only al-lows workers to remain in the country 10 months. •Workersshouldreceivearenewable,multi-year work visa. • Eliminate excessive or duplicativegovernment bureaucracy • Consider changing the administra-tion of the program to the USDA and re-quire the USDA to support the goals and purpose of the program. It is a widespread belief among farmers that the U.S. Depart-ment of Labor does more to hinder than help farmers. • Abolish the Adverse Effect WageRate (AEWR) in favor of an average ag-ricultural wage prevailing in a particular region. • Eliminate the H-2A program’s “50percent rule,” whereby farmers must hire any and all domestic workers who apply for a job, even if it means a contracted guest worker sits idle. State employment agencies should verify the employment eligibility of an applicant before making referrals to an employer. There must be recognition that farm jobs require certain levels of skill and expertise. • Farmers should not be required toprovide housing and transportation for guest workers. •Anewguestworkerprogramshouldhave sufficient resources to assure workers are available when farmers need them. • Allow undocumented workers al-

Sept. 30 deadline to submit policy Georgia Farm Bureau’s annual policy development process is underway. Sept. 30 is the deadline for county Farm Bureaus to submit policy recommendations to the GFB Policy Development Committee. The state committee will meet this fall to consider the recommendations submitted by county Farm Bureaus and GFB’s commodity advisory committees. Contact the GFB Legislative Department for more information.

See LEGISLATIVE UPDATE page 6


By Jay Stone__________________________________________________________________________

Amid published reports of produce being left to rot on Georgia farms because of lack of available labor,

south Georgia farmers expressed their frus-tration over limited access to farm workers during a listening session with U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-1st Dist.) on June 30 at the Homerville City Auditorium. The farmers specifically discussed government bureaucracy, the effects of Georgia’s new immigration law and the viability of the H-2A guest worker visa program. Similar concerns were shared with Georgia Reps. Jason Shaw (R-Lakeland) and Ellis Black (R-Valdosta) during a lunch meeting the same day at the Lanier County Farm Bureau office that drew a crowd of 70 farmers. Shaw spoke at both meetings, outlining efforts in the Georgia General Assembly to minimize HB 87’s effects on agriculture. The meetings included discussions of national solutions to immigration issues. Kingston noted that 17 states currently have laws requiring employers to use E-Veri-fy, the federal government’s online work

authorization system. He said that number was likely to grow, and states without such laws were becoming “sanctuary states” for undocumented workers, giving those states a competitive advantage. Earlier in June, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) introduced legislation to the U.S. House that would make E-Verify mandatory nationwide. Kingston and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-3rd Dist.) cosponsored it. Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall spoke during the session with Kingston, saying farmers need help in the form of federal legislation to reform the H-2A program, which many farmers feel is too cumbersome to provide them with the workers they need. “We need a workable guest worker program,” Duvall said. “We need it now, because if we activate E-Verify nationwide before we have a guest worker program, it will be disastrous not only to agriculture but to a lot of small businesses nationwide.” Duvall outlined points for improve-ment of the guest worker program, saying

it should accommodate all agricultural producers, address needs for those that use seasonal help and those that need workers year-round. He also stressed that the guest worker program should be simple, placed under the supervision of one government department and include a program so workers currently in the U.S. can apply for work visas. Kingston informally polled the crowd of more than 100 people, asking questions about their experiences using H-2A and E-Verify. Kingston said the agriculture industry has opportunities to form coalitions with the hotel/motel industry and the construc-tion industry to create a larger voice on immigration issues. He also stressed that immigration reform should be accompa-nied by welfare reform. “If you’re on welfare right now it’s prob-ably a $20,000 package,” Kingston said. “For somebody to go out in a hot field versus sitting around and getting free medication, food, housing and medical assistance, why would you want to do the work?” Dan Bremer of Agworks Inc. reviewed the requirements of the current H-2A pro-gram, noting that the use of undocument-ed workers is a declining option in states where E-Verify laws are in effect, leaving those states at a competitive disadvantage with states lacking such laws. “You have a responsibility to tell your elected officials what you want to have done,” Bremer said.

Farmers voice concerns over H-2A program & Ga. immigration law

U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (right) told farmers attending a farm labor listening session, which he hosted in Homerville on June 30, that immigration reform should be accompanied by welfare reform.

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ready in the country to apply for a work visa provided they are otherwise admis-sible under the Immigration & Natural-ization Act. • The use of E-Verify by agriculturalemployers should not be mandated before a fully functional guest worker program is de-veloped, which is capable of providing suffi-cient numbers of workers on a timely basis. •Farmerswhousetheprogramshouldnot be harassed by lawsuits. “The bottom line is this,” concluded Duvall, “Farmers cannot operate with-out a stable work force. Without a work-able guest worker program, farmers will be hurt.” Jon Huffmaster is director of the GFB Legislative Department.

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE from page 5


Georgia Farm Bureau is among a co-alition of Georgia ag organizations commissioning a study to evalu-

ate the economic impact that labor used in Georgia’s fresh produce industry has on the state’s economy. The study will also address the economic impact of lost wages and crop sales the industry suffered this year as a re-sult of labor shortages farmers experienced after the passage of Georgia’s new immigra-tion legislation House Bill 87. The study is intended to quantify the produce industry’s losses and impact on rural economies to educate lawmakers considering future immigration legislation and support efforts to improve the national guest-worker program, said Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA), which initiated the study. “We know our growers had a need for labor during the spring crop. We’re just try-ing to quantify what happened and how the labor shortage affected the harvest of the spring crop and affected rural communi-ties,” Hall said. “We’ve estimated we had $200 to $300 million in lost crops, but we want to know for sure.” Dr. John McKissick and Sharon Kane, economists with the University of Georgia Center for Agribusiness and Economic De-velopment, will conduct the study, which will be completed on or before Oct. 1. “We’ve heard reports from Georgia farmers that House Bill 87 has created a la-bor shortage and negatively impacted their harvests,” Georgia Farm Bureau President

Zippy Duvall said. “Georgia Farm Bureau supports this study, because in order for Georgia agriculture to be effective in find-ing a solution to the labor problem we’re facing, we need objective, quantifiable numbers that show the economic impact the labor shortage has had on agriculture and the economies of rural Georgia.”

