Category Archives: Agriculture

SOGALO14 Farm Tours in the VDT

Most of the front page of the Valdosta Daily Times Saturday was about the South Georgia Growing Local 2014 Farm Tours.

Stuart Taylor wrote on the front page of the VDT 25 January 2014, Growing Local Farm Tour gets under way,

While past South Georgia Growing Local conferences have had self-guided farm tours, this year’s conference offered a guided tour through four local farms, starting off Friday morning at Raisin’ Cane.

“We teach people about agriculture,” said Jessica Bolesta, who Continue reading →

Using Solar –John S. Quarterman

From solar electric fences to selling solar power for profit, John S. Quarterman will talk about solar opportunities for farmers and some legal hurdles, at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

Why solar power is the fastest growing industry in the world and how to apply it to agriculture. Financing is the main obstacle. Some ways to get financing, and at least one law that could be changed to help with that.

His conference bio: Continue reading →

Curing Ham –Derrick Dawson

Derrick Dawson will talk about a long-time tradition at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

The Lowndes County Ham and Eggs show is the only remaining Ham and Eggs show in Georgia and one of only two in the country.

Hams are cured by a local team that travels periodically to Fort Valley State University to work in USDA certified facilities. Hams are treated with a cure, turned, treated, turned, treated, turned, washed, bagged and finally smoked over the course of several weeks in preparation for judging and auction.

The Ham and Eggs show this year will be February 18 and 19.

Continue reading →

Grow Your Own Organic Small Fruits –Jerry Larson

Veteran organic instructor Jerald Larson will talk about how to grow organic fruits at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

Jerry’s presentation will focus on blackberries, blueberries, figs and muscadine grapes. He will explain and demonstrate practical, low cost methods for trellising and pruning; soil and bed preparation; weed suppression, irrigation, and harvesting.

His conference bio: Continue reading →

USDA & Rural Revitalization –Bryan J. Zulko

What the U.S. Department of Agriculture is doing about rural Georgia: Bryan Zulko will talk about that at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

I will go over a few initiatives I am currently working on, specifically the StrikeForce Initiative (persistent poverty 60 counties), SET (Stronger Economies Together), and the significance of RHIT (Rural Health Information Technology). In the 2nd part I will be discussing some of our funding programs, focusing on Rural infrastructure, local foods, downtown development, and essential community facilities.

His conference bio: Continue reading →

Farm Tours Sold Out! Remember to register for Saturday Talks @ SOGALO14

All places on the bus are full for the Friday Farm Tours.

There’s still plenty of room at Pine Grove Elementary, so remember to register for the Saturday Talks at South Georgia Growing Local 2014!

-jsq

Permaculture –Ben and Jennifer Vieth

The Vieths will talk about gardens that continue to grow season after season, at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

Permaculture is a regenerative and sustainable food production design system combining bio-mimicry with local food system knowledge. The scalability of permaculture lends itself applicable to everyone from beginner gardeners to seasoned farmers. Our presentation will focus on how we can apply permaculture principles to our homes and gardens, no matter the size of your space.

Their conference bios: Continue reading →

Growers Tell All –Diane Howard

Diane Howard will moderate a farmer panel, Growers Tell All: A Conversation with Experienced South Georgia Growers about God-Given Talents and 150+ Years of Growing, at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:


Innis Davis and three of the children in his family who help with his very large backyard garden on Cherry Street, Valdosta.
With a combined 150+ years of experience as growers, these veggie veterans will interact with members of the audience sharing their stories which include the following: planting, harvesting, and preserving by the moon; rotating crop sites; fertilizing; controlling weeds and insects; saving seed for 50+ years; growing in containers; and using their talents and techniques of growing to help friends and 3 generations of family. Serving as a moderator for this discussion will be Diane Howard who works closely with individuals in South Georgia to promote growing their own food and oversees a large garden on her 5th generation family farm in Grady County.

Here are the panelists’ speaker bios: Continue reading →

From Fabulous Natural Fibers to Flamboyant Fabric: the craft and art of hand spinning and weaving –Amy Brown

Amy Brown will talk about making fibers into fabric at South Georgia Growing Local 2014:

This lecture/ workshop will explore making yarn, thread, and cloth. Preparing the natural fiber, the hand spinning process, and  weaving will be demonstrated. There will be a  hands-on introduction to many different natural fibers  and a discussion of their individual characteristics which may be used to enhance a final cloth. A few spindles and wool will be available if you would like to try out what you have learned .  Inexpensive spinning and weaving tools that are easy to make will be discussed so you can get spinning and weaving right away.  Though the emphasis in this hour and a half is on spinning for weaving, discussion will also include spinning for knitting, crocheting, lacemaking, embroidery, and sewing. Come and join us and learn to turn your cotton fields, pet hair, sheep wool, and other fabulous fibers into unique cloth that your friends will admire. 

Her speaker bio: Continue reading →

Speaker Schedule –South Georgia Growing Local 2014

Hello again,

We are now nearly at the conference and I can hardly tell you how excited I am. I had a final walk through of Pine Grove Middle School and Farm this week and got all the details for accessing their technologies and the Internet.

Friday Farm Tours

Farm Tours will be Friday, January 24th, including produce at Raisin’ Cane, door yard citrus at Loch Laurel Nursery, olive oil and trees at Georgia Olive Farms, and Katahdin sheep at Hound River Farm.

Saturday Talks

Conference talks will be Saturday, January 25th, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Doors open at 8 a.m.) at Pine Grove Middle School, 4159 River Rd, Valdosta, GA 31605. We will be able to tour the hydroponic green houses at the school that day! The preliminary schedule is posted.

Lodging

Most of our speakers are local (how lucky are we that we have this wealth of talent in our community) and a couple from out of the have indicated that they need a room. We have arranged a discounted rate at two local hotels.

Registration

There is still plenty of room, so by all means, please continue to invite those that you think will be interested in attending. The Pine Grove Middle School is a lovely facility and we are lucky to be able to use it.

Don’t forget to register!

-Gretchen