Georgia Farm Bureau News Alert - August 23, 2017

August 23, 2017

www.gfb.org

Vol. 35 No. 17

DESTINATION AG PARTNERS WITH GFB TO TAKE TREES INTO SCHOOLS Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) and the Georgia Museum of Agriculture & Historic Village are partnering with Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) to expand the Destination Ag program.

Destination Ag, funded by the Harley Langdale Jr. Foundation, kicked off last fall by providing elementary students in Tift, Colquitt and Cook counties the chance to visit the museum located on the ABAC campus to learn about agriculture and careers associated with ag and natural resources. Field trips will also be offered to Berrien County elementary students this school year.

Destination Ag is providing a traveling trunk highlighting forestry for each of GFB’s 10 districts. Each trunk has pine cones, cross-sections of tree trunks, a copy of “The Tree Farmer,” and lesson plans to equip GFB county volunteers and staff to visit preK-2nd grade classrooms to teach students about Georgia forestry. The trunks will be particularly helpful for counties too far away to take a field trip to ABAC’s Tifton campus.

“Georgia Farm Bureau has coordinated Georgia’s Ag in the Classroom initiative for more than 30 years with our county volunteers and staff The next issue of members visiting schools to teach students about Georgia agriculture,” GFB GFB News Alert President Gerald Long said. “We are proud to partner with the Harvey comes out Langdale Jr. Foundation and Destination Ag program to use the Traveling September 6.

Trunks to educate primary students across the state about Georgia’s timber producers and the products, such as houses and paper products, made from the trees they grow.”

Farm Bureau county volunteers and staff who wish to use their district’s trunk should contact their GFB district field representative. To learn more about the overall Destination Ag program, contact Garrett Boone at gboone@abac.edu or 229-391-5203.

Read more about the impact Destination Ag is having on students at http://bit.ly/DestAg.

GFB News Alert page 2 of 12 GFB FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES FALL GRANT AWARDS The latest recipients of grants from the Georgia Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture have been announced. The foundation has awarded $500 grants to the Decatur County 4-H, Effingham Middle FFA, Lee Middle West FFA and Atkinson FFA to support leadership development and ag literacy projects conducted by the student organizations.

The following county Farm Bureaus received $500 grants for classroom education, consumer awareness or leadership development projects: Baldwin, Bibb, Brooks, Cobb, Emanuel, Gordon, Irwin, McDuffie, Walker and Wilkinson.

Applications for the next cycle of grants for county Farm Bureaus and 4-H Clubs or FFA Chapters are due Dec. 15. Visit www.gfbfoundation.org for more information or to apply.

The GFB Foundation for Agriculture is a non-profit charitable foundation that funds projects to increase the public’s understanding of agriculture, offers scholarships to students pursuing careers in agriculture or closely related fields, and funds leadership development programs. Visit www.gfbfoundation.org to make a tax-deductible donation or for more information about its programs.

4-H/FFA Grants Decatur County 4-H received its grant to establish school gardens and compost bins at Hutto Middle School to help students develop agricultural skills leading to understanding of life science standards.

Effingham Middle FFA received grant funds to purchase lumber, hardware and soil for installation of three raised beds on the Effingham County Middle School Campus.

Lee County Middle West FFA plans to use its grant funds to create a farm-to-table garden to develop agricultural literacy and support a local charity.

Atkinson County FFA will partner with two local elementary schools, Pearson Elementary and Willacoochee Elementary to educate students about agriculture and its relation to everyday lives.

County Farm Bureau Grants The Gordon County Farm Bureau Women’s Committee plans to establish a mobile raised garden bed garden that will travel from classroom to classroom or school to school. This project would help children learn about the plant life cycle and understand how their food is grown and cultivated.

Walker County Farm Bureau plans to use barn bookshelves to catch students’ attention and make them eager to learn. Having the ability to rotate bookshelves between schools gives students the ability to dig deeper into their farming interest than what WCFB can do during their allotted time in the schools. WCFB plans to have bookshelves in various classrooms reaching kids aged 411 that do not have the opportunity to learn elsewhere about how agriculture affects their daily lives.