Ag groups commission study to measure value of ag laborBy Jennifer Whittaker__________________________________________________________________________

In addition to the GFVGA and GFB, oth-er groups funding the study are the Georgia Peach Council, Georgia Vegetable Commis-sion, Georgia Blueberry Commission, Geor-gia Watermelon Association and the Vidalia Onion Business Council, Hall said. Surveys have been sent to Georgia fruit and produce growers identified by the participating organizations and Coop-erative Extension to evaluate the Georgia produce crops impacted and to measure the acreage of produce not harvested due to a shortage of labor. Another study conducted by the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Eco-nomic Development in late 2007 showed that 67 percent of the Southeast farmers surveyed in the study indicated they have had difficulty hiring workers. According to Cesar Escalante, the UGA economist who conducted the study of organic and conventional farmers in the Southeast, family labor has always been the source of reliable farm workers and even the of-fer of higher wage rates and benefits can not attract workers willing to perform on-farm tasks.

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On June 28, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued disaster declarations for 22 Georgia counties suffering crop losses documented in April loss assess-ment reports. An additional 26 counties bordering those were named contiguous disaster counties. While that accounts for 30 percent of the state’s 159 counties, it prompted ques-tions about why more counties did not re-ceive the declaration. A Farm Service Agency (FSA) official explained that the number of counties had to do with the timing of loss assessments and predicted that more counties would re-ceive disaster declarations after additional assessments are performed this summer. “It was all a timing issue,” said Clark Weaver, the FSA’s Georgia section chief for price support, conservation and com-pliance. “We did the loss assessment re-ports back in the middle of April, and at that point in time we only had so many counties that were in that drought situa-tion, not like it is today. So that’s why we only had 22 counties.” Weaver said another round of loss as-sessment reports (LARs) started in mid-July, and he expects many more to qualify for disaster declaration. The FSA State Emer-gency Board was scheduled to meet Aug. 4 to review those assessments. “Just about every county in Georgia probably will be eligible for a designation the way it looks unless they get a big rain between now and then,” Weaver said. “A lot of crops, even if they do get rain, they may not recover.” Weaver said the agency was aware of drought monitoring data in April and asked counties in the southern half of the state to conduct LARs. A county is eligible for a disaster designation when it has a 30 percent loss in one crop, and procedure calls for the governor to request disaster declaration from the secretary of agri-culture. He urged farmers to report crop losses to the county FSA office for consid-eration in the next set of LARs.

The 22 counties declared primary di-saster areas are: Appling, Atkinson, Ba-con, Ben Hill, Brantley, Brooks, Bryan, Chatham, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Dodge, Effingham, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce, Telfair, Thomas, Wayne and Wheeler. The 26 contiguous counties are Berrien, Bleckley, Bulloch, Camden, Charlton, Clinch, Echols, Evans, Glynn, Grady, Laurens, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Mitchell, Montgomery, Pulaski, Screven, Tattnall, Tift, Toombs, Treutlen, Turner, Ware, Wilcox and Worth. Weaver, who has worked with the FSA for more than 30 years, said the early sea-son drought was the worst he has seen. Producers in counties that receive a disaster declaration may be eligible for loans and other assistance from the fed-eral government. Contact your FSA office for more information.

This spring and summer, Georgia’s farmers throughout most of the state have faced worsening drought conditions along with extremely hot weather. The continuing drought conditions across central and south Georgia hit many farmers in the wallet as the weather drove them to alter their planting schedules and use more irrigation to keep existing plants alive, resulting in greater energy and irriga-tion maintenance costs. “We’ve had to pump a lot of water,” said Wayne County Farm Bureau Director Franklin Burch, who grows 400 acres of to-bacco. “We’ve got all of our tobacco under pivots, and we’ve been able to keep it watered down. Maybe, if Mother Nature keeps work-ing with us, we’ll have a crop of tobacco.” In response to the lack of rain, livestock owners have had to make adjustments in how they operate. “We’re purchasing more grain to offset the lack of grass the cows are going to be

FSA: More counties likely to receive disaster declarations

Without sufficient rain to bring up their cotton plants, some Georgia growers opted to replant, like this Atkinson County farmer.

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By Jay Stone_________________________________________________________________________

Drought impacting Ga. farmers By Jay Stone_________________________________________________________________________

grazing,” said GFB Dairy Commodity Com-mittee Chairman Judd Chambers. “There’s no way to offset the additional feed costs. We just have to figure out a way to handle it.” Livestock producers whose supply of forages and hay has been diminished by the drought received some guidelines dur-ing a workshop on June 20 at the UGA Tif-ton Campus. The event was also webcast, and Farm Bureau offices in Washington, South Fulton and Haralson counties held meetings to let their members view the we-bcast. UGA Extension Economist for Live-stock Dr. Curt Lacy gave tips on how to minimize the financial impact drought can have on livestock operations. Lacy advised livestock owners to con-sider the yearly price cycles for various types of cattle and recommended selling first–and second–calf heifers, open cows, and unprofitable cows before selling pro-

Continued on next page


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ductive cows four to seven years old. The workshop also covered tax implications of culling herds and strategies for forage and feeding management. Georgia State Climatologist David Stooksbury outlined the development of the drought conditions, which began with lower-than-normal levels of late-summer rainfall in 2010. The ground water levels have not re-turned to normal levels, Stooksbury said, and he predicted conditions warmer and drier than normal through the summer months. Clyde Fraisse of the University of Florida detailed a drought monitoring system he has developed with data being collected at a number of stations in Florida and Georgia, including locations in Plains, Tifton and Vidalia. For more drought management infor-mation on the web, visit: http://www.caes.uga.edu/commodi-ties/fieldcrops/forages/events/drought/DroughtMtg11.html http://www.georgiaforages.com/ http://www.agroclimate.org/

A field of peanuts in Turner County, where the rows have not grown in due to drought.

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Continued from previous page

USDA to resume labor survey

The USDA announced July 1 that the department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will resume its Agricultural Labor Survey in July after the U.S. Department of Labor agreed to pay survey costs. The NASS discontinued the survey in April due to budget constraints. The Agriculture Labor Survey pro-vides information on the number of agricultural workers, hours worked and wage rates at both national and regional levels. Prior to the survey suspension, the NASS interviewed nearly 12,000 farmers and ranchers every quarter. The department of labor uses the survey information for its H-2A tempo-rary worker program. The labor depart-ment relies on the Agriculture Labor Survey to analyze the farm labor supply and demand and establish the need for additional certifications. The data from the July survey will be published on Aug. 18 in the Farm La-bor Report.


