Farm Bureau's Georgia Neighbors - Spring 2017

FARM BUREAU’S

Georgia A

PUBLICATION

Farmers use H2O wisely page 12

Memorial Day Salute:

Two Georgia WWII POWs returned home to farm

Farm Fresh: GFB Certified Farm Markets

GFB.ORG

OF

THE

Spring/Summer 2017 Vol. 22, No. 1

GEORGIA

FARM

BUREAU

HYDRANGEAS BLOOM IN BEULAHLAND

Contents

SPRING/SUMMER 2017 | VOL. 22, NO. 1

TWO GEORGIA WWII POWS RETURNED HOME TO FARM HYDRANGEAS BLOOM IN BEULAHLAND

17 23 24 29

FARMERS USE H2O WISELY HOUSTON COUNTY DUO WINS NATIONAL AG IN THE CLASSROOM AWARDS GFB AG FOUNDATION AWARDS 30 SCHOLARSHIPS TOTALING $58,500

FARM FRESH: GFB CERTIFIED FARM MARKETS

Andy Lucas, Director Jennifer Whittaker, Editor Jay Stone, Print/Web Specialist Lillian Davis, Publications/Advertising Manager Nicollette Boydstun, Multimedia Graphic Designer Lauren Lin, PR Communications Specialist

For information concerning advertising, contact Wendy McFarland at 334.652.9080 or mcfarlandadvantage@gmail.com. For questions about your membership or member benefits, call 1.800.633.5432.

For questions regarding editorial content call 478.474.0679, ext. 5334 or e-mail jawhittaker@gfb.org.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

View from the Field Insurance Update Public Policy Update Kid’s Corner

Planting with Paul Member Services Update Georgia Happenings Meals from the Field

You may read the Georgia Neighbors online. If you would like to opt out of receiving a printed copy of the Neighbors please send an email to georgianeighbors@gfb.org.

Provide your name as it appears on your Farm Bureau membership card along with your membership number.

When we publish the 2017 fall issue we’ll email you a link to our website.

ON THE COVER (photo by Caroline Lewallen)

BEETLE BLIGHT HITS GEORGIA

GEORGIA NEIGHBORS STAFF

Departments

Hall County Farm Bureau member Caroline Lewallen shot this photo at Jaemor Farms in Alto, Ga., where she is the marketing & agritourism coordinator. She entered the photo in the 2015 GFB Photo Contest.

WANT TO SUBSCRIBE? All Georgia Farm Bureau members receive the Georgia Neighbors. If you are not a farmer member and you’d like to receive the Georgia Farm Bureau News, fill in this coupon and send it to: Georgia Farm Bureau News, P.O. Box 7068, Macon, GA 31209. Non-members can subscribe to both publications for $15/year. Send a check made payable to GFB and mail to above address.

Name Address City/Zip GFB Membership #

www.youtube.com/georgiafarmmonitor

www.pinterest.com/gafarmbureau

www.facebook.com/ georgiafarmbureaunewsneighbors

www.instagram.com/gafarmbureau/

www.twitter.com/gafarmbureau

VISIT WWW.GFB.ORG TODAY!

www.facebook.com/georgiafarmbureau

1

G

GERALD LONG, GFB PRESIDENT

Georgia Farm Bureau turns 80!

Georgia Farm Bureau will celebrate its 80th anniversary this summer, which has me thinking a lot about history. As we go about our lives every day, we often don’t know when we’re taking part in a historical event. It can sometimes take years or decades for it to become apparent that a moment in time was historically significant.

Did the group of farmers from seven northwest Georgia counties who met at the Bartow County courthouse in Cartersville on June 17, 1937, realize they were making history? Their goal was to start a farm organization that would give farmers, struggling to recover from the Great Depression, a united voice in the legislative arena. Other groups had tried to start similar organizations in many different places with varying degrees of success.

Did the farmers attending the first meeting or the 50 farmers attending the second meeting in Atlanta on July 31 that resulted in the formation of the United Georgia Farmers think their meetings were successful? What about in 1941 when they changed the organization’s name to Georgia Farm Bureau?

As those farmers went about the work involved with getting the new organization off the ground, I doubt it crossed their minds they were establishing an organization that would become rooted in 158 Georgia counties and one day serve as Georgia’s largest farm organization representing every sector of Georgia agriculture.

I think our organization has stood the test of time because we’re a grassroots organization – meaning our members tell us the issues we need to address and the position we take on those issues. Georgia Farm Bureau has evolved through the years adding programs, such as our Women’s and Young Farmers activities, designed to develop our members’ leadership skills and help them advocate for agriculture.

We began offering our first member benefit – insurance – in 1959 because folks in rural Georgia had limited options for 2

securing good coverage, and our members told our leaders at the time to help them with this. Later, we began offering discounts designed to help our members afford family vacations with discounts on hotels, rental cars and theme parks.

Through the years, we’ve never strayed from our original mission – to serve as the voice of Georgia farmers. Not only have our farmer members benefited from the work we’ve done to represent them but so have Georgia’s consumers. By having thriving, sustainable farms, Georgia’s consumers have benefited by having healthy, locally grown food, cotton for clothes and timber that provides wood for homes, clean air and wildlife habitat.

While the farmers who founded Georgia Farm Bureau in 1937 may not have realized they were part of a historical event, I and 105 GFB county leaders had a chance to witness history on April 26.

Every year Georgia Farm Bureau takes a group of county leaders to Washington, D.C., to discuss farm issues with Georgia’s Congressional delegation.

This year our trip coincided with Sonny Perdue being confirmed and sworn in as the 31st U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. This is the first time we’ve had an agriculture secretary from Georgia, and we were privileged to have him speak to our group on his second day on the job. It was an exciting time for our group to visit Washington.

We were also joined by American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall, our former GFB president, who developed his leadership skills by participating in GFB and AFBF’s young farmer programs and is the first Georgian to lead AFBF. I wonder what our GFB founders would think to know our organization produced an AFBF president and helped secure a secretary of agriculture knowledgeable about Southern agriculture? It makes me excited to see what Georgia Farm Bureau will accomplish in the coming years.

Georgia

FARM BUREAU’S

View from the Field

A

PUBLICATION

OF

THE

GEORGIA

FARM

BUREAU

SUBSCRIPTION RATES Farm Bureau Members: Included in dues — $1 per year Non-Members — $15 per year To subscribe call 1-800-898-1911, ext. 5238.

OFFICERS President GERALD LONG, Bainbridge 1st Vice President and Middle Georgia Vice President ROBERT FOUNTAIN JR., Adrian North Georgia Vice President BERNARD SIMS, Ringgold South Georgia Vice President DANIEL JOHNSON, Alma General Counsel DUKE GROOVER Chief Financial Officer & Corp. Treasurer DAVID JOLLEY Chief Administrative Officer & Corp. Secretary JON HUFFMASTER DIRECTORS FIRST DISTRICT: Bill Bryan, Summerville; Wesley Hall, Cumming SECOND DISTRICT: Bobby Gunter, Dahlonega; Randy Ruff, Elberton THIRD DISTRICT: George Chambers, Carrollton; Nora Goodman, Temple FOURTH DISTRICT: Skeetter McCorkle, Dearing; Marvin Ruark, Bishop FIFTH DISTRICT: Ralph Adamson Jr., Barnesville; Matt Bottoms, Molena SIXTH DISTRICT: James Malone, Dexter; James Emory Tate, Denton SEVENTH DISTRICT: Gary Bell, Bellville; Ben Boyd, Sylvania EIGHTH DISTRICT: Scotty Raines, Sycamore; Don Wood, Rochelle NINTH DISTRICT: Lucius Adkins, Newton; Paul Shirah, Camilla TENTH DISTRICT: Lamar Vickers, Nashville; David Lee, Alma YOUNG FARMER CHAIRMAN: Mitchell Pittman, Lyons WOMEN’S COMMITTEE CHAIR: Rhonda Williams, Clayton ADVERTISING POLICY All advertising accepted subject to publisher’s approval. Advertisers must assume liability for content of their advertising. Publisher maintains right to cancel advertising for non-payment or reader complaint about advertiser service or products.

Publisher does not accept per-order, political or alcoholic beverage ads, nor does publisher prescreen or guarantee advertiser service or products. Publisher assumes no liability for products or services advertised in the Georgia Farm Bureau Neighbors.

For advertising rates and information, contact Wendy McFarland at 334.652.9080 or mcfarlandadvantage@gmail.com.

Georgia Farm Bureau Neighbors was established in 1996. Copyright 2017 by the Georgia Farm Bureau Federation. Printed by Panaprint, Macon, Georgia.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Two Georgia WWII POWs returned home

by JAY STONE to farm

L

Leonard Payne and Hayward Reece grew up in farm families in the early 1900s. At the time, this was a solid predictor they would end up as farmers.

They fought in World War II and ended up prisoners of war. They were among more than two dozen servicemen from Gilmer County held in Nazi work camps, where, among other things, starvation nearly did each of them in.

Following the astonishing recovery Payne and Reece made, it is little wonder they wound up feeding others. Their apples nourished bodies and fed souls.

Both have since passed away - Payne in 1976 and Reece in 2006 - but the practice of feeding others is their legacy.

Payne, who grew up in Union County, started what is now R&A Orchards in Ellijay, run by his daughter, Ann, and her husband, Roger Futch, and their son Andy.

Reece, whose daughter, Janice Hale, runs Hillcrest Orchards, also in Ellijay, grew up in Gilmer County, where the bulk of Georgia’s present-day commercial apple production takes place. Both orchards are Georgia Farm Bureau Certified Farm Markets included in the directory on pages 30 and 31.

Leonard Payne In September 1944 Payne, then age 22, was driving with an officer near the Rhine River when they encountered German troops. Trying to escape capture, Payne backed up the jeep he was driving and struck a land mine. The explosion flipped the jeep, killing the officer he was driving.

The Germans began firing on the jeep, which Payne used for cover.

“He said he didn’t think they’d ever stop shooting,” his daughter, Ann Payne Futch, said he told her mother. “He said the good Lord just told him to keep his head as high as he could under the jeep.”

At least one German bullet struck Payne, and he sustained wounds to his left shoulder and his throat, with extensive damage to his voice box.

According to Ann, this took place near a bridge on the Rhine River, and the German soldiers hauled Payne from there 4

to one of dozens of Nazi POW camps scattered across Germany. Records listed on genealogy search engine MooseRoots. com indicate he was held at Stalag 11B in Fallingbostel, a small town near the North Sea, just east of Bremen in the German state of Prussia.

When Payne arrived at the camp, he was assumed dead by the German soldiers and placed on a pile of corpses. According to Ann, a French doctor imprisoned at the camp saw Payne move and asked that he be removed so the doctor could provide care.

The Germans agreed to do so but told the doctor no medicine or assistance would be given, since he was likely to die anyway. Using the shaft of a pen, the doctor performed a tracheotomy on Payne, which allowed him to breathe, and kept him alive.

According to MooseRoots, Payne was kept at Stalag 11B at least 239 days. The scarcity of food and his ongoing difficulty eating because of the wound to his throat compounded his problems. At one point, Ann said, he crawled toward the camp fence to reach for some wild lettuce that was growing on the other side.

“The German guards were instructed to shoot anyone who touched the fence,” Ann said, noting that her father was asked later if he had been concerned about this. “He said, ‘Well, I was going to die anyway.’”

