Georgia is known as the peach state. Here, peaches are extremely popular. Most peach farms are located in the southern regions of Georgia; the northern parts being more industrialized. Peach farms consist of rows on top of rows of peach trees. These trees do not get very tall because they could not support the weight of the peach. However, their branches are big and solid. Peaches originated in China and slowly migrated to the United States. My family actually has a peach tree in our back yard. It produces many thick and juicy peaches. They are delicious, but only blossom during the summer. Georgia is the perfect place to grow peaches because of its warm humid climate. They refuse to grow in colder regions. The FFA explains, “The peach is a member of the rose family, and there are over 700 varieties of the fruit (FFA, 2014).” Each variety is unique in its own way.
Farmers play a huge role in our economy. They provide crops. In turn, providing a product to be bought and sold. This stimulates the circle rotation of our economy. Without farmers, there is no possible way our nation would survive. We would not have harvests to feed citizens. We would not have the means of agriculture period. This would cause the United States’ budget to plummet severely. Georgia is made up of a number of farmers, and without them it is doubtful that this state would even exist. Ikerd states, “As costs of land and labor in the U.S. continue to rise, as they almost certainly will, multinational corporations will simply move their farming operations to other countries (Ikerd, 2002).” If these changes were to occur, then the South would most certainly see a downfall. This is why it is crucial for farmers to concentrate their businesses in the United States. I cannot imagine a world without farming in it, and if farmers move overseas this outcome will be inevitable.
Finding corn in the south tends to be rare. However, corn mazes are located sporadically throughout the state of Georgia. As a child, I remember my mother and father taking us to one of these in mid-October. At the front gate they gave my sister and I hole punch sheets. These sheets were used every time a person met up with a check point. If one’s whole sheet was filled with all of the different punches they had a chance to win a brand new bicycle. Needless to say, we didn’t need much more explanation. Our family ran up and down the rows of corn, punching our cards at every check point in sight. Our sheets were filled within an hour and a half. Though we did not win the bike, we still had a good time. Corn is majorly produced in the Midwestern regions for feeding purposes. It is a good source of nutrition for both cows and chickens in addition to people. According to Camp Silos, “each year, a single U.S. farmer provides food and fiber for 129 people – 97 in the U.S. and 32 overseas (Camp Silos, 2009).” This proves that America is our worlds leading corn producer.
The practice of spreading or managing information is known as public relations. Public relations help companies and organizations spread their knowledge. Many use public relations to help sell products. Depending on how it is used, this aspect can be both good and bad. If public relations are used in a
positive targeted manner, then it can achieve great progress. However, if public relations (PR) do not target a certain audience and seem like negative spamming, then using this tactic can appear pointless. It is important for Farmers to spread their word or message. That is why PR is crucial to agriculture by providing farmers with a voice, but only if it is applied correctly.
When targeting an audience, one should base their information broadly. If it is too specific, then it will only affect a very small group of people. That is not what companies want to accomplish. They want to achieve a high rate of sales. The only way to complete this task is to aim for distinct groups of people. According to Meltwater, the grouping method is best when trying to express “messages in the most meaningful way (Meltwater, 2014).” This ensures that their audience is not too explicit, but direct.
Another aspect of PR is catching the reader’s eye or attention. If professionals fail to perform this task, then they are failing to do their job. In their advertisements they must provide color and excitement. If not, they become boring in addition to repetitive. PR requires a clear call to action, a direct statement of benefits, and a great headline, states MoreBusiness.com. All of these attributes help interest readers. They are able to comprehend information easily. In turn, perceiving a product or concept more accessible.
PR has to make sure their audiences do not feel as if they are being spammed. If they start to sense this, they may feel claustrophobic. Suffocating customers is the last thing PR professionals want to experience. Cision communicates to enterprises that, “this can make you, or your organization, look unprofessional and clueless. It can alienate the affections of your target audience (Cision, 2014).” Thus, proving that smothering is not the answer to spreading ones voice. It does quite the opposite.
Small Farm Central is one of the most well-known agricultural blogs in the nation. It explains that public relations, “tell the farm story every day to all stakeholders and make sure employees can tell the story as well (Small Farm Central, 2007).” Bad PR fails to accomplish this as well as to target a group audience, to catch a reader’s attention, and to not use spam on its perspectives. Each business should strive to be great in all of these aspects, because it is what good PR looks like.
