SUNBELT AG EXPO OPENS TUESDAY
AMERICA'S LARGEST FARM SHOW MARKS 38th YEAR
Area hotels and restaurants will be a bit more busy next week: "North America's Premier Farm Show" -- t
he 38
th
Annual Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition --
runs Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 20-22, at Spence Field,
four miles southeast of
Moultrie on Highway 133
. 
The Sunbelt Ag Expo with its 100-acre exhibit area is the largest farm show in America. More than 1,220 exhibitors will display and demonstrate products, and
unveil
new technology in agriculture and rural living.
A highlight
of the three-day show will be the announcement of the
Swisher Sweet/Sunbelt Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year Award
as 10 state winners vie for the title.
A crowd-pleaser is the
adjacent
600-acre research farm's field demonstrations as farmers watch tractors, combines, peanut-pickers, cotton pickers, hay equipment and Global Positioning Systems working side by side.
More than 300 seminars are taught at exhibits on beef, dairy, backyard gardening, poultry, forestry, pond management, equine, dairy and cattle management.
Popular events also
include
the daily
Antique Tractor Parade
, the
American
Grand Finals Stock Dog Trials
, Equine demonstrations, and even a Milking Contest between State Agriculture Commiss
ioners emceed by Tifton's Tyron Spearman.
"The Sunbelt Expo is an unbelievable showcase of rural living blanketed with agriculture's newest ideas and
technologies. Its three days of fun, education and dreaming about agriculture's future as we team together to feed, clothe and house a growing population around the world," said
Chip Blalock, expo director.
Mississippi is the 2015 Sp
otlight State
promoting the theme,
"Sweeter in Mississippi."
Look for new apparel from Mississippi cotton, and taste the pride of Mississippi: fried catfish, honey candy, famous Edam cheese, sweet potato cake bites, soy nut cookies and shrimp.
The horse demos have been revamped this year with more educational and training events. Brian Sumrall of Liberty, Texas, representing the American Stock Horse Association and the Stock Horse of Texas organization, will be teaching basic horse handling and how to compete in horse shows. The Sunbelt Rodeo Queens and her court will be center arena.
Show hours are 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on Thursday. Admission is
$10 per person per day. Children under 10 are admitted free with a parent. A multi-day admission ticket is $20. Credit cards and personal checks will not be accepted at the ticket booths during show days.
For a full schedule of activities,
Click Here!
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UGA DEDICATES TIFTON'S
FARMSTEAD OF THE FUTURE
By BRETT FOUNTAIN
For the Tifton Grapevine
The Future Farmstead, a state-of-the-art house that will produce its own renewable energy, was formally dedicated
Oct. 14 on the
UGA Tifton campus.
The
University of Georgia's College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences (CAES) is using
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From left are: Linda Floyde, Joe Broder, Jay Short, Austin Scott, Gary Black, Craig Kvien with scissors, Bob Redding, Kenneth Cutts, Joe West, Lauren Massey and Jody Redding.
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the
Future Farmstead as a living classroom and home to several UGA graduate students, who will maintain the house as well as offer ideas to improve and make the house more energy efficient.
"This is not the end of a process, but the beginning. This will be a new way of looking at conservation and sustainability," Dr. Joe West, assistant dean of the UGA Tifton campus, said at the dedication ceremony.
Dr. Josef Broder, CAES interim dean, told the audience that UGA will be pushing for more exponential learning opportunities like the Future Farmstead project. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black also spoke and predicted that what we are going to see 20 years from now, we are already seeing today with the Future Farmstead.
Black said his department will continue to partner with UGA to bring the future of farming to modern-day farmers.
The Farmstead's electricity bill for the entire month of October is estimated to be only $2, said Dr. Craig Kvien, a CAES professor who had the idea for the project.
To achieve zero net energy consumption, the Future Homestead implements innovative technology such as solar panels on the building's roof, an induction stove that heats the cookware instead of the stove itself. Countertops are installed that use electromagnetic energy to wirelessly charge cell phones, and there is a two-in-one washing machine and dryer that uses less water.
The house also has insulation that is made from recycled blue jeans and is aided by high-density foam to make sure the house is sealed tight.
"All of these technological concepts that are developed are being brought together to help lower the cost of things like electricity,"
Congressman Austin Scott, R-Ga., said at the dedication. Scott said that technologies used in the Future Farmstead will work with residential and commercial applications.
F
armers were the first environmentalists, Scott added.
