Farmer Re-establishes Longleaf Pine Species on Several Acres

Donald Corrado has made managing trees a successful business. He’s been able to take a few acres that he purchased more than 30 years ago and expand his operation into just under 200 acres of healthy forest land. An EQIP contract has also helped Corrado with site preparation and planting longleaf pine as part of the Longleaf Pine Initiative. Longleaf pine is native to Georgia and is known to perpetuate wildlife habitat, prevent soil erosion and improve air quality.

Appling - Corrado (PDF) (209 KB) html

Warnell Family Continues Conservation Legacy

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) contracts have helped Fred Warnell continue a legacy of conservation. With the help of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Warnell has implemented conservation practices that help create a better environment for timber growth and reforestation. It also helps improve the wildlife habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker, gopher tortoise and indigo snake.

Bryan - Warnell (PDF) (229 KB) html

Edison Farmer Improves Grazing Land With EQIP Assistance

“I was making small improvements on my own, but it would have taken years to do what I have done in just two years with EQIP. NRCS provided me with specifications and designs that assisted me in installing conservation practices that will last for many years to come,” Moreno said. Through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Moreno has been able to install cross-fencing to improve pasture and grazing management. Cross-fencing now separates pastures and offers Moreno the option to rotate the cattle through different pastures on a grazing schedule.

Calhoun - Moreno (PDF) (244 KB) html

EQIP Assistance Helps Douglas Farmer Conserve

Kenneth Shoats received an EQIP contract to convert his diesel pumping unit to electric and he completed the installation in 2010.“The electric pumping unit has decreased my costs of irrigating; saving me significant dollars with the constant irrigating I have done this year,” said Shoats. He went on to say, “In recent years, I have noticed more programs focused on helping the small farmer. I appreciate the program assistance and cooperation I have received from the NRCS.”

Coffee - Shoats (PDF) (149 KB) html

Third Generation Farmer Grows Operation with NRCS Assistance

Robert Glosson, Jr. is a third generation farmer determined to continue his family’s legacy in agriculture. Fresh out of high school, Glosson decided to start his own sheep and goat operation. An Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) agreement has helped the young farmer grow his operation.

Morgan - Glosson (PDF) (280) html

Organic Farmer Benefits from EQIP Assistance

Shirley Daughtry has been able to grow her small operation with the help of technical and financial assistance from the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). An EQIP agreement has helped her build a hoop house on her farm. Daughtry credits the hoop house for helping her cut down on soil erosion and increasing production.

Effingham - Daughtry (PDF) (214 KB) html

Farmer Uses EQIP Funds to Improve Timber Production

Amos Ryce was approved for his first Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract in 1998. That contract and a 2006 EQIP agreement have helped him better manage 200 acres of timber by assisting him with thinning and prescribed burning.

Jones - Ryce (PDF) (265 KB) html

EQIP Continues to Help Small Farmer Transition into Organic Farming

The Organic Initiative Program, which is funded under EQIP, is assisting Relinda Walker with converting 17 acres of her property to become certified organic land. 50 acres of the farm are already considered certified organic.

Screven - Walker (PDF) (194 KB) html

LLPI Helps Farmer to Replant Longleaf Pines

Brenda Webb had concerns with the lack of trees on her land. Webb heard about the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service through her son-in-law. “My son-in-law read up on it. He went out on the Web site and got some information and called Sidney (Sidney Lanier, district conservationist), then he told me about Sidney and the program,” said Webb. In March of 2011, Webb signed a contract under the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program-Longleaf Pine Initiative (LLPI) to replant 55 acres of her land.

Emanuel - Webb (PDF) (256 KB) html

Hiawassee Couple Uses Rain Runoff to Improve Irrigation

Tammy and Larry Walls run a small organic operation on their Hiawassee property. After years of struggling to find a steady water source to sustain the operation, the Walls were approved for an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract. EQIP funds and technical assistance provided through the NRCS have helped the Walls stay in business and conservation resources.

