Tag Archives: Georgia agriculture news

Dicamba Ban Forces Georgia Farmers to Rethink Weed Control | Pigweed Management in 2025

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Tifton, GA |

With cotton prices down and margins tighter than ever, Georgia farmers are laser-focused on maximizing yield—and that starts with effective weed control. But for many, keeping fields free of pigweed just got more difficult after a U.S. court ruling banned the use of over-the-top dicamba herbicides last year.

“It’s very important,” says Stanley Culpepper, Weed Extension Scientist with the University of Georgia. “Older chemistries—products labeled for pastures, turf, or for burndown—those labels weren’t impacted. But the Engenia, XtendiMax, and Tavium labels were, and they’ve been extremely important to us in both cotton and soybean production.”

Unlike previous restrictions, this latest ban wasn’t based on environmental or health concerns. Instead, it stemmed from a procedural error—specifically, the EPA’s failure to open dicamba’s registration for public notice and comment. That misstep triggered a potential 28-month review process.

“We didn’t lose those labels because of an environmental issue,” says Culpepper. “It was a procedural issue when registering the product during the last process. As of today, it’s still not looking very favorable for 2025. We recommend growers start thinking about alternative systems—we’ve been doing that for a couple of months—and we’re working hard for 2026. But I’ll tell you, there are no guarantees.”

Despite the setback, Culpepper says there are other effective options available, depending on the seed trait technology being used. However, these programs demand sharper precision and tighter timing.

“You’re looking at an Enlist program—kind of that 2,4-D system—or a Liberty-based program,” he says. “Both can be effective, but only if we make sure there are no weeds at planting. You have to be super timely—more timely than with the dicamba-based program. We can still control this weed, we just need to be more on top of our game this year. We can’t play catch-up like we’ve been able to in the past.”

As input costs continue to rise, farmers are carefully weighing every decision. But Culpepper warns that cutting back on herbicide programs may cost more in the long run.

“Weed management is one of many important components for sustainability on our family farms,” he says. “In a year like this, you’re typically trying to save money. But when it comes to weed management—especially with Palmer amaranth—there’s not a lot you can cut. We’re already using every tool in the toolbox.”

For growers navigating a tough season, staying proactive in the face of change may be the most important tool of all.

By: Damon Jones

Georgia Young Farmers & Ranchers Head to D.C. | Advocating for Ag’s Future on Capitol Hill

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Washington D.C. |

Providing leadership development, educational opportunities, and social networking are the cornerstones for the GFB Young Farmers and Ranchers program. And that is best exemplified by their annual trip up to Washington DC, where the next generation of farmers get plenty of all three.

“So, I definitely think it’s important and they need to hear from the younger generation so we are not getting silenced. You know, we’re up here, we’re caring about our operations just as much as the older generation. Then, also, to network with other young farmers around our state that we don’t really necessarily get to do back home; this trip takes us away from the operation, to be able to do that and build those networking opportunities,” says Allie Andrews, GFB YF&R Chair.

While young farmers might question just how much of an impact, they can really have on government policies, the answer is, in fact, quite a bit.

“They have a tremendous voice, and they have a lot of advantages when you think about it; built in institutional advantages. There are agriculture committees in both the Senate and the House. I mean, other industries don’t have that. We know agriculture is in every state. So, every senator cares about agriculture. Most of the members of the House, whether they have a lot of ag or a little know about ag,” says David Salmonsen, AFBF Senior Director of Government Affairs.

That’s why this trip up to DC is so meaningful each and every year. As lawmakers get a first-hand account of just how much federal policies are affecting the next generation of farmers in Georgia.

“We’re bringing our stories up here, to the representatives, to the senators. We’re bringing our industry to their office door and letting them understand what we’re struggling with and what they can do on their side of things to help us out,” says Andrews.

“There is nobody better than people who are actually in the industry, in agriculture, to come to DC, meet the people here. Explain what’s going on. Farmers tell their stories best and a lot of what’s going on by people who don’t understand agriculture don’t even think about how it might impact agriculture. Our senators and representatives, they love to hear from voters. Voters have the best stories. That’s who they really want to hear from,” says Salmonsen.

And not just any voters, but specifically those who have a long-term stake in what kind of decisions are being made affecting the ag industry.

