From solar electric fences to selling solar power for profit,
John S. Quarterman will talk about
solar opportunities for farmers and some legal hurdles,
at
South Georgia Growing Local 2014:
Why solar power is the fastest growing industry in the world
and how to apply it to agriculture.
Financing is the main obstacle.
Some ways to get financing,
and at least one law that could be changed to help with that.
His conference bio: Continue reading
Derrick Dawson will talk about a long-time tradition at
South Georgia Growing Local 2014:
The Lowndes County Ham and Eggs show is the only remaining Ham and
Eggs show in Georgia and one of only two in the country.Hams are cured by a local team that travels periodically to Fort
Valley State University to work in USDA certified facilities. Hams
are treated with a cure, turned, treated, turned, treated, turned,
washed, bagged and finally smoked over the course of several weeks
in preparation for judging and auction.
The Ham and Eggs show this year will be February 18 and 19.
Veteran organic instructor Jerald Larson will talk about how to grow organic fruits at
South Georgia Growing Local 2014:
Jerry’s presentation will focus on blackberries, blueberries, figs
and muscadine grapes. He will explain and demonstrate practical, low
cost methods for trellising and pruning; soil and bed preparation;
weed suppression, irrigation, and harvesting.
His conference bio: Continue reading
What the U.S. Department of Agriculture is doing about rural Georgia:
Bryan Zulko will talk about that at
South Georgia Growing Local 2014:
I will go over a few initiatives I am currently working on,
specifically the
StrikeForce Initiative
(persistent poverty 60 counties),
SET (Stronger Economies Together),
and the significance of
RHIT (Rural Health Information Technology).
In the 2nd part I will be discussing some of our
funding programs,
focusing on
Rural infrastructure, local foods, downtown development, and essential
community facilities.
His conference bio: Continue reading
All places on the bus are full for the Friday Farm Tours.
There’s still plenty of room at Pine Grove Elementary,
so remember to register for the Saturday Talks
at
South Georgia Growing Local 2014!
-jsq
The Vieths will talk about gardens that continue to grow season after season, at
South Georgia Growing Local 2014:
Permaculture is a regenerative and sustainable food production
design system combining bio-mimicry with local food system
knowledge. The scalability of permaculture lends itself applicable
to everyone from beginner gardeners to seasoned farmers. Our
presentation will focus on how we can apply permaculture principles
to our homes and gardens, no matter the size of your space.
Their conference bios: Continue reading
Diane Howard will moderate a farmer panel,
Growers Tell All: A Conversation with Experienced South Georgia Growers about God-Given Talents and 150+ Years of Growing,
at
South Georgia Growing Local 2014:
Innis Davis and three of the children in his family who help with his
very large backyard garden on Cherry Street, Valdosta.With a combined 150+ years of experience as growers, these veggie
veterans will interact with members of the audience sharing their
stories which include the following: planting, harvesting, and
preserving by the moon; rotating crop sites; fertilizing;
controlling weeds and insects; saving seed for 50+ years; growing in
containers; and using their talents and techniques of growing to
help friends and 3 generations of family. Serving as a moderator for
this discussion will be Diane Howard who works closely with
individuals in South Georgia to promote growing their own food and
oversees a large garden on her 5th generation family farm in Grady
County.
Here are the panelists’ speaker bios: Continue reading
Amy Brown will talk about making fibers into fabric at
South Georgia Growing Local 2014:
This lecture/ workshop will explore making yarn, thread, and cloth.
Preparing the natural fiber, the hand spinning process, and
weaving will be demonstrated. There will be a hands-on
introduction to many different natural fibers and a discussion of
their individual characteristics which may be used to enhance a
final cloth. A few spindles and wool will be available if you would
like to try out what you have learned . Inexpensive spinning and
weaving tools that are easy to make will be discussed so you can get
spinning and weaving right away. Though the emphasis in this hour
and a half is on spinning for weaving, discussion will also include
spinning for knitting, crocheting, lacemaking, embroidery, and
sewing. Come and join us and learn to turn your cotton fields, pet
hair, sheep wool, and other fabulous fibers into unique cloth that
your friends will admire.
Her speaker bio: Continue reading
Hello again,
We are now nearly at the conference and I can hardly tell you how
excited I am. I had a final walk through of Pine Grove Middle School
and Farm this week and got all the details for accessing their
technologies and the Internet.
Farm Tours will be Friday, January 24th, including
produce at
Raisin’ Cane,
door yard citrus at
Loch Laurel Nursery,
olive oil and trees at
Georgia Olive Farms,
and
Katahdin sheep at
Hound River Farm.
Conference talks will be Saturday, January 25th, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(Doors open at 8 a.m.) at Pine Grove Middle School,
4159 River Rd, Valdosta, GA 31605.
We will be able to tour
the hydroponic green houses at the school that day!
The
preliminary schedule is posted.
Most of our speakers are local (how lucky are we that we have this wealth
of talent in our community) and a couple from out of the have indicated
that they need a room. We have arranged
a discounted rate at two local hotels.
There is still plenty of room, so by all means, please continue to
invite those that you think will be interested in attending. The
Pine Grove Middle School is a lovely facility and we are lucky to be
able to use it.
Don’t forget to
register!
-Gretchen
We’ll visit
Georgia Olive Farms
on our Friday Farm Tour at
South Georgia Growing Local 2014.
Richard Villadoniga wrote for StAugustine.com 18 July 2012,
Liguid gold rush,
There’s a new gold rush taking place in Georgia, and it’s not up in
the mountains near Dahlonega as first happened back in 1828. This
time around, people are buzzing with excitement over a liquid gold
produced in Southern Georgia: extra virgin olive oil. You read that
correctly — olive oil from Georgia. What was once an
exclusively Mediterranean product is now being crafted with olives
grown in Southern Georgia, and to a smaller extent, North Florida.
Georgia Olive Farms, a cooperative of about 10 regional olive
growers, is based in Lakeland, Georgia, near Valdosta.Jason Shaw, one of the company’s founders, comes Continue reading