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commodities/marketing updateDon McGough

Promoting Georgia agriculture Georgia is uniquely positioned geo-graphically and has the climate to produce many different farm commodities. These days it seems almost everyone has a keen interest in where their food comes from, and commodity promotion is a good way to answer their questions. Promoting Georgia agriculture is an ongoing effort of Georgia Farm Bureau and our Commodities/Marketing Depart-ment. Our staff members work to promote Georgia commodities throughout the year using numerous programs and activities. GFB’s Certified Farm Market Program works year-round to publicize the wonder-ful array of fresh fruits, vegetables, pecans, horticulture products and other com-modities produced locally in communities across the state. We annually publish a bro-chure listing all participating markets that is distributed to consumers statewide. We make an effort to promote commodities as they come in season by featuring different markets on our website and sending press releases to media statewide. With more than 500 employees, the GFB home office is the perfect place to educate consumers about Georgia com-modities. On June 29 we celebrated June Dairy Month by holding our annual Dairy Day to promote the many nutritional benefits of dairy products. Thanks to the Southeast United Dairy Industry Associa-tion and Georgia Milk Producers for their support of this event. To celebrate the fall harvest of Geor-gia’s peanut crop, we host an annual pea-nut boil in September for GFB employees with the help of the Georgia Peanut Com-mission and the National Peanut Buying Points Association. Our department also promotes Georgia’s peanut industry year-round by distributing canned peanuts and 3/4 ounce bagged peanuts within Farm Bureau. Throughout the year, commodities staff work closely with each of the state commodity commissions to assist them with their promotion programs that are

funded by the producers of each specific commodity. We attend numerous com-modity meetings and work with our GFB media to inform our members of the com-modity news they need to know. We also work with GFB’s 20 commodity advisory committees on special projects, such as the GFB Hay Directory and Hay Contest, to promote Georgia commodities. Our department also provides market-ing opportunities for grains, soybeans and

corn, and other feed ingredients to help ensure that our members have access to the best prices available. You can even receive daily futures information sent directly to your cell phone through our Futures At A Glance messaging service. Visit http://www.gfb.org for more infor-mation about your GFB Commodities/Marketing Department. Don McGough is director of the GFB Commodities/Marketing Dept.

GFB employees get an up-close look at a Holstein on display in the Georgia Milk Pro-ducers’ mobile dairy classroom during GFB’s annual Dairy Day in June. Nicole Karstedt (back to camera) showed GFB employees how cows are milked.

In June, GFB President Zippy Duvall (right) toured some of the GFB Certified Farm Mar-kets that grow and sell peaches. During a stop at Dickey Farms, Duvall talked to Robert (left) and Bob (center) Dickey about peach promotion.

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Georgia is experiencing a historic wildfire season, according to Georgia Forestry Commission

Director Robert Farris. As of mid July, multiple fires had charred 340,713 acres in and around the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, including more than 40,000 acres on private land, much of which was await-ing timber harvest. During the first six months of 2011 forest fires have caused more than $30 million worth of damage to timber in the state. Combined with the damage from the April tornadoes, Geor-gia has suffered more than $100 million in timber damage. The fires, compounded by severe drought conditions, are being combated by personnel from the Georgia Forestry Commission, its equivalent agency in Florida, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and others. Farris gave U.S. Sen. Saxby Chamb-liss a briefing and tour of the Okefenokee fires on June 25. Given the thorny federal budget envi-ronment, Chambliss said the prospect of aid to private landowners affected by the fires is difficult to predict. “There’s going to be significant pri-vate property loss,” Chambliss said. “How we’re going to deal with that going forward is going to be very, very difficult because we’re out of money in Washing-ton right now. I’m not sure what the an-swer is going to be.” Farris said this season would likely exceed the damage caused by the Oke-fenokee fires in 2007, but because fires have been widespread across the South the manpower and firefighting resources available then are not all available now. “After living through 2007 I thought that was a once-in-a-lifetime event, that we wouldn’t see fire like that again for

years to come,” Farris said. “It’s very like-ly, with the way things are going this year, our fire season in 2011 is going to be worse than what we encountered in 2007.” The vast majority of the land within the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has burned, and the Okefenokee Swamp Park has been closed for an extended period. While Farris noted that fire is a natural part of the swamp’s ecosystem, the difficult part is containing it within the refuge’s boundaries and keeping it off private land. Farris said that the fires in the swamp are extremely difficult to extinguish, par-

ticularly under the drought conditions the southern part of Georgia is experienc-ing, and a large-scale rain event would be required to put them out completely. “Sometimes the peat bogs will start burning for feet underneath the ground, and they’ll burn for extended periods,” Farris said. “We had one fire in a bay that started back in November that was start-ed by an arsonist, and [the fire] actually escaped [the swamp] in March. So, even with the winter rains we had, that bay kept burning. In that situation, when it’s drought conditions, you just simply can’t put those fires out.”

Georgia Forestry Commission Director Robert Farris, (left) reviews fire maps for Sen. Saxby Chambliss (center).

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This firebreak stopped the Race Pond Fire, one of several fires in and around the Oke-fenokee National Wildlife Refuge. On the left is unaffected forest and on the right is scorched timber.

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SE Georgia experiences historic wildfire seasonBy Jay Stone___________________________________


By Jay Stone__________________________________________________________________________

New approaches to disease and pest control, variety tests and the emergence of a new buying company highlighted the 2011 Georgia-Florida Tobacco Tour, which vis-ited the UGA Bowen and Black Shank farms in Tifton along with 13 private farms in south Georgia and north Florida. GFB 10th District Director Daniel Johnson shared an overview of his opera-tion in Pierce County, including the ad-dition of U.S. Growers Direct, which has begun buying tobacco from several states, including Georgia, for distribution to Asian markets. “It has come together, and I hope it works for the tobacco industry,” said Johnson. “If it does, it’s going to be one of the best things that ever happened to the industry.” Tour organizer Dr. J. Michael Moore, a UGA Extension agronomist for tobacco, said the state’s tobacco acreage might have dipped as low as 9,000 acres if U.S. Grow-

ers Direct hadn’t stepped in. With the company’s contracts, the state’s growers planted 11,000 acres in 2011 according to the National Agriculture Statistics Service, virtually the same acreage as in 2010. Moore said that more than half the Georgia and U.S. tobacco crop is exported, either in leaves or as processed cigarettes. “Considering that we’ve had very little rain since transplanting, we have an out-standing crop,” Moore said during the tour. “It’s fortunate that much of the Geor-gia crop and the Florida crop is irrigated. I think that will cause us to have a high quality, good-yielding crop. Rainfall would help us tremendously.” The growers on the tour got informa-tion on pesticide trials, research to con-trol tomato spotted wilt virus and variety trials. At the 400-acre farm of Wayne County Farm Bureau Director Franklin Burch, the tour participants viewed the results of vari-

One of the stops on the 2011 Georgia-Florida Tobacco Tour was this tobacco field un-der irrigation at the farm of Wayne County Farm Bureau Director Franklin Burch.