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TRHS TO USE NEW TECHNOLOGY TO SPEED UP
PATIENT REGISTRATION & PROTECT AGAINST FRAUD
Tift Regional Health System (TRHS) will be installing a new finger-scan identification system in its registration areas to enhance the patient check-in process and offer advanced medical identity theft protection.
The hospital system has partnered with CrossChx, a healthcare intelligence solutions company, toprovide SafeChx biometric technology that identifies precise points on the finger to generate a unique code that links patients to their medical information so nobody else can use it.
Each registration point at all TRHS locations will be equipped with a small finger scanner about the size of a pack of gum. This includes Tift Regional Medical Center (TRMC) in Tifton, the TRMC West Campus in Tifton, Cook Medical Center in Adel and the Tift Regional Physician Group clinics with locations throughout the region. SafeChx does not store fingerprints in the system, only the unique ID code.
Nationwide, medical identity theft is on the rise, and it is estimated that Americans spend $40 billion annually on medical identity theft.
Sherry Robinson, TRHS Director of Patient Access, said all patients will be asked to initially scan their right index finger five times in order to get their unique identifier, then any returning visit will only require a fast, one-time scan to verify. Personal data will then instantly appear on the computer screen for the registration clerk to check-in the patient.
"The advantages to this new technology include faster patient registration, easier access to patient medical records, quick and accurate patient identification in emergencies and decreased risk of duplicate or incorrect records," said Robinson.
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ABAC Foundation Scholar Kerri Gregory, an occupational therapy major from Sycamore, talks with
Courtney Brinson, an ABAC Foundation trustee emeritus who is the AT&T regional director for external affairs. AT&T was a Gold Sponsor for Evening for ABAC 2015.
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'EVENING FOR ABAC' AIDS TOP STUDENTS
Top academic students from nine high schools in South Georgia are reaping scholarship benefits from sponsors of the annual Evening for ABAC event at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
Jodie Snow, ABAC Foundation chief operating officer, said three of the top five graduates from Berrien High, Colquitt County High, Cook High, Fitzgerald High, Irwin County High, Tift County High, Tiftarea Academy, Turner County High and Worth County High are eligible to receive $2,500 scholarships.
"Over $50,000 has been awarded for this Foundation Scholars program this year, and we anticipate our demand to increase next year," said Snow, a 2000 ABAC graduate.
Gold Sponsors at the Evening for ABAC event coming up on March 4, 2016, support one full scholarship worth $2,500. Platinum Sponsors support two scholarships for $5,000. Titanium Sponsors support three scholarships for $7,500, and President's Club Sponsors support four scholarships for $10,000.
"Every single dollar of the sponsorship goes to scholarship funds," Snow said.
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We're excited! And we want you to join us for an evening of great entertainment; great food;
and the best of fell
owship.
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Foundation North
presents its
30th Annual Meeting and Banquet
Tuesday, November 10, 2015, at 6:30 p.m. in the Charles Harris Learning Center
on Wiregrass Georgia Tech's Ben Hill-Irwin Campus, 667 Perry House Road in Fitzgerald.
There will be a delicious prime rib dinner with all the trimmings. Your entertainment will be the GiGi's.
Take a journey through the decades with this incredible trio of bombshell female vocalists.
Singing classics from The Shirelles, Ronettes, The Supremes, The Angels, The Chiffons, The Bangles, and more, this group will have your toes tapping, your hands clapping, and memories flooding in.
Tickets are only $50 each ($25 is tax deductible).
We promise you an evening to remember.
Please respond immediately because tickets are going fast! Space is very limited.
Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you on November 10.
For Tickets and Information, contact
Mona Paulk
Executive Director of Institutional Advancement
Ben Hill-Irwin Campus
Office: 229.468.2102
A Unit of the Technical College System of Georgia
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FIREARMS DEER HUNTING SEASON OPENS
ON SATURDAY, OCT. 17
Beginning on
Saturday, Oct. 17, and continuing until
Jan. 10, 2016, statewide,
hunters will have the chance to hit the woods in pursuit of
white-tailed deer.
"There is no better way to manage the deer population than by hunting," said
John W. Bowers, chief of game management for the
Wildlife Resources Division of the
Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
"Deer hunting also provides an economic benefit to the state, with hunters spending millions of dollars every year traveling to hunting locations, purchasing equipment from local retailers, and visiting lodging and dining establishments."
During the 2014-2015 firearms deer season, more than 300,000 hunters harvested more than 400,000 deer in the state. The use of regulated deer hunting ensures that Georgia's deer population continues to be healthy and strong.