Towns - Walls (PDF) (164 KB) html

Leesburg Farmer Benefits from EQIP Assistance

Jesse Batten has been able to improve the irrigation system on his farm after enlisting the technical and financial assistance provided by the NRCS. An EQIP agreement has allowed the part-time farmer to retro-fit pivots and save water.

Lee - Batten (PDF)  (188 KB) html

New Well Saves Small Farmer’s Vegetable Operation

Johnny Long was a beginning farmer back in 2003 and burned up a well trying to irrigate his vegetable crops. His sister, Lucille Benton, put him in contact with his local USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office. The technical and financial assistance provided through EQIP has been a lifeline for the small farmer.

Baker - Long (179) html

EQIP Helps Small Farmer Upgrade Operation

Calip Johnson loves growing watermelons but a severe lack of water on his Baker County farm almost prevented the 80 year old from farming. An Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract helped Johnson install a solid-set irrigation system.

Baker - Johnson  (278 KB) html

Determined Beginning Farmer Stays in Business with help of StrikeForce Initiative

Ellen Kitchens raises goats for 4H students and other breeders. Kitchens has recently received an EQIP grazing lands contract that will help her build new paddocks and install an alternative water source for the animals.

Tift - Kitchens  (168 KB) html

AWEP Helps Farmer During Drought

All farmers know that water conservation is a major concern. This year’s drought situation stressed that importance even more. Many irrigation wells in the South Georgia went dry at a time when crops were in need of water the most, leading to yield loss if not total crop destruction. Zac Thaggard, a farmer in the Leesburg community, knows and understands the importance of water conservation.

Lee - Thaggard (PDF)  (270 KB) html

CCPI Helps Farmer Address Irrigation Problem

For years, Howard James struggled to get enough water to his vineyards in Dooly County. When he heard about financial and technical assistance programs available through the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), he took an important step and applied. Once approved for an EQIP contract, James was able to install a much needed drip-irrigation system that has helped save countless hours of manual labor and gallons in water loss.

Dooly - James (PDF)  (213 KB) html

Elberton Couple Named Farm Family of the Year

Soil erosion and water quality concerns made the transition into farm life tough for Charlotte and Ron Ward. An Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contract has helped the Wards improve pastures for the Elberton couple’s cattle operation.

Elbert - Ward (PDF) (222 KB) html

Hall Couple Earns Farm Family of the Year Distinction

Allen and Doris Conner were named the 2010 Farm Family of the Year for the Hall County Soil and Water Conservation District. The Conners earned the distinction through their commitment to soil and water conservation.

Hall- Conner (PDF) (192 KB) html

Jefferson Family Continues Legacy of Conservation

Water quality has always been a major concern for Northeast Georgia farmer Dewey Johnson. His family has farmed for more than 100 years and they’ve stayed committed to conservation for just as long. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs such as EQIP and CSP have helped the Johnsons protect water quality on their land.

Jackson - Johnson (PDF) (146 KB) html

EQIP Funds Help Farmer Fight Soil Erosion

George Cathrall owns Sunnyview Farms in Georgetown. Over the years he has battled a severe soil erosion problem. When the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) got involved, Cathrall was able to address the problem through the agency’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

Quitman - Cathrall (PDF) (164 KB) html

CSP Helps Cuthbert Woman Continue Conservation on Family Farm

When Janice Giles took over her father’s farm, George Merritt Estate, she wanted to make sure that she took care of the natural resources on the Cuthbert property. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) are two NRCS programs that have assisted Giles in reaching her conservation goals.

Randolph - Giles (PDF) (183 KB) html

EQIP Assistance Rescues Small Farmer from Drought

Amos Lawrence was at a loss. He wanted to continue farming on his 15 acre property in Reynolds but he had a major problem that was standing in his way. Lawrence needed water and just when he had almost given up hope, he was approved for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The program helped the small farmer fight his water shortage.

