Farm Bureau's Georgia Neighbors - Fall 2009 Issue

FARM BUREAU’S

Georgia A

PUBLICATION

OF

THE

GEORGIA

Fall 2009 Vol. 14, No. 3

FARM

BUREAU

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Contents Fall 2009 • Vol. 14, No. 3

departments

Community supported agriculture sustains Sapelo Farms

We, the Farmers ..................... 2

4

Farming in a resort community isn’t easy, but the folks at Sapelo Farms in Glynn County have found a way to make it work for them. They sell fresh vegetables, herbs, eggs and flowers through a community supported agriculture program.

Legislative Update....................8 Insurance Update . .......10 & 12

Hardy Farms finds niche with boiled peanuts

6

Alex Hardy was looking for a way to make his family farm more profitable when he decided to cut out the middlemen and start a business that sells most of the peanuts grown on his farm as boiled peanuts. The Hardys sell their Southern staple to major grocery chains, to area high schools for concession stands, online and at roadside stands.

Member Services Update .....15 Kid’s Corner............................16 Georgia Happenings..............25

Like to Subscribe?

All Georgia Farm Bureau members will receive the Georgia Neighbors. However, if you are not a farmer-member and you’d also 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

Growing Gardeners

14

A new crop of gardeners is growing up in Georgia. Meet two Georgia kids with exceptional green thumbs.

Visit a GFB Certified Farm Market this fall

20

Fall means apples, pumpkins, peanuts and pecans, and there’s no better place to find these delicacies than at a Georgia Farm Bureau Certified Farm Market!

about the cover

(Photo courtesy of the Georgia Department of Economic Development) This shot looks over Amicalola Falls at Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

31209. Questions about Member Services?

Pictured from left, Rebecca Brooks, Virginia Woodard and Deborah Puette

Call 1-800-633-5432. Call (478) 474-0679, ext. 5334 regarding editorial content.

Something’s Cooking

18

Name___________________________________

Rhyme time: Museum seeks cowboy poets

City/Zip__________________________________

Rebecca Brooks took top honors at the annual Georgia Egg Commission’s Recipe Contest. We’ve got their winning recipes for you to try.

22

The Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville is seeking some straight-shootin’ students who can articulate the spirit of the Old West in poetry form for its 2009-2010 Georgia Youth Cowboy Poetry Contest.

Address__________________________________

GFB Membership #________________________

Non-members can subscribe to both publications for $15/year.

1

FARM BUREAU’S

Zippy Duvall, President

Without farmers, Georgia can’t grow Fall is the most popular time of the year for a lot of us. Football is in full swing, and fall festivals and fairs are filling the air with music and delicious smells. It’s great!

As a farmer, I think of fall as a time to celebrate the harvest of Georgia crops such as apples, corn, cotton, peanuts, pecans and soybeans. For farmers, fall brings our growing season of long, hard work to a close.

Fall is a season when consumers and farmers reap the benefits of harvest. Consumers get to enjoy fresh apples, boiled peanuts, roasted pecans and new fall clothes made from Georgia cotton. Fall crops put money in farmers’ pockets. They also create jobs for nonfarming Georgians, enabling them to pay bills, which makes Georgia’s economy thrive. A report released last year by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences shows that agriculture is a driving force in our state economy.

Georgia’s food and fiber sectors include everything from agriculture and forestry products to food services.

According to the study, “Economic Importance of Food & Fiber in the Georgia Economy,” these sectors employ 708,174 people and generate $92 billion in sales. The food category includes jobs and money spent on everything from farm production of raw food commodities to their

final consumption. The fiber category includes products, such as harvested trees, as they leave the farm and go to a certain point of the manufacturing process. Houses, furniture or paper office products are not included because they’re considered finished products.

The report showed Georgia’s food and fiber sectors account for 14 percent of our state’s employment and 13 percent of Georgia’s economic output.

Georgia’s food and drink manufacturers employ 72,582 people and pull in $30.5 billion annually, more than any other manufacturing sector, according to the report.

To put it simply, without farmers, Georgia can’t grow.

This fall, Georgia Farm Bureau is kicking off a billboard campaign along the interstates to highlight how important agriculture is to Georgia’s economy. Look for the billboards as you drive along I-75, I-85 and I-20. As the voice of Georgia agriculture, we feel it’s important to get this message across to everyone.

In addition to growing the food and fiber that drives our economy, Georgia farmers help Georgia grow by protecting the environment. The pasture and forestland on Georgia’s farms provide wildlife habitat, conserve soil and convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.

We’ve heard a lot in the news lately about global warming and the need to reduce greenhouse emissions. Well, Georgia farmers were doing their part to prevent climate change long before it became an issue. Georgia farmers also provide greenspace by maintaining their farms instead of See WE, THE FARMERS page 12

GAMLBB40087

WITHOUT FARMERS, GEORGIA CAN’T GROW. 2

A

PUBLICATION

OF

THE

GEORGIA

FARM

BUREAU

Issued three times a year by the Georgia Farm Bureau Federation, located at 1620 Bass Road, Macon, GA 31210.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES Farm Bureau Members: Included in dues — $1 per year OFFICERS VINCENT “Zippy” duvall, President GERALD LONG, Vice President BERNARD SIMS, North Georgia Vice President BRENT GALLOWAY, Middle Georgia Vice President Wayne Daniel, Treasurer/ Corporate Secretary DUKE GROOVER, General Counsel DIRECTORS FIRST DISTRICT: J. Louis Hunt, LaFayette; Henry J. West, Rydal SECOND DISTRICT: Randy Ruff, Elberton; Bobby Gunter Dahlonega THIRD DISTRICT: George Chambers, Carrollton; Nora Goodman, Temple FOURTH DISTRICT: Marvin Ruark, Bishop; William Hutchins, Winder FIFTH DISTRICT: Jim Ham, Smarr; Ralph Adamson, Jr., Barnesville SIXTH DISTRICT: James Emory Tate, Denton; Jimmy Perry Jr., Cochran SEVENTH DISTRICT: Ben Boyd, Sylvania; Gennis Folsom, Glenville EIGHTH DISTRICT: Phil Redding, Bluffton; Don Wood, Rochelle NINTH DISTRICT: Paul Shirah, Camilla; Lucius Adkins, Elmodel TENTH DISTRICT: David Lee, Alma; Daniel Johnson, Alma YOUNG FARMER CHAIRMAN: Lanair Worsham, Camilla WOMEN’S COMMITTEE CHAIR: Kim Brown, Montezuma INFORMATION STAFF Paul Beliveau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director Jennifer Whittaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editor Lillian Davis . . . . . . Publications Manager Jay Stone . . . . . . Publication/Web Specialist Michael Edmondson . Web/Video Manager Mark Wildman . . . . . . Radio-TV Specialist Dean Wood . . . . . . . . . Radio-TV Specialist Ryan Naquin . . . . . . . . Radio-TV Specialist Rick Treptow . . Senior Radio-TV Specialist Denny Moore . . . . . . . TV Anchor/Producer Vickie Amos . . . . . . . . Office Coordinator 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 Farm Bureau’s Georgia Neighbors.

For advertising rates and information, contact Linda Fuda at 513-307-7949 or lfudamedia@rcn.com.

Farm Bureau’s Georgia Neighbors was established in 1995. Copyright 2008 by the Georgia Farm Bureau Federation. Printed by Panaprint, Macon, GA. www.gfb.org

Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Co. Georgia Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co. Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Co., Jackson, MS

Auto•Home•Farm•Life•Banking Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

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Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

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3

apelo Farms is the type of farm that once sustained rural Georgia families - a small herd of grass-fed beef cattle, a milk cow, goats, chickens, beehives and fresh vegetables. But Sapelo Farms isn’t stuck in the 20th century. Instead, the farm is thriving in the 21st century by marketing its produce directly to coastal Georgia residents through a community supported agriculture (CSA) program.

CSAs allow customers to contract with a farm for a supply of the commodities the farm produces. Farmers are paid in advance so they know how much they need to grow and can budget accordingly.

Nestled between I-95 and the eversprawling development of Brunswick, Sapelo Farms is one of the last in Glynn County. Betty Anne Lewis grew up on the farm she and her husband, David, and her daughter, Gabe Haman, tend together.

After her father died in 1986, Betty Anne says she and her mother decided to keep the farm. Divorced, she stayed on the farm with her two daughters, Gabe and Katie, taught school during the day and farmed in the afternoon.

For Betty Anne, farming meant raising Santa Gertrudis cattle and pine trees and cutting hay. When Gabe moved home from Maine four years ago, after her grandmother became

Sapelo Farms’ tangy Florida winegrapes are served on cheese carts at The Cloister.

4

David & Betty Anne Lewis & daughter Gabe take a break from gathering produce and fresh cut flowers for their CSA customers and The Cloister on Sea Island.

Community supported agriculture sustains Sapelo Farms Article & photos by Jennifer Whittaker __________________________________________________________________________ ill, she convinced her mom they could make money selling produce, herbs and eggs through a CSA. She’d seen the success of CSAs first-hand in Maine.

