Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2C
FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Thufwtey, September U, 18OT
Wave of the future?
Experts say no-till planting techniques help curb soil erosion
By Joda Browning
Staff Writer
We all know how dry it has been in Forsyth County
this season. Fortunately, one non-profit organization
offers a service that helps landowners salvage the
soil when soil conditions are at their worst.
The Chestatee-Chattahoochee Resource,
Conservation and Development Council offers
custom no-till planting. Council officials say the
no-till alternative is important to all of us because
it saves energy, soil and helps control erosion. The
RC&D program supplies an operator and equipment,
specifically set up to drill seeds into the ground with
little soil disturbance.
‘This procedure places a small slit, approximately
one to three inches across, into the ground,” says Sue
Ridings, soil conservation technician for Forsyth
County. “It doesn’t tear up the ground, allowing the
grass to remain undisturbed.”
The program is especially popular for overseeing
fescue pastures that suffer from drought, such as we
are experiencing now.
“We recommend planting fescue in the fall, which
makes this season the busiest for this type of tilling,”
says Ridings.
Ridings says this process is no more expensive than
other tilling methods when considering time, seed
and equipment costs.
Sufficient university data and on-farm production
records prove that no-till, on proper ground with
good management, can produce yields equal to or
greater than other tilling systems with less costs per
acre.
This creates the potential for higher farm returns.
Custom drill work is available for sls per acre, plus
seed.
Last year, no-till planting was used on 697 acres of
land in Forsyth and Dawson counties said Ridings.
RECIPES from 1C
Chicken and Rice Dish
By Sarah Deßone
1 cup rice
1 can cream of chicken or
mushroom soup
1 can water
5 Tyson chicken breasts
Mix rice, soup and water togeth
er in 9x12 inch pan. Lay chicken
on top; cover with foil. Cook 1
hour at 425°
Chicken Salad
By Sarah Deßone
3 cups diced cooked chicken
2 cups diced celery
1 diced green pepper or
pimento
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup French dressing
1-1/4 cup mayonnaise
lettuce
1 hard-boiled egg
Combine chicken, celery, green
pepper or pimento and seasonings
and marinate with French dress
ing. Chill thoroughly. Blend with
half the mayonnaise, turn into let
tuce lined salad bowl. Top with
remaining mayonnaise and gar
nish with sliced boiled egg.
Serves 4 to 6.
Honey Mustard Chicken
By Sarah Deßone
8 chicken breast
3 tbsp, honey
3 tbsp, spicy brown mustard
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
Arrange chicken in shallow pan.
Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Mix
honey, mustard and curry powder.
Brush on chicken. Cover com
pletely and bake for 10 more min
utes, turning once during baking.
Mexican Chicken
By Sarah Deßone
1 pkg. tortillas
1 Tyson fryer chicken
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes with
chilies (cream style)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 lb. cheddar cheese, grated
Boil chicken and cut into bite
size pieces. Mix chicken, onions,
cheese, garlic salt, chili powder
and mashed tomatoes.
Soften tortillas in boiling chick
en stock. Line in baking dish.
Add chicken mix. Pour chicken
soup over mixture and bake at
350° for 35 minutes.
See RECIPES, Page 3C
Already, between 75 and 100 Forsyth County
landowners have signed up to use no-till planting
this fall.
“This method really saves time,” says Ridings. “If
the land is tilled, you must plow and prepare. With
this procedure, you go over what’s already there.”
No-till is not limited to planting fescue grass seed
and fall planting. Small grains may be planted using
the no-till drill at various times of the year for a vari
ety of purposes. For example, clover, common
Bermuda grass. Sudan grass, grain sorghum, rye,
oats, millet, rye grass and other small grains may be
used to establish food plots, and improve pasture and
winter grazing.
Contact the Forsyth County Extension office for
specific recommendations on varieties and manage
ment practices that will help insure the success of
your no-till plantings.
The council no-till program was established in
1988 through a grant from the Georgia
Environmental Facilities Authority with oil-over
charge funds.
Since that time the RC&D and the Soil and Water
Cuusct valion Districts have worked together to plant
more than 20,000 acres across Georgia with no-till
drills.
The council is a unique organization that helps con
serve and care for the natural resources in the area,
while improving the economy, environment, and
way of life. Its purpose is to bring about partnerships
between federal, state and private sectors in the con
servation and development of our natural resources.
To schedule planting for the fall, call Chris Garrett,
drill operator for Dawson County and Forsyth
County at (770) 889-8646. Hydroseeding and straw
mulching services are also available through RC&D
Council. For more information on the no-till,
hydroseeder, or straw mulching services call
(800) 668-4554.
n r
I \
770-475-5572
SPillerS
•/ f t f d SEMINCOLE
WORLD’S BEST HORSE FEEDS
• Full line of Quality Hay Products
- Western Alfalfa - Timothy Alfalfa
- Orchard Alfalfa • Coastal
• Pet Foods - Ky Alfalfa
Delivery Available
12950 Hwy 9 • Alpharetta, GA T 221 ~
r N FULTON 5 e
770-475-5572 F " D -* . §
8:30.6:00 M-F * 8:3<M:00 Sal.
H Hl g 577//A®
gte Uly tea |
sox—t axw aanata A
0 017 Jh FWBVWI Ca
| 14* t* I| ■ Ug™
g $159 951 I
fWg 1.54cu.in(30.l cc), 16bhp(12kW).«6lbi
Est 025 Wood Boss
0 i
FBI 2.7 cuin. (443 cc).3.oMp (22 kW), 10.3 lbs LrJ
ffl 029 Super «W!H &
ir Hr J.
g . Hgaam Q
R XflP" $299.95
Fgel 347 cm. in. (57.0 ct 375 bhp (21 kW), 13.21b*.
•J Smallwood Home & Garden gi
pS 2168 Canton Hwy. * ptj
[•I Cumming, Ga. 30040 i™l
g» 770-889-9986 Mi™ m
IRHI.
■lQiwMk ; ■ - ■
H—'ll*. •• ■
•HR-..... *■ - •
.. . ■; •.
Photo/submitte<
Officials of RC&D Council say no-till planting techniques offer farmers away to salvage soil white
working to control harmful erosion. Some farms in Northeast Georgia, including farmers Ir
Forsyth County, are already using the program.
FOODS, MH
FOODS.
“Feeding You Like Family”™ JBa
A 1H MANAGEMENT JOBS I
■H ■■ AVAILABLE
MrfligEHPEffWM ■■ SHIFTS ■
I I Contact Human
Resources ■