Payne and the rest of the POWs at Stalag 11B were liberated in April 1945.

He was returned to the U.S. and sent to Lawson General Hospital in Atlanta for treatment and recovery. He was honorably discharged in September 1945, having been awarded the combat infantry badge, three bronze stars and a purple heart.

In 1947 he planted four acres of apple trees. Once they started bearing fruit he sold and delivered them to grocery stores in Calhoun, Dahlonega and other towns in North Georgia.

According to Ann and her husband, Roger, who worked with Payne as the family’s orchard and market expanded, none of this would have taken place if not for the observant eye of that French doctor.

Payne was one of seven brothers to serve in WWII, Ann said. They all survived

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROGER & ANN FUTCH

Editor’s note: Throughout the history of the United States, a large percentage of the men and women serving in our armed forces have come from rural America. In honor of Memorial Day, we’re sharing the story of two WWII soldiers who survived being prisoners of war and returned to North Georgia to start apple orchards their families still run today.

Leonard A. Payne in his Army uniform. the war, and her grandmother received a plaque with all her sons’ names on it to commemorate their service.

The injuries Payne suffered left him with minimal use of his left arm. While over time he regained the ability to speak, he could only talk for a few minutes before his voice would diminish to a whisper.

“He didn’t talk about it much,” Ann said.

“You could hardly get anything out of him.

Just every once in a while, he would say something. That’s how I got the stories.”

Ann said the stories only came in pieces.

“If anybody asked him questions he would actually shake, he’d be so nervous.

Then he’d just be gone. He’d go out into the woods for a while.”

From the initial four acres, R&A Orchards has expanded to 115 acres of apple trees. The R&A market sells apples, baked goods, jams, jellies and vegetables directly to the public. Payne’s initial group of trees were standard-root trees planted 30 feet apart, and were much taller and broader than apple trees cultivated today.

Ann said her father chose to grow apples because of his disability since a small orchard wouldn’t require the same consistent labor as other types of farming.

He was a jack of all trades,” Ann said. “There were a few other orchards around, and he thought he could make a little money with four acres, and it wasn’t every day you had to do something.”

Hayward Reece Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Ann Payne Futch of R&A Orchards with her father, Leonard Payne’s, Purple Heart and one of his three Bronze Stars earned during battle.

Hayward Reece’s daughter, Janice Hale, with his medals and uniform patches.

To view more photos visit bit.ly/ GFBWWIIPOWS

It was really a miracle that he made it,” Janice said. “[The orchard] would have never happened. He started it.”

PHOTO BY JAY STONE

Reece, then 22 years old, was with an infantry unit working its way through northeastern France near the town of Selestat in late November/early December 1944 when an artillery shell exploded near him in a vineyard. He was knocked unconscious and suffered a ruptured eardrum.

Reece’s daughter, Janice Hale, provided a first-person account of her father’s POW experience which he told her mother, Ellen, who wrote it to have a record for family history.

Reece was alone when he regained consciousness. He started running in the direction he thought his platoon had gone and rejoined them just outside Selestat.

German forces captured Reece’s platoon after they arrived in the town.

According to Reece’s narrative, what was left of his unit - 20 men - were moved to Stalag 12A, where they were confined with other prisoners from several different nations.

On Dec. 23, an errant Royal Air Force bomb struck the barracks next to the one housing Reece. The explosion killed 65 officers, according to Reece’s narrative.

“Most of our windows were blown out and the rest got shot out by German guards in the confusion. We were sent out into the night to collect the body parts of our officers blown apart by the explosion.

We then spent all of the day before Christmas digging a common grave in the frozen ground for the dead officers,” Reece recalled when telling his narrative.

Reece said he spent 141 days in captivity at three different Nazi work camps. The first relocation from Stalag 12A to Stalag 3B was by rail, with 100 men or more carried in a boxcar intended for 40. The second relocation, to Stalag 3A just south of Berlin, was on foot. The trek took Reece and his fellow troops past Nazi prison camps where Jews were being cremated.

“These places were truly unholy and

him, but it cured him,” Janice said. “He later had a stroke and then just kept having more mini-strokes, and we were told it was probably a result of that radiation - over time those arteries just closed up.”

Reece bought a 190-acre farm in eastern Gilmer County that included an existing 15-acre orchard. He raised cattle and worked the orchard, selling apples to passers-by out of the family garage and packing apples to sell wholesale.

“It had that orchard and he just got into it and enjoyed it,” Janice said.

In 1979, the Reeces built the Hillcrest Market on Ga. Highway 52 on land a couple of miles away from the family farm.

Janice said that in the early 1990s the family began transitioning from wholesale to retail sales directly to consumers. Today the farm offers farm tours and educational activities for school groups and other organizations designed to enhance the public’s knowledge of agriculture.

Now an extensive agritourism venue, it exists mainly because Reece survived.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JANICE HALE

PHOTO COURTESY OF JANICE HALE

Hayward Reece in his Army uniform.

filled the heart with fear, repulsion and pity,” Reece said in his narrative. “Many Germans in nearby towns said they were not aware of what was being done to the Jews, but I cannot believe that, because the stench was unbearable even a mile away.”

Stalag 3A was taken over by Russian forces in April 1945. Hayward and some buddies told a Russian guard they would bring him back a chicken if he’d let them go. They walked off the camp and were picked up by a U.S. Army truck, beginning their journey to Camp Lucky Strike near LeHavre, France.

By this point, Hayward said, he weighed around 85 pounds, and his hunger had lingering effects. For years afterward his stomach would be sore after eating.

Reece was discharged in November 1945 having received the Combat Infantry Badge, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, European Campaign Medal and a Purple Heart.

After returning home, he spent time recuperating before enrolling at the University of Georgia, but ongoing health problems cut his education short. He experienced bleeding from his nose and mouth and was found to have a brain tumor, for which he received radiation treatments.

“They said the amount of radiation they [the doctors] gave him should have killed

5

Insurance Update

G

by ALAN BUNCH

GFB Brokerage Inc. gives members more insurance options Georgia Farm Bureau members have a wide variety of insurance options to choose from thanks to Georgia Farm Bureau Brokerage Inc. The Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company (GFBMIC) established our brokerage company in 2009 to provide insurance products to our members that GFBMIC has chosen not to provide, such as coverage for mobile homes, all-terrain vehicles, collector cars, special events, workers compensation, businesses, commercial trucking and manufacturing, retail stores and restaurants.

Our brokerage company lets us provide insurance alternatives to GFB members that complement and support GFBMIC’s corporate strategy. It also allows our members to do one-stop shopping with their local Farm Bureau agent for all of their business and personal insurance needs instead of needing multiple insurance agents. Your GFB agent is able to offer more than farm, home, auto and life insurance.

GFB Brokerage Inc., which is owned by the GFB Investment Company and GFBMIC, is a licensed insurance agency located at the GFB home office in Macon. The nine insurance professionals who staff the GFB brokerage company develop agreements with other insurance companies that give GFB insurance agents access to products from our partner companies.

6

Our brokerage partners have been carefully screened using industry standards. We select our partners based on their performance records and their agreement to be a supportive partner of our insurance company. Our brokerage partners include industry leaders such as Progressive, Foremost, Travelers, CNA, Hartford, Zurich and many more.

If your Farm Bureau agent recommends writing a policy for you with one of our brokerage partners, he or she is trying to match you with a policy that best meets your insurance needs. Your GFB agent has the full support of the GFB organization to make this recommendation. Your Farm Bureau agent can receive immediate quotes, place coverage, accept payments and make policy changes with one of our brokerage partners at your county Farm Bureau office.

GFB brokerage staff work closely with the senior management of GFB’s insurance company and its underwriting and sales departments to identify the coverage needs our members have. The brokerage company allows GFBMIC to focus on what it does best – providing farm, auto, home and life insurance.

GFB’s brokerage company supports the communities across Georgia where our county Farm Bureau offices are located. Since GFB Brokerage Inc. began operating almost eight years ago, it has returned more than $8.5 million to our county Farm Bureau offices to

fund local activities in schools that increase students’ understanding of how their food is grown and to support local sports teams and community youth programs.

A GFB membership is required to utilize our brokerage services. The benefit of going through your local Farm Bureau to enroll in coverage with one of our brokerage partners is that you will have a friendly face in your hometown to help you rather than being at the mercy of the internet or a telephone number.

Contact your local Farm Bureau agent to learn more about our brokerage company and the insurance coverage we can provide.

Alan Bunch is manager of GFB Brokerage Inc.

EXAMPLES OF COVERAGE GFB BROKERAGE INC. CAN PROVIDE • Mobile homes • Dwelling fire coverage • Rental properties • Equine farms • Veterinary clinics • Log trucks • Landscape contractors • Auto & machine repair shops • Collector cars • Churches • Professional offices • Convenience stores • Restaurants • Coastal property

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Hydrangeas bloom in Beulahland

I

article & photos by JENNIFER WHITTAKER

If you want to see a garden God has blessed, make a pilgrimage to Beulahland hydrangea garden & nursery. Tucked away in the woods of southeast Monroe County near Bolingbroke, retired Methodist minister Gary Starrett is growing 320 cultivars of hydrangeas.

“There is a spiritual motivation to my gardening,” Starrett said. “It’s a calling.

It’s an opportunity to utilize a gift I feel is God-given.”

Beulahland is a demonstration garden that allows people to see the many hydrangea varieties that exist. A tour of Starrett’s garden teaches you that it’s better to plant different cultivars of hydrangeas to vary the hydrangea blooms in your garden rather than planting French hydrangeas and trying to alter the blooms’ color by adding lime to make blue blooms pink or aluminum or other amendments, such as coffee grounds, to make blooms blue.

Starrett welcomes garden clubs, master garden groups and individuals to his private garden in the late spring and early summer by appointment. He estimates several hundred people visit his gardens every year.

BEULAHLAND’S BEGINNING

Gary Starrett takes time to enjoy one of the 320 cultivars of hydrangeas growing in his Monroe County garden.

8

Starrett bought his Monroe County property 32 years ago while working at the Methodist Children’s Home in Macon. On his days off he retreated to his property to garden. The property continued to serve as his retreat as he served different Methodist churches throughout his 40 years of ministry.

He named his garden Beulahland, which means promised land, because he looked forward to finally being able to live there.

“When you’re working with people you don’t see the results right away, but when you’re working with plants you see results pretty quick,” Starrett said. “You either grow them or kill them. They thank you by blooming.”

Starrett has been growing flowers since he was seven when he started selling tropical plants his mother rooted at their home in Fort Myers, Fla. When he was in second grade, his parents moved to Albany where he lived with his family until he graduated from high school.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

JOIN US IN CELEBRATING OF BEING THE VOICE OF

GEORGIA FARMERS

For an in-depth look at our history, visit WWW.GFB.ORG/ANNIVERSARY

He credits his mother, Lois, and grandmother, Anna, for his green thumb.

“If God had left me alone I would have been a horticulturalist or a forest ranger, but those careers, anything that required you to get your hands dirty, were looked down on at the time,” Starrett recalled. “I had a propensity for American history so that’s what I studied in college.”

Starrett says he was called by God to enter the ministry while attending a youth retreat at Epworth By the Sea, but didn’t feel worthy. At age 27, while teaching American history at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, he finally yielded and enrolled in Drew Theological Seminary in Madison, New Jersey. He paid his tuition working as a landscaper.