“Gabe said, ‘Mom we can sell this stuff,’ and I said ‘No we can’t. No one will buy it.’ But she proved me wrong,” Betty Anne recalls.

Turns out people were hungry for food they could buy from the farmer, face-to-face. Today, Sapelo Farms has 25 customers in its CSA. “We could probably get more customers, but we couldn’t keep up with it,” Gabe says. “There has to be a balance between making money and not letting it drive you crazy.”

Sapelo Farms offers CSA membership in whole and half shares. A whole share is designed to provide enough produce for a family of two for one week or several meals a week for larger families, Betty Anne says. A half share should provide a variety of vegetables to supplement a family’s meals. Once the CSA orders are filled, any extra produce that’s left is advertised for sale on the farm’s Web site.

A full share costs customers $120 for a six week contract, which is only $20 a week. A half share is $72 for six

Twelve varieties of heritage chickens call Sapelo Farms home & provide free-range eggs.

weeks at only $12 a week.

“You can go to the grocery store and check prices, but what they get from us is so much fresher,” Betty Anne says.

In addition to its CSA customers and local restaurants, the farm counts The Cloister on Sea Island as its biggest patron. For three years chefs from the prestigious resort have been using produce, flowers and herbs from the farm. The chefs and their apprentices often help with planting and harvesting to learn more about the food they prepare.

See SAPELO page 17 Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

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5

Hardy Farms finds niche with boiled peanuts

In a peanut shell Hardy Farms Located outside Hawkinsville on the Pulaski-Dodge County line

• Started selling boiled peanuts at roadside stands in 1991

• Alex Hardy is company president and oversees the farm operation with his brothers Kenneth and Randy and cousin Terry Shadix

• Brad and Ken Hardy manage the roadside stand part of the company

• Hardy Farms expects to sell 3 million pounds of green and boiled peanuts in 2009

Article & photos by Jay Stone __________________________________________________________________________ Looking back 18 years later, it’s the head of a farm and processing tough to pinpoint exactly when Alex operation that employs 15 people Hardy came up with the idea to boil year-round and 30 others during the the peanuts produced on his 2,500- harvest season. He and his brothacre farm in Pulaski County and sell ers Kenneth and Randy, along with them, or to harvest them “green” – cousin Terry Shadix, handle the farmbefore full maturity – so others could ing, while Brad Hardy (Alex’s son) boil them and transform them into the and Ken (Kenneth’s son) manage the operation of the roadside stands. uniquely Southern delicacy.

There were no plans drawn out He knew he liked to eat boiled on a restaurant napkin. No forehead- peanuts. “Every time I put one in my slapping time when he thought, mouth I enjoy it,” he says. He also “thar’s gold in that there dirt.“ More knew they could be difficult to find on in keeping with farming, it was some- a large-scale. So, he started selling the thing that developed over time, and boiled peanuts to roadside stands.

“We had to do something first, a niche had to be discovered.

During the late 1980s, when farmers different,” he said. “It was an act nationwide were struggling to achieve of desperation instead of inspiration. financial sustainability, Alex was We were making good crops, but we looking for a path to profitability. Most weren’t making any money.” peanut farmers deliver their peanuts He also noticed that fresh boiled to local buying points, which sell them peanuts were not readily available to peanut shellers, who sell them to in stores. He was already adept at food companies. Alex was looking for producing them, and now he had his a way to cut out the middlemen and means of selling them.

To begin with in 1991, the Hardy shorten the field to market chain.

“There was no eureka moment,” peanuts were delivered to four says Alex, now 61 years old and See PEANUTS page 24

Alex Hardy started farming in his teens on the farm owned by his father, Norman Hardy, and began selling “green” and boiled peanuts in 1991.

6

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

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Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

7

Legislative Update

By

Jon Huffmaster

Climate change bill will cost you

D

o you want to pay more for gasoline? Do you look for ways to increase your electricity bill each month? Few people would answer yes to either of these questions. However, if the climate change bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives becomes law, consumers will pay more for gasoline, electricity and many other products as well.

On June 26, the House passed the American Clean Energy Security Act by a vote of 219-212. Bills must garner a majority of votes (218) to pass the House, so this was a very close vote.

The legislation is known by many different names including: ACES, H.R. 2454, Waxman-Markey (the bill’s sponsors), the climate change bill and the cap and trade bill.

H.R. 2454 is very broad legislation, but one of its major provisions is often called “cap and trade.” If this bill becomes law, the government will place limits, or caps, on the amount of greenhouse gases that various industries are allowed to release into the atmosphere. If a particular company is unable to meet the caps, it will be allowed to continue emitting greenhouse gases, but the company will be required to buy, or trade, credits to continue at that emission level. Hence the name “cap and trade.”

This legislation proposes gradually reducing the greenhouse gas emission caps over time, making them more stringent. The bill requires that greenhouse gases be reduced to 80 percent below current levels by 2050. Any company that fails to meet the caps will be required to buy offsets to continue operating. The credits will be an added cost to each company. To survive, these companies will be forced to increase the price of their products.

The cap and trade system will 8

gradually increase the cost of energy based on the amount of carbon emitted by the energy source. The longterm goal is to make energy with high carbon emissions too expensive to use, thereby reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to control alleged global warming.

Nobody, even the proponents of H.R. 2454, disputes that this legislation will result in higher energy costs.

That’s why the bill includes provisions to compensate low-income taxpayers “for reductions in their purchasing power resulting from regulation of greenhouse gases.” The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that H.R. 2454 could add 77 cents to the price of a gallon of gas over the next decade. The U.S. Department of Treasury recently released an analysis that predicts a cap and trade system would generate between $100 and $200 billion a year in new taxes. At the upper end of the estimate, the cost per American household would be an extra $1,761 a year in new taxes, which is the equivalent of hiking personal income taxes by about 15 percent.

Nearly everyone supports efforts to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Farm Bureau supports exploring

all avenues to meet our nation’s energy needs. America needs additional sources of energy and more options.

H.R. 2454, however, will increase energy costs and reduce our options.

American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman made this point when testifying before the Senate Agriculture Committee on July 22.

“If you want coal and oil to play less and less a role in our energy mix,” said Stallman, “then figure out what will take their place before you put our nation on a diet that is bound to result in lower economic activity.”

It is clear that H.R. 2454 will increase energy costs. Whether the bill will have any effect on the climate is another matter. The atmosphere surrounds the entire earth, and a ton of greenhouse gas emissions released in the U.S. is no different than a ton released in China, India, Russia, or any other country. Regulating emissions in the U.S. without regulating those in other countries will have a minimal impact on the environment. Most experts admit that if H.R. 2454 works exactly as planned, it would lower temperatures by no more than a few tenths of a degree by the year 2050.

The costs of H.R. 2454 are not limSee CLIMATE next page Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

CLIMATE from previous page ited to our gas and electricity bills.

Increased energy costs will affect every conceivable product to the extent that fuel or electricity is used to produce, refine, transport, market or service it.

Farmers will certainly be negatively affected. Aside from the obvious increase in fuel, farmers will also be hit with increased costs for fertilizer and

other inputs.

Proponents of the climate change legislation contend that farmers will be able to benefit from the cap and trade system by sequestering carbon and selling the credits. In some cases, that might be true, however, many Georgia farmers have virtually no way to sequester carbon in their opera-

Gfb names Harden Senior Director of Sales Hall Harden is the new senior director of sales for the Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance Companies. Harden began his career with Georgia Farm Bureau in 1992 as an insurance agent in Worth County before moving to North Fulton County Farm Bureau in 1995. He was promoted to GFB estate planning specialist in 1997 and then to his most recent position as a district sales manager in 2000. Immediately prior to his promotion, Harden was managing insurance sales in the GFB 10th District and part of the GFB 8th District, overseeing a territory of 22 county offices, 70 agents, 60,000 members and $63 million in property and casualty premiums. Prior to joining GFB he worked for State Farm Insurance and Jefferson Pilot.

“Hall has been a valuable member of the Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance team for seventeen years and has a thorough understanding of our company operations from the various positions he has held during his Farm Bureau career,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said. “I am confident he will continue to serve us well in his new position.”

A native of Sylvester, Harden has an associate degree from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in agricultural economics. He and his wife, Melinda, who is a pharmacist, have three children – Haley, 8, MacKenzie, 7, and Ren, 3.

He is the son of Rep. Buddy and Linda Harden of Cordele.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

“I look forward to working with Hall in his new role,” GFB Insurance General Manager Mike Cook said.

“We conducted a thorough search to find the right candidate for this position. A number of internal candidates were considered by our management team and assessed by an outside consulting firm. We were very impressed with the talents exhibited by all the candidates who applied from within Georgia Farm Bureau, and I personally want to thank all of our candidates for their interest and cooperation during the selection process.”

tions. Farmers who grow cotton, fruits and vegetables, or raise livestock fall into this category. One thing is certain; all farmers will be saddled with the higher costs of fuel, fertilizer, and transportation.

“We believe this bill will cost more than it is worth due to the potential for a dramatic increase in input costs and the negative impact it will have on the bottom line of our state’s farmers,” GFB President Zippy Duvall wrote this summer in a letter to the Georgia congressional delegation asking them to oppose the bill.

