Georgia Multicultural Sustainable Agriculture Conference
April 17, 2014
8:00 am-4:00pm  

Location: Georgia National Fairgrounds
Miller-Murphy-Howard Building
401 Larry Walker Parkway, Perry, GA, 31069
Registration Fee: $20 (includes materials and lunch)

This conference will highlight aquaculture, goat production/marketing, row crop farming/irrigation and organic fruit and vegetable production, pecan and forestry management and how to grow International/ethnic foods. Conference participants will attend sessions on how to become eligible and apply for USDA Farm Bill Programs, developing a farm business plan, soil and plant resources, developing a successful conservation plan, risk management, best management practices and engineering design for your farm.

Conference Agenda

Conference Moderator

 Jerome Brown, USDA-NRCS District Conservationist, Lawrenceville Field Office

 

8:00—9:00 Registration (Miller Hall)

9:00 – 9:50

General Session  @  Miller Hall  -  All Groups

 

9:00   Welcome

Ellis Lamme, President Upper Ocmulgee River RC&D Council, Chairman Gwinnett County SWCD 

 

9:05   Conference Preview

Calvin Essex, USDA-NRCS District Conservationist, Perry Field Office

 

9:10   Small Scale Intensive Farming

Dr. James Brown, Professor of Horticulture, Fort Valley State University

 

9:30   Organic/Certified Naturally Grown Fruit and Vegetable Production  

Don Cooper, Farmers Services Coordinator, Georgia Organics 

9:50   Break                                                                                                                

10:00 –11:50   MORNING CONCURRENT BREAKOUTS

PICK THREE OF THE FOUR SESSIONS TO ATTEND

(30 minute session with a 10 min break, repeated at 10:40 and 11:20)

 

 

Growing Farm Profits Kent Wolfe, UGA

Managing Water with Precision Irrigation Andrew Swain, USDA-NRCS

Vine To Wine  Robert Taylor, Tilford Farms

Unlocking the Secrets in Your Soil Sherry Carlson, USDA-NRCS

 

11:50   Break             

 

12:00 – 12:50

Lunch  @   Miller Hall  -  All Groups Keynote Speaker: A Bright Outlook for Georgia Agriculture

 

Dr. Mark Latimore, Jr., Interim Dean of the College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology, Fort Valley State University  

 

12:50   Break

1:00 –2:50   AFTERNOON CONCURRENT BREAKOUTS

PICK THREE OF THE FOUR SESSIONS TO ATTEND

(30 minute session with a 10 minute break, repeated at 1:40 and 2:20)

 

 

Conservation Programs & Financial Incentives James Jackson, USDA-FSA & Calvin Essex, USDA-NRCS

Solar Powered Irrigation Systems Dr. Gary Hawkins, UGA

The Buzz on Bees Jessie McCurdy, GA Bee Keeper Association

A “Hoop”ful Future Eugene Radford, Local Producer & Leon Porter, FVSU Extension

                         

2:50   Break

 

 

3:00-4:00

General Session  @  Miller Hall  -  All Groups Panel Discussion: Simple Steps toward Sustainable Agriculture

 

 

Dr. Mark Latimore, Jr., Interim Dean of the College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology, Fort Valley State University  

Brennan Washington, Managing Member Phoenix Gardens

Donn Cooper, Farmers Services Coordinator, Georgia Organics  

Dr. James Brown, Professor of Horticulture, Fort Valley State University

Calvin Essex, USDA-NRCS District Conservationist 

James Jackson, USDA-FSA

 

Moderated by Daniel Westcot, USDA-NRCS

 

4:00   Door Prizes & Adjourn

Register for the
Perry Conference

SPEAKERS AND BREAKOUT SESSION LEADERS

 

Dr. Mark Latimore, Jr., Interim Dean of the College of Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology, Fort Valley State University  (Fort Valley, GA)

 Dr. Mark Latimore, Jr., currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Land Grant Affairs (Interim) and Extension Administrator, he has served as Interim Dean of the College of  Agriculture, Family Sciences and Technology, head of the department of agricultural instruction, as well as a professor and extension specialist in plant and environmental soil sciences. He began his tenure at Fort Valley State University as an assistant professor of Agronomy in 1984; following a five year tenure as a Research Agronomist with ORTHO-Chevron Chemical Company, Wichita, Kansas/ Burlington, Iowa. 

 A native of Webster County, Georgia, Dr. Latimore earned a bachelor’s degree in agronomy 
from Fort Valley State University, a master’s degree in soil microbiology and biochemistry from 
the University of Georgia, and a doctorate in soil microbiology and biochemistry from the 
University of Missouri-Columbia.  latimorm@fvsu.edu

Dr. James E. Brown, Professor of Horticulture, Fort Valley State University (Fort Valley, GA)

Dr. Brown’s research interest include improving plant growth and production using organic  management systems, regulating plant growth organically and using different colors of plastic mulches and improving plant growth using soil solarization methods. brownj01@fvsu.edu  

Donn Cooper, Farmers Services Coordinator, Georgia Organics (Atlanta, GA) 

Donn Cooper comes from a long line of North Georgia farmers. He was born in Chestnut Mountain in Hall County, where both his father and grandfather have been commercial egg producers and his great-grandfather operated a cotton gin. His family’s farm currently supplies organic and pastured-raised eggs to Whole Foods and Fresh Market, operates a cow-calf herd in Hall and Madison counties and grows Christmas trees for on-farm retails sales. Cooper has managed the Athens Farmers Market, operated a farm-to-table sustainable garden on Cumberland Island and worked briefly in communications for the UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences before coming to Georgia Organics. Currently, he coordinates outreach and educational opportunities for sustainable and organic farmers throughout Georgia. donn@georgiaorganics.org