After seminary, Starrett served as a college chaplain at Trenton State in New Jersey, ran an outdoor education center in New Jersey and worked as a social worker in West Virginia. Starrett returned to Georgia where he worked at the Methodist Children’s Home and served Methodist churches in Middle and South Georgia before semi-retiring in 2007.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

The past 10 years he has served two small congregations in Middle Georgia part time but plans to completely retire in June.

Starrett gardened at the different parsonages where he lived throughout his career, but it wasn’t the same as tending his own property.

“I was in the ministry for so long and had to move so much,” Starrett said. “It’s heartbreaking when you try to grow something at a parsonage and then leave it.”

VARIETIES IN THE GARDEN Starrett started growing hydrangeas at Beulahland 30 years ago but says he didn’t become addicted to hydrangeas until 2005.

“I just got tired of Nikko blue because that’s all you see at farmers markets. People were unaware there are all these other varieties,” Starrett said. “I started propagating and selling the different cultivars because I wanted to be the Johnny Appleseed of hydrangeas. I wanted to introduce people in Middle Georgia to new cultivars.

It just became an obsession.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

9

Public Policy Update

R

by JEFFREY HARVEY

Outcome of Georgia/Florida water case vital to farmers Ralph Lancaster - the arbitrator the U.S. Supreme Court appointed to hear the water case Florida argued against Georgia last fall - recommended the court deny Florida’s petition to cap Georgia’s use of water from the Chattahoochee and Flint River basins to 1992 levels, but this wasn’t the definitive victory Georgia sought.

The lawsuit Florida filed against Georgia in 2013 claims Georgia’s overuse of water from the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers has harmed the oyster industry in the Apalachicola Bay on Florida’s panhandle.

Georgia contends overharvesting oysters has caused the problems Florida’s oyster industry is experiencing.

As expected, Florida placed Georgia’s farmers squarely in its crosshairs on day one of oral arguments. Florida accused farmers in the Chattahoochee and Flint River Basins of using more than their share of water from these rivers.

Lancaster’s Feb. 14 ruling said water consumption caps, without a corresponding ruling on the U.S Army Corps of Engineers’ activities on the rivers, would not provide adequate water to benefit Florida. Lancaster noted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which was not named as a party in the suit, largely controls the amount of water that is released or not released downstream.

Farmers across Georgia were anxiously awaiting Lancaster’s ruling because access to water is vital to growing crops, especially in drought years. Banks look more favorably on farmers who have irrigation systems when they apply for loans to cover the expense of seeds, fertilizer, equipment and fuel needed to grow their crops. A farmer having access to water to irrigate his crops during critical growth periods when there isn’t adequate rain can mean the difference between harvesting another ton of peanuts or bale of cotton that keeps the farmer out of the red.

Lancaster’s recommendation might have been seen as a victory for Georgia had it not been for the suggestion he made that Florida may have a case for more water from the

10

Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers if it pursues a case against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The criticisms Lancaster made about agriculture’s water use were also troubling.

His comments about ag water use included, “Georgia’s position – practically, politically, and legally – can be summarized as follows: Georgia’s agricultural water use should be subject to no limitations, regardless of the long-term consequences for the basin.”

Considering all of the water management plans and conservation measures farmers have proactively taken over the years, Lancaster’s comments are very concerning.

Georgia agriculture is recognized as a global leader in agricultural water conservation through the use of innovative irrigation technology. Georgia agriculture is also a leader in the use of advanced irrigation technologies such as variable rate irrigation (VRI), a system that determines the amount of water applied to a crop using soil moisture sensors, which allows farmers to only apply water where it is specifically needed in the field in just the amount needed.

The most concerning comment Lancaster made about agriculture’s water use was, “Georgia’s upstream agricultural water use has been – and continues to be – largely unrestrained.”

The cost of irrigating a crop restrains farmers from irrigating their crops unnecessarily. It costs about $8.25 per acre to distribute an inch of water onto crops such as corn, cotton, peanuts and soybeans, according to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. This cost can be higher if the farmer uses diesel to fuel his irrigation system.

A farmer’s cost to irrigate his crop per growing season could range from $41.25 to $99 per acre depending on the number of times he needs to irrigate his crop, which is determined by the amount of rain he receives. Additionally, a farmer’s fixed cost to own a center pivot irrigation system, which includes depreciation of the equipment, insurance, interest and taxes, ranges from

$125 to $300 per acre.

Farmers are not going to irrigate their crops more than they absolutely need to because every minute a farmer runs his irrigation system impacts his bottom line.

Over the past two decades, Georgia’s agricultural community and farmers have voluntarily adopted practices to conserve water resources. Applying for water withdrawal permits, implementing mandatory irrigation efficiency standards, installing meters on irrigation systems that measure the amount of water used and participating in Georgia’s statewide water management planning and regional water councils are some of the ways farmers have taken a proactive approach to water management.

If the access Georgia farmers have to water is limited, the ramifications will be felt throughout the state since agriculture is the state’s largest economic sector. Agriculture contributed $74.9 billion to the state’s economy and accounted for nearly 410,800 jobs in 2015 according to the University of Georgia Center for Agribusiness.

The states now have the opportunity to file written objections to Special Master Lancaster’s recommendation. Legal experts speculate Florida will appeal Lancaster’s decision and force the high court to make a final ruling. Additional arguments could take place this fall with a final decision between December and February 2018.

Jeffrey Harvey is director of the GFB Public Policy Department.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Farmers use H2O wisely Editor’s Note: It’s crucial Georgia farmers have access to water to grow the crops that feed and clothe us. In the lawsuit Florida filed against Georgia in the Supreme Court, Florida alleged farmers in the Flint/Chattahoochee River Basins are using too much water.

Georgia Farm Bureau reporter Jay Stone visited with two Southwest Georgia farmers in early spring to see what they do to minimize the amount of water they use. The equipment and planting techniques Adam McClendon and Brian Ponder use are typical of most Georgia row crop farmers.

T

There are lots of farms to be seen from the road just about anywhere you travel in Georgia. What one sees cruising past them is often the picturesque scenery associated with simple rural life: Rolls of hay in a field, or a wheat-covered field waving with the breeze, or corn, cotton or peanuts in green rows with an irrigation pivot hundreds of yards long, spreading life-giving water.

These images only show part of what’s going on out there. The things that are unseen make farming viable and sustainable.

Take those irrigation pivots, for instance.

Advancing technology and crop science have made them more effective, enabling farmers to use less water to greater effect. Farmers would rather have rain, but irrigation is

necessary for consistent crop production.

“We don’t want to run the pivots,” said Calhoun County farmer Adam McClendon.

“You’re saving money when you’re able to turn them off, and it goes hand in hand with conservation. If you have the means necessary to effectively grow a top-yielding crop with less water, you’re conserving water resources and you’re saving a good bit of money.”

COVERING UP In early March, the drive-by view of one of Brian Ponder’s fields in southwest Tift County was of dark green rye grass, about waist high, that Ponder planted last fall. The rye, which grows during winter when little else will, serves as a “cover crop” because it covers the ground and its roots hold soil in place. Ponder plants the rye using a method known as strip tilling that is a common practice among Georgia’s row crop farmers.

“What’s going on under the ground is you’ve just got a gazillion roots that run three feet deep,” said Ponder, who farms approximately 2,000 acres with his brother, Ken, growing cotton, peanuts watermelons and corn. “When you terminate that rye cover, you spray it and kill it, those roots die and leave passageways for water to travel in the ground.”

by JAY STONE If the field were left bare over the winter, much of the water would drain off the field, taking soil and nutrients with it.

“This way, you don’t have any erosion,” Ponder said.

All that moisture retained in the ground translates to needing less irrigation, and helps ensure that when irrigation is used, the water stays where it’s needed and benefits the plants.

“If you have a heavy rain you’ve captured more of the water in the land so you’re not having to irrigate as often and you don’t have to pump as much water,” Ponder said.

In 2016 Ponder bought another farm that had been worked through conventional tillage, where plows are used to break up the soil before planting. When he irrigated the farm, Ponder discovered that if he applied more than four tenths of an inch of water to it, water would run down the rows. After one winter’s cover crop, he can now apply eight tenths of an inch, and he expects that he’ll be able to water it as much as he needs to after another year.

“The cover crop is like your pine straw in your flower beds,” Ponder said. “When you put pine straw in flower beds it helps conserve moisture because the sun doesn’t get to the ground. It holds the moisture in there.”

Ponder said using rye as a cover crop also feeds the soil.

The dropped nozzles suspended from the top pipe of the irrigation pivot release water close to the top of the plants, minimizing drift.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER WHITTAKER

12

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

PHOTO BY JAY STONE

Brian Ponder looks over a field of rye grass he planted as a cover crop last fall.

“You’re adding tons and tons of biomass,” he said. “It’s creating organic matter. You’re replenishing nutrients and you’re adding the ability to hold nutrients as well as water.”

TAKING IT TO A BACK FIELD

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Peanut Laboratory in Dawson that compiles information on what’s happening in the fields with respect to water.

ON A SCHEDULE

GETTING THE DROP

Part of the challenge of effective irrigation is figuring out when the plants need water and timing irrigation accordingly, a process called irrigation scheduling.

Ponder said that when possible he schedules his irrigation pivots to run at night, when temperatures are cooler and the chance of evaporation and wind drift are minimized. This doesn’t work in all situations, though.

McLendon has pivots that take 30 hours to complete their circuit, so simply running them at night isn’t a realistic option.

Rather than set an arbitrary time for the sprinklers to turn on, many farmers employ a collection of soil moisture sensors, probes buried in the dirt at intervals throughout a field. The information from these sensors allows the farmer to adjust the irrigation schedule so the crop only gets irrigation water when it needs it.

“You can say I need to put 20 inches of water on my peanuts, but if you don’t put it on there at the right time, when the crops need it most, then you’re not doing what you need to do to maximize that crop yield,” McLendon said. “If you don’t maximize your yields you won’t be in business long.”

The data collection process can be labor intensive. McLendon has 90 pivots on his farms and each one is accompanied by two or three moisture sensors. Each sensor has to be visited to retrieve its data, which McLendon says he does once or twice a week.

Advanced wireless technology offers farmers a less tedious option. Modern sensors send a Wi-Fi signal to a data collection point, and when moisture levels drop below a certain point, or if there is a problem with the irrigation system, the farmer gets a notification.

“If it [the irrigation equipment] stops walking [across the field] it’s not just sitting there watering in one spot all night long. You get a text message alert and you can turn it off,” said McClendon, who farms approximately 9,000 acres with his father, Marty.

McLendon uses Irrigator Pro, a scheduling software package developed by the National

As a complement to scheduling when water is applied, updates in irrigation design allow more flexibility in how it is applied.

Early systems sprayed water in what looked like firehose jets. The water pressure was released through the end of the irrigation pipe in what is referred to as an “end gun,” and water sometimes would be flung outside the area being irrigated. Now, end gun shutoffs are available and widely used.

Rather than spraying from the top of the pipe, farmers have the option of using dropped nozzles on the ends of smaller hoses hanging beneath the pipe. The dropped nozzles release the water closer to the plants, which minimizes irrigation water drifting off target. The nozzles also issue water in droplets about the size of raindrops, mimicking the way Mother Nature waters plants.

“We have to be good stewards of the water we use because there are certain times of the year when it gets really low and we need to make sure it’s there,” McLendon said.

“We’re in this for the long run. We need a continued source available year to year.”