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New buyer, research updates highlight annual tobacco tour

ety trials, and Burch said rising input costs have posed a challenge, particularly with the constant need to irrigate. “The products we have had to purchase have gone up, equipment, the whole nine yards,” Burch said. “All the input costs just kind of went out the roof.” At the farms of Kenneth Williams and Jerry Wooten in Jeff Davis County, the tour looked at test results on methods of applying Coragen to control budworms. Moore said the key portion of the test was the timing of application, noting that budworm moths often don’t arrive in the fields until three weeks after planting. Be-cause Coragen remains effective for ap-proximately 49 days, the trial aimed to see if delaying application to more closely coincide with the moths’ arrival would en-hance the chemical’s effectiveness in com-bating the worms. Part of the trial in the unirrigated field at the Williams farm involved covering the chemical with soil, and because of the hot, dry temperatures Georgia has had in 2011, Moore said the chemical application was not as effective as in 2010, when the soil moisture was different. For more information about research on tobacco production in Georgia, visit http://www.georgiatobacco.com.

The 11th Circuit Court of Ap-peals on June 28 ruled that one of the intended purposes of Lake Lanier was to supply water to the metro At-lanta region, overturning a 2009 U.S. District Court ruling by Judge Paul Magnuson in an ongoing legal battle between Georgia, Alabama and Flor-ida over access to the water from the lake. According to published reports, Alabama plans to appeal the Circuit Court ruling. Magnuson’s ruling gave the states until July 2012 to reach a wa-ter–sharing agreement. Without an agreement, metro Atlanta’s access to water from Lake Lanier was to revert to 1970s levels.

Court rules in favor of Georgia in tri-state water dispute


University of Georgia Research Professor Dr. Andrew Paterson (center) accepts the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation Agriscience Scientist Award from the Foundation’s Acting Chairman Jim Herring (left) and American Farm Bureau Federation President Bob Stallman (right).

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UGA researcherwins agriscience award University of Georgia Research Professor Dr. Andrew Paterson is one of two research winners of the 2011 Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation (CCFF) Agriscience Awards, given jointly by the Christopher Columbus Foundation, which is supported by the federal government, and the Ameri-can Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF). Paterson is studying genome mapping for important agricultural crops, including cotton, peanuts, and Bermuda grass in an effort to determine where specific inherit-able traits are located on the genetic se-quence of a DNA strand. The awards, presented on July 12, honor distinguished scientists, educators and high school students for exemplary innovation in the field of agricultural science. Paterson and Dr. Randall Prather, University of Missouri professor of re-

productive biotechnology, each received a $25,000 cash award and up to $25,000 in research funding. Paterson is a distinguished research professor and director of the Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory, part of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmen-

tal Sciences. He is jointly appointed in the college’s crop and soil science, plant biol-ogy and genetics departments. Paterson’s research uses genomic tools to study crop improvement, plant biodiversity and mo-lecular evolution. He is also researching biofuel production efficiency.


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Demand for pecans raises prices, acreageA recent UGA study shows Georgia pecan growers have planted more than 2,000 new acres of pecan trees.

By Jennifer Whittaker___________________________________ The initial good price growers re-ceived for their 2010 crop may be credited to the fact that last year was the “off” year of the two-year production cycle pecan trees follow. But USDA reports show the 2010 crop yielded more poundage than most “off” years and still prices rose. The last production report USDA is-sued for the 2010 crop estimated Georgia’s production at 65 million pounds com-pared to the 100 million pounds Georgia produced in 2009. The USDA won’t re-lease final production numbers for 2010, which some say could be as high as 70 or 75 million pounds, until September. “Last year was a record price for pe-cans, but all indications are we stand to see pretty good prices this year as well,” Wells said.

Increased demand driving prices So what’s driving prices and demand for pecans? Expanding markets, domestic and foreign, which was the hot topic of the annual meeting of the Georgia Pecan Growers Association held March 30 at the

Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry. Lane told growers the Georgia Pecan Commission (GPC) is creating a two-minute video this summer that will be shown on Delta flights in November. “This will be an in-flight video featur-ing Georgia pecan growers and our crop - how we grow it, harvest it and shell it,” Lane said speaking to the growers at the annual meeting. “We hope to reach two and a half million people with this video.” Lane said the video resulted from similar videos the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association did with Delta to promote Georgia’s blueberry, Vidalia onion and watermelon crops. The commission continues to work with the public relations firm Sahlman Williams to promote Georgia pecans through na-tional media and sponsorships of sport-ing events such as the Mind, Body, & Spirit Fitness Games held last September in New York. The event attracted 7,000 runners who learned that pecans are the top nut to eat for antioxidants. “We’ve continued to spread the word

Last year Geor-gia pecan pro-ducers received

record prices for their crop. Thanks to the industry’s ongoing ef-forts to expand their markets abroad and domestically, growers hope high prices are here to stay.

“2010 was probably the best year any of us have ever seen, not only from a price standpoint but from a demand standpoint,” said Georgia Pecan Com-mission Chairman Duke Lane. “It was a win-win situation for everybody. We’ve never seen prices start out at a decent price and then go up.” In Georgia, the average price per pound for pecans from last year’s crop was between $2.25 and $2.30 a pound, according to University of Georgia Pecan Specialist Lenny Wells.


Pecan producers attending the annual Georgia Pecan Growers Association meeting, March 30 in Perry, listen to a sales representative talk about Air-Fan’s 1,000–gallon en-gine-driven sprayer.

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that Georgia pecans are fit for all reasons for all seasons,” John Williams, president of the Tampa-based firm said.

Chinese demand a major factor U.S. demand for pecans has increased since the mid-1990s when the GPC formed and started its promotion efforts, but Wells said it is China’s demand for pecans that are driving price and causing growers to plant more acres of trees. “We did a survey a year ago to look at the number of acres going into pecans. The survey showed a little over 2,000 new acres being planted in pecans, and I think that’s a conservative estimate. It’s proba-bly a good bit more than that,” Wells said. “The biggest thing driving the new acre-age is the excitement behind the price, which is being driven by the amount of pecans going to China.”

