New Faculty Tour: Got Milk?

Written by Beverly Johnson, public service assistant in governmental services and research, and Mara Register, public service assistant in governmental training, education and development, of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. 

Thursday started out bright and early with a visit to the University of Georgia experimental station in Tifton. Our visit to the facility was hosted by Dr. Joe West. This world renowned research facility was established in 1918 on land donated by Captain H.H. Tifton. More than 500 employees representing twenty-two countries work at the station. It is co-located with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and contains more than 2,200 acres of field laboratories.

We had the opportunity to see the progress of the Future Farmstead Project, a residential farm structure and site that will support research focused on sustainability and energy efficiency in farm facilities. We then heard from Dr. Charles Douglas who provided additional information about the experimental station during our visits to the dairy and peanut crop research field. The dairy was an amazing facility financially self-sufficient from milk sales. The dairy industry has an annual economic impact in our state of more than $780 million. One milk cow can produce 100 pounds of milk every day...and there are more than 80,000 milk cows in Georgia! Got Milk? You bet! It was an incredible visit with people passionate about agriculture and the key economic role it plays in our state and country.

Five fun facts:

• Ninety-five percent of milk production in the United States comes from Holstein cows.
• Georgia is the top producer in the country for pecans, peanuts and poultry.
• In 2012, Georgia became the top producing state for blueberries
• Georgia produces 35 commercial vegetable crops and is third in the country for overall vegetable production. 
• Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton has an annual enrollment of 3,300 students from eighteen states and 20 foreign countries. 

New Faculty Tour: Jaemor Farms

Written by Tim Quigley, assistant professor in the department of management in the Terry College of Business. Quigley moved to Athens 3 weeks ago from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. 

The UGA New Faculty Tour rolled into Jaemor Farms early Tuesday morning for breakfast and discussions with local and state agriculture officials.

Jaemor is a fifth-generation family farm turned tourist destination serving up peaches, apples, berries, tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables. It was interesting to hear how the younger generation argued for installation of a corn maze. The boost in traffic at the farm helped grow the pumpkin harvest and sales from 5,000 in 2006 to more than 30,000 in 2010.

We heard from Commissioner Gary Black of the Department of Agriculture who highlighted Jaemor's sustainability, noting that they were "green" long before it was trendy. Highlighting Jaemor's 100+ year history, he also noted that sustainability is not just about being organic or environmental but also includes ensuring there's profit from the family farm this year and an opportunity to make a profit in the years to come.

Commissioner Black also highlighted the growing importance of locally grown food as people begin to see a connection between national security, personal security and food security. He believes this will provide growth opportunities for Georgia's farmers.

The visit to Jaemor concluded with a tractor tour of the farm, samples of fresh blackberries and a quick stop in the market before boarding the bus for our next stop.

Photo courtesy of the Georgia Small Business Development Center in Columbus.