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The Le*6 Count y Ledger
Your Hometown Source Of Local News
Hometown Newspaper of Gary and Sarah Loudermilk
Volume XLVI- Number 1
Leesburg, Georgia - - September 6, 2023
Fifty Cents
Getting to Know Our 2023 LCHS Distinguished Alumni
Mr. Jason Lane Wiggins, Class of 1995
Special to the Ledger
by LCHS Senior
Bristol Cox
The LCHS Dis
tinguished Alumni
Committee is proud to
recognize Mr. Jason
Lane Wiggins, Class
of 1995, as a member
of the 2023 Class of
Distinguished Alumni.
The purpose of this
program is to recognize
outstanding alumni who
have maintained a high
standard of excellence
and distinguished them
selves through their
work, personal accom
plishments, or in the
lives of others. These
individuals exemplify
the ideals of the Lee
County School System
and the community it
serves and thus serve as
role models for current
and future Lee County
High School Students.
Born in Americus at
Sumter County Hos
pital and raised in Lee
County, Georgia, Jason
Lane Wiggins is a prime
example of a Southern
gentleman whose boots
have made numerous
positive trails within
the community. He is
recognized by many
as a strong worker and
a skilled leader who is
devoted to Lee County’s
people and their needs.
Mr. Wiggins currently
runs the CE family of
businesses, which holds
many branches such as
concrete, construction,
and waste services. He
was shaped by every as
pect of the Lee County
School System while
his parents instilled in
him discipline, work
ethic, and making the
most out of opportuni
ties, which is evident
throughout his career.
During his time at Lee
County High School,
Mr. Wiggins was
known as a student-ath
lete and a friend to all.
He was a starter on the
varsity baseball and
football teams, play
ing various positions.
He was also a member
of the Fellowship of
Christian Athletes and
has been described
by former classmates,
teachers, and coaches
as upbeat, positive, and
competitive. Mr. Wig
gins says that being a
student-athlete helped
him grow as a team
player and demonstrated
to him how embracing
others’ differences also
shapes your charac
ter. These traits which
he exemplified while
attending Lee County
High School would give
him the foundation for
how to be a successful
entrepreneur.
After graduating in
1995, Mr. Wiggins de
cided to forgo college to
stay in Lee County and
pursue farming. Hav
ing grown up around
farming because of his
grandfather, Mr. Wig
gins loved being around
the equipment and the
people, but most of all
loved being able to nur
ture a crop and watch
it grow. With the farm
expanding up to 10,000
acres, Mr. Wiggins’s
work ethic was quickly
shaped as he took on
different obligations.
His nine years of farm
ing taught him how to
manage a business and
how to market him
self. Always looking to
improve, Mr. Wiggins
took what he learned
from his mentors, start
ed applying it to other
business endeavors, and
decided to move into
the auction business.
After nine years of
auctioning farmland, he
moved into investment
opportunities with his
lifelong friend resulting
in Concrete Enterprise
in 2015.
After the positive
response to Concrete
Enterprise, Mr. Wiggins
see Alumni,
Page 2A
LCMS West Teacher
of the Year 2023-2024
Special to the Ledger
LCMS West is proud
to announce that Mrs.
Lacey Ragin is their
Teacher of the Year for
2023-2024!
Mrs. Ragin is a sev
enth-grade Life Science
and Social Studies
teacher and serves in a
leadership position as
the Science Department
Chair at the Lee County
Middle School West
Campus. She notably
introduced a successful
school-wide Science Fair
program, encouraging
hands-on learning and
student participation.
In addition, Mrs. Ragin
hosts the STEM club,
further demonstrating
her commitment to pro
moting science educa
tion beyond the class
room. She has 19 years
of teaching experience
and is on Team Force.
Outside the classroom,
Alex Harrell Sets World Record
Soybean Yield Asgrow Brand®
Lacey Ragin
she loves spending time
with her family back
packing and explorid-
ing the great outdoors.