Georgia hunters have access to more than
1 million acres of public hunting land across the state, including over 100 state-operated wildlife management areas.
Hunters are allowed a harvest of up to 10 antlerless deer and no more than two antlered deer (with one of the two antlered deer having a minimum of four points, one inch or longer, on one side of the antlers). While these are the maximum limits, harvest of female deer should be appropriate for the property hunted. Information on establishing deer harvest guidelines for your property may be found at
www.eregulations.com/georgia/hunting/general-hunting-information
.
To pursue deer in
Georgia, all hunters must have a valid hunting license, a big game license and a current deer harvest record. If hunting in a
Wildlife Management Area, a WMA license is required. Licenses can be purchased online at
www.gohuntgeorgia.com/licenses-permits-passes, by phone at
1-800-366-2661 or at a license agent.
All deer hunters must wear at least 500 square inches of fluorescent orange above the waist to legally hunt during firearms season except in archery-only areas.
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AR READERS WIN GIFT CARDS
J.T. Reddick School students were recently treated to a luncheon in the school's media center celebrating students who had earned 25 or more Accelerated Reader (AR) points since the beginning of school. The winners of the iTunes gift card drawing were Benjamin Wilson, Ainsley Toews and Amaree Woods.
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PREGNANCY CARE CENTER SETS COLORFUL 5K RUN
The Pregnancy Care Center is holding its 2nd Annual Color Me Baby 5K/1M color fun run on Saturday, Oct. 24,  beginning
at Northside Baptist Church's south parking lot. Registration begins at 9 a.m. The
one-mile fun run begins at 10 a.m., and the 5k color run starts at 10:30 a.m.
Come prepared to be showered in biodegradable non-toxic powdered color at three different color stations during the run.
Tips for the Run: Wear as much white as possible to show off all that color. (Color Me Baby T-shirts are available upon registration.) Feel free to dress up: Tutus, wigs, crazy socks, anything fun and family friendly. Anything you don't want to be colored, leave in the car. Wear sunglasses or just close your eyes through each color station.
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Nick Green with students at Annie Belle Clark Primary
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BASEBALL'S LIFE LESSONS
were brought to Courtney Clark's third graders at Annie Belle Clark Primary School when Nick Green, a Tift County High alumnus,
recently visited. Green, a professional baseball player for more than a decade and currently on the Boston Red Sox's coaching staff, talked to the students about how hard work pays off later in life. Nick
stressed the importance of following directions and making good choices every day. ... NO FOOTBALL ON TV, that's the latest word from Georgia Public Television about its initial plans to broadcast the Tift High Blue Devils last home game.
Tift County Schools say GPTV has decided they will not be able to broadcast a game from
Brodie Field this season. Well, maybe next year.
... REAL MEN WEAR HIGH HEELS?
Well, they did last
Tuesday
at
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
as men sported women's high heels in the
"Walk a Mile in Her Shoes"
men's march to stop rape, sexual assault and gender violence. Sponsored by
Ruth's Cottage
, the
ABAC Chapter of Ga. Association of Nursing Students
and
Verizon Wireless
, the event raised about $2,000 and brought out scores of men to walk -- or hobble -- in women's shoes, among them the
ABAC baseball team
pictured below showing off their legs and their fancy footwear.
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MODERN LIFE QUILT BEING RAFFLED
Wiregrass Quilters Guild met in
Albany recently and a highlight was the display of the
"Modern Life" quilt being raffled as a fundraiser for the
April 2016 Quilt Show in
Tifton.
Shown with the quilt are
Alice McDuffie of Tifton and
Margaret Kimbrel of Leesburg, members of the guild. Tickets may be purchased from any guild member with all funds earmarked to purchase material for charity projects and to fund expenses related to the annual quilt show.
The next meeting of the
Quilters Guild will be
6 p.m. Nov. 12 in
Fitzgerald at the
senior center, 253 Appamatox Road.
Highlights of the November meeting will include election of officers and a program on Kaleidoscope Quilts presented by Candi Reed of Douglas.
Call
229-382-2442 for information.
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CHAMBER RECOGNIZES AKINS
AS AMBASSADOR OF THE MONTH
Dr.
Joe West, chairman of the
Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce, left, presents
Curtis Akins with the Chamber
Ambassador of the Month award for October at Thursday's Chamber of Commerce membership meeting on the
UGA Tifton campus. West, who is also dean of the local campus, gave a talk about some of the attributes of UGA's Tifton campus -- and about agriculture in general -- that folks may not readily know.