Cobb County Farm Bureau plans to help Awtrey Middle School add a second raised box vegetable garden to increase students’ production allowing them opportunities to learn what it takes to grow a farm-based business. This project will help students learn the economics behind building their own farmers market business.

McDuffie County Farm Bureau will continue its partnership with McDuffie County Schools to provide age-appropriate ag literacy libraries to each school in the district. Last year, MCFB provided libraries to three elementary schools and ag literacy libraries will be provided to -continued on next page

GFB News Alert page 3 of 12 Continued from previous page the rest of the schools in the county.

Baldwin County Farm Bureau is funding an observation hive and bees for use at Comfort Farms, the nation’s first acute veterans crisis agriculture center. This hive will open the door to communication with Baldwin County Elementary Schools that previously have not had a relationship with BCFB. Bibb County Farm Bureau will be funding the Farm a Month book set with an accompanying educator’s guide, one class set of Ag Mags, and plants and seeds for raised beds at Heard Elementary School and Skyview Elementary School.

Wilkinson County Farm Bureau will help fund three apple trees, two raised beds (fall and spring garden) and garden tools, as well as agriculture non-fiction books and agriculture magazines. The raised beds will be assembled by the 4-H agent and club members. The apple trees will enhance the apple lessons that are completed in the regular classroom. The raised beds will enhance the lessons being taught about seeds and the life cycles of a plant.

Emanuel County Farm Bureau plans to build two raised beds at one of Emanuel County’s primary schools. These beds will be used to teach students where their food comes from by having them plant, tend and harvest crops, which will be processed and served in the school cafeteria.

Brooks County Farm Bureau is helping Brooks County Middle School create an outdoor learning area to be developed around a greenhouse and gated area already in place.

Irwin County Farm Bureau plans to increase agricultural literacy through the establishment of an outdoor learning area with raised garden beds for students at Irwin County Elementary School. This space will provide an authentic setting for teachers to incorporate ag concepts into science, math, social studies and language arts lessons.

APPOINTEES NAMED TO GA AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY COMMISSIONS The Ex Officio Committee for the Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commissions met Aug. 1 to make the following appointments to serve on the Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commissions: Apples - David Lillard, Fannin County; Blueberry - Steve Mullis, Bacon County, Russ Goodman, Clinch County, Shane Wade, Bacon County; Corn - Robby Brett, Jefferson County, Randy Dowdy, Brooks County, Rodney Harrell, Lee County; Cotton - Lee Cromley, Bulloch County, John Ruark, Morgan County, Chris Hopkins, Toombs County; Equine - Ron Smith, Camden County; Milk - Tim Camp, Putnam County, Judd Chambers, Jones County, Pete Gelber, Macon County; Peach - Jeff Wainwright, Taylor County, Duke Lane III, Peach County, Lee Dickey, Crawford County; Pecan - Lanair Worsham Jr., Mitchell County, R.G. Lamar, Pulaski County; Soybean - Greg Mims, Seminole County, Tony Smith, Baker County, Mark Arial, Franklin County, Joe Moore, Gordon County (term to expire 2019), Brian Ogletree, Lamar County (term to expire 2019); Tobacco - Carlos Vickers, Berrien County, Brant Clifton, Bulloch County; Vegetable - Dick Minor, Sumter County.

Georgia Agriculture Commodity Commissions are created by the Georgia Legislature and receive funds from farmer-approved market orders, which allow for collection of assessments on sale of the commodity. Funds received by the commodity commission can be spent for research, education and promotion of the commodity. The Equine Commission receives its funds from the sale of the Equine Specialty License plate for motor vehicles. Commission member terms are three years.

GFB News Alert page 4 of 12 EPA ADMINISTRATOR URGES FARMERS, RANCHERS TO COMMENT ON WOTUS On Aug. 16, The National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) released a video featuring U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, in which Pruitt urges farmers and ranchers to submit official comments on the repeal of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. The deadline to submit comments is Aug. 28.

“When comments are made a part of a record - as rule-making - we have an obligation to review them,” Pruitt said in video. “It helps inform our decision-making process; it helps us make better decisions. And so we want farmers and ranchers across this country to provide comments.”

