About The wiregrass farmer. (Ashburn, Ga.) 1984-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 2018)
November 6, General Election October 15, 2018 First day of Early Voting 8 am to 5 pm October 27, 2018 Saturday, voting 9 am to 4 pm November 2, 2018 Last day of Early Voting November 6, 2018 ELECTION DAY 7 am to 7 pm ™ Wireorass Farmer Wednesday, October 17, 2018 ASHBURN,GA, 31714 VOL 109 - No. 42 • 500 www.thewiregrassfarmer.com f.Around Town\ Subscribe to The Wiregrass Farmer Delivered in your mail every week Call 567-3655 TOTY Reception The Teacher of the Year reception is Monday, Oct. 29th 5-6:30 p.m. at the Civic Center conference room. The system Teacher of the Year announcement is 6 p.m. The public is in vited to attend. Helen Jordan day Attn: Former Choir Members, MYF, Reach Out, and Music Students. You are invited to Honor your Music Teacher Satur day, Nov. 3rd at 2pm. Cake and Beverages served. See inside page 12 for details. Chamber centen nial Did you know that 2019 is the 100 Year Anniversary of the Chamber? Our theme next year for the Banquet will be Roaring 20's. We are encouraging folks to dress up asking for anyone that would like to let us borrow any old photos or annuals (yearbooks) they have of Turner County through the century for that night. Separate debris Ashburn residents: When you pile leaves and limbs at curbside, please separate limbs from the leaves and pine straw. The City's street vac can pick up the leaves and straw. The boom truck can pick up limbs. When you separate the leaves and limbs, pick up goes faster and takes fewer employees. Birth certificates Need a certified birth certificate? If you were bom in the State of Georgia, the Turner County Probate Court may be able to pro vide you with a certified copy. For more information call Probate Court Judge Penny Thomas at 567-2151. Obituaries Marjorie Murray Shin- gler, 95 Complete obituary information Page 5 V J Compared to other communities, Turner County damage light A Southern icon was taken down by Hurricane Michael last week. Georgia’s official peanut monument stood since the 1970s. Sarah Cook has started a Go Fund Me account to raise money to restore the monument. Damage across Turner County was light, compared to parts of Georgia west and south of here and especially compared to what happened in Florida. https://www.gofundme.com/restore-ashburns-big-peanut More damage photos inside. A I _J Praise for This home in the Hannerville neighborhood was destroyed by the tree crushing it. No one was hurt. The damage toll so far Farmers hit hard by rain, winds Damage worst in west by Will Gay Turner County Extension Agriculture in the county received a direct hit last week from Hurri cane Michael. From an Extension Agents point of view, I would like to discuss impacts from the storm, and how to manage crops from this point out. Though Turner County farms received some structural damage, the most apparent loss currently is the 2018 cotton crop. To understand how great a loss this was, one must first realize the quality of what was in the field. With good growing condi tions this summer, along with steady rainfall, this crop was going to be a true bumper crop that we have not experienced in several years. This storm was more devastating than Irma was in 2017 because it happened a month later. A large portion of the crop was defoliated or ready for de foliation. For those with little agricultural knowledge, this means that 75% or more of the bolls in these fields were open and this lint was vulnerable to the storm. Peanuts did not experience as much loss as cotton. The largest loss here will be due to delay in harvest and possibly reduced stem strength in situa tions that peanuts contain mod erate to severe levels of disease. (See FARM Page 2) Hurricane Michael likely dealt the biggest single blow to Turner County in the history of the county. Damage ex ceeds the Tide plant ex plosion in the 90s and any tornados that came through the County. The damage is so high be cause it is so widespread. Tor nados rip a path that is a few hundred yards across. Michael tore through the entire county. Damage got worse moving from the east to the west. Turner County Emergency Management Agency Director Mark Robinson was out Mon day doing a damage assess ment. Details are expected later this week. “I could not give you a number right now,” he said. Mr. Robinson’s property was damaged as well. “My bam is totally gone. It destroyed the place. The bam hit the house on the way by,” he said. HIGH WINDS Reported winds here gusted to more than 80 miles an hour. Terry Snyder, in Brownsville, said his wind meter next to the house hit 45 miles an hour. He suspects the wind was much higher a few yards high into the air. A tree demolished a shed in his back yard. (See MICHAEL Page 2) cleanup Response crews were on the job Thursday morning as soon as it was light. Ashburn City Manager Tanita Norris, County Manager Joe Saxon, Rebecca Mayor Don Collins and Sycamore Mayor Wayne Woodruff had solid praise for the public works departments. Rebecca, on the far eastern edge of Turner County, had the least amount of damage. They also had words of praise for the volunteers who showed up to help with cleanups. “I just ask that people be pa tient. With as much debris as we have, it will take our em ployees some time to pick everything up,” Ms. Norris said. “Please do not put fallen limbs and trees in the road, but on the edge. We will get to it.” Mayor Woodruff said the same applies to Sycamore. No injuries No storm injuries were re ported in Turner County. A minor incident during cleanup was called in, but the person was not taken to the hospital. Relief help As with the tornado that ripped through Turner County not long ago, help is on the way from various relief agen cies and the government. Exact details will be announced as soon as the various agencies announce that information. 8 66670 00023 4 500 - tax included This space available. Your ad runs 4 or more weeks. Get your business noticed! Call Chuck at 567-3655 Wed Mostly Sunny Thur Partly Sunny Fri Mostly Cloudy Sat Mostly Cloudy Sun Mostly Sunny o 70 48 Hurricane season brings a humbling reminder that, despite our technologies, most of nature remains unpredictable. Diane Ackerman Two things Florida can teach the other 49 states: how to make a good margarita and how to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane. Tom Feeney
