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thesylvaniatimes.com
The Sylvania Times
Wednesday, March 2, 2022 - Page 11
Farm acid Land
-J
Georgia's Top Cotton Producers for 21 Crop Honored
The 2021 Georgia Quality Cotton Awards were presented at the 2022 Georgia Cotton Commission Annual Meeting on Jan. 26. The Georgia Cotton Com
mission and Bayer Crop Science/Deltapine co-sponsor the awards, which are administered by the University of Georgia Cotton Team. Yangxuan Liu with the
UGA Cotton Team conducted the analysis and presented the 2021 Georgia Quality Cotton awards at the annual meeting.
The purpose of the awards is to recognize producers and ginners of high-quality cotton fiber and to identify their production practices to help other growers
improve their yields. The winning producers and their gins received a plaque and the winning producers received $500 cash. The UGA County Extension
Agent for each winner was also recognized as they work closely with the farmers during the growing season.
The awards are given in three cotton acreage categories: 1) less than 500 acres, 2) 500 to 1,000 acres, and 3) greater than 1,000 acres within the four regions
of the state.
Winners are determined by the loan value and premiums of their cotton. The winners’ excellent achievements are due largely to their management practices
and expertise.
The 2021 Best Cotton Award - presented to the Georgia cotton producer with the highest loan value and premium - went to Pulaski County’s Cole Thomp
son. His crop had a loan value of 57.70 cents/lb and a premium of 5.70 cents/lb.
Region 2 WINNERS - East Georgia
Less than 500 acres: Grower - Alton Walker, Burke County; Ginner - Bryant’s Gin, Bartow; Extension Agent - Peyton Sapp.
500-1000 acres: Grower - Robert & Richard McElmurray, Burke County; Ginner - Farmers Gin & Storage, Wadley; Extension Agent - Peyton Sapp.
1000+ acres: Grower - S & M Farms Partnership, Jefferson County; Ginner - Farmers Gin & Storage, Wadley; Extension Agent - Pamela Sapp
Qar/enmy
with
Tahmdae
Talmadge Fries
Now is the time to plant a true
southern favorite in the yard, the
Camellia. It is a breath of spring
amid winter. The camellia is a
native of eastern and south
ern Asia, found from China
to the Himalayas to Japan to
Indonesia. There are about 300
species of Camellias and over
3000 hybrids. The first Camellia
was introduced to England in
the early 1700’s and it was a
plant with a red flower called
“Thea Chinesis”. The Camellia
was mistaken for a tea plant.
Camellias were first introduced
to America in the late 1700’s.
In the South, you can find
Camellias growing around old
homesteads and abandoned
farmhouses. If we are lucky,
the camellia might be found in
the woods where a home once
stood. The Camellia is known
as the Queen of winter blooms.
The camellia is an evergreen
shrub that loves shade from
direct sun in the summer. Ca
mellias have been documented
to live over 100 years.
The Camellia is a prized bloom
Camelias
for its beautiful and exquisite
blooms and evergreen foliage. It
blooms for weeks during late fall
and winter and into spring. With a
few well-chosen varieties, you can
add blooms to your garden from
October to May. The Camellia is
ranked as one of the best flowering
shrubs.
The bloom of a Camellia comes
in a variety of colors of red, pink,
white and even lavender-purple and
in a variety of variegated mixes.
The blooms are a staple of floral ar
rangements in the homes in winter,
as they are normally used in short
vases or in saucers or a decorative
plate.
A common variety of Camellia
is the Camellia Japonica. It is a
species of 1000’s of varieties in an
array of flower forms and colors. Its
shapely form and glossy foliage and
super fabulous flowers have made it
attractive to gardeners for hundreds
of years in Japan, China and Korea
and the American south.
Another variety of Camellia is the
Camellia Sasanqua. This variety has
one of the loveliest fall flowers, and
is graceful in form, has tender col
ors and has a pleasing fragrance.
As the summer fades and fall
approaches and the leave begin
to turn, this camellia with its ev
ergreen leaves has an abundance
of blooms to begin the camellia
season. It is kind of like the
robins in spring announcing
that spring is near, the Camellia
Sasanqua is announcing cool
weather is on the way.
I would recommend selecting
several different varieties for
your garden, so that you have
early blooms, regular blooms,
and late blooms in the garden.
Also, if you have an area that is
shaded, this plant will make a
nice addition to your garden and
give you color in winter.
A wonderful garden exhibit to
visit is the Masse Lane Gardens
in Fort Valley Ga, it is a super
display of camellias and a
wealth of information.
As always, join your local
garden club for a wealth of
information and fellowship.
Shuman Farms
gives back
For more than 20 years, John Shuman, President and
CEO of Shuman Farms of Vidalia, has been a key-driv
er of cause-marketing in the produce industry. Through
programs like Healthy Family Project®, their Feeding
America® bag promotions, and supporting breast can
cer awareness in October, giving back has always been
a priority for Shuman and his company.
“More than 38 million people, including 12 million
children, face hunger in the United States. As farmers
and food producers in America, it is our responsibil
ity not only to shed light on this crisis, but to also do
something about it,” said Shuman.
Through various charitable projects, Shuman Farms
and Healthy Family Project have donated a combined 8
million meals to Feeding America, supporting initia
tives that help get food to families and children who face food insecurity.
Shuman Farms is not alone in their efforts. Many of their retail partners and other grower/ship-
pers have joined Shuman in their fight against hunger. In 2021 alone, more than 65 produce and
like-minded brands partnered with Healthy Family Project in various digital and in-store cam
paigns, giving back in the local communities of 3,848 grocery stores around the country.