Future markets Meanwhile, the National Pecan Grow-ers Council (NPGC) continues efforts to find new markets for pecans overseas. “Five years ago the port of Savannah was exporting zero pecans. Today we’re exporting fifty percent of our crop,” said Hilton Segler, NPGC executive director. “The efforts we’ve generated overseas to increase exports have put an extra dol-lar per pound in growers’ pockets for inshell nuts.” The NPGC is promoting pecans in Canada, Dubai, India, the European Union and China using $326,000 in funds it received from the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Market Access and Emerging Markets Programs, Segler said. The U.S. produces 80 percent of the world’s pecan supply, Segler said, fol-lowed by Mexico with 10 percent and the remaining 10 percent produced by Aus-tralia, Brazil and Peru. Jeff Worn, a pecan sheller with the South Georgia Pecan Company in Val-dosta, recently traveled to India with the NPGC to promote the crop. Nuts play a big role in the Indian diet, Worn says, but the Indian walnut and California almonds and pistachios currently fill this need of the Indian diet. “The Indian people see U.S. products as being a quality product. They see the potential in pecans, but we have to create

a market for it,” Worn said. “Once they start to find out how much better for you pecans are than these other nuts, then I think pecans will really start to take off.” Worn cautions that pecan growers may have to wait five to 10 years to see In-dia grow as an export market. “I think the almond industry has been there almost 20 years, and they are just starting to scratch the surface of the potential India offers as an export mar-ket. Pistachios have been there eight to 10 years,” Worn said. “It’s going to take marketing samples of pecans and a whole lot of patience, but I’ve got people on the ground in India who are willing to do the promotion for us.” Are higher prices here to stay? “Five years ago we could grow an acre of pecans for $500 an acre. Now it costs us close to $1,800 an acre. We can no longer survive in this business selling for

low prices,” Segler said. “There’s a certain segment of people that buy on price, and we’ll probably lose some of those custom-ers, but other customers buy on health benefits and nutrition and those are the customers we’ll supply.” Lane, who says he was still taking calls from buyers wanting pecans in February, says he doesn’t see supply catching up with demand in the near future. “A lot of trees have been planted all over the state of Georgia, but with the continuation of promoting pecans do-mestically and in the export markets I just don’t see supply catching up with demand,” Lane said. “I think demand will be good for years to come. It’s caused the price to go up, but who can apolo-gize about that? With the increased in-put costs we’re experiencing with diesel fuel, insect and disease control and labor, we’ve got to see an increase in the price of our commodity.”


GFB art contest winners named Jay Jones of Decatur County won the 17th Annual Georgia Farm Bureau Art Contest. Jones won the contest’s top prize of $250 with his pencil drawing of a farm landscape of a barn, tractor and pickup truck. Jay, the son of Angela Jones, was an 11th-grade student at Bainbridge High School when he entered the contest earlier this year. He also won $100 for winning the GFB 9th District contest. The contest was open to all high school students in Georgia and drew 58 entries statewide. Jose Lopez of Monroe County, GFB 5th District, and Aaron Bruce of Lanier County, GFB 10th District, were runners-up in the art contest. They each received $150 in addition to the $100 dis-trict prize. Other district winners in the contest were: 1st District, Kira Ray, Cherokee County; 2nd District, Nick Maysonet, Jackson County; 3rd District, Nathan Trippe, Carroll County; 4th District, Ashton McKettrick, Columbia County; 6th District, Brianna Watkins, Dodge County; 7th District, Kaidy English, Emanuel County; 8th District, Layla Lewis, Lee County. The GFB Women’s Leadership Committee annually coordinates the contest in conjunction with county Farm Bureau Women’s Committees for the purpose of encouraging Georgia high school students to creatively explore Georgia agriculture. The contest is open to any student in 9th-12th grade.

1st Place: Jay Jones of Decatur County

Runner-up: José Lopez of Monroe County

Runner-up: Aaron Bruce of Lanier County

Ag video contest seeks entries The CropLife Ambassador Network is accepting entries in its YouTube-style video contest. Participants are asked to create a video of five minutes or less depicting how modern agricul-ture is one of the following: important to everyone, cutting edge, sustainable or a way of life. The videos will be used by CropLife

volunteers to educate elementary stu-dents about agriculture. The contest is open to all persons active in modern crop production. Awards for the contest are as fol-lows: 1st place $500, 2nd place $300 and 3rd place $200. Submissions are due by 12:59 p.m. Nov. 1. The person submitting a video may work as part of a team with others, but only one

person can submit the official entry. Visit http://ambassador.maca.org/video-contest/ for complete contest guidelines and en-try instructions.


By Lynlee Poppell ------------------------- Agriculture plays an important role in the economy of every commu-nity, state, country, and the world. The meaning of agriculture is the practice of farming the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock. Agriculture is an important part of our everyday lives. It allows people to make a living and pro-vides needed food for others. It is very important to everyone. Agriculture is important to me be-cause it provides some of my family and friends with jobs and money for expens-es, and also a variety of foods to eat. We rely on farmers to produce certain crops so we can eat different foods. People also rely on agriculture for a living such as farmers. By planting and harvesting crops, farmers are able to sell their crops and make money. We, as the consum-ers, buy the product, which helps the farmer. Agriculture has been around for a long time. Lots of our great-grandpar-ents and grandparents lived off the land, and that is special to me. In our community in Grady Coun-ty, we have a lot of farmers. They grow crops such as corn, tobacco, peanuts, and soybeans. Our farmers also raise a lot of livestock such as hogs and cattle. Agriculture in our community is used for profit and for providing our families with food. We also have a lot of backyard farmers who grow summer gardens and share with their neighbors. Farming is a very hard job and sometimes you take a lot of risks. Agriculture in our commu-nity is responsible for providing us with what we need to survive. Georgia’s agricultural industry plays a major role in the state’s economy. Georgia ranks first in the production of chickens, peanuts, and pecans. Agri-culture has been around for a very long time in the state of Georgia. As an 8th grade Georgia history student, I have learned this year how even the earliest Indians cultivated maize, pumpkins,