Horses are one of the most majestic animals in the world. They are built for the sole purpose to run. Their bodies are so strong and muscular. However, if they are mistreated they are not healthy in any way. I, myself, do not own horses. Anyhow, my aunt owns four. I remember growing up riding at her house and even taking lessons at a local English equestrian center. Here we learned about the anatomy of a horse in addition to how to canter and jump properly. I loved going to the barn. Sometimes my mother could not get me to leave. In Georgia, horses are used for barrel racing, trail riding, showing, etc. Horse Dreams, a youth ranch located in Milledgeville, allows unprivileged children to develop relationships with horses. These children come from broken homes or foster care, states Horse Dreams. Bonding gives these kids a positive aspect in life. People all over the world should support non-profit organizations just like this one for the betterment of our humanity.
Cotton is a major crop, especially in the southern region of the United States. The history of cotton itself, dates back over 7,000 years ago. Seeing as I was raised in the south, I would see miles and miles of white fields filled with this once dominant cash crop. My father liked to call it southern snow. In addition to the south, it was also highly regarded in other countries. According to Cotton Counts, “Arab merchants brought cotton cloth to Europe about 800 A.D…. By 1500, cotton was known generally throughout the world (Cotton Counts, 2014).” Later, during the Civil War, cotton was king in many southern states. Georgia being the head of this norm. When the south was defeated, this crop was as well. Plantation owners went bankrupt and could not afford to produce anything, much less this expensive harvest. Cotton has finally begun rising in southern states again. Its recent increase was rapid, despite previous circumstances.
Barns are everything to farmers. This is where they store equipment and hay. Animals are sometimes allowed to come in and out of barn stalls as they please. However, they require a lot of maintenance. Sometimes pest and vermin can infest barns. Termites can ruin any form of hardwood. Rats can form nests in the outer linings of a structure forming small holes. After awhile these nature altered barns can collapse or rot. Our barn at home is doing just this due to a lack of upkeep as well as funds. This is why it is important for farmers to maintain their establishments. Many barns today are being expanded and modified for new purposes. As technology increases, storage space has to increase as well. According to the University of Vermont, “new editions to a barn should be well planned to avoid… problems.” This means when a farmer wants to renovate he should think ahead to help counteract possible future mishaps.
Life on a farm can be pretty crazy. For example the neighbors goats getting into the cow pasture. Your dad yelling at you to jump on top of them. Finally finding your eight year old self, scared to death, riding a goat with nothing to hang onto but its horns. That little girl happened to be me. This sort of thing can be stressful as are droughts, money troubles, etc. This is why farmers always tend to have a great wife who loves to cook. In Georgia, we love our fried chicken. As odd as it may seem, I am one of the few that do not like sweet tea or any form of tea for that matter. A typical southern meal is soul food such as mashed potatoes, corn bread, fried okra, turnip greens, dumplings, and so on. Trisha Yearwood is from Montecello, Georgia which is about forty-five minutes from my house. She is a famous singer and now Food Network star. According to her website, “Trisha notes on her TV show that for making an impeccable fried chicken, temperature is key.” My mom must have her recipe because hers is delicious. A stressful day on the farm calls for a good meal cooked by the one and only farmer’s wife.
Grass and hay diversity is important for farmers to have on their land. Depending on what kind, some grasses have more nutrients than others. Alphalpa hay is high in nutritional value, but if animals have too much they can get over weight. It is also expensive to grow. On our land we had Dallisgrass, Coastal Bermuda, Bahia, in addition to Fescue. These are good cattle grasses because they are cheap and maintain them selves without much irrigation if any. However, Georgia is an extremely humid state. It rains a lot there as well. This is why we do not have to irrigate as much as other states. If you do not have a variety of grasses animals will develop a vitamin deficiency as do humans. According to Science Daily, grass diversity is better drought resistant. This can also contribute to farmers wallets by saving on their water bill.
During my senior year of high school, I decided to support my local Tractor Supply during their Easter sales event. I bought three little chicks. They were so very cute. To be completely honest, it might have just been due to the fact that I missed having chickens around the farm, and they were a dollar a piece. It was selfish, but this was a steal that I could not resist. Needless to say, when my mom found them under a heat lamp in my room she was furious. The chicks were called Production Reds. Before I bought them, I wanted to make sure that they had a longer life span than the Broiler in addition to them laying more eggs. I was not interested in the meat aspect. The counter attendent informed me that Reds become a honey brownish-yellow color. According to Purly Poultry, these birds lay up to three hundred plus eggs. This breed was developed purposfully to lay as well as taste good. I named my three chickens Eggs, Yolk, and Benedict. Since this act of brillance, my college nickname has evolved to Three Chickens.
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