The video was filmed during a visit that Pruitt and his senior staff made earlier this month to the Frasier Ranch, located just outside Last Chance, Colorado. During the visit, part of his nationwide “State Action Tour,” Pruitt met with and solicited input from several dozen local ranchers about how to proceed after the Obama-era WOTUS is repealed.

Georgia Farm Bureau has been at the forefront of efforts to have the rule repealed. To submit a comment visit http://www.gfb.org/legislative/action.html.

GA PEANUTS FORECAST FOR MASSIVE CROP Georgia’s 2017 peanut crop is shaping up to be the largest in more than 20 years and an increased cotton forecast has potential to keep commodity prices low, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the University of Georgia.

NASS, in its August crop production report, forecast the state’s peanut crop at 3.884 billion pounds, up from 2.8 billion pounds harvested in 2016. According to a UGA press release, the state’s crop would be the largest since the early 1990s. UGA Extension Peanut Agronomist Scott Monfort attributed the huge crop to an increase in acreage and extremely favorable weather conditions.

“Usually in August, temperatures are running anywhere between 95 degrees (Fahrenheit) and 100 degrees. Nighttime temperatures are up. We’re also a little bit drier, so the plant is struggling to produce peanuts,” Monfort said. “Having a little breather in temperature will allow the plants to be more efficient.”

According to the NASS statistics, the state’s growers planted 850,000 acres in peanuts in 2017, up from 720,000 in 2016.

Georgia 2017 cotton production is also forecast for a huge increase over 2016. NASS projected the state’s production at 2.9 million bales, up from 2.18 million bales in 2016. National forecasts have some in the cotton industry concerned that prices paid for raw fiber could remain depressed because of an abundance of cotton. The USDA’s August World Agricultural Supply And Demand Estimate (WASDE) projected U.S. cotton growers to harvest 20.5 million bales, up from 19 million bales estimated in the July WASDE report indicated that cotton prices would remain between 55 and 67 cents per pound.

NASS projected a slight increase in the state’s corn production despite a decrease in acreage.

Georgia corn growers are projected to produce 56.9 million bushels in 2017, up from 56.1 million bushels in 2016.

The state’s hay growers are forecast to produce 1.5 million tons in 2017, up from 1.38 million tons in 2016.

Georgia soybean growers are expected to produce 7.48 million bushels in 2017, up from 7.2 million bushels in 2016.

Though the state’s tobacco growers trimmed acreage from 13,500 acres in 2016 to 12,500 acres in 2017, NASS forecast production of 28.75 million pounds in 2017, up from 28.35 million pounds in 2016.

GFB News Alert page 5 of 12 ALLEN MOORE LEADING CAES RESEARCH Effective July 1, Dr. Allen Moore is leading the UGA College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (CAES) research efforts as the associate dean for research and associate director of the college’s ag experiment stations statewide.

CAES Dean Dr. Sam Pardue announced Moore’s hire in early May following a months-long national search to replace Dr. Robert Shulstad who held the position for 11 years before retiring in June.

“Dr. Moore brings a diverse background in genetics, ecology and entomology to our college research program,” Pardue said. "Adding his breadth of experience and perspective to our stellar faculty of researchers will help us continue on our trajectory of strong growth.”

Moore was serving as department head of the UGA Franklin College of Arts & Sciences Department of Genetics when he was tapped for the position. A UGA Distinguished Research Professor, Moore is an expert in evolutionary biology and behavior genetics; molecular and quantitative genetic studies of complex traits, especially social traits; and the development of behavior.

Prior to coming to UGA, he previously held various research and administrative positions in biological sciences at the University of Manchester and the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom and in entomology at the University of Kentucky.

Moore earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from Arizona State University and a doctorate in environmental, population and organismic biology from the University of Colorado. He Allen Moore was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in environmental biology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and a postdoctoral research associate in the Northwestern University School of Medicine Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy.

“This college has a rich history in cutting-edge agricultural research and is poised to continue that tradition of making a real difference in the years ahead,” Moore said. “I am excited to be a part of these outstanding programs and look forward to working with this respected research faculty.”