and beans. Cotton and tobacco were the major crops in Georgia after the Ameri-can Revolution, and Georgia cotton soon got the name King Cotton after the Civil War. Georgia is known for lots of good agricultural products that help bring in lots of money for our state. Not only is agriculture important to Georgia, but to the entire United States as well. Almost every state depends on agricultural products as a source of in-come. The United States differs in some areas that have better farmland. Farmers in the United States plant crops that will grow well in that particular area. For ex-ample, fruit crops grow well in Florida, and wheat and grain grow well out west. Agriculture is a good source of income for our country. We help each other out when there is a need for certain foods. A lot of families in the United States are still involved with farming and raising livestock even though things are a lot different now. A good balanced agricultural in-dustry provides the world with food security. Most countries of the world depend on agriculture as a way to make money and survive. Larger farms may hire farmhands to harvest the crop and take care of the animals, so sometimes farming can provide jobs. We depend on other countries for different food crops. Since South Georgia is not good for growing bananas and coffee, we im-port these items from other countries. Every nation seems dependent on each other and this is helpful in promoting agriculture. Agriculture is important to me in my community, the state of Georgia, the United States, and the world. Without agriculture we would not have the many things we have and use today. We are lucky to have the ability to grow crops we need or to ship them to other coun-tries that need them. Agriculture is a way of life that is very much needed for all people and places.

GFB announces essay contest winner Lynlee Poppell of Grady County won the 2011 GFB Middle School Essay Contest. She was an 8th grade student at Whigham School when she wrote her es-say earlier this year. Poppell claimed a $150 cash prize for winning the state contest and also received $100 for winning the GFB 9th District contest. She is the daughter of Gary and Julie Poppell. The essay contest was open to all Geor-gia students in 6th through 8th grade and drew 63 entries statewide. Students were asked to discuss the theme, “Agriculture Counts: The Importance of Agriculture in Georgia to Me, My Community, My State and the World.” The essays were judged on clarity of thought and creativeness. Other district winners were: 1st Dis-trict, Hunter Young, Chattooga County; 2nd District, Lea Presley, Stephens County; 3rd District, Conner Muse, Carroll Coun-ty; 4th District, Maddison Wilkes, Oconee County; 5th District, Morgan Tillman, Jasper County; 6th District, Harley Rob-ertson, Jones County; 7th District, Wyatt Colley, Candler County; 8th District, Ra-chel Minick, Sumter County; 10th District, Kade Moore, Coffee County. The GFB Women’s Leadership Com-mittee annually coordinates the contest in conjunction with county Farm Bureau Women’s Committees.

Agriculture Counts: The Importance of Agriculture in Georgia to Me,

My Community, My State and the World

USDA announces claims process for Hispanic, women farmers The United States Department of Agriculture recently announced the establishment of a process to resolve the claims of Hispanic and women farmers who assert that they were discriminated against when seeking USDA farm loans. Those wishing to register to receive a claims package or to request more in-formation can visit www.farmerclaims.gov or can call the Farmer and Rancher Call Center at 1-888-508-4429. USDA cannot provide legal advice to potential claimants. Persons seeking legal advice may contact a lawyer or other legal services provider.


Farm Bureau mourns loss of Cagle & Martin

Georgia Farm Bureau is mourning the loss of former Butts County Farm Bureau President Mary Lee Martin and former GFB Women’s Committee member Bernese Cagle. Martin, who was 93, died June 20. She was preceded in death by her husband George Noah Martin Jr., who died in 1989. Martin served as president of BCFB from 1989 to 2010, and at the time of her death was the BCFB vice president. During World War II she was the only woman member of the Jackson National Guard and was a charter mem-ber of the Jackson Business and Profes-sional Women’s Organization. The Butts County Chamber of Commerce induct-ed Martin into the Butts County Hall of Fame in 1997. Martin is survived by her daugh-ter Mary Ruth Watson and son-in-law Ralph, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Those wishing to honor her may make donations to the Butts County Farm Bureau Scholarship Fund. Condolences may be sent to the family at 733 Covington Street, Jackson, Ga. 30233. Bernese Cagle of Cherokee County, a former member of the Georgia Farm Bureau Women’s Com-mittee and a member of the GFB Aquaculture Committee, died June 22. She was 71. Cagle played a leading role in the or-ganization of the Cen-tennial Farm Heritage Program in Geor-gia and served on the board of the North American Farmers Direct Marketing As-sociation. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Albert Cagle, son Scott Cagle and his wife Laurie, son Mark Cagle, son Len Cagle and his wife Teresa, son David Cagle and his wife Angela, 11 grandchil-dren and 7 great-grandchildren. Condolences may be sent to the family at 150 Stringer Rd., Canton, Ga. 30115.

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FFA officers visit GFBThe newly elected Georgia FFA state officers visited with GFB President Zippy Duvall (seated) June 16. Pictured standing, from left are: Georgia FFA Vice Presidents Edward Moore, Ryan Powell and Cassidy Gilliard, FFA Secretary Jake Todd and FFA Vice Presi-dents Joey Temperly, Brittney Gunter and Newt Gilman. Georgia FFA President Ben Ben-nett was unable to attend.

GFB members attend AITC Conference Georgia sent a 30-person delegation to the 2011 National Agriculture in the Class-room Conference held June 22-25 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Georgia was second only to Florida, the host state, in number of par-ticipants. Georgia’s delegation consisted of teach-ers, Farm Bureau volunteers and personnel from Ft. Valley State University. The conference included 76 work-shops, mini-workshops, roundtables and make-and-take sessions that covered all grade levels and subjects. There was also a day of traveling workshops that spotlighted area agriculture. Stephens County Farm Bureau spon-sored two teachers from their county, Dana

and James Horton, to attend the conference. “James and I are still talking about how much fun we had at the conference and marveling over what we learned. I’m al-ready looking forward to August to begin sharing with our local teachers,” Dana said. “It truly was a wonderful experience, and while I have a background in agriculture, James does not, and his outlook is forever changed!” Make plans now to attend or sponsor a teacher to attend the 2012 National Agri-culture in the Classroom Conference. It will be held June 19-22 in Loveland, Colorado. Contact Donna Rocker at [email protected] or 478-474-0679,ext. 5365 for more in-formation.

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By Jennifer Whittaker__________________________________________________________________________

More than 30 Georgia stock horse enthusiasts from across Georgia and Alabama pol-

ished and showed off their skills during the inaugural Stock Horse Versatility Event, April 2-3, at the Quercus Cattle Company Arena in Gay, Ga. On Saturday, event attendees partici-pated in American Stock Horse Association (ASHA) clinics led by ASHA President B.F. Yeates, of College Station, Texas and Stock Horse of Texas President Brian Sumrall, of Daisetta, Texas. On Sunday, participants competed in four classes - working cow horse, reining, ranch trail and ranch plea-sure - during the event organized by the Stock Horse of Georgia (SHoGA), an affili-ate of the ASHA. “This event was an excellent start for the Stock Horse of Georgia as it was education-al and included a competition that was fun and challenging. Competitors were judged individually in each class and received a score that provided useful feedback to the rider,” explained event organizer Darryl Landreth. “We were very fortunate to be able to hold this event on a working ranch and to have Mr. Yeates and Mr. Sumrall serve as clinicians and judges.”