Adam McLendon inspects the meter on a pipe that feeds water to the irrigation system on one of his fields in Calhoun County.

PHOTO BY JAY STONE

All this seems high-minded now, but when Ponder started planting his crops using strip tillage in 1993 he had concerns about how it would be viewed, so he planted a small plot of cotton into cover near a dirt road where there wasn’t much traffic. He’d seen cover crops being used to good effect in the Midwest with corn and soybeans, but he wasn’t aware of anyone planting cotton this way.

Back then, the cover was leftover plant matter from the previous year’s harvest and whatever else happened to be growing in the field. That year, he planted 13 acres of cotton this way, and the following year he bumped the acreage to 150, and then to 400 the year after that.

“The second year, I had a guy out there planting. He was down in the lower end of Colquitt County and he told me, ‘Man, I’ve got a lot of traffic out there on that dirt road watching me.’” Ponder said.

A truck would come by and the driver would stop and watch Ponder’s employee, then leave and come back a few minutes later with someone else in the truck.

“What they were doing was they were saying, ‘That fool’s pulling planters across all that stuff that’s out there in the field.

They’re crazy.’”

Ponder said he had members of his extended family approach him and tell him they were praying for his crop after

seeing the strip-tilled fields. Now, he says, approximately 70 percent of South Georgia row-crop farmers use conservation tillage.

13

Kid’s Corner

by DONNA ROCKER

GEORGIA’S FABULOUS FORESTRY!

1. Board foot 2. Clearcut 3. Competition 4. Conservation 5. Controlled burning 6. Cord 7. Cruise

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

Dibble Forester Forestry Hardwood Harvest Pine Pulpwood

A. A general category to describe trees with broad, flat or scalloped leaves. Their seed is contained within a nut, fruit, berry or other outer casing. Most are deciduous, but some (such as holly and magnolia) are evergreen.

B. A tree belonging to the order Coniferales, usually evergreen, cone bearing, and with needles or scalelike leaves such as pine, spruces, firs and cedars.

C. A particular group of needle bearing trees.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Reforestation Seedling Silviculture Softwood Stand Thinning

In the Southeastern U.S. they are known for their valuable lumber and pulp qualities.

D. The scientific practice of establishing, tending, and reproducing forest stands with desired characteristics.

E. A silviculture system in which all merchantable trees are harvested over a specific area in one cutting. It is a sound method of regenerating tree species that need full exposure to sunlight to grow.

G

H

T

Georgia’s forestland is good for the environment and good for the state’s economy. More than two-thirds of Georgia’s 37 million acres of land area is forestland. These forests provide a wide variety of benefits to the citizens of Georgia and visitors to the state, including clean air and clean water.

Georgia’s timber ranks in the top five in its farm gate value behind broilers, beef, cotton and eggs.

Forest-related industries inject $23 billion and 108,112 jobs into the state’s economy. The forest industry provides an average of $448 million in state tax revenues. Georgia’s forests not only provide wood products, but also recreation opportunities throughout the state. (Sources: Georgia Forestry Commission and “2014 Georgia Farm Gate Value Report” from The University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences. Learn more about forestry by matching the words to the definitions. See if you can find the words in the word search!

AGGIE

E A DO G

F. Removing some of the trees from a stand to encourage growth among the remaining timber.

G. A young tree less than 1 inch in diameter.

They are usually less than 3 years of age.

H. The protection, improvement, and wise use of natural resources to provide the greatest social, economic, and environmental value for the present and the future.

I. Also called a planting bar. A tool for hand planting tree seedlings.

J. A manageable group of trees that occupies a specific area and often is of uniform age, species, and condition.

K. Wood cut or prepared, primarily to make wood pulp, paper, fiberboard, or other products.

L. A lumber measurement defined as being a piece of sawn wood measuring 1x1x1 foot.

M. A stack of round or split wood that is 4x4x8 feet (128 cubic foot) of space.

N. A specific method of regenerating a forest by the planting of individual tree seedlings or seeding over an area.

O. The struggle among trees for growth requirements such as sunlight, nutrients, water and growing space.

P. Removing trees on an area to (1) obtain income from the wood products (2) develop the environment necessary to regenerate the forest.

Q. A professionally trained individual who supervises the development, care, and management of forest resources to include timber, soil, water, wildlife and recreation.

R. The science or practice of planting, managing, and caring for forests.

S. To inventory a stand of timber to determine the harvestable products and volume.

T. Any burning that has been started intentionally by the landowner to accomplish some particular purpose, over which the owner exercises some surveillance or control.

To contact Donna Rocker, Ag in the Classroom Coordinator, call 478.474.0679, ext. 5365 or email dhrocker@gfb.org

ANSWER KEY ON PAGE 25 14

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

FROM PAGE 9 Starrett says hydrangea paniculatas are the most popular shrub in the world. He’s been introduced to different cultivars while touring gardens in England, Scotland and Northwest Europe. Starret has collections of American, Asian, and European cultivars at Beulahland.

“I’ve never met a hydrangea that I didn’t like, but I’ve met some that didn’t live up to their hype, especially paniculatas,” Starrett said. “Because of my addiction, I try to have one of everything.”

GARDENING WITH A MISSION

PHOTO BY JENNIFER WHITTAKER

“I do this for the glory of God,” Starrett said. “I believe in a loving God and working for his glory.”

In addition to educating gardeners about hydrangeas, Starrett uses his garden to support a non-profit group that drills wells in undeveloped countries. He propagates the unpatented hydrangea cultivars he grows and uses the donations people give him for plants to support Living Water International. This organization trains residents of poor countries to drill and maintain wells so they can have clean water and then help others in their country.

“I’m not in this to make money. The money people give me for plants goes into a mission fund to build wells with Living Water,” Starrett explained. “Every two years I’ll go on a well drilling mission

trip with Living Water. The only other thing I use the money for is to buy new cultivars and potting mix.”

Starrett, who is a member of the American Hydrangea Society based in Atlanta, is helping the society establish a garden at the Atlanta History Center intended to feature every cultivar grown in the U.S. He is donating numerous cultivars to the effort. He’s also donated plants to the Woodlands Garden in Atlanta and the Heritage Museums & Gardens in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

STARRETT’S HYDRANGEA HINTS Starrett says hydrangeas are an easy plant to grow; they just need the right amount of sunlight and water.

“People need to take into consideration the variety’s light requirements,” Starrett said.

Plant hydrangeas in a hole two to three times bigger than the plant, and add a good quality compost to the hole before planting it. If you fertilize, use a 10-10-10 or a slow release 14-14-14.

If you notice your hydrangeas are wilted and drooping in the afternoon, don’t be alarmed, he says.

“Plants close the pores in their leaves to keep water from evaporating. If you see hydrangeas drooping first thing in the morning, then they need water,” Starrett said. “The worst thing you can do is water

hydrangeas in the heat of the day.”

Hydrangeas need about an inch of water a week he said.

Don’t prune hydrangeas. If you feel you must prune to maintain them a certain size, don’t prune them after Sept. 1 because you’ll prune next year’s blooms. After they put out all their new leaves in spring you’ll be able to tell which stalks are dead and can break those off.

PLAN A VISIT Allow at least an hour to tour Beulahland and visit with Starrett. You can easily stay longer because there’s so much to see and he has the gift of gab.

Make the time to visit a spell. You’ll be glad you did. Or you might miss hearing a gardening proverb like this one he shared, “Hydrangeas have only been created to do one thing – bloom, and they do it. They don’t do what God doesn’t want them to do. Everything in creation does what God created it to do except human beings. We have a choice.”

To arrange a visit to Beulahland call Starrett at 478.747.6520 or email him at gary.starrett@yahoo.com. Contact him several days prior to the time you want to visit between May and early July. He’s also available to speak to any interested organization.

A snowflake oakleaf hydrangea at Beulahland.

16

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Houston County duo wins national Ag in the Classroom awards

T

by JENNIFER WHITTAKER

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

PHOTO BY LISA HALL

Thanks to Houston County Farm Bureau (HCFB) and the teachers partnering with it, city and suburban elementary students who have never visited a farm are learning how farmers grow food and the importance of agriculture.

While the county has a strong Pictured from right, Houston County Farm Bureau President Wayne Talton agriculture community, the urban congratulates Marla Garnto, center, and Carol Baker-Dunn on the awards they population has skyrocketed through recently received from the National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization. the years due to Warner Robins Air Carol, who grew up on a farm in off. HCFB is now partnering with six Force Base. northwest Tennessee where her family elementary schools and one middle HCFB’s efforts are drawing grew corn, soybeans and raised cattle school on AITC projects. Numerous attention. Two members of HCFB’s and chickens. A job with Tyson poultry HCFB directors visit classrooms, Ag in the Classroom (AITC) team brought her to Georgia, and then she and HCFB President Wayne Talton were recently named winners of awards and his brother, Seabie, made a barnfrom the National Agriculture in the landed in Houston County working for shaped bookcase that HCFB fills with Perdue Farms.

Classroom Organization (NAITCO). children’s books about agriculture and “I went home from the school, called HCFB Director Carol Bakerrotates amongst the schools. my mom and said, ‘I need help teaching Dunn is the sole recipient of the Marla became part of HCFB’s AITC these kids about farming!

They don’t 2017 NAITC Agriculture Advocate team in 2015 when she attended an Award. Houston County teacher know milk comes from a cow!’ ” Carol Ag Educator Workshop for Houston Marla Garnto is one of eight teachers recalled.

Carol’s mother, Brenda Baker, a County teachers presented by Georgia nationwide to receive the National long-time Farm Bureau member, Farm Bureau (GFB) staff. The purpose Excellence in Teaching about reached out to Tennessee’s Ag in the of these workshops facilitated by Donna Agriculture Award for 2017.

Classroom Director Chris Fleming, and other GFB’s Field Services staff, is to Five years ago, HCFB Office who put Carol in touch with Georgia show teachers they can use lesson plans Manager Lisa Hall began reaching out AITC Coordinator Donna Rocker, who and hands-on activities that spotlight to elementary schools by donating ag agriculture to meet mandated teaching connected her with HCFB. books and materials on behalf of the When Lisa and Carol teamed up, curriculum requirements. county Farm Bureau. A year later, Carol the county’s AITC programs took CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 joined the HCFB team after visiting her son Matthew’s kindergarten class at Morningside Elementary.

Carol found herself trying to convince a little girl that milk comes from dairy cows and doesn’t magically appear at Walmart. The exchange was a call to action for

17

Planting with Paul

S

by PAUL PUGLIESE

It’s all about location: Putting the right plant in the right place!

Successful gardeners know their plants and their needs. Begin by evaluating the site conditions of your landscape to determine the amount of sun or shade it gets, the soil drainage and pH and space available for plants to grow. There are plants that will grow in almost any situation if you select the right ones.

Do your homework and learn the light and soil needs of plants before you buy and plant them in your landscape. Most landscape plants need moist, well-drained soil to grow healthy roots – the exact opposite of the perimeter around your home’s foundation. Many plants will not survive in highly compacted, poorlydrained soil. Plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas should not be planted in areas that do not drain well.

With most plants, it’s a good idea to plant an inch or two above ground level when you dig the hole to ensure good drainage. Mound the dirt up around the base of the plant, sloping down on all sides. It’s easier to correct drainage problems in your landscape before you establish your plants rather than after.

Make sure your downspouts, gutters, and air conditioner condensation properly drain away from the foundation of your home.