The U.S. Senate is now considering the issue. Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson have expressed opposition to climate change legislation. Farm Bureau thanks them for their position because the fact is that H.R. 2454 will have a negative impact on everybody’s bottom line without having an overall positive effect on atmospheric carbon.

Jon Huffmaster is the director of the GFB Legislative Department.

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Insurance Update

By Christian Valdez & Wayne McConnell

Reviewing your insurance coverage may save you money

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n today’s economic climate, everyone is looking to cut expenses. As a company, Georgia Farm Bureau is utilizing new technology to cut operating costs and serve the insurance needs of our members more efficiently. As a GFB member and insurance policyholder you may be wondering if there are ways you can lower your premiums to cut your expenses.

It’s important to understand there are two market cycles most common to the insurance industry – a hard market and a soft market. The insurance industry is currently experiencing a hardening market. A hard market occurs when the premiums companies charge aren’t adequate to cover the losses they experience. In a hard market, insurance coverage is usually less available as insurance companies become more

GFB Mutual Insurance Company Annual Meeting of Policyholders The annual meeting of the policyholders of the Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company will be held Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, at the Georgia Farm Bureau Building, 1620 Bass Road, Macon, Ga. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m.

GFB Mutual Insurance Company Annual Meeting of Directors

The annual meeting of the board of directors of the Georgia Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company will be held immediately following the annual meeting of the policyholders on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Farm Bureau Building, 1620 Bass Road, Macon, Ga. 10

selective about the policies they write.

As a consumer, you will find that your premiums remain steady or increase in a hard market. In a soft market there is greater competition for business and companies tend to relax restrictions for writing insurance policies. As a consumer, you can expect to see some long-term cost savings in this market.

You should be aware of some of the factors that insurance companies consider when determining whether you, as an insured, are an ideal candidate for cost-saving premium breaks or receive surcharges for not meeting minimum requirements. For decades, the insurance industry has used loss ratios (total losses compared with premiums) and other insurance scoring or rating methods to predict future losses to remain profitable and competitive.

As a GFB policyholder, there are some actions you can take to ensure that our losses remain as low as possible and your rates remain low. Usually, as an insurance market hardens and companies implement cost-saving measures, companies will develop new ways to reward their insureds who are in good standing.

It’s common knowledge that you can obtain a lower auto premium if you have a clean driving record dating back three to five years. Some companies even require this before insuring you. Many companies, including GFB will follow a checklist of sorts to determine if an insured qualifies for member credits or premium reductions. GFB considers your individual loss history and loss ratio, pay history, liens, judgments, bankruptcies and insurance score to determine your specific rating level. Your results determine the classification in which you are placed and the member credits or premium reductions you receive.

In addition to monitoring your own “personal checklist,” you may also be able to reduce your premium by meet-

ing with your Farm Bureau agent annually to review your policies and discuss your current insurance needs. Completing an insurance evaluation with your agent to compare the coverage your policy provides with your insurance needs will allow you to determine what coverage is a necessity versus simply a choice. Working with your agent will help you see the need for adding coverage, eliminating coverage, amending deductibles, confirming protection classes or updating occupancy data. Completing this review may not only save you money, but it should also give you a better understanding of your Farm Bureau insurance coverage and peace of mind.

The struggling U.S. economy has affected and will continue to affect nearly every industry in our nation.

Our current economic stimulus package may ease some of the pain for the insurance industry. The billions of dollars dedicated for infrastructure spending should assist property and casualty insurers and workers compensation insurers by increasing the demand for insurance on the new infrastructure and for the workforce building it. However, banks are still reluctant to lend to commercial borrowers, which will not only decrease the immediate benefit to insurers and the general economy, but also possibly prolong the current hard market. That’s why it is all the more important to meet with your GFB insurance agent and complete a professional review to ensure you have the best possible coverages and are eligible for the lowest premiums possible.

Reviewing your insurance will not only help you save money during this hard market, but will also put you in the best possible position when the market eventually starts to soften.

Wayne McConnell is the GFB Field Underwriting Manager. Christian Valdez, CPCU, is the GFB District 7 Field Underwriter.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

GFB redesigns Web site, joins Facebook By Michael Edmondson ____________________________________ Georgia Farm Bureau continues to expand and enhance the ways it reaches out to its members and the general public. The GFB Web site (www.gfb. org) was redesigned this summer, offering visitors more interactive features than before. The latest agricultural news and information is updated daily.

There’s also more in-depth information about the many member benefit programs GFB offers. A new section on the legislative page is dedicated to providing information about the Comprehensive Statewide Water Plan and its regional water councils.

An exciting feature for farmer members, along with anyone involved in agriculture, is the GFB Market and Weather site (markets.gfb.org). Here you can find up-to-the-minute commodity futures pricing, options information, agricultural news and commentary, market data and much more. Stock market information and complete local weather forecasts are available as well.

This is provided as a member service of Georgia Farm Bureau.

In the News & Media section you can view current and past issues of our publications, The Georgia Farm Bureau News, Georgia Neighbors and Leadership Alert, in their entirety, complete with flippable pages.

GFB has also embraced social media, finding a home on both Facebook and YouTube. Our Facebook page (www. facebook.com/GeorgiaFarmBureau)

offers users of the world’s most popular social media site the opportunity to become fans of GFB. Interesting news and information about agriculture, farmers and Georgia Farm Bureau is posted on this page. It’s just another way to spread the word about agriculture - Georgia’s number one industry - and the people who keep it going.

Since 1966, the Georgia Farm Monitor has been the television source for news and information about Georgia agriculture. Now, stories from the Monitor can be found on YouTube, the world’s most visited online video community. Each week, stories from the Monitor are added to the GFB YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/

GeorgiaFarmMonitor).

Michael Edmondson is the GFB Web/ Video Manager.

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Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

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GFB agents earn Master Underwriter Designation By Michele Molton ______________________________________________________ This year, the Georgia Farm Bureau Insurance Companies have implemented strategic plans and goals in many areas of our day-to-day operations to better serve you, our members.

One of these goals was to develop and put into place a Master Underwriter Program to recognize an agent’s proven ability to manage the loss ratio of his or her book of business.

You may ask, “What is a loss ratio and how does it affect my policy?” A loss ratio is the relationship of incurred losses (what is paid and expected to be paid) plus what it costs to handle the losses compared to net premiums earned. This ratio measures the company’s loss experience on its total book of business. For example, if Georgia Farm Bureau pays out $50 in claims (including the cost of handling the claim) for every $100 in premiums it earns, then the loss ratio is 50 percent.

To qualify as a Georgia Farm Bureau Master Underwriter, an agent must be either a career agent or agency manager in their current county for the last 36 months and have a 36-month loss ratio of less than 50 percent. This is no small achievement!

The recognition ceremony occurs each year at the GFB Sales Awards Conference. Master Underwriters receive a plaque and are eligible for the Master Underwriter of the Year Award. As a result of earning the Master Underwriter Designation, agents are given greater underwriting authority to manage their book of business, and the Master Underwriters’ submissions to the GFB Home Office receive the highest level of attention.

Earning the Master Underwriter Designation represents a standard of excellence GFB is encouraging all of our agents to achieve. Congratulations to the following GFB agents who obtained the Master Underwriter Designation for 2009. You may recognize many of these agents. Maybe your agent is on the list.

Michele Molton is the GFB Personal Underwriting Manager.

WE, THE FARMERS from page 2 selling out to developers.

As farmers, we devote our lives to protecting the land, water and air on our farms, hoping to leave them a little better than they were when God gave us the privilege of working them. This is our way of life, and we want to protect and preserve it for our children.

Georgia farmers also help Georgia grow by ensuring our national security. Georgia’s economy is able to thrive because we live in a food secure nation.

We produce most of the food we con12

Appling...........................................................Lee C. Carter Atkinson............................... William Lee White, LUTCF Berrien................................... Charles Henry Dieas, CLU Bulloch....................................... Ron H. Rushing, LUTCF Candler.................................. Terry Earl Manuel, LUTCF Catoosa....................................... David R Austin, LUTCF Charlton.............................................. Andrew H. Gowen Charlton...................................................Clinton E. Mizell Chatham...............................Dianne M. Randall, LUTCF Chatham...............................Stephen G Darieng, LUTCF Cobb...................................................J. Neal Reed, LUTCF Coffee.....................................John W. Crenshaw, LUTCF Columbia............................Kimberly D. Ansley, LUTCF Cook..........................................David G. Folsom, LUTCF Dawson............................... Johnny Keith Stone, LUTCF Echols...............................D. Ronald Highsmith, LUTCF Evans.............................................J. Terry Branch, LUTCF Glynn........................ William W. Moncrief, CLU, ChFC Grady................................ Gary W. Sumner, CLU, ChFC Hart....................................................Brian K Hill, LUTCF Laurens...............................Dennis W. Gryzenia, LUTCF Laurens............................Elizabeth A. Williams, LUTCF Liberty.....................................Eddie Lee Skeens, LUTCF Lowndes..................................L. Doug Williams, LUTCF Lowndes.................................... Robert L Dasher, LUTCF Lumpkin.........................Randall G. Weatherby, LUTCF McIntosh.................................................. Gerald O. Sellers Murray........................................Lamar L. Nolan, LUTCF Murray......................................... Paul E. Weaver, LUTCF Putnam...........................Patricia Anne Blizzard, LUTCF Randolph................Grace A. Crittenden, Clu, LUTCF Walker...................................Anita N. Shattuck, LUTCF Walker.........................................Daniel H Raulston, CLU Ware....................................................Thomas R. Sweeney White...............................................................T. Ward Gann Wilkes.................................... Carolyn M. Weber, LUTCF

sume in our country. What would life be like if we depended on foreign countries for our food supply? If you think we’re at the mercy of the Middle East because we depend on foreign oil, imagine what life would be like if we had to depend on other countries to supply our food. Historians have said that the main reason the Soviet Union collapsed was because it couldn’t feed its people. Having a plentiful, homegrown supply of food gives us national security, which

allows Georgia to grow as a state.