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A CHALLENGE TO DRIVE OUT HUNGER
All Tifton banks are participating in the United Way of South Central Georgia's "2015 Banking to Drive Out Hunger in Tift County" food drive, and one bank is issuing a challenge.
Maghan W. Campbell, marketing communications director at
South Georgia Banking Co., is challenging all banks to see which one can collect the most canned food during the drive, scheduled to conclude
Nov. 13.
All Tift County banks have been invited to participate and place a United Way box in their lobbies to collect canned food. The United Way has a goal of collecting 10,000 pounds of food to be used for the Salvation Army, Tiftarea Food Bank, Soup Kitchen, Community Service Center and Brother Charlie's Homeless Shelter for Men.
Residents are reminded to bring canned food to the collection points at the banks.
Among participating banks are Ameris, BB&T, First Community Bank of Tifton, SunTrust Bank, Colony Bank, Commercial Banking Co., DOCO, Southeastern Federal Credit Union and South Georgia Banking Co.
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YOUR WEEKEND
...at a Glance
FRIDAY, OCT. 16
- "The Mysterious Case of the Missing Ring," 7 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Tifton
- Tift County High Blue Devils football vs. Camden County High Wildcats, 7:30 p.m., Brodie Field, Tifton
- Tiftarea Academy Panthers vs. Brookwood School Warriors, 7:30 p.m., Chula
SATURDAY, OCT. 17
- Tiftarea YMCA Fun Mudder, 7 a.m., 184 Connell-Ray Road, Tifton
- ABAC Horseman's Association's NBHA Barrel Race, 8 a.m., ABAC Rodeo Arena, Tifton
- Wiregrass Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-Noon, Ga. Museum of Agriculture, Tifton
- Downtown Tifton Farmers Market, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Old Train Platform, Tifton
- Walk to End Alzheimer's, 10 a.m., ABAC track, Tifton
- Regional Soccer Tournament, Noon, Friendly City Park-Optimist Park Soccer Complex, Tifton
- "The Mysterious Case of the Missing Ring," 3 p.m., Tift Theatre for the Performing Arts, Tifton
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OCT. 8
Myrtice Walker, 74, Tifton
Jack L. Grubbs Jr., 81, Tifton
Glenna Miller Kincaid, 89, Tifton
Estelle Thomas Ragland, 84, Adel
Troy C. Thomas, 53, Smithville
Martha Burnette Nichols, 62, Irwinville community
Rochelle Parramore, 75, Adel
OCT. 9
Debra Rowan Ragland, 59, Adel
OCT. 10
Robert L. Thomas, 81, Tifton
Robert B. " Bobby" McGough, 67, Sylvester
OCT. 11
Juanita Gray Willis, 100, Tifton
James Buren "J.B." Carr, 86, Tifton
Billie Pearman Nelms, 86, Tiger & Sylvester
Theresa Carolyn Purvis, 68, Alapaha
Joey Myers, 55, Quitman
Price Curtis Jolly, 70, Valdosta
OCT. 12
Velma Alneta Davis Fletcher Kimbrell, 77, Fitzgerald
Floyd Henry Hartsfield Sr., 72, Tifton
OCT. 13
Sharon "Sherry" Kay Mincey Walden, 58, Tifton
Charlie Lucious Manning, 80, Nashville
James Lucious "Buddy" Nix, 83, Nashville
Dawn DuPree Stone, 69, Fitzgerald
OCT. 14
Franklin A. Newell, 68, Ellijay
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SERVING YOU WITH PROFESSIONALISM
BEFORE, DURING & AFTER THE SALE
$149,900
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Custom-built home with all updated and upgraded fixtures. Large open Kitchen with utility island, ceramic tile counter top. Foyer has Wood Grain stained ceramic tile. Entertaining back deck with sunken hot tub, above ground pool with extra foam siding for sides and bottom that absorbs heat for longer use of pool. Master Bedroom with custom master bath tub, cabinets, walk-in shower, and walk-in closet. 2 bedrooms share hall bath and half bath located in large laundry room with private entrance for use at pool or hot tub. Den with wood-burning fireplace with fan for even distribution, cathedral ceiling. Large detached double carport with separate shop, all located on extra thick concrete floors. This home is located just minutes from downtown Tifton, Industrial Park, I-75 and Ga. Highway 41. Call today for your private tour of this custom home.
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Dwana Coleman
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Call Us Today!
229-386-4222
Blue Skies & Sunshine Through Each & Every
Real Estate Transaction!
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