“Our young people can say what you do now, I’ll be living with the rest of my life, or I’ll be operating in a business environment that you are impacting for the rest of my life. Whether it’s positive or negative, you’re imposing costs that are going to affect me as I’m trying to be a successful farmer or a rancher. So, I think it’s great to hear from them,” says Salmonsen.

So, between the educational sessions, meeting with lawmakers and creating new friendships, this annual trip is truly a unique experience.

“It’s awesome. I make new friends every time we get to come. I’m so thankful that this is my second year in a row getting to come. So, that opportunity in itself and I’m coming with a whole new group. So, I’m really excited about the new kids that have come up and then the middle-aged young farmers that are here as well to represent,” says Andrews.

By: Damon Jones

Georgia Hay Producers Face Challenges After Brutal 2024 | What to Expect in 2025

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Tifton, GA |

Spring has officially sprung here in Georgia which means hay fields and pastures across the state will be starting to flourish, signaling a new production year for forage producers. According to Lisa Baxter, State Forage Extension Specialist, it’s a sight many producers are excited to see after the terrible year they had in 2024.

“In short, 2024 was not the here for forages in not just Georgia, the whole southeast. We were way too wet in the spring and led to a lot of disease issues really early on that unfortunately, we don’t have chemical options for within the forage industry. Going into summer, we pivoted hard. We went way to dry for way too long for warm season perennial production. Had some easement later in the year through the tropical storms and hurricanes, but even then it was a lot of rain at one time, and then nothing for six plus weeks for a lot of areas. Those of them up at producers up in North Georgia lost a lot of stockpile potential in their fescue because that fall drought for them, where the hurricanes missed a lot of those areas, it just, it didn’t happen,” says Lisa Baxter, State Forage Specialist.

One huge and unexpected issue producers had this year was fall army worms, which were spotted in nearly every county in the state, which according to Baxter, really hurt producers’ bottom lines.

“Our insecticide costs, pastures, hay fields, every variety cultivar we have out there; it hit them all. So that was a much bigger expense going into our forages than most producers have ever had before,” says Baxter.

According to Baxter, unfortunately, due to last year’s issues, 2025 doesn’t bring much optimism, at least so far, as inputs, such as seed and fertilizer, are expected to remain high for producers.

“There are certain species and varieties that I’ve heard are going to be a little more limited on the seed side this year because of weather challenges out west, but that’s again, a wait and see kind of kind of game there. We just don’t know what the demand is for those products every year. With row crop prices being very high, I’m hearing a lot of pivots wanting to be put into forage production. So that, in my mind, is going to increase that demand beyond our typical producer base. Then on the input side, fertilizer, it’s expensive as always. I know it goes up and down, but there and we can’t cut it out, especially in a hayfield,” says Baxter.

According to Baxter, a big issue that’s followed producers into this year is the availability of hay, as stockpiles were diminished due to forage grazing either being limited or non-existent.

“There just wasn’t as much hay produced because of all of those challenges. If you had an area that you couldn’t do fall stockpile a lot of areas couldn’t get winter grazing in that put additional strain on those already limited hay reserves and coming into 2025, I’m hearing a lot of producers that have empty hay barns. They’re ready for summer to be here and it’s not here yet. So, our guidance through UGA extension would be we’ve got to manage that stocking right early, balance it with our forage availability and match our herd size accordingly,” says Baxter.

By: John Holcomb

Georgia Bill Aims to Protect Farmers’ Access to Crop Tools | Senate Bill 144 Explained

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Atlanta, GA |

Each and every day, farmers and producers across the country work to produce the food and fiber we all need and depend on – with tools they need and depend on, and thanks to lawmakers in Atlanta, those tools are one step closer to being protected by state law as Senate Bill 144 has passed through the General Assembly and is now headed to the Governor’s desk.

“It’s a labeling bill and we’re basically, we’ve got a failure to warn clause in there, and we’re just saying that the manufacturers of products could not put anything on the label other than what EPA allows them to put on the label. At the end of the day, the EPA is the final say so. They’re the ones that do the research on top of what the manufacturers are doing to make sure products are safe. So, it’s truly a labeling bill – the label is the law. The EPA is in control of that and the federal government. So we’re just stating that in the bill and it’s just a failure to warn clause and that the EPA is the final say so in that,” says Senator Sam Watson from Georgia’s 11th District.