We’ve been talking about the bountiful harvest Georgia agriculture provides to our state, but we need to remember there’s a more important harvest. What you do for a living isn’t as important as how you do it. Galatians 6:8 tells us, “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

God bless you and may your harvests be abundant!

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

Young farmer contests yield great prizes Growing crops and raising livestock is second nature to farmers, but is an occupation that often goes unrewarded.

The young farmers who compete in the 2009 Georgia Farm Bureau Young Farmer Discussion Meet and GFB Young Farmer Achievement Contest will reap a harvest of nearly $10,000 in total prizes, plus a chance at bigger prizes on the national level. Both contests are open to farmers ages 18 though 35.

The Discussion Meet will be held Dec. 5 and 6 during the Georgia Farm Bureau Annual Meeting on Jekyll Island. The deadline to enter is Oct. 30.

The Discussion Meet will focus on the following four topics: • How agricultural producers can garner public support on issues affecting agriculture, such as environmental concerns, animal welfare, food and collaboration with other industries.

• How agricultural producers can improve the public’s perception of their products, including domestic and international food supplies, industry safety standards vs. government safety standards.

• What can be done to entice young people to enter and remain in the agricultural industry? Discussions are to cover profitability, niche marketing, production agriculture and agri-business.

• How farmers and ranchers can create and maintain connections with lawmakers.

The three state Discussion Meet finalists will receive a $350 cash award from SunTrust Bank. The state winner will get an Arctic Cat 500 4x4 All Terrain Vehicle, a $500 cash award from Dodge Truck Division of Chrysler, LLC, and an expense-paid trip to the American Farm Bureau Federation Convention to compete in the American Young Farmer & Rancher Discussion Meet in Seattle, Wash., in January. The winner will win a 2010 Dodge Ram Pickup.

Complete rules and details for the Discussion Meet are available at counGeorgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

Josh White, the 2008 Young Farmer Discussion Meet winner, received a $500 cash award from Dodge and a trip to San Antonio, Texas, to compete in the AFBF meet.

ty Farm Bureau offices or by calling the GFB Field Service office at 800-8981911, ext. 5224.

The 2009 Young Farmer Achievement Contest finalists are Cory and Janie Tyre of Bacon County, Steven and Tiffany Metcalf of Turner County and Charlie and Nancie Sanders of Greene County.

Judges visited the farms of these finalists in September, and the winner will be announced at the GFB Annual Convention in December. Each family receives a $200 travel allowance to the GFB Convention.

The Tyres manage more than 900

acres of rented land in Bacon County, while the Metcalfs use conservation tillage methods on their 1,300-acre farm in Turner County. The Sanders are partners in the family’s 1,050acre dairy farm in Greene County.

The state winner of the Achievement Contest will receive a year’s use of a Kubota L or M Series tractor, a $500 cash award from Dodge Truck Division, and an expense-paid trip to Seattle for the annual AFBF convention where they have a chance to win a 2010 Dodge Ram Pickup if selected as the national winners.

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Growing gardeners By Jennifer Whittaker __________________________________________________________________________ Sarah Smith and Preston Buck are among a new generation of Georgia gardeners developing their green thumbs. Sarah, 9, is the daughter of Patti and Rudy Smith of LaGrange. Preston, 9, is the son of Adam and Lisa Buck of Chatsworth.

Photo courtesy of Patti Smith

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arah has been gardening with her mom and memaw, JoAnn Jones, since she was five. Every year they plant an “above ground” garden in containers on their deck that includes cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini and strawberries.

In late April, they planted three zucchini plants in an EarthBox – a gardening container designed to let plant roots absorb water from the container’s water reservoir.

After several small zucchini rotted, Sarah had a zucchini grow to three inches. They left it on the plant to grow a little bigger but couldn’t find it the next day and assumed squirrels had eaten it. In late July, one of the zucchini plants fell over, and Patti decided to stake it. As she picked up the plant she uncovered a 16-inch zucchini! The zucchini they thought squirrels ate had been camouflaged under the huge leaves, next to the green EarthBox. It weighed in at 3.4 pounds.

“If any of us had seen it when it was four to five inches, it would never have made it to sixteen inches without being picked,” Patti said. “Believe it or

Sarah Smith and her dog, Dingo, grew a 3.4 lb. zucchini this summer.

not, when we cut into the zucchini, it was actually still fresh and perfect for eating with the exception of it being a little dried out in the middle around the seeds. We ended up with four and a half cups of diced zucchini.”

Sarah has never cared to eat zucchini, Patti said, but has always enjoyed cooking with her, so the two decided to use the zucchini to make an “apple” pie someone told them tasted just like the real thing.

“It was delicious even to my ‘I don’t want any zucchini’ daughter,” Patti said. “If you’ve got a picky eater, try letting them have their own deck garden and then cook what they grow.

It really has made a difference at our house. Thanks to her green thumb and cooking, Sarah eats things that most kids her age don’t eat.”

Photo courtesy of Karla McCamy

P

Preston Buck grew an 18 lb. cabbage in the Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program.

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reston has always enjoyed helping his great-uncle, Gary McCamy, with his garden and last year helped McCamy grow pumpkins, which he sold at a stand in front of McCamy’s house. While a third grader at Eton Elementary School last year, Preston received a

cabbage plant through the Bonnie Plant Cabbage Program.

Each year, Bonnie Plants distributes free cabbage plants to third graders across the country to foster an interest in gardening. The variety distributed - O.S. Cross - is bred to produce oversized heads, making it more exciting for the kids. As part of the program, Bonnie awards a $1,000 scholarship to one student in each state. Visit www. bonnieplants.com to learn more about the program.

Preston planted his cabbage on March 22 in a raised bed filled with mushroom compost in McCamy’s garden.

“A wet spring meant he only had to water his plant a few times after he planted it and when the ground dried out between rains,” his great-aunt Karla McCamy said. “He fertilized it twice with triple 10 fertilizer during the growing season, and we cut the cabbage on June 16.”

The cabbage weighed in at 18 pounds on certified scales! After documenting the cabbage, the McCamy’s used it to make slaw for a family gathering.

Zucchini “Apple” Pie 4 cups peeled, sliced zucchini 2 tablespoons lemon juice Dash of salt 1 1/4 cups sugar or use substitute 1 1/2 tsps. cinnamon 1 1/2 tsps. cream of tartar Dash of nutmeg 3 tbsps flour butter to taste 2 layer refrigerated piecrust Cook zucchini until tender-crisp and drain. Toss together with lemon juice and salt. Mix sugar, cinnamon, cream of tarter, nutmeg and flour. Add the zucchini and mix well. Mixture will be runny.

Dump filling into a 9” deep-dish pie pan. Dot with butter and add the top crust. Bake at 400 ˚F for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

Member Services Update

ByJay

Murdock

Local presence sets Georgia Farm Bureau apart Did you know that Georgia Farm Bureau is the largest personal lines property casualty insurance company headquartered in the state of Georgia? Did you know that Georgia Farm Bureau is owned by Georgians, run

by Georgians, for Georgians? Did you know that you are rarely, if ever, more than 30 minutes from a Farm Bureau Office?

These are a few of the reasons that nearly 400,000 families call themselves members of Georgia Farm Bureau. We know Georgians. We are Georgians. Our agents, county staff and county leaders live in your community. They attend church with you.

They go to little league games with you. They celebrate with you. They mourn with you.

This local presence is what sets Georgia Farm Bureau apart. We are community leaders working for a safe food supply for you and your family.

We are insurance agents making sure you and your families are covered against loss or damage. We are local volunteers helping to educate our communities about agriculture.

We encourage you to get to know Farm Bureau. Discover what Farm Bureau does to support and promote agriculture. Find out what new products and services Georgia Farm Bureau has to offer. Visit our redesigned Web site at www.gfb.org.

Better yet, stop by your local county Farm Bureau office. There is a Farm Bureau office in every county except Chattahoochee. We encourage you to sit down with your agent for a free member evaluation. Even if you don’t have an agent, this is a free service, just for being a member.

