Category Archives: Agriculture

First olives harvested east of the Mississippi since the 1800’s –Georgia Olive Farms

We’ll visit Georgia Olive Farms on our Friday Farm Tour at South Georgia Growing Local 2014.

Richard Villadoniga wrote for StAugustine.com 18 July 2012, Liguid gold rush,

There’s a new gold rush taking place in Georgia, and it’s not up in the mountains near Dahlonega as first happened back in 1828. This time around, people are buzzing with excitement over a liquid gold produced in Southern Georgia: extra virgin olive oil. You read that correctly — olive oil from Georgia. What was once an exclusively Mediterranean product is now being crafted with olives grown in Southern Georgia, and to a smaller extent, North Florida.

Georgia Olive Farms, a cooperative of about 10 regional olive growers, is based in Lakeland, Georgia, near Valdosta.

Jason Shaw, one of the company’s founders, comes Continue reading →

Raisin’ Cane on Friday Farm Tour and in Growing Produce Magazine

We’ll visit Raisin’ Cane on our Friday Farm Tour at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:


Photo credit: Rosemary Gordon
Rosemary Gordon wrote for Growing Produce Magazine 13 January 2014, Ken Corbett Farms Knows How To Provide Customers With High-Quality Produce,

Ken Corbett doesn’t have to worry about succession planning. He knows who will lead his farm in the future: his sons, Justin, 26, who is the farm manager; Jared, 21, who is in charge of the packing shed; and Jessica Bolesta, 25, who has taken the reins of the family’s agritainment business, Raisin’ Cane….

The Corbett family wasn’t content to simply grow, pack, and ship bell pepper, eggplant, squash, zucchini, and cucumbers. In fact, it was Ken and Kim Corbett’s daughter, Jessica, who saw a need for an agritainment operation, and so Raisin’ Cane was started in the fall of 2013.

Located near Valdosta, GA, Raisin’ Cane features a corn maze, farm animals, hay rides, a playground, and a produce market and bakery. The Corbetts have already entertained numerous school field trips in the short time the operation has been open.

The plan is to have Continue reading →

Gretchen on the radio about South Georgia Growing Local 2014

We will be on the radio twice on Monday. First on the Chris Beckham show at 7:30 and then on a Jasper station at 11:30. Listen in and invite your friends.

Here’s a facebook event about the Black Crow Media 105.9 FM radio show, 7:30-7:45 AM. You can listen to it online with Streema.com or any of several other apps. Or over the air!

And remember to register for the conference.

-jsq

Honeybee Roulette: Gambling with our Future –Heather Davis

Heather Davis will speak at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

My presentation will be about how I became interested in honeybees and where my research has led me. It will begin with very basic information about honeybees and how they are important to our ecology. Then I will touch on how the monocultures and industrialized farming, pesticides and GMO/systemic pesticides are killing the bees and our culture and environment as we know it.

I will have pamphlets on GMO’s, how to make your own pesticides/insecticides that are safe for pollinators, what plants to grow to encourage a bio-diverse ecology at home for pollinators and a few others.

She’s on facebook as Sage Apiaries, “Pollination is the future of our food!”

Her conference bio: Continue reading →

Bringing Nature Home –Beth Wiggins Grant

Student Naturalist Beth Grant will speak at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

In his book Bringing Nature Home, Dr. Doug Tallamy explains how everyone who loves the wonders of the natural world can contribute to the survival of our native birds, butterflies, and other treasures by providing the native plants needed to support them. Beth Grant has recently obtained permission from Dr. Tallamy to present his slideshow on his findings. By acting on Dr. Tallamy’s practical recommendations, you can make a difference for bio-diversity while bringing endlessly fascinating wildlife to your home. Handouts will be provided. Copies of Bringing Nature Home and Dr. Gil Nelson’s Best Native Plants for Southern Gardens will be available for purchase with all proceeds going to Birdsong Nature Center.

Here’s her conference bio: Continue reading →

Growing up Growing –Maria Arambula

Maria Arambula will speak at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

Gardening is an essential skill that every child and adult should learn. How can we work in our families and communities to ensure that young people understand how our food is grown? This workshop will share creative ideas and resources for gardening with youth of all ages at home and in the community. Attendees will be encouraged to share their own experiences through a fun and collaborative workshop format.

Her conference bio: Continue reading →

The five P’s of Grafting –Annie Barbas

Master Gardener Annie Barbas will speak at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

The session will give an overview of planning, preparation, plant materials, tools and the process of various forms of grafting including some physical examples in differing stages of the process.

We will cover the the necessity of Planning, Preparation, Precision, Patience and Prayer needed for grafting success. We will not be grafting, but I will have some recently grafted material to view (last summer) as well as various grafting supplies that my husband and I use.

Her conference bio: Continue reading →

For the Love of Herbs –O’Toole’s Herb Farm

Elizabeth (B) Fraleigh O’Toole, President of O’Toole’s Herb Farm will speak at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

This presentation will touch on growing herbs for pleasure, growing herbs for the fresh cut market and growing herbs in greenhouse production for wholesale and retail sales. I will cover the joy and positive healing energy these plants give, the passion of growing and using them and how I got to this place.

Her farm was featured in the April-May, 2012, edition of Home & Design:

“A village is happening out here,” B said during a tour of her 114-acre farm’s greenhouses, gardens, retail shops and resident flock of sheep. “If you think Walmart, we’re absolutely the opposite. Small, local, knowledgeable, none of our plants genetically modified with man-made chemicals.”

Also on facebook.

Her conference bio: Continue reading →

Proof Is in the Certification –Connie Hayes

Connie Hayes of Healthy Hollow Farms will speak at South Georgia Growing Local 2014,

How do we prove to customers that our products are free of genetically modified ingredients? while many homesteaders choose to be not certified or certified naturally grown, consumers are becoming more concerned with GMOs. We will offer practical tips for insuring consumers, as well as how to on certifications & non-GMO testing.

Here’s her conference bio:

Members of Coastal Organic Growers (COG), Connie & Jimmy Hayes own & operate Healthy Hollow Farms near Stilson, GA, which has been certified organic since 2007. They grow organic peanuts and raise Belted Galloway cattle. They are in the process of setting up an on-farm processing facility for their peanuts. Connie serves on the board of Georgia Organics and has trained under Jeffery Smith with The Institute for Responsible Technology to speak on GMOs.

Come to SOGALO2014 and hear Connie about getting certified organic!

-jsq

Yes, we can grow citrus in Georgia! –Marj Schneider

Update 2 Feb 2014: Citrus Resources.

At South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

Learn about varieties that do best in our climate, and how to plant and nurture your trees. We will discuss winter protection, fertilizing, and challenges with citrus. You’ll leave with resources for buying trees and learning more.

Bess T. Chappas wrote and took this picture for SavannahNow 24 September 2008, Tropical garden in suburbia,

Twenty citrus trees are scattered around the yard, including lemon, blood orange, tangelo, cara-cara orange, lime, grapefruit, tangerine and mandarin. A pumello plant, a citrus variety from Southeast Asia, has a fruit the size of a basketball. Papaya and guava plants grow tall against the back of the house. Pineapple and coffee plants grow in the ground and in large pots.

Continue reading →