Every path through my woods looks like this. Hurricane Helene was ten times worse than Idalia for south Georgia and north Florida. Forestry is Georgia’s top industry, and it is hurting bad, along with pecan trees and other agriculture.
![[Fallen oak and pine trees after Hurricane Helene]](http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/pictures/2024-12-07--fields-firebreak/20241207_171626.jpg)
Fallen oak and pine trees after Hurricane Helene
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Two things I had never seen before: a turpentine catface burning, and a guide metal for a McCoy turpentine cup.
![[Catface burning, Turpentine guide, Nail that held the cup, the loblolly pine tree]](http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/pictures/2023-12-22--afterburn/many.jpg)
Catface burning, Turpentine guide, Nail that held the cup, the loblolly pine tree
This was during and the day after our prescribed burn of December 21, 2023.
Also, this catface was on a loblolly, not a longleaf pine.
And since it was hacked into the tree during the Great Depression, in the turpentining that paid off the mortgage on the farm, in the 85 or so years since the tree had grown out around it, yet left the actual catface exposed. Continue reading
Proof the elusive Tom Kuettner can be captured. Gretchen Quarterman delivered popcorn from Okra Paradise Farms to Cory Danner and picked up our order yesterday from Dirt Road Organics Buying Club.
More pictures below.
Continue reading
Really on the air this morning, and now on YouTube,
talking about “quite the event” as Chris Beckham called it,
South Georgia Growing Local, this Saturday, January 24th at Pine Grove Middle School, in Lowndes County, Georgia.
Five times five: five tracks in five sessions, from
soil to planting to cooking and nutrition, including aquaponics by UGA Professor Pat Duncan and local oils
by national award winner Clay Oliver.
Space still available; sign up now!
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for Okra Paradise Farms (OPF).
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South Georgia Growing Local is also for North Florida, where these goats live.
- Breeds that are most likely to live in our environment
- How to market and get some return on your investment
Bobbie’s business is Golden Acres Ranch, between Monticello Florida, and Thomasville, Georgia. Come hear Bobbie talk about her goats at South Georgia Growing Local 2015, this Saturday, January 24th, at Pine Grove Middle School, in Lowndes County, Georgia.
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Research, including studies presented at the conference in Istanbul, is showing that organic agriculture can deliver reliably high yields ”and that organic fields thrive in the face of disaster and duress, where chemical-reliant crops falter. Organic fields, for example, fare significantly better than chemically managed ones in the face of extreme weather, such as droughts or floods.
Anna Lappe, for takepart, 4 November 2014, Yes, Organic Farming Can Feed the World, Continue reading
Gretchen is at the old Lowndes County Courthouse now, setting up for Valdosta Farm Days, 9AM to 1PM today.
By Colter Anstaetts reported from Okra Paradise Farms for WALB yesterday,
Lowndes County farmers ready for “Farm Days”,
Lowndes County farmers will be at the courthouse in downtown Valdosta from 9 a.m.to 1 p.m. selling their crops. This is the fourth year for the “Farm Days” program, and Lowndes County farmers are looking forward to it.
“I’m definitely looking forward to Farm days,” said Gretchen Quarterman, a farmer in Hahira. “It’s an excellent opportunity for farmers, not only to sell but for local people to get local, fresh food. And, when we buy from local farmers we support the local economy.”
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Most of the front page of the Valdosta Daily Times Saturday
was about the South Georgia Growing Local 2014
Farm Tours.
Stuart Taylor wrote on the front page of the VDT 25 January 2014,
Growing Local Farm Tour gets under way,
While past South Georgia Growing Local conferences have had self-guided farm tours, this year’s conference offered a guided tour through four local farms, starting off Friday morning at Raisin’ Cane.
“We teach people about agriculture,” said Jessica Bolesta, who Continue reading
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
Christine Hagen will speak about her family’s CSA at
South Georgia Growing Local 2014:
We started out going to a weekly organic farmer’s market over in Thomasville but transitioned to a CSA after 2 years. We will explain whyand show you how our gardens have taken shape over these past few years. We are still a small operation after 4 years choosing to grow our business slowly. However, we have learned a great deal during these growing years. Plus we have gleaned much from other folks which we will be implementing over the next few years. We are grooming the farm as a business venture for our son, who does most of the labor.
Hagen Homestead’s website. Christine Hagen’s conference bio: Continue reading