SOIL PH Soil pH is another important consideration.

Some plants like acidic soil and some like it more neutral. Do a soil test to check your soil pH and decide which plants are best suited for your site prior to planting.

There’s a short list of “acid-loving” plants that prefer a lower soil pH. Popular landscape plants such as gardenias, camellias, 18

rhododendrons, azaleas, leucothoe, pieris, mountain laurel and blueberries are a few that only perform well in acidic soils. For more information about soil testing, visit soiltest123.com.

Acid-loving plants should be separated from other plants in your landscape to avoid soil pH conflicts. Frequently, you will notice plants that prefer acidic soils have yellow leaves and contrasting dark green leaf veins, which is a symptom of a nutrient deficiency (usually iron or magnesium) that results from a high soil pH. Acid-loving plants should not be planted in soils with naturally high calcium levels. Concrete and other masonry work can leach limestone and calcium into the surrounding soil and raise the soil pH too high for many types of plants.

PICKING PLANTS Find out how tall and wide plants grow to be at maturity and plant them with enough space to grow without crowding.

Plants placed too close will shade each other out and compete for water and nutrients.

Diseases also spread more quickly between them. Look overhead for power lines, roof overhangs or nearby trees that shrubs or trees may eventually reach when mature.

There are thousands of plants that can fit into any situation. The University of Georgia has a free publication available online or through your county Extension office titled “Landscape Plants for Georgia,” which lists the mature size of the most common vines, ground covers, shrubs and trees.

Reading plant tags at the nursery can be a useful way to get an idea of the average size of the plant so you don’t create a maintenance

monster that requires constant pruning or shearing to keep it a certain size.

Light, heat, and cold hardiness are also important considerations. Some plants do great in full-sun with six to eight hours of sun. Some plants prefer part-shade and do better with only four to six hours of sunlight.

Other plants do better with filtered sunlight to reduce heat stress in the afternoon. Plants that prefer shade often do better on the northern or eastern side of a house with consistent shade throughout the day.

The cold tolerance of a plant is determined by the hardiness zone where you live. Most of the mountain regions of Georgia are zones 6b or 7a. The piedmont regions of Georgia are mostly zone 7b. The southern plains and coastal regions of Georgia are zones 8a or 8b.

Make sure you select a plant that is cold hardy to your zone. You can grow plants adapted to colder climates (a lower number than your zone) in your zone. However, some plants prefer cooler weather and will struggle during our hot Georgia summers, so don’t stray too far outside your zone.

Plants adapted to warmer climates, such as tropical plants, shouldn’t be grown any further north than their highest zone rating.

Paul Pugliese is the Extension Coordinator and Agricultural & Natural Resources Agent for Bartow County Cooperative Extension, a partnership of The University of Georgia, The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Bartow County. For more information and free farm, lawn, or garden publications from your county Extension office, call 1-800-ASK-UGA1 or visit www.ugaextension.org.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Member Services Update

S

by JAY MURDOCK

Use your GFB membership to save money on family getaways

20

discounts tab to book a hotel or car rental to get your GFB discount.

Jay Murdock is director of the GFB Member Services Department.

FAMILY FUN!

WILD ADVENTURES

festival are offered in the spring.

The Rock Ranch is offering GFB members a special Ultimate Experience package for $28. The Ultimate Experience includes one general admission pass, one cow-a-bunga zip line ride, one rock wall climb, one carousel ride, one snack at Big Daddy’s Concession and one souvenir cup with unlimited refills.

This is a $12.50 savings off the cost of buying these items separately on-site. A family of four will save over $40, which more than covers the cost of your GFB membership!

All of the GFB discount tickets must be purchased online through the GFB website.

Visit www.gfb.org/benefits and click on the family entertainment tab to learn more about the ticket discounts for GFB members at each venue and to purchase them.

If you decide to spend a night or more away from home, remember you can save 20 percent at any participating Choice Hotel and up to 20 percent at participating Wyndham Hotels. Familiar brands such as Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Cambria Suites, Wingate, Hawthorn Suites, Ramada and Days Inn are eligible for the GFB discount.

If you’re looking to rent a car, you can save up to 20 percent on rentals at Alamo, Enterprise, Hertz and National. Visit www. gfb.org/benefits and click on the travel

SIX FLAGS OVER GEORGIA

Summer is the perfect time to load the family into the SUV and make some memories. Did you know your Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) membership can cut the cost of your trip whether it’s one day, a long weekend or a week vacation?

GFB has partnered with some of the top tourist attractions in Georgia and the Southeast to reduce the price of admission for GFB members. Discounts are available on admission to The Rock Ranch, Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, Stone Mountain, Six Flags Over Georgia & Six Flags Whitewater Atlanta, Wild Adventures Water & Theme Park, Dollywood & Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Park, the Tennessee Ripley’s Attractions and all Sea World Parks and locations nationwide, except Discovery Cove.

The ticket discounts range from $2 to $25 per ticket depending on your destination. If you buy a one-day ticket to Six Flags Over Georgia/Hurricane Harbor, you’ll save $25 on just one ticket, which covers the cost of your annual GFB membership!

The Rock Ranch is the newest family entertainment discount GFB has added to its member benefits portfolio. Centrally located near Atlanta, Columbus, Macon, LaGrange and McDonough, The Rock Ranch offers a full day of fun for the whole family with more than 35 fun rides and entertainment options and delicious concessions. Last year more than 100,000 guests visited the 1,500acre working cattle ranch founded by the late Truett Cathy of Chick-fil-A. You can enjoy Fun in the Summer on multiple days in June and July and the Celebrate America Fireworks Extravaganza on June 24. This fall, make plans to attend a “Fun Saturday” with a different theme each week - Cowboy Day Oct. 7, the Great Outdoor Adventure Oct. 14, the Up, Up & Away Balloon Festival Oct. 21, the Not So Spooky Halloween Oct. 28, followed by National Pumpkin Destruction Day on Nov. 4. The Rock Ranch will also be open from 1-7 p.m. on Sundays in October. December brings more chances for fun with Country Christmas Nights and Breakfast with Santa.

An Easter Eggstravaganza and strawberry

GEORGIA AQUARIUM Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

G

GFB members can save up to $2,500 on Cat® equipment

Georgia Farm Bureau has partnered with Caterpillar® to offer our members discounts of up to $2,500 on the purchase or lease of new Cat® equipment. There are discounts on 20 types of Cat equipment including wheel loaders, skid steers, backhoes, excavators and dozers. The GFB discount can be combined with retail discounts, promotions, rebates or offers available through Caterpillar or its dealers (with the exception of other membership purchase incentives).

To receive your GFB discount, you must present a Cat certificate at the time you receive your purchase or lease quote. Visit bit. ly/GFBCaterpillar to learn more about the discount and to print your certificate.

You will need to enter your GFB membership number and zip code into the banner that says “Get your discount certificate here” at the bottom of the GFB Caterpillar webpage. Download and print your certificate to take with you to your Cat dealer along with a valid driver’s license. The address on your certificate and license must match.

Fortune Magazine recently named Caterpillar one of its 50 most admired companies worldwide and ranked Caterpillar as the most admired company in the construction and farm machinery category. Yancey Brothers, the nation’s oldest Cat dealer, serves Georgia with 15 locations around the state.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

21

PHOTO BY JENNIE GOMEZ

PHOTO BY CONINIE MELTON

Carpenter family – Bo and Jennifer Carpenter, second and third from left, with daughters, from left, Charlie Rachel, Breanna Melton and her husband, Cole, and the Carpenters’ youngest daughter, Kat.

W

Georgia Farm Bureau insurance staff worked diligently to help Carpenter and many other of our insureds get back on their feet after the storm.

GFB Insurance helps member rebuild after January tornadoes Worth County Farm Bureau member Bo Carpenter is typical of most farmers - he works hard earning his living but wouldn’t trade the lifestyle for any other. Two series of tornadoes that hit South Georgia in January tried their best to put Carpenter out of business. But with the help of his Farm Bureau insurance, Carpenter and his family are rebuilding.

Carpenter had six poultry houses for raising broilers – chickens raised for meat.

He also raises beef cows and trains horses for roping competitions.

On Jan. 2, a storm system that came through southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia turned over one of Carpenter’s irrigation pivots, destroyed a generator shed and tore tin off the roofs of the poultry houses. Carpenter had just finished repairing his chicken houses from the first storm when round two hit.

On Sunday afternoon Jan. 22, Carpenter and his wife, Jennifer, and their two youngest daughters, Charlie Rachel, 17, and Kat, 15, found themselves watching a tornado pass by from their kitchen. Jennifer was talking to their oldest daughter, Breanna Melton, who was at her home with her husband, Cole.

Carpenter, meanwhile, was on the phone talking to his father, Joel, who lives two miles away. Carpenter’s parents were in the hallway of their home when the tornado came by violently shaking their house.

22

by JENNIE GOMEZ As soon as the storm passed, Carpenter jumped in his truck and sped over to his parents where his chicken houses were located. He had to park his truck on the roadside because of all the trees blown over in his parents’ driveway.

Carpenter soon saw his parents’ yard was covered in tin and debris from his chicken houses that previously stood only a few hundred yards away. In addition to destroying his six chicken houses, the storm also destroyed a second generator shed and nine metal feed bins.

Wood, tin, and chickens were scattered across the property and adjacent field. Tin from the chicken houses was wrapped around tree tops. One feed bin was tossed like a tin can, and about 90,000 frightened chickens were running around the yard.

As Carpenter surveyed the damage, he found four of his horses severely injured by debris. After being checked by a veterinarian, the horses had to be euthanized due to their injuries. Three other horses suffered minor injuries but were able to be treated.

Carpenter couldn’t find his cattle immediately after the storm, but discovered them in woods at the very back of his property a few days later. Tyson, the poultry company Carpenter grows chickens for, gathered the surviving chickens and relocated them to another farm.

I served as the Carpenter’s Farm Bureau adjuster and visited the farm the day after

the storm to help the family began their recovery process. I made several subsequent trips to the farm to evaluate the extensive damage and meet with contractors.

“Jennie did everything by the book, but gave me everything that my policy would allow,” Carpenter said.

In about three weeks, I hand delivered Carpenter’s claim payment. Now Carpenter is in the process of building six new chicken houses.

Carpenter credits his Farm Bureau adjusters, Tim Jernigan and me, his Farm Bureau agent, Bob Peacock, and his AgGeorgia Farm Credit representative Kevin Kicklighter for helping him get through this devastating experience.

“

They worked very diligently to help me get my life and farm back to normal and the service I received has been outstanding,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter estimates his new chicken houses will be finished with a new flock

by October.

Jennie Gomez is a senior property claims specialist with the Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

T

GFB Ag Foundation awards 30 scholarships totaling $58,500

Thanks to the Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) Foundation for Agriculture, 30 students across the state will receive a total of $58,500 for the 2017-2018 academic year to pursue degrees related to agriculture, forestry and natural resources or family and consumer sciences.

The scholarships recognize outstanding students who have excelled academically and exhibited a committed interest to pursuing a career in agriculture, forestry and natural resources, family and consumer sciences or a closely related field.

The scholarships will be awarded to graduating high school seniors headed to college or a technical college, rising college juniors and seniors and students enrolled in the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine who plan to care for livestock and other farm animals.

“One of the purposes of the Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture is to support students who want to pursue a career in agriculture,” said GFB President Gerald Long. “We are excited to offer these scholarships to the selected students because they are the future leaders of Georgia’s agricultural community.”