Though the bill only addresses labels, it assures farmers they’ll continue to have vital access to technologies they depend on.

“Currently, there is only one manufacturer of glyphosate in the United States. So they’ve obviously had difficulties with this failure to warn claim, so when you start talking about food security, food safety, and farmers livelihoods; trait technology is an important tool that we have in our toolbox as farmers and we couldn’t farm without all of the trait technologies and the use of herbicides, insecticides, and pesticides in general,” says Watson.

Watson, who is a producer himself, says these tools are essential to their operations now more than ever, as rising costs require them to be as efficient as possible – something that wouldn’t be the case without those trait technologies.

“I’m more on the vegetable side, and we have to use a lot of hand labor. H-2A just went up another two dollars an hour and so we use herbicides to help control weeds in our crops. So it became an issue of, is this product going to be around for the future generations to use? And are we going to have this tool in the toolbox? If you go to your local hardware store or your local Home Depot or Lowe’s, I don’t think you’re going to find glyphosate on the shelf because it’s been removed from the shelf. That active ingredient has already been removed. So, that’s where the fear from agriculture came, that what else is going to come off the shelf?,” says Watson.

Beyond protecting American agriculture, Watson believes the bill also safeguards American manufacturing and ultimately national security.

“The Chinese manufacture a lot of these products and if we have to buy it from the Chinese to feed Americans and to stay in business, then we’re probably going to get it from the Chinese. When there’s a problem, how do you go after someone in another country? We want to make sure that we protect American manufacturing and especially American manufacturing of these products,” says Watson.

By: John Holcomb

Georgia Farmers Gain Access to Vital Water Source After 13-Year Ban

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Tifton, GA |

Despite the countless hours that go into preparing the land, choosing the right variety and protecting against pests and diseases, no crop can be successful without the proper amount of water. And for more than a decade the largest underground source in the region has been unavailable to farmers here in Georgia. However, thanks to a new ruling from the EPD, those restrictions have been lifted.

“EPD will begin accepting applications for new withdrawals from the Floridan aquifer in southwest Georgia beginning in April of 2025. That’s certainly welcomed news as that area’s been under a moratorium now for, thirteen years. The news is, as I say, certainly welcomed for growers in that area. The Floridan aquifer is a fantastic resource for farmers in that area. It supports hundreds of thousands of acres of irrigation,” says Mark Masters, Director for the Georgia Water Planning and Policy Center.

With a number of counties in that part of the state experiencing abnormally dry conditions in 2024, having the aquifer as a possible option for irrigation is exciting news.

“The Floridan is a resource in terms of groundwater that is more readily accessible for most of the growers in Southwest Georgia in terms of the cost of tapping that resource unlike some of the deeper aquifers. And so, for farmers that may be looking to expand their irrigated acreage in some way, this is an important development,” says Masters.

Despite the ruling that allows for these new drilling permits, there will still be some restrictions on water usage in order to maintain the ecosystem.

“This is not opening up to just unlimited acreage forever. These new permits will have some drought restrictions on them because as we now know, there is that tight connection and we want to make sure that we are maintaining adequate stream flows in some of those critical areas. And so, these new permits will have some drought restrictions in place, but again, in most years, this is going to be a really good resource for our farmers,” says Masters.

Being good stewards of the land, which includes maximizing water efficiency, is a cornerstone within the farming community and one of the major factors that went into this new ruling.

“One of the main reasons we’re able to make this announcement and that we got this good news from the governor’s office is that over this same period of time, we’ve been able to demonstrate that our farmers are really good stewards of the resource. And so, we understand that their use is highly efficient and that they’re taking care of our shared water resources. That’s gone a long way to helping us get to this place where we’re now able to begin expanding some of that use,” says Masters.

This is also a culmination of plenty of hard work behind the scenes, where researchers, administrators, and most importantly, farmers worked together in order to come up with a resolution.

“As much as Farm Bureau has been involved with getting that moratorium looked at and lifted for everything from frost protection to irrigation wells, it probably wouldn’t have moved as fast if it hadn’t had been for Farm Bureau. So, to all of the people down in that part of the state that are Farm Bureau members, thank you for helping us get the ball rolling,” says Tom McCall, Georgia Farm Bureau President.

By: Damon Jones