Taylor - Lawrence (PDF) (233 KB) html

NRCS Helps Farmer Move from Hand-Watering with a Bucket to a Top Line Irrigation System

Three times a week, he would fill up a 300-gallon water tank and drive to the field. There, he used an old five-gallon bucket and, for the next two years, spent four to five hours watering the trees three days every week. Then, disaster struck.

Macon - Lowe (PDF) (211 KB) html

Conservation is a Family Legacy for Mercier Orchards

An Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) agreement has allowed Tim Mercier to conserve water on several acres in Mercier Orchards. The transition to a drip irrigation system is projected to save the operation 900,000 gallons of water every week.

Fannin - Mercier (PDF) (198 KB) html

Dawson Couple Gets Much Needed Irrigation System Through EQIP

A solid set irrigation system has been the key to John and Julia Canty’s  small farm. The USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service offered technical and financial assistance that has helped the couple survive a water shortage.

Terrell - Canty (PDF) (243 KB) html

Washington Corn Maze Encourages Conservation

An Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) agreement is helping Shane and Amy Moore continue their legacy of conservation. The Moore family, who farms part-time, also leads field trips through their corn maze in an attempt to teach the local community about the importance of agriculture.

Wilkes - Moore (PDF) (189 KB) html

Diversification Keeps Operation Profitable

Morel recommends the NRCS and its partners to his friends and neighbors. He says, “conservation not only helps protect and improve our natural resources but also makes farms, more efficient and profitable.”

Effingham - Morel (PDF) (204 KB) html

Farmer Helps Improve Water Quality

Allen, like his father, worked other jobs in order to keep the farm running. Allen’s farm is not your ordinary farm. It is 500 acres of hay fields and cattle pastures scattered over eight tracks of land around the southern part of Henry County. Around 110 acres of the farm is land that was acquired by his grandfather over 100 years ago and has been passed down through the generations. Allen’s daughter, Alisha, now helps out with the family farm.

Henry - Allen (PDF) (247 KB) html

Ellijay Couple Benefits from CSP Assistance

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) continues to help Reece Orchards thrive and maintain a high-level of conservation. For 16 years, Rachel Reece and her husband John have managed a farm operation that includes fruit trees, truck farming, agro-tourism and poultry in Gilmer County.

Gilmer - Reece (PDF) (158 KB) html

Newton County Farmer Uses EQIP to Improve Organic Operation

Organic farmer, Nick Donck uses hoop houses in an effort to conserve soil and water on Crystal Organic Farm. Crystal Organic Farm has 52,000 square feet of cropland under hoop houses in addition to 20 acres of open fields.

Newton - Donck (PDF) (197 KB) html

EQIP Funds Help Hart County Farmer Transition

A former school administrator goes back to his farming roots and uses an Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) agreement to protect water quality on his Hartwell property. EQIP enabled John Wallace Vassar to install fencing around a stream located on his property. The fence serves as a buffer between the cattle and the water.

Hart - Vassar (PDF) (284 KB) ( KB) html

Conservation Stewardship Program Helps Farmer Preserve Land

Mark Vickers has been designated as conservation steward after decades of working to preserve natural resources on his Coffee County property. Mark was one of the first few farmers that started conservation tillage in Coffee County.

Coffee - Vickers (349 KB) html

Pecan Grower Plants Clover to Help Produce Nitrogen

A Peach County pecan grower uses an EQIP agreement to plant clover and enrich soil in orchards. Ten years ago, Thomas Mason wouldn’t have believed he would be managing more than a dozen pecan orchards in Peach and Macon Counties.

Peach - Mason (PDF) (252 KB) html

Hoop House for Organics

When the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) launched the high tunnel pilot study Dave Bentoski of D&A Farm in Zebulon, Pick County, stepped up. He is a firm believer in the High Tunnels and says, “There’s no doubt it’s a good production technique. For professional growers, they’re incredible.”

Pike - Bentoski Farm (311 KB) html