GFB News Alert page 6 of 12 UGA NAMES NOLAND SMALL GRAINS, CORN & SOYBEAN AGRONOMIST Reagan Noland has been named the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension’s agronomist specializing in corn, soybeans and small grains like wheat, oats, barley and rye, according to an Aug. 8 UGA press release. These commodities have a combined Georgia farm gate value of almost $450 million.

Noland, a Texas native, is excited about working with other UGA Extension agents to conduct applied research on the UGA Tifton campus.

“It was appealing to come somewhere where Extension is very relevant,” Noland said. “I want to help transfer the latest and most applicable research-based information to agents and growers who need it, and UGA Extension has an outstanding reputation in this area.”

Noland’s 80 percent Extension appointment means that he will spend the majority of his time meeting and talking with county agents about concerns within these specific commodities. The remaining 20 percent of Noland’s time will be spent on research-related projects.

Noland holds a bachelor’s degree in natural resource management Reagan Noland from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, a master’s degree in agronomy from Texas A&M University and a doctorate in agronomy and agroecology from the University of Minnesota.

SOUTH KOREA LIFTS U.S. POULTRY BAN South Korea has lifted its ban on imports of U.S. poultry and poultry products, including fresh eggs, according to an Aug. 17 USDA press release. South Korea had imposed the ban in response to a recent detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

On August 11, the United States notified the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) that it is now free of HPAI. This notification removed any justification for U.S. trading partners to restrict imports of U.S. poultry due to HPAI concerns. Currently, Korea imposes a ban on all U.S. poultry in response to any HPAI detection, but USDA continues to work with Korean officials toward limiting any future import restrictions to the affected area, consistent with OIE guidelines.

In 2014, the last full year without any HPAI-related trade restrictions in place, South Korea purchased $122 million in U.S. poultry products, including eggs, making it the United States’ tenth-largest market. South Korea’s imports from all sources exceeded $350 million in 2016, but only $39 million came from the United States.

Korea has also announced a temporary measure that will allow U.S. eggs and egg products to enter the country duty free in the face of a shortage of domestic supplies. Earlier this year, USDA worked with Korea’s agriculture ministry to reopen the market for U.S. eggs and egg products, but imports were again restricted after the HPAI detection in Tennessee. Year-to-date exports through June have totaled $12 million, up nearly $10 million compared with the same period last year.

GFB News Alert page 7 of 12 2017 AGAWARE WORKSHOP Aug. 25 Burke County Office Park Waynesboro AgSouth Farm Credit and AgGeorgia Farm Credit are hosting this workshop to give farmers a better understanding of how to approach their finances. Topics covered in the program include: balance sheets; income statements; family finance & family budgeting; risk management; accrual income; applying for financing and preparing a business plan. Bonus videos on recordkeeping, marketing and technology will be available for continued education. To register visit http://bit.ly/agawaresignup.

PEST MANAGER TRAINING Aug. 31 Southern Regional Technical College 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Tifton Participants can earn up to five hours of recertification credits (Georgia Pesticide Credit, ISA arborist CEUs and CFE credits from the Society of American Foresters) and two hours Georgia Structural HPC credits. Register online, see an agenda or find more information at https://tiftonpmt.eventbrite.com. Register early and save! The registration fee is $69. For more information contact Willie Chance at wchance3@gmail.com or 478-972-9981.

CROP INSURANCE DEADLINE NEARS FOR ONION GROWERS Georgia onion growers have until Aug. 31 to purchase crop insurance according to a Risk Management Agency (RMA) press release. Crop insurance provides protection against crop production losses due to natural perils like wind, hurricanes and freezing temperatures. Coverage is available for onions in Appling, Bulloch, Candler, Emanuel, Evans, Jeff Davis, Laurens, Long, Montgomery, Screven, Tattnall, Toombs, Treutlen and Wayne counties. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA agent locator website, http://www.rma.usda.gov/tools/agent.html. For more information about crop insurance visit www.rma.usda.gov.