She is married to Clint
Ragin and is the proud
parent of four children:
Jessica (27), Cole (25),
Brylie (14), and Brook-
lynn (9).
Congratulations, Mrs.
Ragin!
Special to the Ledger
Georgia farmer Alex
Harrell of Smithville
set the world record for
soybean yield with an
average 206.7 bushels
per acre. The yield was
harvested August 23 and
verified by the Universi
ty of Georgia extension.
Harrell achieved the
record with Asgrow®
AG48X9 brand soy
beans.
“We knew it was going
to be very good, but
maybe not quite this
good,” said Alex Har
rell, Georgia Farmer and
World Record Soybean
Yield Title Holder.
“There’s no silver bullet
when it comes to high
yields, but it’s important
to have good products,
people and timing. It
took a lot of advanced
planning and attention
to late-season manage
ment. We put in a lot of
hard work, and we’re
excited to have reached
DOHERTY, DUGGAN,
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P.O.Box 71628 (229)888-2040
Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040
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www.ddhtins.com
Lee County
Commission
will meet
Tuesday,
September 12
at 6:00 p.m.
The meeting
will be
held at the
T. Page Tharp
Governmental
Building
LCMS West Classified
Employee of the Year
Special to the Ledger
LCMS West is proud
to announce that Mrs.
Mitzi Odom is their
Classified Employee of
the Year for 2023-2024!
Mrs. Odom is current
ly our bookkeeper, but
you may find her filling
in as a secretary, sub
stitute teacher, errand
runner, project manager,
baker, popcorn popper,
field day supervisor,
decorator, nurse, garden
er, landscaper, and plan
ner. Whatever the task
is, she is there to get the
job done. Mitzi is a very
dedicated and motivated
person who gives her
best to accomplish every
Mitzi Odom
job she is asked to do.
Her willingness to help
is just one of her many
wonderful attributes.
Congratulations to
Mrs. Odom for a job
well done!
this record level.”
Harrell’s world record
soybean yield is indic
ative of advancements
in precision breeding,
biotechnology and
increased knowledge of
farm management prac
tices. These components
continue to drive crop
performance and play an
important role in safely
increasing the global
food supply as farmers
continue to feed a grow
ing population expected
to increase to 9 billion
people by 2050.
“We congratulate
Alex on this phenom
enal achievement of
setting the new all-time
soybean yield world
record,” said Clint
Chaffer, Asgrow Brand
Manager. “Farmers and
their success are vital to
a healthy society, but it’s
not an easy job - there
are many challenges we
can’t control. Asgrow
soybeans is proud to
offer product solutions
to help optimize crop
performance. We want
farmers to push yield
boundaries and unlock
the potential of Asgrow
soybean technology.
It’s at that moment that
we are able to learn
more about the crop
for optimized input use
and productivity in the
future.”
The growing season
Harrell experienced
was favorable with mild
conditions, other than
two weather events of
excess rain producing
emergence challenges
and flooding. Asgrow
AG48X9 brand is a late
group 4 indeterminate
soybean with good
emergence, standability
and high-yield potential.
The plant is bushy in
stature with medium-tall
height. The product has
shown resistance to
SCN and southern stem
canker. The product has
a broad fit from the Del
ta to the upper and lower
Southeast region.
“I’m used to soybeans
being about in that 40
bushel-average range,”
said Doug Collins,
University of Georgia
Lee County Extension
Agent. “Neither Alex
or I thought the yield
would be that high, but
it was fantastic. I’m
thrilled for Alex.”
“Alex was really
excited to see this type
of yield come across
the yield monitor, and
we’re just excited to be
a part of it,” said Craig
Lane, local Asgrow
Field Representative. “A
systems approach with
several products was
key to Alex’s success.
Some of the products he
used included Climate
FieldView™, Roundup
PowerMAX® 3 herbi
cide and XtendiMax®
herbicide with Vapor-
Grip® Technology, a
restricted use herbicide.”
For more information
about Asgrow product
solutions, contact your
local dealer and visit
Asgrow.com.
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