GFB新闻杂志

第45届博览会庆祝东南农业

by Jay Stone & 詹妮弗·惠塔克

发布于2023年1月30日上午11:33

阳光地带农业博览会今年举行了第45届展会，大自然母亲祝福了10月11日举行的活动. 17-19日，天气极好:秋高气爽的早晨，随后是阳光明媚的日子，最高气温只有70多华氏度.

乔治亚州农场局, 哪个是45年的参展商, greeted Expo guests at the Georgia Ag Building as they streamed through the main gate under the water tower and behind the flight tower. GFB staff talked with attendees about the many activities the organization does to promote agriculture to consumers and students and how GFB represents farmers and rural communities in Atlanta and D.C.

GFB’s exhibit also gave attendees the chance to write a thank-you note to a Georgia farmer for growing food to feed us, 棉花做我们的衣服, 还有建造房屋的木材.  These notes will be displayed at the GFB convention in December for Georgia farmers from across the state to see.

佐治亚农业体验移动教室, 由乔治亚农业基金会协调, 在乔治亚农业大楼附近展出. Attendees had the chance to learn about Georgia’s top economic sector through interactive computer games that give participants the chance to raise broilers in a modern poultry house and drive tractors through peanut and cotton fields.

Arkansas farmer Steve Cobb was named the 2024 Sunbelt Ag Expo Southeastern farmer of the Year during the Willie B. 威瑟斯博览会午餐. 科布农场是一家合伙企业，成立于50多年前. 如今，它拥有4500英亩土地(2500英亩租用，2000英亩自有)，种植成排作物，生产和展示猪. 合伙企业由三个实体组成:1)史蒂夫·科布 & Family是一家领先的展示猪养殖场，每年生产1头,000 plus show pigs a year as well as breeding stock for club pig production; 2) Cane Island Farms oversee production of corn, cotton, and peanuts; 3) The Cane Island Produce branch grows vegetables, 专营全年温室番茄.

作为总冠军, 科布和他的妻子, Terri, won a $15,000 cash prize, 使用Massey Ferguson拖拉机一年或250小时(以先到者为准), 阳光地带农业博览会的夹克, 海斯烟机/烤架从海斯LTI, 还有一支来自赖因克灌溉公司的亨利枪械美国农民致敬版步枪.

Colquitt County Farm Bureau members Bart and Paula Davis represented Georgia in the 2023 Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year contest. 戴维斯家种植棉花和花生，并饲养纯种和F1安格斯 & 赫里福德牛. 作为佐治亚的赢家, 戴维斯夫妇得到了2美元,500现金奖励和由大赛赞助商支付的参观阳光地带博览会的费用. 每个州的获胜者和提名者都获得了一件来自阳光地带农业博览会的背心. 莫尔特里·科尔奎特公司. 商会给每个州的获胜者一个当地的纪念品. 此外，梅西弗格森北美公司为每个州的获胜者提供了一份大礼包. 

2023年度农民计划的赞助者是:梅西·弗格森, 哈珀家族控股公司, 阿拉巴马州农民联合会, 阿肯色州农业局, 佛罗里达州农业局, 乔治亚州农场局, 肯塔基州农业局, 密西西比州农业局, 北卡罗来纳州农业局, 南卡罗来纳州农业局, 田纳西州农业局, 维吉尼亚农场局, 东南农场出版社/农场进展, Hays LTI和Reinke. 这些新赞助商继承了斯威舍斯的衣钵, 之前是谁赞助了这个奖项32年. 任何有兴趣支持世博会年度农民奖的人都可以访问www.sunbeltexpo.com/foty. 捐款是免税的.

A total of $1,284,000 in cash awards and other honors have been awarded to 286 Southeastern farmers since the award was initiated in 1990.

Beef 101

Beef producers attending Expo had the chance to attend Top Hand demos each day at the Priefert Arena on the west side of the Beef Pavilion. These demos highlighted the UGA Extension Top Hand Stockmanship/Stewardship Contest for 9th-12th grade students while also hearing tips for working cattle. Visit www.ugabeef.comm/tophand  to learn more about the contest that teaches students about Beef Quality Assurance best practices for raising cattle.