Pictured clockwise from right, Stock Horse of Texas President Brian Sumrall shows Patti Rosene, of Newnan, Connor Landreth of LaGrange and Paul Keith of Hogansville, how to flex a horse during a horsemanship clinic held at the inaugural Stock Horse Versatility Event in April.

Stock Horse of Ga. holds inaugural event

Winners of the April 3 competition were: Open All-Around Champion - Stephen Freeman riding Mecom Doc Blue; Non-Pro All-Around Champion - Sarah South rid-ing JAG Dynamite Hickory; Non-Pro Ltd.

All-Around Champion - Sally Ratliff riding Doc T Abbie; Novice All-Around Cham-pion - Joy Brigham riding Smart Smokin’ Jewel; Green Horse All-Around Champion - Susannah Fay riding Olenas Tuff N Nuff and Youth All-Around Champion - Sunnie Wynn riding Just Been Mooned. Landreth, who serves on the Georgia Farm Bureau Equine Committee, and his fa-ther Harrell Landreth, Troup County Farm Bureau president, operate Little Creek Quar-ter Horses where they breed, raise and train quality performance quarter horses that can work cattle or compete in shows. The Lan-dreths joined forces with Amanda Johnson, a quarter horse trainer, to start the SHoGA. “The mission of the American Stock Horse Association is to help people ride a bet-ter horse, and the purpose of the Stock Horse of Georgia is to extend the American Stock Horse mission into Georgia by conducting clinics and competitions,” Darryl said. The Landreths and Johnson organized the April event, and TCFB Director Henry Jones provided the cattle the horses worked in the clinics and competition. The SHoGA will host another clinic/show Aug. 27-28. Sumrall and Dr. Den-nis Sigler, ASHA vice president, of College Station, Texas, will serve as clinicians. Visit http://www.littlecreekquarterhorses.com or call 706-302-5117 for more information.

nesses in their communities, and everyone will pay more to feed their families - there are no real winners. This is why we are look-ing forward to the debate on the national level. Farm Bureau believes the immigrant labor issue can only be solved in Congress. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) has introduced a bill (HR2164) to make E-verify manda-tory nationwide. This could be disastrous to Georgia agriculture if it becomes law before we work on a workable, affordable guest worker program. On pages 5 and 6 you can read more about the testimony I gave at a town hall meeting Rep. Jack Kingston held in Homerville, Ga., June 30. Georgia tax reform is another issue Georgia Farm Bureau continues to address. GFB’s volunteer leaders and staff have spent countless hours working with our legisla-tors and the Special Council for Georgia Tax Reform. As you know, the legislature did not act on this in 2011, so in May, I

met with Gov. Deal and Lt. Governor Cagle about the possibility of moving this issue forward. We had a great visit on this matter along with immigration and water issues. Drought, water and tax reform are just a few of the issues affecting farmers and all of Georgia’s citizens in one way or another. For this reason, we have to unite and stand together. Remember, we are one people, under God. In Mark 3: 24-25 the Bible says, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that king-dom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand”. Georgia Farm Bureau is the voice of Georgia’s largest industry, and it would be wise for us to heed God’s word and stand together - growers of all different com-modities, standing side-by-side, grow-ing our state by helping Georgia’s largest industry and Georgia’s family farms. God Bless.

WE, THE FARMERS from page 4

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AROUND GEORGIANews from County Farm Bureaus

BERRIEN COUNTY Berrien County Farm Bureau Director Wayne Nash (left) and BCFB Office Manager Phyllis Boyd (right) welcomed artist Jack Deloney (center) to the BCFB office this spring for a showing of his beau-tiful water paintings. Deloney, of Ozark, Ala., exhibited many of his agricultural and wildlife themed paint-ings for sale. Deloney’s paintings preserve the memories of how agriculture used to be.

BIBB COUNTY Bibb County Farm Bureau volunteers who helped with the 3rd Annual St. Jude Benefit Antique Tractor Ride May 7 included: (pictured left to right) Seth Scruggs, Haley Skipper, Jacob Skip-per, Debby & Neil Skipper, BCFB Agent Tracey Green, Harriett & Doug Skipper, Whitney Scruggs and Tylor Tanner. The BCFB would like to thank everyone who made a donation or volun-teered their time and services to make this ride a success!

CHATTOOGA COUNTY CCFB sponsored a Farm Day at Trion City Schools in May during which members of the CCFB Women’s, Promotion & Education and Young Farmer Committees taught the students about farming. The program began with CCFB Women’s Chair

Nanette Bryan reading “The Cow Loves Cookies.” Then the classes rotated through sessions about each animal mentioned in the story. Approximately 300 students, pre-K through third grade participated along with teachers and other faculty. CCFB also participated in the Ag Day Program at Chattooga High School. CCFB Directors Greg Hurley and Eddie Massey talked to the students about the different types of equipment used on farms and about safety around equipment.

COBB COUNTY In April, the Cobb County Farm Bureau Board of Directors awarded scholarships to five local students. Pictured from right are CCFB President Clarence McCollum, CCFB Vice President Luke Mayes, Mark Zenoble, CCFB Director Sarah Carnes Brown, Robert Wooditch and CCFB Director Stan Kirk. Wooditch, who is a student at ABAC, received the first place $5,000 scholarship. The second place $2,500 scholarship went to UGA student Mat-thew O’Meara (not pictured). Zenoble, who will enter ABAC this fall, won the third place $1,250 scholarship. Taylor Jordan (not pictured), a UGA student, received the fourth place $750 scholar-ship, and Emily Webb (not pictured), a Ga. Tech student, received a $500 scholarship.

CRAWFORD COUNTY The Crawford County Farm Bureau held its annual steak sup-per in March. CCFB awarded hoodies, trophies and prize money to its 60th annual livestock show participants from money raised with the supper. All of the CCFB committees pitched in to make this a successful event. CCFB P&E Chair Crystal Smallwood cre-ated a display of GFB member services and solicited new mem-

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berships. Anyone who joined Farm Bureau during the supper became eligible to win the gift basket containing a copy of GFB’s “Legacy of Georgia Cooking” cookbook along with other gifts. CCFB also offered free blood pressure screenings to everyone attending the supper.