Here’s how a member evaluation works: each year, your Farm Bureau agent will review your insurance and financial product needs – including those products that you currently Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

have in place with Farm Bureau and those that you may have with other companies. Your personal and confidential evaluation will include: • An explanation of the value and advantages of your Farm Bureau membership • A review of your current insurance plan, in detail, and suggestions (if necessary) for improvement • An assessment of discounts that you are eligible to receive • Helpful ideas for controlling present and future insurance costs • Information on all product lines that Farm Bureau has to offer.

In this world of financial uncertainties, it just makes sense to take advantage of this free service that’s included with your Farm Bureau membership. We’d love the chance to tell you about the new opportunities available to you through Farm Bureau Bank, Delta Dental, Blue Cross & Blue Shield and our new Brokerage Department.

Stop by and see what Farm Bureau is all about. After all, we’re just down the road!

Jay Murdock is the director of the GFB Member Services Department. If you have any questions about our GFB member services please call 1-800-6335432.

The Bank of Choice for Farm Bureau Members Our mission at Farm Bureau Bank is to be the Bank of Choice for Farm Bureau members by offering a superior combination of products, services, delivery and communication. deposit services

business services

credit cards

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mortgage loans

Contact your local Farm Bureau agent or apply online at farmbureaubank.com Banking services provided by Farm Bureau Bank, FSB. Farm Bureau Bank, FSB is a service to member institution that provides banking services to Farm Bureau members. Services are not available in AL, IL, MI, MO, MS, OH or WY and may not be available in some counties or parishes. Farm Bureau, FB and the FB National Logo are registered service marks owned by the American Farm Bureau Federation and are used under license by FB BanCorp and its subsidiaries, including Farm Bureau Bank FSB. FB BanCorp is an independent entity and the AFBF does not own, is not owned by, and is not under common ownership with FB BanCorp or its affiliated entities.

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9/16/09 4:58:21 PM

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By Donna Rocker, Ag in the Classroom Coordinator, 1-898-1911, ext. 5365

Peanuts a-plenty

Peanuts are one of Georgia’s top five commodities with a farm gate value in 2008 of more than $582 million. Peanuts and peanut butter are packed full of nutrition. One serving (one ounce of peanuts or two tablespoons of peanut butter) provides 15% of the protein we need daily in our diet. This nutrient-dense food is also a good source for several vitamins and minerals including vitamin E and folate. Each one-ounce serving of peanuts contains 2.4 grams of dietary fiber. And peanuts and peanut butter are naturally cholesterol free.

Learn more about peanuts by matching the words below with the information. Then find the words in the Word Search.

Check out these Web sites for additional information about peanuts, peanut recipes, and for peanut activities and lesson plans for the classroom.

• Georgia Peanut Commission (which includes a Kid’s Corner) www.gapeanuts.com • Virginia-Carolina Peanuts (click

on educational materials) www.about.com • National Peanut Board (which includes a Kid’s Corner) www.nationalpeanutboard.org • Peanut Butter Lovers.Com www.peanutbutterlovers.com

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A. This state ranks #1 in the production of peanuts in the U.S. B. This month is celebrated as National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month.

C. George Washington Carver is called this of the peanut industry because of his research into the value of peanuts as a cash crop

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Answer key on page 23 16

11. March 12. November 13. Peanut Butter 14. Oil 15. Shell 16. Boiled 17. Sandy 18. September 19. Kellogg 20. Nitrogen

and something to grow in rotation with the cotton which was being devastated by the boll weevil.

D. Legumes, including peanuts, help build this in the soil which is a necessary nutrient for plants.

E. This product made from peanuts is excellent for cooking.

F. Peanuts grow best in this kind of soil in the warm climates of Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America.

G. The peanut is believed to have originated on this continent more than 3,000 years ago.

H. This month is recognized as National Peanut Month.

I. Peanuts were brought to North America by slaves from this country.

J. Dr. John Harvey ____ patented a “Process of Preparing Nut Meal” in 1895 and used peanuts.

K. About one-half of all the edible peanuts produced in the U.S. are used to make this product.

L. This country ranks #1 in the world in the production of peanuts.

M. Farmers in the U.S. begin harvesting peanuts in this month.

N. This war, which began in 1860, changed peanuts from primarily a food for pigs, to a good source of nutrition for soldiers.

O. This part of the peanut can be used to make non-food products such as kitty litter and wallboard.

P. Although peanuts grow under the ground, they are this part of the plant and not part of the root system.

Q. This method of cooking peanuts requires water and salt.

R. This country is the largest exporter of peanuts in the world.

S. Peanuts are not a nut, but this and thus belong in the same botanical family as beans and peas.

T. Dr. Carver was a black botanist at this institute where he developed more than 300 uses for peanuts.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

SAPELO from page 4 “Sea Island will take anything we grow. They’ve been very good for us,” Gabe says.

The farm is located 11 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The hot, humid climate prevents them from farming organically. Instead, they use sustainable farming practices such as building their soil up with compost.

“In Southeast Georgia we have so much rain and such sandy soil that we have to use some systemic fertilizer to make things grow,” Betty Anne explains. “We don’t use pesticides or herbicides unless we have to, and if we do, we use organic labeled products when we can.”

The produce the farm provides its CSA customers varies according to the season and the whims of Mother Nature. In summer there are green beans, squash, heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, eggplant and a dizzying variety of herbs and fresh cut flowers. Early fall offers lettuce and a variety of winter squash. Late fall and winter brings carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, mustard greens, kohlrabi, Brussel Sprouts, turnips, Bok Choy and onions. Early spring to early summer supplies basil, lettuce, broccoli, cauli-

Gabe harvests yellow filet beans.

flower, radishes, cucumbers, blueberries, strawberries, beets, carrots and peas. Honey and cane syrup that’s grown and ground on the farm are also seasonally available.

“I think more people are interested in sustainable farming because people care about what goes in their mouths.

They care about where their food comes from and the way to know that is to get to know your farmer,” Betty Anne says.

CSA customers pick up their weekly jackpot at the farm and are welcome to visit the vegetable gardens; however, Sapelo Farms doesn’t offer farm tours.

“While we have chosen to sell pro-

duce from the farm, we also expect to maintain a certain amount of privacy for ourselves and our animals,” Gabe explains. “Choosing not to give tours has been difficult, but we want to be farmers, not tour guides.”

The farm also sells grass-fed beef, goat meat, and weaned goat kids. For more information visit www.sapelofarms.com. Visit www.georgiaorganics.org to find a farm that offers a CSA program near you.

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Fresh cut bouquets from Sapelo Farms often grace the dining rooms of The Cloister.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

Hundreds of tomato plants, heirloom varieties like Rutgers, are grown at Sapelo Farms each year.

17

Something’s Cooking

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By Jennifer Whittaker ebecca Brooks of Byron beat dozens of eggs before boiling to the top with a recipe that took first place honors at the 2009 Georgia Egg Commission Recipe Contest. A true competitor, Brooks has competed in the contest numerous times, earning second place honors in 1999 and even scrambled against her brother, Andrew, in the 2002 contest. After her dreams of winning were poached in four contests, Brooks fried the competition to win this year’s $2,000 first- place prize with her Beef Marsala Quiche with Creamy Parmesan Sauce.

“One of my favorite places to eat is Carrabba’s Italian restaurant. I love the steak marsala, and I wanted to try and incorporate eggs with the marsala,” Brooks said. “So I tried the quiche with the marsala and the sauce and it tasted great.”

Just as the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, have dominated the international tennis circuit for years, the Brooks women of Byron have bedev-

iled competitors in the egg recipe contest the past 12 years. Rebecca’s mom, Debra, won the contest last year and in 1997, and her sister, Rachel, won second place honors in 2000 and third place in 2004.

Other winners in the 26th annual contest held May 6 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry, were Virginia Woodard of Lyerly, who won second place for her Molten Chocolate Cakes with Raspberry Coulis and Deborah Puette of Lilburn, who took third place with her Banana Rum Pie. Woodard and Puette were awarded $850 and $650, respectively. Virginia Webb of Clarkesville won a $50 prize for her recipe, Pina Colada Pancakes with Maple Rum Syrup, being named best in show.

The theme of the contest was “The Spirit and Flavor of Eggs.” Each recipe had to include at least four whole eggs, serve at least four people and feature a type of spirit or flavoring that had to be apparent in the taste of the food. Each entry also had to be prepared in less than 60 minutes.

Photos by Brad Harrison

Brooks cracks Egg Recipe Contest wide open

1st Place: Rebecca Brooks

“Eggs contain all the vitamins and minerals you need in one egg. I call it a miracle food because it has all the ingredients we need as far as nutrients,” said Jewell Hutto, director of the Georgia Egg Commission. “The only thing it doesn’t have in it is Vitamin C.” Other contestants were: Ronda See RECIPES next page

Beef Marsala Quiche with Creamy Parmesan Sauce 1 refrigerated piecrust 1 tbsp. margarine 2 cups frozen precooked beef strips 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup Marsala wine 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced 1 cup half and half 4 eggs 1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper 1/4 tsp. salt Place piecrust in a sprayed quiche dish. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. In a small skillet, melt the margarine and add beef and garlic. Cook on medium high heat for three minutes. Stir in wine and continue cooking for three minutes.