Kent Wolfe, Director, Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, University of Georgia (Athens, GA)

Kent is a Marketing Analyst and Director of the Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development. His primary responsibility is performing market analysis for proposed feasibility projects. The market analysis includes target market identification, estimating market potential, product positioning, developing marketing strategies and identifying marketing channels. In addition, Kent has experience with a wide variety of value-added agribusiness ventures. He also assists in evaluating the effectiveness of marketing and promotional campaigns. kwolfe@uga.edu

 Andrew Swain, USDA-NRCS Civil Engineer  andrew.swain@ga.usda.gov

Robert E. Taylor, Owner of Tilford Farms, Tilford Landscaping Inc. and Tilford Winery and Vineyards (Kathleen, GA)

Robert Taylor grew up on a family farm in Utica, Mississippi and is the owner of Tilford Farms, Tilford Landscaping Inc. and Tilford Winery and Vineyards. Tilford Farms has been growing muscadine grapes commercially since 1994.  Tilford Winery was established in 2001 and released its first label in 2004.  Managing 30 plus acres of muscadine vineyards within 100 miles radius of the winery, Robert is developing over 100 acres of vineyards in other areas to support the winery. Robert is the Wine master, managing the day to day operation of the winery which includes: trending the grapes, overseeing the harvest, processing the juice, racking and bottling the wine, marketing, training, and administration. A Vineyard Consultant for new growers, additionally Robert works at Robins AFB, GA as an Information Technology Specialist. info@tilfordwinery.com

Sherry Carlson, USDA-NRCS Resource Soil Scientist (Tifton, GA) 

Sherry Carlson is a Resource Soil Scientist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, covering the southwest quarter of the state. Sherry grew up on farm in Terrell County, where her dad grew row crops, and she and her brother managed a swine operation. Sherry graduated from the University of Georgia in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Soil Science and began working for NRCS in January of 1998 as a field soil scientist in the Covington area. In 2006 Sherry became a Resource Soil Scientist and moved to the Tifton area. sherry.carlson@ga.usda.gov

James P. Jackson, USDA Farm Service Agency (Fort Valley, GA)

James P. Jackson, a native of Forsyth, Georgia, is the USDA Farm Loan Officer currently serving Farm Service Agency’s Georgia District 2. James is in his 13^th year of service with the USDA. He is a graduate of Fort Valley State University’s College of Agriculture and a product of the USDA/1890 Scholar’s Program. As an active lifetime member of both FVSU’s Alumni Association & the FVSU Agricultural Alumni Association, he has dedicated himself to giving back to the institution that has given a great deal to others. Currently, he serves as the President for FVSU’s Agricultural Alumni Association. james.jackson@ga.usda.gov

Calvin Essex, USDA-NRCS District Conservationist (Perry, GA)

Calvin S. Essex grew up on a dairy and row crop farm in Marion, AL.  He earned his B.S. Degree in Agribusiness Education from Alabama A& M University.  Calvin has over 25 years of experience working at the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).  This includes four summers as an intern in Virginia, over seven years as a Soil Conservationist in Colorado, over seven years as a Resource Conservationist in Florida and almost seven years in Georgia.  Mr. Essex is currently the NRCS District Conservationist covering Houston, Macon, and Pulaski Counties. calvin.essex@ga.usda.gov 

Gary L. Hawkins, Ph.D., Crop and Soil Science, University of Georgia (Tifton, GA)

Gary L. Hawkins is a Pollution Prevention Specialist in Row Crops at the University of Georgia. He has worked in extension and research related to conservation tillage and bioenergy production from waste products for over six years focusing on water conservation and infiltration in conservation tillage systems with recent interest in anaerobic digestion, solar and wind energy. Focus areas of his work include anaerobic digestion for converting potentially polluting fruit and vegetable waste and animal waste into methane for production of heat or electricity. Through his extension activities, he has authored or coauthored five extension bulletins or circulars and ten conference papers, and he has participated as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-PI in over 20 federal, state, or industry funded projects.  ghawkins@uga.edu

Jessie Mc Curdy, GA Bee Keepers Association (Perry, GA)

Leon Porter, Fort Valley State University, Houston County, Extension Service (Perry, GA)  porterl@fvsu.edu

Daniel Westcot, USDA-NRCS Outreach Coordinator (Perry, GA)

Daniel Westcot has been the state Outreach Coordinator for the USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service in Georgia since 2011.  He works with landowners and producers across the state on introducing them to USDA programs and services, and works with them on their specific needs and identifying resources available to them for assistance.  Prior to working with NRCS Daniel worked as a regional forester with the Georgia Forestry Commission for over five years. He holds a Bachelor of Science in both Forestry and Wildlife Management from the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.  daniel.westcot@ga.usda.gov

Brennan Washington, Managing Member of Phoenix Gardens (Lawrenceville, GA)

Mr. Washington is co-owner of Phoenix Gardens along with his wife, Gwendolyn.  Phoenix Gardens is a small, diversified, Certified Naturally grown farm that grows produce and raises laying hens and meat chickens.  He is a graduate of the Southern University Small Farm Agricultural Leadership Institute and currently serves as a board member of Southern SARE, the sustainable research arm of the USDA.  Mr. Washington ran the Lawrenceville Farmers Market for several years and is currently helping to spearhead efforts to establish a local food hub and flash freezing facility in metro Atlanta.  His interest in developing the local food system led him to accept the task of running Georgia Organics Farmer Mentoring program and he frequently works with beginning farmers looking to start or grow their farms.  Brennan Washington had a long career in information technology management prior to starting a farming career.  brennan@phoenixgardens.net