JASPER COUNTY The Jasper County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee hosted a Farm Day event for the fifth grade at Washington Park Elementary School to educate the students about agriculture and to promote commodities produced in Jasper County. Each of the students received gift bags that included beef coloring books, poultry bro-chures and Georgia peanuts. Thanks to Cal-Maine Foods, the Geor-gia Beef Board and Osborn-Barr for providing items for the bags.

LAURENS COUNTY Around 200 kindergarten students at Northwest Laurens Elementary learned about the variety of agricultural enter-prises in their county during the Agricul-tural Awareness Day held May 10. The stu-dents rotated through eight stations, which included a display of farm equipment and a bread making dem-onstration. Laurens County Farm Bureau Director Buddy Mer-cer is pictured talking to the students about calves. In addition, the students had a chance to see chickens, pigs and rabbits. The Georgia Forestry Commission provided an equipment display and discussed the importance of forest fire prevention. The day was a huge success thanks to the cooperation of the Farm Bureau Women’s Com-mittee, Laurens County Young Farmers Association and the Georgia Forestry Commission.

MADISON COUNTY The Madison County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee and the Madison County Extension Service sponsored a Farm Equipment Extrication Workshop this spring. Forty emergency personnel and farmers attended the event held at the farm of Keith & Lauren Lord. The attendees learned how responding to an emergency situation on a farm can present unique difficulties

and how to work with the equipment. MCFB Women’s Commit-tee Chair Judy Stephenson and committee member Mary Smith served lunch following the workshop. Dr. Glen Rains, with the University of Georgia, is pictured discussing the dangers of a power take–off shaft.

MACON COUNTY The Macon County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee, chaired by Kim Brown, served refreshments to participants in the St. Jude’s Tractor Benefit Ride in May as they gathered at the farm of Macon County Farm Bureau member Charles Hughes before starting the ride. Pictured from left are: Marilyn McClendon, Patsy Newberry, Kaye Poole and Ellen Chase.

TURNER COUNTY In June, the Turner County Farm Bureau held a pizza lunch for the Turner Alternative Services Center, which is a state-funded organization that teaches mentally challenged individuals to per-form daily activities and interact with society. The center clients participated in a lesson to learn that pizza ingredients come from the farm. A special emphasis was placed on beef, GFB’s new commodity of the year. The group enjoyed doing worksheets, answering trivia questions, playing Pizza Bingo and drawing for door prizes. All of the participants were given miscellaneous beef promotional items. TCFB Office Manager Karen McCurdy (far left) is pictured with the TASC group and TASC Health Instructor Kayla McDaniel (far right).

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See AROUND GEORGIA page 22


WALTON COUNTY In May, the Walton County Farm Bureau held a lunch to celebrate May being national strawberry, egg and beef month. About 100 WCFB members attended the event and enjoyed hot dogs and pizza. Local radio personality David Malcom (center) of station WMOQ interviews WCFB President Nathan Malcom (right) and WCFB Agency Manager John Red-ding (left) about the importance of agri-culture. WCFB displayed an educational exhibit about beef and brochures about strawberries and eggs that event attendees were encouraged to take along with Farm Bureau membership information.

AROUND GEORGIA from page 21

Antique tractor enthusiasts gathered at the farm of Charles Hughes in Marshallville May 7 to participate in the 3rd Annual St. Jude Benefit Antique Tractor Ride. Ride par-ticipants drove 10 miles from Hughes’ farm to Yoder’s Deitsch Haus, east of Montezuma. Bibb County Farm Bureau President Neil Skipper and GFB 6th District Director/Jeff Da-vis County Farm Bureau President James Emory Tate organized the ride, which raised $3,170 for the children’s hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The parade included 41 registered participants who drove antique Allis Chalmers, Farmalls, Fords, John Deeres and Massey Fergusons. The oldest tractor in the parade was a 1935 John Deere A. The largest tractor was a 1030 Case, and the smallest tractor was a Farmall Cub Lowboy.

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Farm Bureau rides for St. Jude The Georgia Peanut Commission (GPC) board of directors in June approved a $1.25 million budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, which began July 1. This budget provides funding in the areas of promo-tion, education, communication and re-search. Georgia peanut growers invest $2 per ton for commission activities. Decreases in acreage and declines in estimated production due to drought prompted the board to decrease the budget by $380,000 from last year. “The board and advisory board mem-bers reviewed the budget and approved several cuts throughout all areas of the commission activities,” said GPC Chair-man Armond Morris. “It is going to be a slim year but we are focused on doing what we can to obtain the most for every dollar spent on our programs of work and maxi-mizing our exposure through partnerships with other organizations and businesses.” The budget was set based on an esti-mated 625,000 tons of production for the 2011 crop. This was a decrease from the $1.63 million approved in the fiscal year 2010-2011. The commission eliminated funding for the Peanut Circus, after nearly 30 years of reaching millions of children across the U.S. Another relatively new promotion tar-geting major markets in the Midwest was also eliminated. One national promotional effort coordinated by the state check-off organizations in the Southeast, the South-ern Peanut Growers, was cut by $20,000 in its program of work. Throughout the budget, cuts were made in all areas of promotion, educa-tion and communication. The research portion of the budget, approved in March, was not cut. Visit http://www.gapeanuts.com for more information on activities of the Geor-gia Peanut Commission.

The Georgia Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation Board of Directors met March 16 to review operations, approve the pro-gram’s operational budget and set the 2011 assessment. The board of directors set the 2011 crop year assessment at 50 cents per bale. The assessment was based on a projec-tion of 1.5 million acres of cotton. The gins will collect and remit the assess-ment to the boll weevil program in the same manner as it was for the 2010 crop year. For information about the boll weevil program or assessment, call Executive Director Jim Wilson at 229-263-9366.

Africanized honeybees destroyed in Bainbridge

Boll weevil eradication board sets 2011 assessment

Ga. Peanut Commission approves budget

Entomological tests have confirmed that a suspect feral colony of honeybees found and destroyed in Bainbridge in May was the Africanized honeybee strain, according to the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Another colony of Africanized bees were destroyed in Dougherty County last fall. Visit http://www.agr.georgia.gov for tips on dealing with Africanized honeybees.


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Georgia Farm Bureau News - July 2011 Issue

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