在10月11日的一次会议上. 17, Jason King with Priefert’s Ranch Equipment encouraged cattle producers to invest in a set of scales to weigh cattle while giving them vaccines and tagging them.

“给牛称重是你能做的最重要的事情之一. 在一天结束的时候，我们正在努力增加小牛的体重，”金说. “当你断奶的时候给你的小牛称重，然后在接近销售时间的时候再称重, 你就可以了解你的奶牛妈妈产的是什么类型的小牛. 如果你不给你的牛称重，你所做的就是猜测你的小牛有多重.”

UGA Extension Beef Specialist Jason Duggin shared tips for implementing Beef Quality Assurance best practices when working cattle.

Duggin encouraged producers to use a clean needle on each cow when giving vaccines or at the least to use the same needle on no more than 10 cattle.

“你能赚到的最好的钱就是扔掉15美分的针头. 每头牛都需要一根干净的针头，以避免可能导致脓肿的感染风险.  至少每10头牛换一次针. 扔掉15-20美分的针头会让你赚钱."

在普里费特竞技场的其他日常会议上, 养牛专家讨论了养牛业的现状, Weaver Livestock gave tips on “Daily Care for Cattle Show Hair” and experienced livestock exhibitors gave fitting demos.

甜蜜的阿拉巴马

阿拉巴马州是2023年世博会的焦点州. Expo guests who visited the Spotlight State Building were able to take a virtual road trip through Alabama and learn about the state’s major commodities and parts of the state where they are grown.

You couldn’t help but hum the words "Sweet Grown A-la-bam-a" to a familiar tune with a similar name as you left the building. 这个口号是阿拉巴马州农业部推广阿拉巴马州农业的主题.

展览突出了阿拉巴马州的花生 & cotton crops grown in the state’s Wiregrass region; its pecan crop grown in Central Alabama; poultry grown in East Alabama; agritourism found in the north part of the state; the corn & soybean crops grown in Northwest Alabama; the peaches & strawberries grown in Central Alabama; timber grown in Southwest Alabama; catfish grown in Southern Alabama from the east to west borders and cattle raised across the state but predominantly in western Alabama.

展览强调的阿拉巴马州的事实包括:阿拉巴马州在美国排名第二.S. (在乔治亚州后面)用于肉鸡生产(为食用而饲养的鸡). 阿拉巴马州在美国排名第二.S. 鲶鱼生产. 阿拉巴马州在美国本土排名第三.S. 用于木材面积.

农民心理健康

On. Oct. 18, 乔治亚州行为健康和发育残疾部门(DBHDD)专员凯文·坦纳说, 乔治亚州农业部专员泰勒·哈珀说, and Dr. 劳拉Perry-Johnson, 乔治亚大学负责推广的副院长, 发起了全州范围的合作，以解决农场工人的心理健康问题. These state leaders held Georgia’s first listening forum with notable members of Georgia’s farm and faith communities followed by a press conference announcing this multi-agency effort at the Sunbelt Ag Expo in Moultrie.

“我们对解决农民心理健康问题的承诺是坚定不移的. We believe in the power of collaboration and the importance of reducing stigma while creating resources that truly support our farming communities,” said Tanner. “这一共同努力将播下希望的种子, resilience, and recovery, nurturing the mental well-being of those who sustain our agricultural heritage and guide our spiritual journeys.”

乔治亚州DBHDD. 农业和佐治亚合作推广大学共投资了5美元.自2019冠状病毒病大流行以来，2600万美元用于为农业社区量身定制的规划. 乔治亚州农场局 and the Georgia Foundation for Agriculture will also provide their resources during this statewide collaboration.

