CLERMONT – Always optimists, local farmers and ranchers, and those in agricultural-related businesses, gathered to honor some of their own Wednesday morning.
The 2015 Hall County Agribusiness Awards breakfast at the North Hall Community Center was held under ideal weather conditions: blue skies, comfortably cool temperatures predicted to warm throughout the day, and a color to the soil that said rain had been a recent visitor.
Anything, it seemed, would grow under these conditions; anyone, it seemed, could be successful in agribusiness.
“Chamber-of-Commerce-days” (and the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce is a sponsor of the annual awards breakfast) can make farming seem easy. Those in attendance knew better. They had dealt firsthand with the unexpected freezes, the extended periods of drought and the frustration of having to wait for the rain to ease up enough for them to plant or harvest muddy fields.
Calendar year 2015 was being no different. Hall County Extension Coordinator Michael Wheeler said that an unexpected late-March night that saw temperatures fall into the 20’s did extensive damage to area peach crops and some damage to area blueberry crops.
Local peach expert and farmer Jimmy Echols agreed. “It’s pretty easy to tell when you drive out through the orchards right now, there’s no peaches on those trees.”
“We’re estimating our loss from that one night of freezing weather at about 90-percent of the crop,” Echols said grimly. “There’s not much we can do about it.”
Now, Wheeler said, the continued rains have delayed some spring plantings and disrupted harvest schedules for winter crops. “But,” the Extension Coordinator was quick to add, “we still expect this to be a good year.” Spoken like a farmer.
Those receiving 2015 Agribusiness Awards include:
- Friend of Agriculture – Sammy Smith, Gainesville
- Farmer of the Year – Ann Jones, Flowery Branch
- Outstanding Agribusiness – Lanny Dunagan Welding Services, Gainesville
- Agriculture Hall of Fame – Dr. Rick Hinton (posthumously)
