GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE - TOMMY IRVIN, COMMISSIONER Vol. 92T No. 3 ^9 Cdim Timm Wednesday, February 11,2009 5Copyright 2009 Farm Front '08 Crop Production Better Than Expected Step Up, Stand Out- Natl. FFA Week '09 It is that time of year again for the Georgia FFA Association to participate in National FFA Week; February 21-28,2009. This week is observed not only by students in Georgia, but by over half a million students from the state of Alaska to Puerto Rico and from the state of Maine to Hawaii. The National FFA Organization is the world's largest youth-led organization, and this week is used to spread the word about the education and life skills gained by students in agricultural education. This year's theme is Step Up, Stand Out! Our guest columnist this week is Colton Farrow, 2008-2009 Georgia FFA President, Georgia FFA Association, 316 Poultry Science - UGA, Athens, GA 30602; (706) 542-8990; www.georgiajfa.org. A very significant event held to celebrate FFA week in Georgia is the FFA Day at the Capitol. Students, chapter advisors, (Continued on Page 12) Five farmers from throughout Georgia have been selected as district winners to be considered for the Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award. The award is presented each year to the farmer who has best demonstrated good stewardship of all aspects of the environment in his or her farming practices. This year's district winners are Tom Bradbury of Bleckley County, Wayne McKinnon of Coffee County, Will Harris of Early County, Billy Max James of Gilmer County, and Terry Chandler of Madison County. District winners were selected for incorporating exemplary management and conservation practices into their operations that protect and conserve Georgia's natural resources. Winners were selected by a panel of judges from each of five districts. The state winner will be selected by a panel of judges that will travel to each district winner's farm to view the operation's environmentally friendly farming methods. Governor Perdue will present the award to the state winner March 17 during the Sixth Annual Agriculture Awareness Week Kick-off Celebration at the Georgia Railroad Depot in Atlanta. According to the crop summary released by the Georgia Field Office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service last month, some of Georgia's major crops fared better in 2008 that originally projected. During the 2008 crop year, weather conditions were warmer and drier than normal. The spring was dry over most of the state, and this trend continued through most of the summer, although the southern portion of Georgia received more rain than other parts of the state. Temperatures for the spring and summer were above normal, and showers became more frequent during late August and early September. These showers proved beneficial to crops, and the dry fall provided for excellent harvesting conditions. Considering the weather conditions during the growing season. Farmland Edition Deadline Draws Near The Spring Farmland Edition of the Market Bulletin will be published March 11,2009; deadline for this issue is Feb. 18, 2009. Please adhere to the following guidelines when submitting farmland advertisements for the farmland edition. (Continued on Page 12) yields for some crops were much better than earlier anticipated. Following is a summary of the production for some of the state's main crops: Cotton yield per harvested acre averaged 840 pounds, three pounds less than the previous estimate, but 39 pounds more than last year's yield. Planted acreage was set at 940,000 acres. At 920,000 acres, harvested acreage was 20,000 acres less than the December estimate, and 75,000 acres less than last year. Georgia's production in 2008 is expected to total 1.61 million bales (480 lbs ./bale), down three percent from the 1.66 million produced in 2007. Com yield was 140 bushels per harvested acre, which is a state record. This yield was 15 bushels more than the previous estimate and 13 bushels more than last year's 127 bushels per acre. Com planted for all purposes was 370,000 acres, 140,000 acres less than in 2007. Acreage harvested for grain was at 310,000 acres, 140,000 acres less than last year. Grain production was 43.4 million bushels, down 24 percent from 2007. Com harvested for silage numbered 45,000 acres, up 5,000 acres from last year. Silage yield was 18 (Continued on Page 12) Notice Statistics Service Releases Results of Census of Agriculture The Georgia Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the National Agricultural Statistics Service, hosted a press briefing in Atlanta last week to release results of the 2007 Census of Agriculture. Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin, Deputy Commissioner Terry Coleman and NASS Georgia Field Office Director'Doug Kleweno discussed some of the findings and answered questions about the census. Kleweno, whose office gathered information on Georgia agriculture for the census, explained how the survey was conducted and how important the information is to policy makers and agricultural stakeholders. "The information provided from the Census is really the voice of our nation's farmers and ranchers," Kleweno said. He noted that the data can be a valuable tool to help farmers and ranchers make informed decisions about the future of their operations. Kleweno also explained that the 2007 census process allowed respondents to provide data via the Internet, with five percent of respondents utilizing this option. He further explained that farmers in the Southeast had the least access to Internet services among the other regions of the country. Deputy Commissioner Coleman noted that the. number of farms with internet access increased to 53 percent in 2007, but high speed internet access was reported on only 36 percent of Georgia operations. He said this was evidence of the need to provide more broadband access to Georgia farms and he encouraged those in the audience to contact their Congressmen to help increase access to this technology for the state's rural communities. Coleman pointed out some of the changes that have occurred in Georgia agriculture since the 2002 census, such as the reduction in cropland acres due to urban sprawl and the aging farm population. "The average age for principal farm operators increased from 56.5 years in 2002 to 57.8 years in 2007," Coleman said. (Continued on Page 12) Doug Kleweno (center), director of the Georgia Field Office for the National Agricultural Statistics Service, answered questions about the 2007 Census of Agriculture, which was released Feb. 4 at the Georgia Department of Agriculture headquarters in Atlanta. Joining 'Kleweno at the press briefing were Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Terry Coleman (left) and Commissioner Tommy Irvin. Ad Deadline for the March 11 issue is noon, Feb. 25 3CJ Os bJj Oo <