AFBF COUNTY ACTIVITIES OF EXCELLENCE Sept. 1 deadline to apply The American Farm Bureau Federation County Activities of Excellence (CAE) Awards are designed to celebrate unique volunteer-driven programming at the local level. The program recognizes and shares successful county Farm Bureau programs and activities to help generate grassroots activity. The CAE program categorizes activities into the following areas: Education and Ag Promotion, Member Services, Public Relations and Information, Leadership Development and Policy Implementation. Up to 24 county Farm Bureau activities from across the nation will be selected to display in the IDEAg Trade Show January 2018, in Nashville, Tennessee. Individual county activities and multi-county collaborative activities selected will receive $2,250 toward expenses incurred to participate in the CAE program at the AFBF Annual Convention and IDEAg Trade Show as well as four free convention registrations. For information about the program or to enter, visit http://bit.ly/AFBFCAE.

GFB News Alert page 8 of 12 USDA FRUIT & VEGETABLE ADVISORY COMMITTEE Sept. 1 deadline for nominations The U.S. Department of Agriculture is currently accepting nominations from qualified fruit and vegetable industry members to fill 10 seats on the Fruit and Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee. This committee provides advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture on issues related to the programs and services that USDA provides to the produce industry. The committee is composed of 25 members from every commercial capacity within the fruit and vegetable industry. For more information visit http://bit.ly/usdafvac or contact Marlene Betts at marlene.betts@ams.usda.gov.

GEORGIA PECAN GROWERS ASSOCIATION FALL FIELD DAY Sept. 7 UGA Ponder Farm/UGA Tifton Campus 9 a.m.

Tifton This field day features presentations on orchard management, hedging in Georgia, new pecan plantings, nursery production and cultivar selection. A low country boil lunch will be served back at the UGA Tifton-Campus Conference Center at 12:15. Catering will be Gay’s Food, Inc. serving a Low Country Boil. To register, visit https://www.georgiapecan.org/annual-fall-field-day.da. For more information contact the GPGA at 229-382-2187.

22nd ANNUAL LUMBER CITY FARM DAY FESTIVAL Sept. 9 & 10 Lumber City Saturday’s events include a Fun Run & 5K race, arts/crafts, food vendors, a parade and live entertainment. A community church service will be held Sept. 10. For more information or to register for the race visit www.lumbercityfarmday.org or call Jeanette Ban at 912-363-4643 or email jeaban2007@mac.com.

UGA EXTENSION ADVANCED GRAZING SCHOOL Sept. 19-20 University of Georgia research farms Athens This two-day school will provide attendees with a deeper understanding of two key aspects of their grazing systems. The focus area of the first day will be on low-cost fencing and portable watering systems. On the second day of the program, the focus will be on how grazing management influences soil health. Training will take place in both classroom and field settings, with many hands-on learning experiences. Cost of the two-day program is $150 for the first person from each farm and $75/person for each additional person from each farm or family. This registration fee includes a 250-page notebook full of resources on the subject matter, along with lunches and breaks on each day, and dinner on the first night. Registration is limited and participants are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information or to register, visit http://bit.ly/17AdvGrazSch.

GFB News Alert page 9 of 12 31ST ANNUAL GEORGIA PEANUT TOUR Sept. 19-20 Southwest Georgia The 31st annual Georgia Peanut Tour brings the latest information on peanuts while giving a firsthand view of industry infrastructure from production and handling to processing and utilization.

Tour stops will be made in several peanut producing counties including Dougherty, Lee and Sumter counties. Attendees can expect to see nearly every aspect of peanut production in the state.

This year's tour hosts many exciting stops including on-farm harvest demonstrations and clinics, peanut processing facilities, and several special highlights which include research at the University of Georgia Southwest Georgia Research and Education Center, Jimmy Carter's Boyhood Home, Georgia Seed Development Commission Foundation Seed Facility in Plains, Smithville Peanut Company Buying Point and JLA USA in Albany. Hotel accommodations can be made at the Merry Acres Inn in Albany, Georgia, by calling 229-435-7721. To register online visit http://bit.ly/17GAPnutTour. For more information contact the Georgia Peanut Commission at 229386-3470.

BARN BASH CHARITY CONCERT Sept. 23 Double P Farms 3 p.m.

Williamson Marc Broussard will headline this inaugural event to benefit the Brand Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund. Brandon lost his battle with Glioblastoma on Feb. 15. This event will raise money for scholarships that will be given out to a Pike County High School senior in memory of Brandon. This year’s event will have bounce houses, rock climbing wall, great food vendors and of course great entertainment with Marc Broussard, Southbound and Lambert Osteen & Friends.

