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PAGE 2A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. JANUARY 19. 2023
“So You Want to Start a Farm?”
Local non-profit offers class for new, would-be farmers
Reyna Riddle / Photo
Lee Riddle of Jasper is one of several new farmers
speaking at NexGen Farming Institute's first educational
event January 21. He and wife, Reyna, started Riddle Fam
ily Farms in 2021, and created the farming institute to
teach others. NexGen received USDA funding for the four-
part series, So You Want to Be a Farmer?, and tickets are
available at NexGen Farming Institute’s Facebook page.
Pictured are Mr. Riddle holding Avery, a purebred Berk
shire pig, and his son, Liam, 5.
Four-part seminar-
series begins Jan. 21
with focus on land
acquisition
By Jennifer Paire
Contributing Writer
Agriculture and real estate
experts from North Georgia
will show new and aspiring
farmers how to dig into land
acquisition opportunities at
NexGen Farming Institute’s
first educational event on
Jan. 21,2023.
Part of an initiative to
groom a new generation of
farmers, “So You Want to
Start a Farm?” is the first in
a four-part series sponsored
by the USDA and speakers
will include representatives
of the agency’s farm pro
grams and new farmers.
The event is from 10
a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hinton
Community Center, 9261
Highway 53 in Jasper with
lunch included. Tickets can
be purchased for $ 15 on Nex
Gen Farming Institute’s face-
book page, and discounts are
available for veterans and
women farmers.
The non-profit and educa
tional series were created by
Jasper hog farmers Lee and
Reyna Riddle, who estab
lished Riddle Family Farms
in Jasper in 2021 using a re
generative organic farming
approach - a low-capital
strategy that rehabilitates the
soil and surrounding ecology
to create an environment for
healthy, pasture-raised, or
ganic food.
Their hogs eat, root, wal
low and fertilize their way
through paddocks bounded
by two strands of electric
fencing, tilling the soil and
saving the Riddles money on
expensive farm equipment
and infrastructure. The ma
jority of the Riddle’s 45-acre
farm is wooded and once
cleared by the hogs will host
cattle. The farm is also home
to a combined flock of more
than 100 free-range, egg-lay
ing chickens and pasture-
raised meat broilers
participating in the regenera
tive process by fertilizing and
controlling pests.
“We want to educate as
many people in the commu
nity as we can about what we
do, and we have partnered
with five or six local veterans
associations hoping to find
and help veterans transition
out of the service and into
farming,” said Lee Riddle, a
U.S. Navy veteran.
“I think that with the
Navy and military overall
there’s a lot of bureaucracy
involved but there’s a lot of
training and motivation to
lead and be a self-starter and
take pride in what you do,”
said Mr. Riddle. “I think that
directly translates to farming
and the nice thing about
farming is you don’t have to
deal with all the bureaucracy
because you are the king on
your own land and you can
take what you learned and
apply it to farming and not
have to deal with all the red
tape.”
In addition to the Riddle’s
story, attendees will hear
from dairy farmer Joey
Roland of Jasper and Caleb
Arnold of Ever Wilder Farm
in Ellijay, an educational
plant sanctuary offering fea
turing native medicinal and
food plants and rare wild-
flowers.
Expert speakers
will include:
Sharon Swagger, USDA-
NRCS state easement spe
cialist, who will talk about
funding opportunities that
can help with land trusts and
other essentials such as fenc
ing and water supplies.
George Kimberly, execu
tive director of the Mountain
Conservation Trust of Geor
gia, a group that can provide
lower cost land with previ
ously negotiated easements.
Lori Martin, vice presi
dent of Norton Realty Group
and specialist on farming
property in North Georgia,
who will share the 2023
Farm Land Real Estate Out
look for the region.
Shantelle Turner, FSA
farm loan manager, a division
of the USDA offering loans
to farmers and ranchers.
Lori Martin, a real estate
veteran with more than 25
years experience in North
Georgia, said she doesn’t ex
pect land to depreciate this
year but the real estate mar
ket could provide a sweet
spot for beginning farmers
looking for smaller tracts of
land. As interest rates
rose last March national
home builder groups, which
had been gobbling up prop
erty in response to housing
shortages, paused land ac
quisition efforts opting to
focus on developments un
derway.
“The industrial areas are
still moving but that is not
where most hobby farmers
are buying,” she said. “In
Pickens County there are a
lot of large farms but not a lot
of farming because the resi
dents are older so we have
big tracts that are opportuni
ties to parcel and sell smaller
sections targeting the under
50-acre buyer.”
Other industry leaders
will include Ag-Pro, a John
Deere dealer in Jasper, Pick
ens County Extension Agent
Justin Fellenbaum, a repre
sentative of the local Cattle
men's Association and
Southern Brush, which offers
forestry and tree removal in
North Georgia.
Part 2 in the series is
planned for April and will
feature Tyler Harper, Geor
gia’s new Department of
Agriculture Commissioner,
and farm equipment demon
strations.
For more information
contact Reyna Riddle, nex-
genfarminginstitute@gmail
.com, 770-891-7251.
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Knights of Columbus • Georgia Mountains Hospice • Rotary Club of Jasper
(Jeorgia ‘Mountains ‘Hospice, the (Effijay and jasper Councifs
of the “Knights of Cofumhus and the (Rotary Cfuh of Jasper
invite you toy anticipate in the
i8tfi!AnnuaC
2023 Mardi Cyras in the Mountains
ii( A Cja(a Charity) Event CeCehratmg Life.”
‘this year's dinner and dance wiff trufy he a spectacufar event
with great music, a sdent auction and the
annuah coronation of the
2023 (Ring and Queen (hfonor Court.
We are offering a discountedprice for earfy ticket safes, so re
serve your tahfe today.
Pickens County Queen
Nominee
Michelle Tidwell
Saturday, February 18, 2023
6:30pm - 11:00pm
Appalachian Campus of Chattahoochee
Technical College
You may vote at any time
up until the day of the event by
• Mailing votes to Georgia Mountains Hospice,
70 Caring Way, Jasper, GA 30143
• Going to the website -
https:/ / mardigrasinthemountains.org
• Scan QR code
• or call Georgia Mountains Hospice office at
706-253-4100 or 800-692-7199.
For questions concerning the event contact
Gina Pendley at numbers above
or Gpendley200@ellijay.c0m
Pickens County King
Nominee
Matt Chastain
Scan QR
Code to vote
for Queen
December 1st - February 5th $75.00
(December 1st - February 5th ) purchase table of ten for $70.00 ($700.00 total)
February 6th - February 12th $80.00
(February 6th - February 12th ) purchase table of ten for $75.00 ($750.00 total)
February 13th - February 18th $85.00
(no table discount)
Scan QR
Code to vote
for King
“Laissez Ces Sons temps rotifer”