Five students preparing to enter college as freshmen at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES) or Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) were selected for the Scholarship for Agriculture at $3,000 each: Kylie Bruce, Franklin County; Savannah Fritz, Jasper County; Dalton Green, Walker County; Ben Murray, Berrien County; Daniel Williams, Telfair County. These students plan to pursue degrees in ag education, preveterinary medicine and ag communications.

An additional nine students were selected for the Scholarship for Agriculture at $1,500 each: Courtney Barber, Ware County; Josh Brown, Habersham County; Abby Green, Laurens County; Garrett Harrell, Colquitt County; Julianna Johnson, Hancock County; Taylor Kilgore, Early County; Samantha Mallard, Burke County; Rick Vanderveen, Wayne County; and Jamie Lynn Worsley, Calhoun County. These students plan to attend UGA CAES or ABAC to pursue degrees in ag education, animal science, biological sciences and natural resource management.

Daniel Dobbs, Franklin County; Travis Taylor, Bacon County; and Ethan Thaxton, Oglethorpe County were selected to receive the Technical College Scholarship for Agriculture at $1,000 each. Dobbs plans to Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

attend Athens Technical College to pursue a poultry science degree. Taylor plans to attend Coastal Pine Technical College to study welding and joining technology. Thaxton plans to enroll at Athens Technical College to pursue a degree in animal science.

The foundation awarded 11 scholarships of $2,000 to the following college rising juniors and seniors: Ian Bennett, Cook County; Faith Gilman, Jackson County; Ben Hancock, Irwin County; Luke Lineberger, Houston County; Madison Lynn, Toombs County; Daniel McMillan, Berrien County; Olivia Minish, Madison County; Jordan Rowe, Cook County; Bryan Tucker, Irwin County; Jarrett Williams, Appling County; and Claire Woodard, Morgan County.

Bennett, Gilman, Hancock, Lineberger, Lynn, McMillan, Minish, Rowe, Tucker, Williams and Woodard are students at ABAC or the UGA CAES studying agribusiness, ag economics, ag education, agriscience and environmental systems, and crop and soil science.

Megan Cook of Bulloch County and Scout Josey of Franklin County were chosen

to receive scholarships of $2,500 each as they study to become food animal veterinarians at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.

All students will receive their scholarships pending verification they are enrolled in a qualifying school and major.

The GFB Foundation for Agriculture funds activities and programs designed to increase the agricultural literacy of Georgia residents. Visit www.gfbfoundation.org to learn more about the foundation or to make a tax-exempt donation.

Instructions for applying for the 2018 scholarships will be announced on the foundation website in the fall.

23

L

Beetle Blight Hits Georgia Look around and what do you see? Pine trees with brown needles? Nothing but a physical reminder of our low rainfall, right?

Beneath the damaged limbs and dried up exterior of these tall giants, lurk beetles that have outstayed their welcome and are wreaking havoc on our trees.

The extremely dry weather of 2016, that’s continued into this year, has caused many trees to die and has brought on a beetle infestation that puts live pine trees at risk.

In Georgia, we have three native species of beetles: Ips engraver beetle, southern pine beetle (SBP) and black turpentine beetle.

Dying pines could potentially have multiple species feeding on them, but in Georgia, the Ips engraver beetle is the one to watch.

These beetles are attracted to the odor trees produce when they have damaged branches or are dying. Beetles then invade from the top down, releasing a destructive fungus as they go. The fungal emission, known as blue stain, blocks the passage of nutrients and water, causing the tree to starve itself.

North and Central Georgia are experiencing an unprecedented outbreak of

Ips beetles due to higher temperatures and decreased rainfall.

“The thing that’s scary is we haven’t had a cold winter and we are still in a significant drought. These insects may continue on the same trajectory as soon as it gets warm,” John Mixon, chairman of the Georgia Farm Bureau Forestry Advisory Committee and retired Georgia Forestry Commission director explained. “I’m afraid the problems will remain and become a higher risk when spring really sets in.”

Georgia’s climate the past year has provided a perfect environment for the growth of the beetle population. Dry tree tops, dropping needles and brown leaves are physical evidence of severe damage.

Below the soil, root system loss and destruction is imminent.

“If needles are completely brown, it is likely the beetles have left the tree. If the needles are yellow or orange, beetles may still be in the tree,” Mixon said.

According to the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC), aerial surveys identified more than 211 Ips infestations on private lands in Central Georgia

by LAUREN LIN with spots ranging from five to 60 acres.

GFC is urging landowners to be cautious when considering the normal practices of thinning trees and conducting prescribed burns during the continued drought.

Any process that may stress healthy or unhealthy trees may exacerbate and prolong the beetle outbreak.

The GFC recommends landowners conduct a thorough onsite inspection before thinning trees or starting a prescribed burn.

Landowners are asked to assess the overall health of the trees and their root systems, along with the soil moisture of the timber stand and level of insect activity.

“Should you find yourself concerned or unsure, professional assistance from a registered consulting forester or a forester from the GFC is recommended. Good forest management can prevent infestations from starting and minimize the risk of pine bark beetle attacks,” Mixon said.

The GFC is working diligently to proactively combat and minimize current and future damage by practicing trapping, aerial surveying and cost-share programs.

For more information and additional assistance, please visit GaTrees.org.

Georgia pine trees with brown needles reveal the damaging effects of the ongoing drought and Ips beetle infestation.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGIA FORESTRY COMMISSION

24

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

CANTON FARMERS MARKET

GEORGIA

Happenings

Saturdays May 27- Oct. 28 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Center of the Historic Downtown Loop in Cannon Park This market features 100 percent Ga. Grown produce and handcrafted items.

Cherokee County Farm Bureau will hold an event once a month at the market promoting watermelon day, apple day, peach day etc. On May 27 CCFB will be on hand to promote vegetables.

COBB COUNTY FARM BUREAU FARMERS MARKET Tuesdays 3 p.m.-7 p.m.

Lost Mountain Park | Powder Springs

KID’S CORNER ANSWER KEY 1.

E

2.

J

3.

M

4.

G

5.

P

6.

I

7.

A

8.

N

9.

O

10.

L

11.

D

12.

C

13.

H

14.

K

15.

F

16.

B

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Cobb County Farm Bureau (CCFB) in cooperation with Cobb County Parks & Recreation will host this farmers market. CCFB is offering vendor space to farmers, growers, and producers in Cobb and surrounding counties, with the goal of offering locally grown produce and food to the community and to engage the community about where their food comes from as well as support Cobb County farmers. Each vendor must be a Farm Bureau member. For more information contact cobbcountyfarmbureau@gmail.com or Debbie Payne at dmpayne@gfb.org or 770.943.3531.

22ND ANNUAL LUMBER CITY FARM DAY FESTIVAL

Sept. 9 & 10 Saturday’s events include a Fun Run & 5K race, arts/crafts, food vendors, a parade and live entertainment. A community church service will be held Sept. 10. For more information or to register for the race visit www.lumbercityfarmday.org or call Jeanette Ban at 912.363.4643 or email jeaban2007@mac.com.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

25

FROM PAGE 17

Marla, who teaches kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Northside Elementary School (NES) in Warner Robins, was recognized for incorporating information about agriculture into her Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum to teach her students how agriculture impacts their daily lives.

“I am so thankful for the partnership we have with Georgia Farm Bureau, Houston County Farm Bureau and Perdue Farms,” Marla said. “Our students have learned more than they ever thought they did because they thought they were just having fun. Our kids grew up on cement. They’re apartment kids.

They don’t have backyards to dig in, so they fight over who gets to go outside and work in our school garden.”

As part of the workshop, Marla and the other teachers toured Perdue Farms’ harvesting plant, where Carol works as a portions manager. Because

of the workshop, NES and Perdue Farms administrators arranged for NES 5th grade students to address an efficiency issue Perdue was having with one of its processing lines.

Marla and her fellow teachers designed a curriculum based on STEM standards to promote authentic learning situations regarding the Perdue processing efficiency issue for the students. While tackling the efficiency issue, the students learned to break down shift data, graph the data using Microsoft Excel, calculate and estimate efficiency within the Perdue shifts and formulate possible solutions to Perdue’s processing efficiency issue. They also learned how chicken goes from the farm to grocery stores or restaurants.

Carol and Marla will deservedly be recognized for their AITC efforts when they accept their awards at the NAITC conference June 21 in Kansas City, Missouri, but they’ll also be accepting as part of a larger team.

“I’m truly excited to represent

the group of amazing teachers at Northside Elementary School and everyone who has helped us bring ag into our classrooms,” Marla said.

Carol, who serves on the GFB Women’s Leadership Committee, is the type of volunteer who “never says ‘no,’ nor takes ‘no,’ for an answer,” Donna said.

“

Agriculture in the Classroom’s strength lies in its grassroots network of volunteers, like Ms. Baker-Dunn, who are passionate about spreading agricultural literacy in schools,” NAITCO President Chris Fleming said.

Rock Eagle

4-H Conference Center • Banquet Facilities • Holiday Events • Weddings and Receptions • On-Site and Off-Site Catering • Meeting Facilities for 10 to 1000 Guests 1 hour East of Atlanta on I-20 706/484-2868 reagle@uga.edu rockeagle4h.org

26

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

FROM PAGE 26

GET A JUMP ON

GA AG NEWS! Like GFB News/ Georgia Neighbors on Facebook www.facebook.com/ GeorgiaFarmBureau NewsNeighbors

As part of its efforts to take Ag into the Classroom, Houston County Farm Bureau has stocked a barn bookcase with children’s books that accurately portray farming. The bookcase is rotated to a different elementary school each month. HCFB Office Manager Lisa Hall, right, delivers the bookcase to Northside Elementary School (NES) where it was received by, pictured from left, teacher Adrienne Bickel and NES Principal David Sams.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

27

PHOTO BY JENNIFER WHITTAKER

Georgia Peach Salsa & Grilled Chicken

This easy, breezy recipe is a great go-to for those summer nights when you don’t feel like cooking! The salsa recipe features a lot of the fresh summer fruit and vegetables Georgia farmers are harvesting.

For more recipes featured in “Meals from the Field,” the monthly cooking segment that airs on Georgia Farm Bureau’s “Georgia Farm Monitor” TV show, visit www.gfb.org/recipes.

PEACH SALSA

GRILLED CHICKEN

2 cups chopped, firm Georgia peaches ¾ cup chopped red bell pepper ¼ cup seeded, chopped cucumber ¼ cup sliced green onion ¼ cup chopped Vidalia Onion 2 tbsps. seeded, finely minced jalapeno pepper 2 tbsps. honey 2 tbsps. lime juice 1 tbsp. fresh, finely chopped cilantro

2 tbsps. lime juice 2 tbsps. honey 1 tbsp. soy sauce 1 tbsp. seeded, finely-minced jalapeno pepper 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill for several hours.

Serve with grilled chicken. This salsa is also good with chips or as a topping for salad.

Combine first four ingredients to make marinade. Place chicken and marinade in a food storage bag and marinate at least 2 hours in refrigerator. Dispose of marinade. Grill chicken until done or internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Serve salsa over chicken.

*Editor’s note: Other fruit, such as blueberries or strawberries, could be used instead of peaches. If regular jalapenos are too spicy for you, try tamed jalapenos, which can be found next to the regular kind; they will give you the flavor of jalapenos minus the heat.