Double P Farms is located at the intersection of Dunbar School Road and Jonathan’s Roost Road in Williamson. Gates open at 2 p.m. and music starts at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the gate. To purchase advance tickets visit https://www.xorbia.com/e/barnbash/2017.

FIREWISE ON THE FARM FIELD DAY Sept. 26 William Harris Homestead, 3636 Hwy 11 N, 9:30 a.m. – noon Monroe This free field day, sponsored in part by Walton County Farm Bureauj and Georgia Farm Bureau, promotes fire safety on the farm and in the home. Numerous agencies will give demonstrations and provide information about fire safety. The fire departments will be demonstrating equipment and methods of prevention and easy and convenient methods of extinguishing fires and how to equip a utility task vehicle with a small tank of water that is easily transported for equipment fires.

For more information email info.ccrcd@gmail.com or call the Chestatee-Chattahoochee RC & D Council at 706-894-1591.

GEORGIA FARM TO SCHOOL SUMMIT Oct. 5 & 6 Helms College Augusta The Farm to School Summit connects schools, early care centers, and local farms and distributors to serve and champion healthy, local meals in cafeterias, improve student nutrition, and increase farm and gardening educational opportunities. This year’s summit welcomes farmers, teachers, early care educators and administrators, school nutrition staff, students, parents, and others interested in learning more about Georgia’s farm to school movement. Highlights include the opening keynote address from national farm to school leader Betti Wiggins of Detroit Public Schools, closing keynote address from Burke County School Nutrition Director and Presidentelect of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Donna Martin, workshops, educational sessions and networking. For more information visit http://bit.ly/farmtoschoolsummit.

GFB News Alert page 10 of 12 2017 GFB HAY CONTEST Oct. 31 deadline to enter Georgia Farm Bureau (GFB) members who grow Bermudagrass hay are encouraged to enter the GFB 2017 Quality Hay Contest. Hay entered in the contest will be tested at the University of Georgia Testing Lab using the Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) Test, which predicts fiber digestibility and likely animal intake of hay. Producers may enter more than one sample in the contest. There is a $20 entry fee for each sample entered in the contest to cover lab costs.

Applications and instructions for submitting samples are available at county Farm Bureau offices or may be downloaded at the GFB website http://www.gfb.org/commodities/hay_contest.html.

Checks to cover the entry fee should be made payable to Georgia Farm Bureau. Entry forms and samples should be sent to the GFB Public Policy Department, Agricultural Programs, 1620 Bass Road Macon, Ga., 31210. The deadline to enter is Oct. 31. The first-place prize is free use of a Vermeer 504R Signature Baler for one year courtesy of Vermeer.

GFB TAKING LISTINGS FOR HAY DIRECTORY Farm Bureau members with hay for sale or offering custom harvesting or custom sprigging services are invited to list in the 2017/18 GFB Quality Hay Directory published on the GFB website. Because this directory is now offered exclusively online, hay can be listed or removed from the site as your inventory dictates. To participate, please complete a submission form available at your county Farm Bureau office or online at www.gfb.org/hay. Please include a $10 check made payable to Georgia Farm Bureau for each listing of hay, custom harvesting or custom sprigging. Multiple listings are allowed.

ASA DUPONT YOUNG LEADER PROGRAM Applications are being accepted for the ASA DuPont Young Leader program, a challenging and educational two-part training program. Phase I of the 2017–18 program will take place at the DuPont Pioneer headquarters in Johnston, Iowa, Nov. 28–30. The program continues Feb. 25–28, 2018 in Anaheim, California, in conjunction with the annual Commodity Classic Convention and Trade Show. Soybean grower couples and individuals are encouraged to apply for the program which focuses on leadership and communication, the latest agricultural information and the development of a strong peer network. To apply, visit https://soygrowers.com/learn/young-leaderprogram-application/.