“When I first created Healthy Family Project in 2002, my goal was to bring the produce industry
together to make a difference,” Shuman reflected. “Each year, as we add more retail partners and
sponsors to our efforts, I am humbled and grateful for all of the support the industry has provided.
We are truly working together to fight hunger, one meal at a time.”
Wanting to do more to raise awareness about childhood hunger, in June 2019, Shuman Farms
started to ship their RealSweet® Vidalia® onions in special Feeding America bags. Each year,
an estimated 29.6 million students receive free or low-cost meals at school. Summer break can
be very hard for these students and their families. Shipping these special bags and providing a
donation to Feeding America makes a difference during a crucial time of year. Shuman Farms also
ships their premium RealSweet onions from Peru in Feeding America bags during November and
December, another time of year when families often struggle to put food on the table.
In 2021, on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shuman Farms took their Feeding America
program to a grassroots level, inviting retail partners to join them in volunteering at their local
food banks and pantries. Those that were able to participate received an additional donation from
Shuman Farms to their community food bank.
“In addition to our bags and bins driving the message at retail, it was great to see the impact our
retail partners had in their local communities,” Shuman said.
Looking ahead at their efforts for 2022, Shuman Farms plans on continuing these hyper-local
efforts by providing additional fresh product donations in the communities of retail
partners who engage and support their Feeding America programs in June, November,
and December.
Each year I try to give a little “glimpse” of what kind of weather we might expect for
the growing season. While no one has a crystal ball on how things will shake out, it is al
ways good to know how climatological patterns could influence our weather. I asked Pam
Knox, UGA Climatologist if she would be willing to help explain our current situation and
she graciously took the time to write an article just for us! Hope you enjoy.
By Pam Knox, University of Georgia Agricultural Climatologist, pknox@uga.edu
This week, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center released their latest 3-month climate out
look for the United States. What does this mean for conditions in the Southeast in the
coming growing season? The CPC outlook shows a continuation of the current La Nina
pattern of warmer and drier conditions across the Southeast that has occurred over most
of the winter. La Nina is related to unusually cold water in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and
often pushes the jet stream that steers low pressure areas across the region to the north,
leaving the Southeast in warm and sunny conditions. Despite the La Nina, however, there
have been occasional storms that have brought cold and wet conditions to the region in
January and February, causing frost damage to blueberries, vegetables, and other early
crops. Frost could occur again this year as well, since most parts of Georgia have not
passed their average date of last frost yet.
The La Nina is expected to transition back to neutral conditions by mid- to late spring. The
outlook shows that the entire Southeast has a better than usual chance of above-normal
temperatures for the March through May period as the La Nina weakens. There is a slight
increased chance of dry conditions in southern Georgia and into Florida, especially in
March. Severe weather is also more likely in a La Nina spring due to the presence of warm
air flowing into the region from the Gulf of Mexico. La Nina and neutral conditions are
also associated with more active Atlantic hurricane season from June through November,
but the paths of the stomis cannot be predicted so far ahead. Areas near and to the east
of the paths of this coming year’s storms could see a lot of rain, as occurred last year.
However, if the storms track west into Texas or up the East Coast instead, the Southeast
could see drought conditions return to the region next summer, especially if the current
moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions in the Georgia coastal plain continue
into the growing season.
The Farm Wife
at Two Pennies Farm
GRATEFUL
I love my coffee. I go to bed
at night anticipating the first
sip in the morning. The antici
pation is almost as pleasurable
as the coffee. I am all alone
when I have my first cup. No
one else is up. It’s still dark
and the house is quiet. This is
a private pleasure. And it hap
pens 365 times in one year.
As much of a pleasure as this
daily moment is, for years I
took it for granted. Then one
day in the midst of my savor
ing, I started thinking about all
the lives that touched my cof
fee before I lifted the cup to
my lips. I thought about the
coffee growers, the pickers, the
bulk buyers, the brokers, the
shippers, the crew on the cargo
ship that brought it to America,
the roasters, the packagers, the
truckers that brought it to the
store, the stackers that unload
ed it and put it on the shelves
at my local grocery, and the
cashier at the store that rang it
up. And I know there are folks
in the food chain that I don’t
even know about. All these
people that I’ve never even
met, and I depend on them for
one of my daily pleasures. I
couldn’t help but be grateful
to them for making my first
sip of coffee possible. They’ll
never meet me or know of my
gratitude.
But gratitude begets thankful
ness, which must be expressed.
If I couldn’t thank them per
sonally, I could thank God
for them, and ask him to bless
them. So I say a little one or
two line prayer of thankfulness
for all of them. I ask the Lord
of Life to help them be happy
in their work, to bless them
with a fair wage, good health
and a happy family. Some may
scoff that this is silly thinking
on my part, but I know how
much energy comes from the
human mind, and I know that
good energy released into the
world can’t help but invigorate
the one that receives it without
lessening the one that sends
it. Think about the lift you get
when someone hugs you. That
is positive energy being trans
ferred from one person to an
other.
Ftbb Range
FARM FRESH EGGS
1110 Eimt'Tmilfe Rood
Srlcvima Georgia
(717)433-1094
Starview
* Acres *
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Nancy Baker
Have you ever done this?
Have you ever taken some
thing good in your life and
trace it all the way back to
its raw materials? I urge you
to pick something you really
enjoy and think about all the
people that went into making
it reality. You can’t help but
be grateful to them for bring
ing this good into your life. It’s
amazing how independent we
think we are, but we are all so
dependent on everyone else in
the world for even something
as simple as a cup of coffee.
OWE
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