Add mushrooms and continue to cook 18

for five minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and set aside. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes. Mix together half and half with eggs, pepper and salt. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Spread drained beef mixture evenly over crust and pour egg mixture over it. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Serve with Creamy Parmesan Sauce. Garnish as desired.

Creamy Parmesan Sauce 3/4 stick margarine 2 cups whipping cream 1/4 tsp. coarse ground pepper 1/4 tsp. garlic salt with parsley 1 cup Parmesan cheese, powdered

While quiche is baking, wipe out

the skillet with a paper towel and melt margarine on medium low heat. Add the whipping cream, pepper and garlic salt. Cook on medium heat until mixture starts to thicken, approximately 5-7 minutes. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Continue stirring until melted. Serve with quiche.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

Molten Chocolate Cakes with Raspberry Coulis 1 cup unsalted butter 8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips 5 eggs, room temperature 1/2 cup pure cane sugar, granulated Pinch of salt 4 tsp. flour 2 tbsp. raspberry liqueur 6 over-sized muffin papers 6 standard size ramekins Sugared raspberries for garnish Zest of two lemons for garnish Preheat oven to 450˚ F. Adjust oven rack to middle position. On medium heat, melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water.

Remove from heat. Using a hand mixer, beat eggs, sugar and salt in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Beat chocolate mixture into eggs until smooth.

Banana Rum Pie 6 tbsp. margarine, melted 2 tbsp. granulated sugar 1 1/3 cups vanilla wafers, crushed 4 eggs, divided 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 1/3 cups half and half 2 tbsp. cornstarch 1/4 cup dark rum 1/2 cup white baking morsels 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar 2 tbsp. granulated sugar 1 tsp. rum flavoring 3 medium bananas, sliced Shaved chocolate curls or chocolate sprinkles Preheat oven to 350˚F. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together margarine, RECIPES from previous page Hitch of Kathleen, Diane Quimby of Carrollton, Joyce Osborne of Kennesaw, Betsy Podriznik of Lawrenceville, Jamie Jones of Madison and Ashley Pochick of Duluth.

Copies of all recipes prepared in the contest are available at no charge by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Recipe Contest, Georgia Egg Commission, P.O. Box 2929, Suwanee, GA 30024. The theme for next year’s contest is “Eggs Go Hollywood.” For more information e-mail goodeggs@bellsouth.net or call (770) 932-4622.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

Beat in flour until just combined. Stir in raspberry liqueur. Line six standard size ramekins with oversized muffin papers. Spray muffin papers with vegetable cooking spray. Divide batter evenly. Bake ramekins on cookie sheet until batter puffs but center is not set, 12 to 15 minutes. Carefully lift cakes from ramekins and remove papers. Place on dessert plates. Drizzle Raspberry Coulis over chocolate cake. Top each cake with a dollop of whipped cream, a sugared raspberry and a small amount of lemon zest.

Raspberry Coulis with Chambord Liqueur

Purée raspberries in a food processor and put through a fine strainer, removing any seeds. Add cane sugar and raspberry liqueur and mix well.

Whipping Cream

1 pint whipping cream 1 tbsp. pure cane granulated sugar

6 oz. container fresh raspberries 3 tbsp. granulated pure cane sugar 1/4 cup raspberry liqueur (Chambord)

Combine whipping cream and sugar using an electric mixer with cold mixing bowl and cold beaters. Beat until light and fluffy.

two tablespoons sugar and vanilla wafers. Press into a 9-inch deep-dish, glass pie plate. Bake for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, beat together one whole egg and three egg yolks until smooth.

Place three egg whites in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Add 1/2 cup sugar to egg yolk and mix well. Add 1/3 of half and half and stir well. Add cornstarch and remaining half and half and mix well. Place egg mixture in a double boiler and cook approximately 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in rum and cook two minutes more. Remove from heat and fold in morsels. Place in refrigerator to cool. With a hand mixer, beat egg whites, adding in cream of tartar

until peaks start to form. Beat in two tablespoons sugar and rum flavoring.

Place banana slices over crust. Pour the pie filling over bananas. Top with egg whites. Bake until egg whites are golden. Cool slightly and top with chocolate curls or sprinkles.

4

19

Visit a GFB Certified Farm Market this fall

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all means apples, pumpkins, peanuts and pecans, and there’s no better place to find these delicacies than at a Georgia Farm Bureau Certified Farm Market!

If you’re looking to have a little fun down on the farm, we have numerous farms that provide hay rides, petting zoos, corn mazes and special festivals. After Thanksgiving when it’s time to pick out your Christmas tree, make plans to visit one of our many Christmas tree farms located across the state.

Visit www.gfb.org/commodities/cfm to access a complete listing of our 80 GFB Certified Farm Markets to help you plan your holiday menus and fall field trips.

APPLES--------------------------B.J. Reece Apple House Ellijay www.reeceorchards.com (706) 276-3048 Hillcrest Orchards Ellijay www.hillcrestorchards.net (706)273-3838 Hillside Orchard Farms Country Store Lakemont www.hillsideorchard.com (706) 782-2776 Jaemor Farm Market Alto www.jamsjellies.com (770) 869-3999 Little Bend Orchard’s Apple Barn Ellijay (706) 635-5898 Mack Aaron Apple House Ellijay (706) 273-3600 Mercier Orchards Blue Ridge www.mercier-orchards.com (706) 632-3411 20

Panorama Orchards Farm Market East Ellijay www.panoramaorchards.com (706) 276-3813 R & A Orchard Ellijay www.randaorchards.com (706) 273-3821 Rock Spring Produce Rockspring (706) 375-6860 The Dacula Briarpatch Dacula (770) 962-4990 Thomas Orchards, Greenhouse & Gift Shop Bishop (706) 769-5011 Tiger Mountain Orchard Tiger http://tigermountainorchards.webs. com/ (706) 782-3290

AGRITAINMENT/ PUMPKINS----------------------Adams Farms Fayetteville www.adamsfarmfayettevillega.com (770) 461-9395

Elliott Farms Lizella & Macon www.elliottfarmsga.com (478) 935-8180 Freeman Springs Family Farm Rocky Face (706) 673-4090 Lane Southern Orchards Fort Valley www.lanesouthernorchards.com (478) 825-3592

Berry Patch Farms Woodstock www.berrypatchfarms.net (770) 926-0561

Little River River Farms Resaca www.littleriverfarms.com (706) 629-9688

Cagle’s Dairy Farm Canton, Resaca www.caglesdairy.com (770) 345-5591

Lowrey Farm Rome (706) 295-1157

Connell Farms Hollonville www.connellfarms.com (770) 229-4096 Davis Farm Fresh Produce Pelham (229) 294-2540

Marks Melon Patch Dawson www.marksmelonpatch.com (229) 698-4750 Mitcham Farm Oxford www.mitchamfarm.com (770) 786-8805 Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

Ochlocknee Ridge Farms Moultrie www.oridgefarms.com (229) 941-5971

Ellis Brothers Pecans Inc. Vienna www.werenuts.com 1-800-635-0616

Papa Albert’s Market Canton www.caglesfarmhouse.com (404) 567-6363

Luke Orchards Ray City (229) 455-3071

Jack’s Creek Farms Bostwick www.jackscreekfarm.com (706) 343-1855

Merritt Pecan Co., Inc. Weston (229) 828-6610

Lowrey Farm Rome (706) 295-1157

Perry Pecan & Produce Ellaville (229) 937-2087

Pearson Farm Fort Valley www.pearsonfarm.com (478) 825-7504

Secret Forest Tarrytown (912) 529-3702

Poppell Farms Odum www.poppellfarms.com (912) 586-2215

Peyton’s Pecans Camilla www.peytonspecans.com 866-739-8607

Southern Belle Farm McDonough www.southernbellefarm.com (770) 898-0999

RJ&G Farms Inc Claxton (912) 618-9312

Payne Farm & Produce Calhoun (706) 629-5704

T&T Farms Dublin (478) 676-3670 Uncle Bob’s Pumpkin Patch Newnan www.uncle-bob.com (770) 253-8100

Rock Spring Produce Rockspring (706) 375-6860 Sasnett Fruits & Nuts Byron (478) 953-3820 SWEET POTATOES---------------

Double B Farms Christmas Trees Lizella (478) 935-8742

Spring Brook Farm LLC Carrollton www.springbrooktrees.com The Old Barn Christmas Tree Farm Sunnyside www.theoldbarnchristmastrees.com (770) 227-5237 Yule Forest HWY 155 Stockbridge www.aboutyule.com Georgia Neigh Fall 09 8/25/09 (770) 954-9356

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SkyriseTM (Hybrid Salix)

Vann Strawberry Farm Baconton www.vannfarms.net (229) 787-5133 The Pumpkin Patch Stockbridge www.aboutyule.com (770) 954-9356 PECANS OR PEANUTS---------Braswell Produce & Country Market Donalsonville (229) 524-6208

Durrence Farm Reidsville (912) 557-4939 G.W. Long Farm Bainbridge (229) 246-8086

• Grows 5 ft. or more per year.

• Use for winbreaks/wind diversion, property barrier, privacy screens or shade.