SAVANNAH COMMUNITY GARDEN SEEKS VOLUNTEERS, DONATIONS The community garden at Savannah Regional Hospital needs volunteers to help with garden maintenance – weeding, watering, transplanting, pruning and other tasks – that cannot be completed by the hospital’s therapeutic patients. The garden has six raised beds and houses various plants that provide forage for butterflies and bees. The hospital also needs donations of small gardening supplies and other items to make it visually interesting. For more information, contact Volunteer Services Coordinator Jessica Mathis at 912-356-2826.

GFB News Alert page 11 of 12 FARM BUREAU-AFFILIATED FARMERS MARKETS CANTON FARMERS MARKET Through Oct. 28 Saturdays 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Cannon Park Canton This market features 100 percent GA Grown produce and handcrafted items. Cherokee County Farm Bureau will hold an event once a month at the market promoting watermelon day, apple day, peach day etc.

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

Lost Mountain Park Powder Springs Cobb County Farm Bureau (CCFB) in cooperation with Cobb County Parks & Recreation is hosting this farmers market. CCFB is offering vendor space to farmers, growers and producers in Cobb and surrounding counties, with the goal of offering locally grown food to the community.

Each vendor must be a Farm Bureau member. Vendor fees are only $5 per week, with a discount for paying in full for the entire market season. For more information contact cobbcountyfarmbureau@gmail.com or Debbie Payne at dmpayne@gfb.org or 770-9433531.

MONROE FARMERS MARKET Saturdays until Oct. 7 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Court Street, Downtown Monroe This market, sponsored in part by Walton County Farm Bureau, features fresh produce and goods from local farmers, work from local artisans and family friendly activities. For more information visit www.monroedowntownfarmersmarket.com PAULDING COUNTY FARM BUREAU FARMERS MARKET Thursdays through Oct. 26 3 p.m.-7 p.m., 549 Hardee St. Dallas Paulding County Farm Bureau (PCFB) is accepting vendors for its weekly farmers market being held at the PCFB office. Visit the market’s Facebook page (http://bit.ly/PCFBmkt) for weekly updates. Vendors sell locally grown produce and other ag commodities or homemade crafts. There is no fee to participate but vendors must be Farm Bureau members. To participate in the market, contact Tracy Grice at 770-445-6681 or email her at tcgrice@gfb.org.

ROCKDALE/DEKALB FARM BUREAU FARMERS MARKET Tuesdays & Saturdays 8 a.m. – noon, RDCFB office Conyers The Rockdale/DeKalb Farm Bureau Farmers Market will be held at 1400 Parker Rd. SE in Conyers. The public is invited to stop by and shop for fresh, locally grown vegetables, dairy products, crafts and more. The market is expected to run into late summer or early fall when produce production ends. For more information contact the Rockdale/DeKalb County Farm Bureau office at 770-922-3566.

GFB News Alert page 12 of 12 SHIELDS-ETHRIDGE HERITAGE FARM CULTIVATORS MARKET Sept. 2 & Oct. 21 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.

2355 Ethridge Rd. Jefferson Jackson County Farm Bureau (JCFB) sponsors this monthly open-air market that features local farmers and entrepreneurs selling products they make or grow in a festival atmosphere. Market held rain or shine. The Shields-Ethridge Heritage Farm is an outdoor ag museum that functions as an educational and interpretative facility. Proceeds from the market will be used for restoration projects at the farm. If you are interested in having a booth at the market, contact JCFB Office Manager Denise Temple at dftemple@gfb.org or call 706-367-8877 or visit www.shieldsethridgefarminc.com to complete an application online.

UNION COUNTY FARMERS MARKET Tuesdays 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. Saturdays 7 a.m. – 1 p.m., 148 Old Smokey Road Blairsville The public is welcome to shop for fresh, locally grown vegetables from local farmers. For more information contact Mickey Cummings or Kristy Peney at 706-781-8802 or visit www.ucfarmersmarket.com. Union County Farm Bureau will sponsor a tractor show at the market Labor Day weekend.

WOODSTOCK FARM FRESH MARKET Saturdays through September 8:30 am to Noon.

Woodstock Located on Market Street in Downtown Woodstock, the market features vendors who grow at least 85 percent of the products they sell. The Cherokee County Farm Bureau is partnering with the market to bring special events to the market throughout the 2017 season. For more information call 770-924-0406 or visit http://bit.ly/WoodstockFarmFreshMarket.