DBHDD已经投入了近200万美元来解决格鲁吉亚农村地区日益严重的心理健康危机. 通过危机网络倡议, $317,000 of this funding will support educating faith leaders who often serve as a primary resource to farmers experiencing a mental health crisis. 在过去的四年里，超过1美元.2 million has been spent on partnerships with faith leaders to address opioid and substance use disorders and overdoses. 通过全州范围的营销活动, 该部已拨款450美元,用于教育农村社区, farmers, 以及宗教领袖关于988自杀和危机生命线的信息.

乔治亚州农业部已经投入了500美元,000美元的心理健康资源和意识使用美国农业部NIFA格鲁吉亚健康农民心态补助金. 在过去的五年里, 这笔资金已专门用于各种关键举措, 包括培训, outreach, education, 以及与伙伴机构的合作. 培训工作包括工作人员和公众宣传, 经验丰富的培训, 以及法律和财务培训. 这笔拨款还支持了国会大厦精神健康日等活动, 精神健康宣传月, 以及世界精神卫生日. 在哈珀局长的领导下, 该部门还加大努力，精简现有的州资源，用于农场工人的心理健康.

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension also recognized an increased need for assistance in farming and rural communities, 尤其是在2018年飓风“厄玛”和“迈克尔”之后, 导致以农民压力为重点的教育机会的扩大. COVID-19大流行进一步加剧了压力, 这促使佐治亚大学扩展部在这一领域教育和扩大人员，并投资了460多美元,在这项努力中投入了1000万美元, 还有200美元,额外资源. 佐治亚大学扩展部成立了一个行为健康小组，由各种各样的专家组成，获得了近2美元的资金.自2020年以来，为行为健康和农村压力工作拨款200万美元. 在过去十年中, UGA扩展已收到超过2700万美元的赠款资金，以支持一般健康和保健. 佐治亚大学的“佐治亚农村:变得更强”项目也提供讲习班, online courses, 以及改善农民及其家庭心理健康状况的整体方法.

解决农民心理健康和福祉的紧迫问题, 将在全州举行几场倾听论坛，以促进理解, compassion, 以及格鲁吉亚农业和宗教团体的支持. 这些论坛旨在减少围绕心理健康的污名, 提高对这些社区面临的独特挑战的认识, 并协作构建适合其特定需求的资源, 确保没有农民在斗争中感到孤独.

默瑟大学乔治亚农村健康创新中心在2022年进行的一项研究, 与乔治亚农业基金会合作, 强调了农民面临的重大心理健康挑战.

1的调查,651名受访者透露，令人震惊的是，96%的农民承受着中度到高度的压力. 近一半的受访者表示感到悲伤或沮丧，39%的人感到绝望.

调查显示，29%的农民每月至少想过一次自杀, 42%的农民在过去12个月里至少想过一次自杀. 大多数农民报告说，他们无法接触到心理医生(电话、网络或面对面)。. 大约60%的农民得不到基本医疗保健.

道路安全

During an Oct. 世博会新闻发布会, the Governor's Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) announced it is once again partnering with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to remind drivers to watch for and safely pass farm equipment when traveling in rural areas. 这一联合行动的标题为“让位于方向盘后”.”

秋收正如火如荼, Georgia farmers are on the road moving equipment from field to field and transporting their crops to buying points. 政府卫生服务处亦提醒司机遵守车速限制的重要性, 系好安全带, 保持对道路的关注，以帮助防止农村地区的撞车事故.

根据美国国家公路交通安全管理局(NHTSA), 2020年，美国43%的交通死亡事故发生在农村地区, 尽管根据美国人口普查数据，该地区占全国人口的19%.S. 不到全国总里程数的三分之一. 

根据NHTSA的死亡分析报告系统(FARS), 2020年，52%死于农村乘用车事故的人没有系安全带, 相比之下，在美国，49%的城市乘用车事故死亡人数是死于车祸的.S. in 2020. 

根据乔治亚州交通部的说法, ten people have been killed in 363 crashes involving farm and construction vehicles in the state over a five-year period from 2017-2021. 数据显示，在乔治亚州，40%的交通事故都与司机分心有关.