• Thrives in wet sites Skyrise screen style at 15 months

Also Available

Green Rocket® Hybrid Cedar (Thuja Plicata x Standishii)

Little Bend Orchard’s Apple Barn Ellijay (706) 635-5898 Williams Tractor Farm Bartow (478) 552-2283

• Evergreen – grows 3 ft. or more per year.

• Use for year-round privacy screens and windbreaks.

Plus Other fast-growing

trees and shrubs available – some grow up to 6 ft. per year.

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Call toll-free 888-749-0799 For FREE color brochure or to place an order

Calhoun Produce North Cordele & Sylvester www.calhounproduce.com (229) 273-1887 Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

CHRISTMAS TREES-------------Christmas Tree farm Ochlocknee (229) 227-9295

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21

looking for something to do.”

The Cowboy Poetry Contest is open to students grades five through 12, divided into four groups – fifth and By Jay Stone ____________________________________ sixth graders, seventh and eighth, ninth he word “cowboy” conjures and 10th, and 11th and 12th. The 2009images of the Old West. Chaps, 2010 contest is the first in which there boots and ten-gallon hats. “Ing” will be two high school divisions. words that end in apostrophes: ropin’, Contestants are to write poems ridin’, sittin’ around the campfire spin- based on the theme “The Spirit of the nin’ yarns about tumbleweeds, bringin’ American West.” Poems may be from any one of six categories: Women of in the herd and shootin’ straight.

The Booth Western Art Museum in the West, The Price of Change, Native Cartersville is seeking some straight- American Culture, Cowboys and shootin’ students who can articulate Cattle Drives, Horses, or Landscapes the spirit of the Old West in poetry and Vistas. form for its 2009-2010 Georgia Youth “I feel like I gained some confidence in my poetry,” said Elliza Casey from Cowboy Poetry Contest.

“I was trying to think of some Rome’s Pepperell High School, who way to get some of the younger folks won the high school division last year involved,” said Doc Stovall, the enter- with her poem “My Hero.” tainment and sponsorship manager for “I didn’t think I could write poetthe 80,000-square-foot museum locat- ry, but with this I’ve learned you can ed in Cartersville’s business district. write a poem about anything.”

“Cowboy poetry is a very basic thing. It Casey said she had attended the probably started at the back of a wagon contest the year before and drew on a cattle drive. It was based largely inspiration from a cowboy sculpture on tall tales, experiences that have been at the Booth Museum. embellished. Then they started putting “It was so realistic; I just tried to them in songs. When the day’s done, capture as many details as I could for you’re sitting around the campfire and my poem,” she said.

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Stovall said the judges look for originality and generally accepted elements of good poetry in the writing. They also factor a contestant’s creativity in costuming and verbal performance of the poem.

“What cowboy poetry enables these kids to do is some mental exercises they don’t always get in everyday classroom work,” he said. “It teaches them to read, recite, research, to communicate.”

The 2008-2009 contest drew more than 700 entries from around the state, and Stovall said he is expecting more this year. The winners will be announced at the finals on March 14, 2010, at the Booth Museum. Atlantabased radio personality Moby will be the emcee for the event, at which the top 10 contestants in each division will recite the poems they’ve written.

Prominent cowboy poet Baxter Black is scheduled to perform a show at the museum on March 13.

The deadline to enter is Feb. 15, 2010, and the winners will lasso $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third. Entry applications are available online at www.boothmuseum.org.

Georgia Youth Poetry Contest 2008-2009 Winners Grades 5 and 6: 1st place, Anna Hightower, Cartersville (Cartersville Middle School); 2nd place, Joseph Nease, Cartersville (home schooled); 3rd place, Mackenzie Spivey, Bowman (home schooled)

Photo courtesy of Booth Western Art Museum

Grades 7 and 8: 1st place, Austin Hawkins, Gainesville (Chestatee Middle School) 2nd place, Ashley Brock, Murrayville (Chestatee Middle School); 3rd place, Hayden Anderson, Cartersville (Cartersville Middle School)

Pictured from left, Mackenzie Spivey, Joseph Nease and Anna Hightower, winners of the 2008-2009 Cowboy Poetry Contest Grades 5 and 6 Division, are congratulated by Gene Choate of Banker’s Fidelity Insurance, an event sponsor.

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Grades 9 through 12: 1st place, Elliza Casey, Taylorsville (Pepperell High School); 2nd place, Elizabeth Brown, Cartersville (home schooled); 3rd place, Karen Anderson, Peachtree City (McIntosh High School) Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

Watch for farm equipment on roadways during harvest season

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arvest season is in full swing across Georgia, which means motorists may see more farm equipment on public roadways as farmers travel between fields to harvest their crops. This creates the possibility for roadway collisions between farm equipment and motorists. The National Safety Council estimates some 15,000 collisions involving farm vehicles occur on U.S. roadways each year.

“It’s important that we all do our part to avoid accidents,” Georgia Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said.

“Farmers and motorists can work together to help prevent needless accidents by following simple commonsense safety measures.”

Farmers operating slow-moving vehicles on main roadways should place clearly visible slow moving vehicle emblems (SMV) on equipment traveling less than 25 mph on public roadways. Farm equipment operators should use warning flashers as well as

signal lights or proper hand signals to indicate to motorists their location and intentions in advance of turns.

SMVs should be driven in the righthand lane as close to the road’s edge as is safe, not half on the road and half on the shoulder. Equipment operators should not encourage or signal motorists when to pass but should pull over when it is safe to allow traffic to pass.

Motorists are urged to be cautious when traveling behind a slow-

moving vehicle. Equipment drivers may not be able to move over to allow you to pass. Don’t quickly pass a slow-moving vehicle on the road.

Only pass farm equipment when it is safe to do so, with plenty of room to get around and ahead. Give SMVs plenty of space to make a turn or stop, watch for hand signals from the driver of the vehicle and be on the lookout for small driveways that the vehicle may be turning into.

Kid’s Korner Answer Key: Answers: 1–G 2–I 3–N 4–C 5–T 6–S 7–P 8–A 9–R 10 – L 11 – H 12 – B 13 – K 14 – E 15 – O 16 – Q 17 – F 18 – M 19 – J 20 – D

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Includes all Material, Erection, Freight, and Tax...

24’x36’x10’ $5,895

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PEANUTS from page 6 stands. That first year, Alex said, they sold 10,000 pounds of boiled peanuts packaged in black plastic bags and 5-gallon buckets.

“We made money in year one,” Alex said. “It became a significant money maker in 1996.”

At first, the stands were independently owned, and the operators set their own prices. When Alex began fielding questions about the price uniformity in 1995, he decided to take control of the stand operation. The company now rents the stands to independent operators, and Hardy Farms sets the prices. Fresh peanuts are delivered to the stands daily during the harvest season, which lasts from August to October.

In the late 1990s, Alex’s son Brad joined the company to oversee the stand operation after working in real estate. His cousin Ken, who holds an entomology degree from UGA, joined the family business after the closing of the research farm where he worked in 2001.

“We grew up next door to each other,” Ken said. “You might as well call us brothers. We’ve always done everything together.”

The boiled peanut business was no different. The two of them have expanded the operation to more than

Peanuts simmer after boiling in the Hardy Farms processing plant.

24 stands in 17 middle Georgia counties, limited only by the logistics of delivering them fresh daily. Most of the locations are less than 60 miles away from Hardy Farms, which sits right on the Pulaski-Dodge County line.

“The [roadside stand] concept works well up to 50 or 60 miles,” Alex said, “but after that it gets too expensive to transport them.”

The company does sell its peanuts online (www.hardyfarmspeanuts.com) and will ship directly to customers.

The frozen boiled peanuts are sold

Neysa Kelley, left, sells to a drive-up customer at the roadside stand in front of the Hardy Farms headquarters on U.S. Highway 341.

24

to major grocery chains, and Hardy also sells to area high schools for distribution through sports concession stands.

In every facet of the operation, it’s still hands-on for the Hardys.

“It’s a family business,” Brad said.

“We basically do what needs to be done. We rent the stands to individuals. The toughest part is finding people to run the stands.”

The business has increased 300fold since that first year, and the Hardy family has taken a quantum leap from the desperate times of the late 1980s. In 2005, Hardy Farms opened its modern processing and packaging plant, and this year the company is on track to sell more than 3 million pounds, Alex said.

The Hardys grow 850 acres of peanuts and sell about two-thirds of the peanuts they grow through their boiled peanut business or to other farm markets to be boiled. The remaining peanuts are sold the traditional way through buying points.

About one fourth of the Hardy peanut crop used for their business is distributed to the roadside stands, another fourth is frozen for yearround distribution and the rest is sold to fresh markets.

“The key to the growth was figuring out how to market them,” Alex said.

“We’re about to have to tear out a wall and add some more space.”

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

Georgia Happenings Hillcrest Orchards Apple Pickin’ Jubilee

Every weekend in October, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

9696 Highway 52 East, Ellijay Admission is $5 per person. For more information, visit www.hillcrestorchards.net or call (706) 273-3838.

40th Annual Mountain Harvest Arts & Crafts Sale

Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25 Blue Ridge State Farmers Market Sponsored by the Fannin County Homemakers Council, this event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free. For more information call (706) 374-2335.

Rock Eagle Nature Programs

4-H Center, Eatonton Pre-registration required for both events. Call (706) 484-2834 or email kellyjo@uga.edu to register. Payment is due upon arrival.

Birding at Home October 17 – Starts at 9 a.m.

This class, for adults only, will cover the ins and outs of birding. Cost is $10.

Night Life … It’s Not So Scary Nov. 21 • Begins at 7 p.m.

Observe nocturnal animals, then enjoy a campfire with hot cocoa, songs and story time. Program is geared for all ages. Fees are $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-12 and free for children less than 5 years old. An adult must accompany all children.

Historic Westville Fall Events

Harvest Days Oct. 24, 31 and Nov. 7 Enjoy an 1850 autumn celebration.

Activities include cane syrup making, candle making, soap making, hay stacking, corn shelling, games from the past and cooking.

Ga History Adventure

Nov. 14 Meet early Native Americans, Hernando DeSoto, James Oglethorpe, frontiersmen, Revolutionary War soldiers, Sequoyah and an African slave.

For more information visit www.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

westville.org or call 888733-1850.

Smithsonian Key Ingredients: America By Food Exhibit

This exhibit will be on display through Feb. 14, 2010, at locations in Burke, Butts and Haralson counties. The exhibit explores the connections between Americans and foods they produce, prepare and consume.

It is part of the Georgia Food Tour, a project of the Georgia Humanities Council. Visit www.georgiafoodtour. org for more information.

Burke County Library, Waynesboro thru Nov. 8 Exhibit hours are Monday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesday- Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call (706) 554-3277.

Indian Springs Hotel Museum, Flovilla Nov. 14-Dec. 27 Exhibit hours are Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Visit www.buttsccountyhistoricalsociety.org or call (770) 775-3313.

The Historic Haralson County Courthouse, Buchanan Jan. 2-Feb. 14, 2010 Exhibit hours to be announced. Call (770) 646-3369 for more information.

Holiday Road In The Mountains

Nov. 13-15 Jump-start your holiday shopping during this weekend event, which will feature more than 100 artists spread across 35 locations throughout Habersham, Rabun, Stephens and White counties. Art will include paintings, pottery, jewelry, fiber arts, woodwork, glass, mixed media, metal, photography, handcrafted furniture and more. Many of the locations will feature working artist demonstrations and workshops. Some of the state’s top locally owned restaurants, wineries and lodging establishments are participating in the tour. For more information, visit www.artstour.org

Royal Alpaca Challenge

Nov. 21 • 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Nov. 22 • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

International Horse Park, Conyers The Georgia Alpaca Association is hosting this event. Alpaca breeders from across the country will compete for prizes, and local youth will participate in competitions and attend showmanship classes.

Vendors will offer sweaters, coats, scarves, hats rugs and yarn made with alpaca fur. A “Knitters Lounge,” will offer fiber arts displays and demonstrations.

Visit www.royalalpacachallenge.com for more information.

Art @ The Rock

Nov. 21 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Rock Eagle 4-H Center, Eatonton This juried art show will include pottery, drawings, paintings, graphic art, fiber/leather, glass, jewelry, metal, mixed media, photography and wood.

Musicians will provide entertainment.

For more information, visit www.rockeagle4h.org/art/ or call (706) 484-2873.

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

25

Timber Update

By

Jim Griffith

How you sell your timber determines how quickly you are paid By definition, the timber on your property is not considered a liquid asset. Timber, however, is more liquid than the land your trees are growing on because it can always be converted into cash in a relatively short time frame. Keep in mind that the way you choose to sell your timber determines how quickly your timber asset can be liquidated.

There are generally two methods of sale. You can sell your timber by lump sum or by the ton. You can also liquidate your timber through a longterm lease, but that is not as common today as it was more than 25 years ago.

When selling timber by the ton, you contract with a timber buyer to purchase your timber and pay for it as it is cut and removed from your property. There is usually a one or two-week delay in the compensation process, but you get the point. The timber buyer has the trees cut, loaded on a truck, and delivered to a mill yard where the trees are weighed. To determine the weight of the trees, the loaded truck is weighed,

then the trees are unloaded, and the empty truck is weighed again. The difference in the two truck weights is the weight of the trees delivered from your property. This weight is then converted to tons and the per ton price according to your written contract is used to figure the dollar value of the trees removed from your property per load.

The liquidity of your timber in a by the ton sale depends on how soon the timber buyer gets a logger on your property cutting the trees. If there is any advance money involved, most contracts are generally negotiated for a 12-month term. With a 12-month contract, the possibility of the timber being cut could be delayed for several months.

In a lump sum sale, you get the total value of your timber paid directly to you upfront before any cutting begins.

In fact, you get your money at the time you sign a timber deed with the buyer.

Your buyer will determine the price of your timber by conducting a timber cruise, which is a statistical sample of

Timber Prices for September 2009 The following is a range of prices for pine pulpwood, chip-n-saw and sawtimber in general regions of Georgia. It is important to note that this is a range. Price will vary by specific location, logability of the tract, quality of wood, amount of volume and access. Time and need of specific buyers could greatly affect any price.

Areas North Middle South 26

Pine Sawtimber Pine Pulpwood Chip-n-Saw 19.50 - 30.00/Ton 3.00 - 7.00/Ton 9.00 - 16.00/Ton 21.00 - 32.00/Ton 4.00 - 8.00/Ton 9.00 - 17.00/Ton 22.00 - 33.00/Ton 4.00 - 11.50/Ton 10.00 - 18.00/Ton The prices quoted in this report are provided by Griffith Forestry.

your timber stand. The buyer will classify each tree according to its diameter, height, quality and the product for which a tree will be used. Your buyer can use this information to estimate the overall weight and value of the timber he will remove from your property.

Under a lump sum sale the buyer will write you a check up front for the timber he is going to cut from your property based on the information he collected in the timber cruise. He will then have an agreed upon term to cut and remove the timber from your property; but he has paid you upfront for your timber and it does not matter if he cuts more or less than the lump sum amount that you were paid. The amount you ultimately get for your trees does not change.

A lump sum sale can convert your timber asset into cash much quicker than a cut and haul or by the ton sale. There are times and circumstances when I recommend one type of sale over the other. If you need cash now, a lump sum sale might be considered regardless of the circumstances.

It pays to know and understand the dynamics of selling a tract of timber.

Understanding factors that affect per ton or lump sum prices is essential in choosing a timber buyer and logger.

This article was contributed by Jim Griffith (Registered Forester #1616), owner of Griffith Forestry. He may be reached at (478) 747-0812. This company is not affiliated with Georgia Farm Bureau.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

Mortgage Update

By

Terry Layson

USDA Rural Housing Program offers 100% loans based on income In today’s world of financing it is hard to find a loan that will give you 100 percent financing, but there is one product that can provide this for you.

It is a USDA loan. If you want to live in a rural area and are looking to buy, this is the product for you. The program is based on the borrower’s income, not the price of the house. The income limit as of this writing is $73,600 per year for a one to four person household.

To qualify for this type of loan, the property has to be in a rural area. Visit http://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do to find out if the property you are interested in is located in a USDA rural area. Brand Mortgage is a direct USDA lender so we cut out the middleman when it comes to underwriting USDA loans.

Benefits of the USDA Guaranteed Rural Housing Program • Provides 100% loan-to-value financing for existing homes or new construction based on appraised value.

• Available to low and moderateincome rural households.

• No requirement to be a “first-

time” home buyer.

• Less up-front cash-to-close requirements for this program than for conventionally insured or FHA loans.

• No monthly mortgage insurance required. One-time guarantee fee, payable to Rural Development (RD) at closing, which may be financed above the appraised value, as follows: • Purchases - 2% of loan amount • Refinances - 0.50% of loan amount • Fully amortized 30-year fixed-rate loans.

• No penalty for pre-payment.

• 2/1 Temporary Buydown available.

• No maximum loan limit. Loan limits are dictated by the applicant’s income with respect to program eligibility and loan repayment ability. Previous ties to FHA loan limits have been eliminated.

If you are looking for a new home in a rural area, you may want to consider a USDA loan, which requires less money down and no monthly mortgage insurance.

UGA Soil Testing Kits Available Soil tests tell you the nutrients and amount of each you need to add to your soil to grow the flowers, vegetables, shrubs, lawn or wildlife food plot you’ve always wanted.

Visit www.soiltest123.com or call your local UGA Extension office at 1-800-ASK-UGA-1 to order a soil test kit ($15).

Each kit contains a soil sample bag, submission form, sampling instructions and a pre-paid mailer.

Georgia Neighbors • Fall 2009

This article was contributed by Terry Layson (GA Residential Licensee #21999).

Layson is a loan specialist with Brand Mortgage located at 4149 Arkwright Road in Macon, Ga. He may be reached at 1-877723-5098. This company is not affiliated with Georgia Farm Bureau.

200 varieties of fruit, nut and berry plants

Grow Half-Dollar Size Muscadines and Blackberries FREE Color Catalog Buy Direct from the Grower

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1-800-733-0324 www.isons.com

27

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