28

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Farm Market Locations 52

Use your smartphone or tablet to scan this QR code for recipes featuring the farm-fresh products found in this magazine!

39

34

Scan the QR Code with your smart phone to find out more information about Georgia Certified Farm Markets!

23

49

47

32 52 3 22

41

30

19

NOTE: PRODUCE IS WEATHER SENSITIVE. CALL THE FARM BEFORE YOU VISIT TO CHECK ON AVAILABILITY.

24 67 25

51

113 13

69 65

68

57

5

35

72 54

1

46

58 64 59

15 16

14

61

Sylvania

17

53 27

44

21

60

257

70 10

2

20

26

230

119

29

Claxton 48

18

9

40

45

11 8 38

12 33 21

43

6 71

62

37

42

56

50 28

31 7 4 55

63

29

36 66

THIS MAP WAS DESIGNED TO BE USED AS A GENERAL LOCATOR FOR THE CERTIFIED FARM MARKETS LISTED IN THIS BROCHURE; ADDRESSES CAN BE FOUND WITH EACH LISTING.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

29

GFB Certified Farm Markets: Buy straight from the farm Fresh fruit and vegetables are coming into season across Georgia.

Make plans to visit one of Georgia Farm Bureau’s Certified Farm Markets to buy food straight from the farmers who grew it. Whether it’s in your community or part of a daytrip, there is a GFB Certified Farm Market waiting to give you a fresh taste of Georgia!

These markets offer a wide variety of farm-fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and other items. Some markets let you pick your own produce and some pick for you.

Many of the markets offer agritourism activities, such as corn mazes or hayrides. These activities are a great way for families to spend time together.

9

On page 29, there’s a map of GFB’s Certified Farm Markets. Use the corresponding number on the following pages to find a farm market near you.

Some markets are only open certain months depending on the season of the crops they sell. Please call or check the market’s website before visiting. Our CFM listing is also available on our website at www.gfb.org/cfmarkets. On the website, you can search for a market by geographic location or by commodity. For more information about GFB’s Certified Farm Market program, contact Haley Darby at hadarby@gfb.org or 478.474.8411, ext. 5234.

P Pick Your Own

U You Cut

17

1 2

10

18

3

11

19

4 5

12

20 21

M Maze

CALHOUN PRODUCE INC. CRISP CO Cordele State Farmers Market, 1901 Hwy 41 North Cordele, 31015 • 229.273.1892 www.calhounproduce.com June-August, Call for Hours.

ELLIOTT FARMS #2 9515 Feagin Road • Macon, 31216 • 478.935.8180 Follow us on Facebook-Elliott Farms April and May: Mon-Sat, 8:00am-7:00pm.

Sun, 10:00am-6:00pm.

CHASE FARM MARKET 83 Riverview Lane • Oglethorpe, 31068 • 478.472.1729 or 7726 • eglc@windstream.net June-July 10:00am-6:00pm Mon-Fri, Closed SatSun.

ELLIS BROS. PECANS INC. 1315 Tippettville Rd • Vienna, 31092 229.268.9041 or 800.635.0616 www.werenuts.com Year Round 8:00am-8:00pm Daily.

P B.J. REECE ORCHARDS 9131 Hwy 52 East • Ellijay, 30536 • 706.276.3048 www.reeceorchards.com July-December, Mon-Sat, 9:00am-6:00pm.

Sun, 1:00pm-6:00pm.

P COPELAND STRAWBERRY FARMS 90 2nd Avenue • Rochelle, 31079 • 229.365.7405 or 229.276.6006 • stantil@windstream.net March-June, 8:00am-6:00pm Mon-Sat.

EMILY’S GARDEN 1645 Mineral Springs Road • Ballground, 30107 678.614.8959 • www.ballgroundproduce.com June-September, Mon-Sat 10:00am-6:00pm.

Sun 1:00pm-6:00pm.

P BAR C CATTLE AND PRODUCE 2006 Yates Road • Barney, 31625 • 229.561.3466 Open Year Round, 7:00am-7:00pm.

P COPELAND STRAWBERRY FARMS | HWY 300 LOCATION Hwy 300 at Striplings • Cordele, 31015 229.535.3123 • stantil@windstream.net March-May, 9:30 a.m.-5:30p.m. Daily.

P ADAMS FARMS 1486 Hwy 54 W • Fayetteville, 30214 770.461.9395 • www.adamsfarmfayettevillega.com April-October, 9:00am-4:00pm ,Mon-Sat. B & G HONEY FARM 945 Sinkhole Road • Register, 30452 912.852.5124 or 912.515.0294 www.bandghoneyfarm.com Call ahead. Also located at Statesboro Farmers Market 9:00am-1:00pm, every Sat April-November.

U BERRY’S CHRISTMAS TREE FARM 70 Mt. Tabor Road • Covington, 30014 770.786.5833 • www.berrystreefarm.com November-December, 10:00am-7:00pm.

By Appointment January-October.

6

13 14

P BERRY GOOD FARMS 930 William Gibbs Road • Tifton, 31793 229.821.0746 or 229.386.8880 www.berrygoodfarms.com March-July, Mon-Sat 8:00am- 8:00pm. Closed Sun.

7

P BURTON BROOKS ORCHARDS Hwy 76 122 • Barney, 31625 • 229.775.2710 or 2828 May-July, 8:00am-8:00pm. Weekends Only, August -November (Ice Cream Only)

8

30

U You Cut

DICKEY’S AT THE HILLTOP Corner of Hwys 74 & 341 at the round about Culloden, 31016 • 478.836.4362 www.dickeyfarms.com May-August, 9:00am-5:00pm Daily

16

M Maze

HEALTHY LIVING FARMS 3810 Gillionville Road • Albany, 31721 229.432.8461 • www.healthylivingfarms.org Hours are seasonal; check website and Facebook for details.

22

DICKEY FARMS 3440 Musella Road • Musella, 31066 478.836.4362 or 800.732.2442 www.dickeyfarms.com Peach Season (May-August): Daily, 8:00am-6:00pm.

August-April: Mon-Fri, 8:00am-4:00pm. Always available online.

15

PM CALHOUN PRODUCE INC. 5075 Hawpond Rd • Ashburn, 31714 229.273.1887 or 1860 • www.calhounproduce.com March-December. Mon-Sat, 9:00am-6:00pm.

P Pick Your Own

P DACULA BRIARPATCH 2503 Cammie Wages Rd • Dacula, 30019 770.962.4990 June - November, 8:00am-7:00pm Tues-Sat. Closed Sun & Mon.

HARDY FARMS PEANUTS 1659 Eastman Hwy • Hawkinsville, 31306 478.783.3044 • www.hardyfarmspeanuts.com August-October, 10:00am-7:00pm.

PMHILLCREST ORCHARDS 9696 Hwy 52E • Ellijay, 30536 • 706.273.3838 www.hillcrestorchards.net • applelan@ellijay.com Sept, Oct - 9:00am-6:00pm Daily. Nov 9:00am5:00pm Daily.

23

PMHILLSIDE ORCHARD FARMS COUNTRY STORE & FARM 18 Sorghum Mill Dr • Lakemont, 30552 706.782.2776 • www.hillsideorchard.com Mon-Sat 9:00am-5:30pm. Sun 11:00am-5:00pm.

Closed January/February.

24

PM ELLIOTT FARMS #1 4761 Holley Road • Lizella, 31052 • 478.935.8180 Follow us on Facebook-Elliott Farms Mon-Sat, 8:00am-7:00pm. Sun, 10:00am-6:00pm.

MJAEMOR FARM MARKET 5340 Cornelia Hwy • Alto, 30510 • 770.869.3999 or 0999 • www.jaemorfarms.com Open Daily. Mon-Sat, 7:00am-6:00pm, Sun 1:00pm-6:00pm.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

25

JAEMOR FARM MARKET AT BANKS CROSSING 40081 U.S. Hwy 441 • Commerce, 30529 706.335.0999 www.jaemorfarms.com/commerce-market Open Daily. Mon-Sat, 8:00am.-6:00pm; Sun, 1:00pm.-6:00pm.

26

36 37

JIBB’S VINEYARDS 1521 Jenkins Farm Road • Byromville, 31007 478.952.8328 • Facebook page-Jibb’s Vineyards Year Round, Mon-Sat 8:00am-6:00pm.

Sun late afternoons.

27

POCHLOCKONEE RIDGE FARMS LLC. 1069 Rossman Dairy Rd • Moultrie, 31768 229.941.5971 or 229.891.0583 www.oridgefarms.com March-June, Call for Hours and availability.

38 39 40

PMLANE SOUTHERN ORCHARDS 50 Lane Rd • Fort Valley, 31030 • 800.277.3244 or 478.825.3362 • www.lanesouthernorchards.com Year Round. May-August 9:00am-7:00pm, September-April 9:00am-6:00pm.

28

LITTLE DUCK FARMS (DORSEY FARMS) 66 Rice Lane • Ray City, 31645 • 229.455.3071 www.littleduckfarms.com Open Seasonal. October-January, Mon-Sat 9:00am6:00pm. | February-September, call 229.455.3071 for hours.

29

PULONG FARMS 2822 Old Whigham Rd • Bainbridge, 39817 229.246.8086 • www.longfarmsnatural.com May-July and September-November, Mon-Fri, 7:00am-7:00pm. Saturday, 7:00am-Noon.

30

LUCK AND MOODY PEACHES 13891 Hwy 122 E • Barney, 31625 • 229.775.3300 May-July, 7:30am-7:30pm.

PMMARK’S MELON PATCH 8580 Albany Hwy • Dawson, 39842 • 229.698.4750 or 229.881.0814 • www.marksmelonpatch.com April-October 8:00am-7:00pm, November-March 8:00am-6:00pm.

34 35

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

PMOTTAWA FARMS 702 Bloomingdale Road • Bloomingdale, 31302 912.748.3035 • www.ottawafarms.com March-November: Tues-Sat, 8:30am-6:00pm and Sun 1:00pm-6:00pm. December-February: Sat 10:00am-5:00pm.

PRED APPLE BARN/LITTLE BEND ORCHARDS 3379 Tails Creek Rd • Ellijay, 30540 • 706.635.5898 www.redapplebarn.com August 1-December 24, Mon-Sat 9:00am-6:00pm, Sun 12:30pm-5:30pm.

50 51

PREDBARN MARKET 220 Rountree McCranie Road • Adel, 31620 229.507.0802 • www.facebook.com/RedbarnMarket Call for hours and availability.

ROCKIN “S” FARM MARKET 465 Claude Scott Drive • Canton, 30115 770.377.0290 or 770.596.0711 stewarttns@bellsouth.net Year Round, 8:00am-6:00pm, Mon-Sat.

52

PSIMS FARM 1608 Burning Bush Road • Ringgold, 30736 706.866.4062 or 423.593.4021 simssodfarm@bellsouth.net May-July, 8:00am-4:00pm.

53

PUPAYNE FARM AND PRODUCE 204 Salem Road • Calhoun, 30703 • 770.878.2005 or 770.480-7004 • www.paynefarm.net April-January, Call for Hours PACKER PRODUCE 1601 1st Avenue SE (State Farmers Market) Moultrie, 31768 • 229.668.7225 brian@packerproduce.com Year Round, 9:00am-4:00pm Mon-Fri; Open Sat during Pecan Season (October-January), 9:00am1:00pm.

