Sunbelt Field Day reflects Dennis’
impact on Georgia farms

by Jennifer Whittaker, Editor

Calhoun County farmer Jimmy Webb has been named the Georgia Sunbelt Expo Farmer of the Year.

With their fields too wet to work due to the deluge of rain Tropical Storm Dennis brought to Georgia July 10-11, farmers opted to attend the annual Sunbelt Expo Field Day on July 12 and at last saw sunshine.

As the tractor driven trams carried farmers past research plots of peanuts, cotton, corn and soybeans, many farmers saw wet fields and leaning cotton plants similar to what they left at home. Darrell Williams, Sunbelt Farm manager, said the farm received at least six inches of rain from Dennis.

“Our crops are wet. Ninety-four was another wet year, but this year has been more consistently wet. We got twelve inches in June and then the rain this weekend,” Williams said. Williams estimates the Sunbelt Farm has received 26 inches since April 1.

Farms in other parts of the state received more than six inches from Dennis. Steve M. Brown, UGA Extension cotton agronomist, who talked to the farmers about the cotton research the UGA Cotton Team is doing to improve the quality of Georgia grown cotton, said he heard farmers say they got as much as 11-12 inches.

“That’s a lot of rain, but it’s much better to get it in June or July than six weeks from now,” Brown said. “Rain is much more damaging in September.”

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin has estimated that damage caused to Georgia’s crops by Dennis could be above $20 million. Gov. Sonny Perdue’s office is working with the Farm Service Agency to assess damage to Georgia crops that suffered damage from Dennis. Once the assessments are complete, Perdue will request assistance from the USDA should Georgia meet the minimum criteria. Early reports indicate damage has been done to the cantaloupe, peach, peanut, pecan, tobacco and watermelon crops.

Appropriately, one of the stops on the Field Day tour was a weather station that’s one of 63 across Georgia collecting weather data for the Georgia Automated Environmental Monitoring Network (AEMN). In addition to measuring rainfall, the weather station, installed in April, also collects data such as windspeed, air temperature, relative humidity and soil temperature. The information from the station is downloaded via telephone lines to a computer on the CAES-Griffin Campus. This computer maintains separate data files for each location. After processing, the data is made available to the general public at www.georgiaweather.net.

“This information is useful for many applications. We have farmers using the information to help set their irrigation and planting schedules,” Joel Paz, a UGA Extension agrometerologist said.

• Webb named Georgia 2005 Sunbelt farmer
Calhoun County row crop farmer Jimmy Webb has been named the Georgia Sunbelt Expo Farmer of the Year. He will represent the state in the annual Lancaster/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Contest.

During the past 19 years Webb has watched his operation grow from 150 acres to its current size of more than 2,500 acres. He began farming after graduating from the University of Georgia and kicking around the idea of becoming a chemical or sales representative.

“There’s no question we made the right decision to come back to the farm,” Webb said. “My grandfather put this farm together in the 1940’s, and I hope to pass it on down the road.”

Webb’s farm includes 1,400 acres of cotton that on average yields 1,000 pounds per acre; 800 acres of peanuts that have an average yield of 4,500 pounds per acre. His crop rotation also includes 300 acres of corn that yield 200 bushels per acre. Webb attributes his crop yields to irrigating all of his acreage.

Two major changes in his irrigation system have helped Webb achieve his high yields. He has switched all of his pumping units from diesel to electric allowing him to pump more water with less horsepower and increased efficiency. He also installed a variable rate on two of his irrigation systems which has saved the farm in water use.

Webb is one of the original stockholders in Edison Gin Co-op formed in 1994. The operation is a 40,000 bale modern plant that rebates the profits back to all growers.

Webb and his wife Anjie have two daughters, Parker and Devin ages 16 and 14 and son, Harris, age 10. Webb serves on the Calhoun County Farm Bureau Board of Directors.