Focus on the board – Ron Carroll
Since his first time attending the Sunbelt Ag Expo in 1990, Ron Carroll has become a huge supporter of the Expo, its mission, and the role it plays in the community. In the past 32 years, Carroll has only missed 2 shows and taken on many active roles in our program as...
Field Day – Join us next Tuesday, August 2nd
Rain may have caused us to delay Field Day, but we look forward to welcoming you to the Darrell Williams Research Farm next Tuesday, August 2nd, at 8:00 a.m. To get excited about the featured plots, see the list below. We can’t wait for you to experience the latest...
Robert E. Saunders | Virginia Farmer of the Year 2022
In a reflective mood Robert Saunders, of Saunders Brothers, Inc. in Piney River, Virginia, quoted Mark Twain’s famous advice, “Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other.” Growing up on a family farm as one of seven brothers was...
John M. Harrison | Tennessee Farmer of the Year 2022
Philadelphia, Tennessee, the home of Sweetwater Valley Farm, was settled as part of a Revolutionary War land grant in the early 1800s. At the turn of the twentieth century, it became a dairy farm, with the original barn built in 1917. Seventy years later, John and...
Keith Allen | South Carolina Farmer of the Year 2022
Betty Allen Farms in Latta, South Carolina, has been in Keith Allen’s family for nearly 200 proverbial lean and fat years. Growing from a modest holding in 1837 to 3800 acres today, the farm has experienced everything from near loss at auction in 1917 to two recent...
Kevin Matthews | North Carolina Farmer of the Year 2022
Kevin and Cindy Matthews own and operate Matthews Family Farms of North Carolina, Inc., Precision Nutrient Management, Inc., and Deep Creek Grain, Inc. in East Bend and Yadkinville, North Carolina. Matthews is the fourth generation on his family’s farm. He said, “With...
Michael L. Wagner | Mississippi Farmer of the Year 2022
Located in the rich, highly organic, blue gumbo clay soil or ‘terroir’ of the Mississippi Delta is Two Brooks Farm, owned by Michael L. Wagner. His family can count an unbroken line of ten generations of farmers back to 1742. Their prodigious, consistent labor has...
Wesley C. Parker | Kentucky Farmer of the Year 2022
Wesley Parker was raised on a 150–acre dairy farm in Christian County, Kentucky, where his family grew silage and hay for their cows and a small crop of tobacco. In the late 1970s, they transitioned out of the milk business into raising hogs. Parker recalled, “My dad,...
Scotty Raines | Georgia Farmer of the Year 2022
Scotty Raines didn’t grow up on a farm, but his father kept a large garden at home. His mother, a beautician, had abeauty shop behind their house. So Scotty began his agrarian career by selling produce from the garden—tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and corn—to her...
Jerry Dakin | Florida Farmer of the Year 2022
Jerry Dakin’s family dairy farm was started by his dad, Romanus (Pete) Dakin, in Livermore, Maine in 1948. From a modest sixteen cows, the operation grew over the post-World War II years. When Pete Dakin returned from a trip down south in October 1963, he informed his...
Chris Sweat | Arkansas Farmer of the Year 2022
Chris Sweat is a fourth generation farmer who grew up on a full-time poultry and cow/calf operation. His great grandparents started a beef and dairy farm, and his dad later established his own chicken and cattle operation. As a youngster, Chris was active in 4-H and...
Mark Byrd | Alabama Farmer of the Year 2022
Mark Byrd of Byrd Farms in Danville, Alabama, bought a used tractor and hay baler when he was only fourteen years old. Inspired by a FFA vocational ag class in high school, after graduation he planted 15 acres of rented land with soybeans while working a full-time...
Focus on the Board – Jason Davison
While 2022 marks Jason Davison’s first year as a member of the Sunbelt Ag Expo board, this is far from his first encounter within the rural community. Davison earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in agricultural education and communication emphasizing leadership...
Celebrating Freedom to Farm in Georgia
Guest Submission: Georgia Farm Bureau Staff As we celebrate the Fourth of July and our freedoms as Americans, Georgia farmers can also celebrate the Georgia General Assembly passing the Freedom to Farm Act, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law on April 13. The...
Sunbelt Expo is a valuable location for south Georgia forage
Guest Blogger: Lisa Baxter, UGA Extension Forage Specialist The Sunbelt Ag Expo’s Darrell Williams Research Farms provides an exceptional opportunity to highlight forage research in south Georgia. These hayfields provide an outdoor classroom for UGA Extension county...
“Horsing Around” at the Expo
Each year, the equine barn at the Sunbelt Ag Expo is home to lots of action and fun. From beauty queens to trick riders, the barn hosts an array of featured guests and demonstrations. Visitors with backgrounds in the equine industry or those with a love for the thrill...
Focus on the Board – Tim Marshall
Tim Marshall has served as a board member for the Expo since 2019; however, his involvement in the agricultural community goes back much further. During this time, he served in various roles at colleges and universities including Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College,...
Precision Ag Research at the Expo Farm
By contributing author: Simerjeet Virk – Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in the area of Precision Agriculture and Machinery Systems at the University of Georgia The increased focus on improving application accuracy, placement, and timing of crop...