54 55

SOUTHERN FRESH MARKET 1310 Dothan Road • Bainbridge, 39817 229.495.3165 or 229.220.4199 Facebook: Southern Fresh Market 10:00am-6:00pm March-July and OctoberDecember.

56

PEARSON FARM 5575 Zenith Mill Rd • Fort Valley, 31030 478.825.7504 • www.pearsonfarm.com May-August (Peaches), November-January (Pecans), 9:00am-5:00pm.

PSOUTHERN GRACE FARMS 11946 Nashville Enigma Road • Enigma, 31749 229.533.8585-Farm or 229.533.4314 www.southerngracefarms.com March-July and December, Mon-Sat 9:00am6:00pm, Sun 1:00pm-6:00pm.

57

PITTMAN’S COUNTRY MARKET 364 Cedar Crossing Road • Lyons, 30436 912.565.0880 www.pittmansfamilyfarmandcountrymarket.com Facebook Page-Pittman’s Country Market March-July and September-December, 8:30 a.m.5:30 p.m. Mon-Sat.

46 47

SLEDGE FARMS PEACH HOUSE 744 John E. Sullivan Road • Byron, 31008 478.956.2742 or 478.808.4690 sledge1@windstream.net June, July and August, Mon-Sat 8:00am-6:00pm.

PUMSOUTHERN BELLE FARM 1658 Turner Church Road • McDonough, 30252 770.288.2582 • www.southernbellefarm.com Hours seasonal; visit website for updated hours.

PPAULK VINEYARDS 1788 Satilla Rd • Wray, 31798 • 229.468.7873 www.paulkvineyards.com August-September 9:00am-7:00pm. Closed on Sun.

45

PMERCIER ORCHARDS 8660 Blue Ridge Drive • Blue Ridge, 30513 • 800.361.7731 • www.mercier-orchards.com Sun-Sat: December-May, 7:00am-6:00pm; May-Nov, 7:00am-8:00pm.

PMMITCHAM FARM 750 Macedonia Church Rd • Oxford, 30054 770.855-1530 • www.mitchamfarm.com Seasonal-Call Ahead

OSAGE FARM 5030 Hwy 441 North • Rabun Gap, 30568 706.746.7262 May-October, 8:00am-6:00pm, 7 days.

43 44

MACK AARON APPLE HOUSE 8955 Hwy 52 East • Ellijay, 30536 • 706.273.3600 www.mackaaronsapplehouse.com or facebook.com/mackaaronsapplehouse July-October, 8:00am-6:00pm; November-January (closing), 8:00am-5:00pm.

33

ODOM APIARIES 2310 Williford Road • Rebecca, 31783 229.392.0321 • www.odomapiaries.com Year Round, 8:00 a.m.-until.

41 42

PLOWREY FARMS 2416 Turkey Mountain Road • Rome, 30161 706.295.1157 • Facebook page-Lowrey Farms May-August; Monday-Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm, Sunday 1:00pm-5:00pm.

31 32

48 49

RJ & G FARMS 2385 Bill Hodges Rd • Claxton, 30417 912.618.9001 or 9002 April-November, 8:00am-6:00pm.

PMORNING BELLE FARMS, LLC 762 Pine Drive • Woodbine, 31569 912.222-4801 • www.morningbellefarms.com Late April-Mid July. Mon-Sat, 8:00 a.m.-5:00p.m.

Closed Sun.

USPRING BROOK FARM LLC 1520 Mandeville Rd • Carrollton, 30117-5430 770.861.5333 • www.springbrooktrees.com or Facebook: SBFCT November-December. Weekdays-2:00pm-6:00pm.

Sat & Sun 9:00am-6:00pm. Open Thanksgiving Day.

58

PPRESCOTT’S STRAWBERRIES 2226 Gus Perdue Rd • Wrens, 30833 706.547.3717 • prescottstrawberries@gmail.com April-Mid June, Mon-Sat 8:00am-8:00pm.

PMSUNNY DAY FARMS 6353 US Hwy 1 N • Louisville, 30434 706.360.5051 • www.sunnydayfarms.net March-November Mon-Sat, 9:00am-6:00pm.

Fall hours-check website.

59

R & A ORCHARD INC. 5505 Hwy 52 E • Ellijay, 30536 706.273.3821 or 2639 • www.randaorchards.com 9:00am-6:00pm Year Round.

PSWEET SOUTH STRAWBERRY FARM 955 W Moores Crossing Road • Thomaston, 30286 706.656.0965 or 706.647.8440 sweetsouthstrawberryfarm@hotmail.com End of March-First of June. Tues-Sat, 10:00am6:00pm. Sun 1:00pm-6:00pm.

31

60 61

65

PT AND T FARMS 698 Hwy 338 • Dublin, 31021 478.676.3670 or 3230 • nancytomlinson@lcboe.net Year Round/Seasonal.

PTAYLOR ORCHARDS & THE STRAWBERRY PATCH AT TAYLOR ORCHARDS Peaches-1665 Fall Line Freeway East; Strawberries-41 Racetrack Rd. • Reynolds, 31076 478.847.4186 • www.taylororchards.com April (Strawberries), May-August (Peaches), 8:00am6:00pm Daily.

62

66

63

PTHE PEACH SHED AT LAWSON FARMS 8545 Hwy 133 (Valdosta Hwy) • Morven, 31638 229.775.2581 • www.the-peach-shed.com May-September, Mon-Sat 8:00am-8:00pm.

Rest of the year, Mon-Thurs, 6:00am-2:00pm.

Fri 6:00am-6:00pm. Sat, 10:00am-7:00pm.

64

68

PMTHE ROCK RANCH 5020 Barnesville Hwy • The Rock, 30285 706.647.6374 • www.therockranch.com April-November. Please check website for hours and available products.

PWILLIAM L. BROWN FARM MARKET Hwy 49 • Montezuma, 31063 • 478.472.8767 www.williamlbrownfarms.com June-October Mon-Sat 8:30am-6:00pm, Sun 1:30pm-6:00pm.

71

PMWARBINGTON FARMS 5555 Crow Road • Cumming, 30041 770.889.1515 • www.warbingtonfarms.com April-June (Strawberry Season depends on availability), Mon-Sat 11:00am-6:00pm.

Sun 1:00pm-6:00pm. Fall Hours (Sept. 27-Oct. 31) Fri and Sat, 10:00am-10pm; Sun 10:00am-5:00pm PWASHINGTON FARMSLOGANVILLE 270 Willowwind Drive • Loganville, 30052 770.554.8119 • www.washingtonfarms.net Open for Strawberry Season only. All fall activities are at our Watkinsville farm. Check website for details.

PMWASHINGTON FARMSWATKINSVILLE 5691 Hog Mountain Road • Watkinsville, 30677 706.769.0627 • www.washingtonfarms.net April-October. Hours vary by season. Check website for details.

70

THOMPSON FARMS ALL NATURAL PORK 2538 Dixie Rd • Dixie, 31629 • 229.263.9074 or 229.263.8296 (fax) • www.thompsonfarms.com Year Round Mon-Fri 8:00am-5:00pm.

67

PUMTHE MARKET AT RUTLAND FARMS 5641 Union Road • Tifton, 31794 • 229.386.5111 www.rutlandfarms.com • ryan@rutlandfarms.com Year Round, Mon-Sat 9:00am-6:00pm.

69

THOMAS ORCHARDS, GREENHOUSE & GIFT SHOP 6091 Macon Hwy (Hwy 441) • Bishop, 30621 706.769.5011 • www.thomasorchardsandnursery.com March-October: 9:00am-5:00pm, Mon-Sat. 10:00am-5:00pm Sun. Winter Hours: 9:00am-5:00pm Wed-Sat, 10:00am-5:00pm Sun. See website for more details.

WHITE OAK PASTURES 111 Church Street • Bluffton, 39824 • 229.641.2081 www.whiteoakpastures.com Year Round; 8:00am-6:00pm Mon through Fri; 9:00am-6:00pm on Sat; 11:00am-5:00pm on Sun. Resturant: Lunch, Mon-Sun, 11:30am-2:00pm.

Supper, Wed-Sat 6:00pm-8:00pm.

72

PUMYULE FOREST HWY 155 THE PUMPKIN PATCH 3565 Hwy 155N • Stockbridge, 30281 • 770.954.9356 www.yuleforest.com and www.fearthewoods.com Call or check website for specific hours of operation and pricing.

P Pick Your Own

U You Cut

M Maze

FROM PAGE 25

MONROE FARMERS MARKET Saturdays until Oct. 7 | 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Court Street, Downtown Monroe This market, sponsored in part by Walton County Farm Bureau, will feature fresh produce and goods from local farmers, work from local artisans and family friendly activities. For more information visit www.monroedowntownfarmersmarket.com.

PAULDING COUNTY FARM BUREAU FARMERS MARKET

Thursdays through Oct. 26 | 3 p.m.-7 p.m.

549 Hardee St., Dallas, GA 30132 Paulding County Farm Bureau (PCFB) is accepting vendors for its weekly market that starts in mid-June. Visit the market’s Facebook page bit.ly/pcfbmkt for updates. Vendors will sell locally grown produce and other ag commodities or homemade crafts. There is no vendor fee.

Vendors must be Farm Bureau members.

Contact Tracy Grice at 770.445.6681 or email her at tcgrice@gfb.org.

ROCKDALE/DEKALB FARM BUREAU FARMERS MARKET

Tuesdays & Saturdays | 8 a.m.-noon Beginning June 3, the Rockdale/ 32

DeKalb Farm Bureau Farmers Market will be held at 1400 Parker Rd. SE in Conyers. The market will offer fresh locally grown vegetables, dairy products, crafts and more! The market is expected to run into late summer or early fall when produce production ends. For more information contact the Rockdale/ DeKalb County Farm Bureau office at 770.922.3566.

SHIELDS-ETHRIDGE HERITAGE FARM CULTIVATORS MARKET June 3, July 1, Aug. 5, Sept. 2 & Oct. 21 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | 2355 Ethridge Rd. Jefferson Jackson County Farm Bureau (JCFB) sponsors this open-air market that features local products in a festival atmosphere.

Market held rain or shine. The ShieldsEthridge Heritage Farm is an outdoor ag museum that functions as an educational and interpretative facility. Proceeds from the market will be used for restoration projects at the farm. If you are interested in having a booth at the market, contact JCFB Office Manager Denise Temple at dftemple@gfb.org or call 706.367.8877 or visit www.shieldsethridgefarminc.com to complete an application online.

UNION COUNTY FARMERS MARKET

Tuesdays 2p.m.-6p.m. Saturdays 7a.m.-1p.m.

148 Old Smokey Road, Blairsville, Ga. 30512 Beginning June 3, the public is welcome to shop for fresh, locally grown vegetables from local farmers. For more information contact Mickey Cummings or Kristy Peney at 706.781.8802 or visit www. ucfarmersmarket.com. Union County Farm Bureau will sponsor a tractor show at the market Labor Day weekend.

WOODSTOCK FARM FRESH MARKET Saturdays May-September 8:30a.m.-noon Located on Market Street in Downtown Woodstock, the market features vendors who grow at least 85 percent of the product they sell. The Cherokee County Farm Bureau is partnering with the market to bring special events to the market throughout the 2017 season. For more information call 770.924.0406 or visit bit. ly/WoodstockFarmFreshMarket.

Georgia Neighbors | Spring/Summer 2017

Also enjoy these benefits: