Cotton, Peanut Harvest Underway

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Tifton, Georgia

478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

COTTON, PEANUTS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

This year's peanut harvest is ahead of schedule , and cotton bolls are opening early as well, with dry conditions continuing across the Southeast , according to Southeast AgNet.

Meteorologist Brad Rippey with the U.S. Department of Agriculture told AgNet that 92 percent of cotton bolls in Georgia are open , compared to 87 percent last year at this time. Twenty-eight percent of the cotton crop has been harvested , and only 11 percent had been harvested this time last year .

Sixty-two percent of Georgia peanuts have been dug as of this week, which compares to 53 percent this time last year , Rippey said. Forty-six percent have been harvested , ahead of the 36 percent at this time last year .

Georgia is one of the nation’s largest cotton producers , with 1.4 million acres planted this year, marking the third-highest planted acreage of the past decade .

Georgia is also the top producer of peanuts in the nation , producing approximately half of the nation’s peanut crop .

GA PEANUT BANK WEEK MARKING 43rd YEAR

The Georgia Peanut Commission and Georgia Bankers Association will join forces Oct. 14-18 to promote the 43rd annual Georgia Peanut Bank Week .

Financial institutions and local banks across the state will offer a tribute to Georgia’s 4,500 peanut farm families and the sustainability they provide to Georgia’s state and local economies .

The 2019 theme, “Georgia Peanuts. It Just Makes Cents!” will showcase the sustainability peanuts provide on and off the farm, as well as highlight the fact that Georgia peanuts contribute more than $2 billion annually to the state’s economy, a contribution that helps maintain Georgia’s largest industry – agriculture .

“We’re excited to continue Georgia Peanut Bank Week for the 43rd year and salute peanut farmers ,” said Armond Morris , chairman of the Georgia Peanut Commission . “This promotion is a great way to highlight all peanuts have to offer our communities across the state .”

In 2018 , Georgia peanuts were planted on more than 650,000 acres throughout Georgia and accounted for 53 percent of peanut production in the United States . Peanuts were planted in 86 of Georgia’s 159 counties with an average yield of more than 4,450 pounds per acre .

Tifton McDonald's

Grand Re-Opening - 2nd Street, on Friday, Oct. 11

Walk into the new, updated, and modernized look at the Tifton McDonald’s located on 2nd Street. The upgrades improve the comfort, efficiency, and dining experience at the restaurant.

With the ceremonial scissors in hand, city dignitaries and chamber members will join Tifton McDonald’s Owner/Operator Wendell Morgan, Restaurant Supervisor, Manager Audrey Johnson, and other employees to officially re-open the lobby to the public on Friday, October 11, 2019.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by refreshments featuring some of the all-time favorite menu items and drawings for door prizes. We will help usher in the redesigned dining room, which includes the new self-ordering kiosk. The new kiosks are convenient for customers, who will be assisted by one of our new Guest Experience Leaders. Service will truly be at your fingertips as staff will be bringing orders to customers in the dining room and assisting with any needs.

This location on Second Street joins thousands of other McDonald’s that have been remodeled to reflect the integrated use of technology. Owner/Operator Wendell Morgan says to “Expect a new and much more personal experience from this re-modeled restaurant.”

824 2nd Street E., Tifton, GA

TIFT DEPUTIES ARREST 78

DURING SEPTEMBER

Tift County Sheriff Gene Scarbrough reports that deputies arrested 78 people, some on multiple charges, during September in Tift County .

He said that 27 charges of parole/probation violation were filed, as were eight drug charges, one crime against a person charge, 16 property crimes charges, eight failures to appear, one child support violation, one case of fraud, one weapon violation, and five cases of obstruction of deputies, with 52 cases being assigned to the Criminal Investigative Division.

Traffic stops conducted by deputies led to discovering 32 people with suspended or revoked driver’s licenses, as well as the arrest of one wanted person and four drivers being charged with DUI.

Deputies responded to 3,195 calls for service, conducted 1,376 business and property checks, 583 mobile home park and subdivision checks, along with 32 school checks.

Scarbrough said deputies served 81 warrants, 66 civil papers and 170 subpoenas.

He added that deputies completed 533 reports, worked 37 accidents, patrolled 57,474 miles, verified the home addresses of 70 registered sex offenders and issued 1,366 citations with 172 warnings. During the month, deputies provided 72 transports, totaling 206 hours and 8,096 miles.

WILDLIFE SOCIETY HONORS

ABAC STUDENTS

Parker Gerdes and Dalton Ridgdill , both students at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College , won the award for Best Undergraduate Presentation at the recent Georgia Chapter of The Wildlife Society annual conference.

The students received numerous positive comments from professionals , a certificate , and a small cash prize . Gerdes and Ridgdill focused their research on a new method of detecting hook ingestion in freshwater turtles . They have a passion for helping endangered species and hope to discover if hook ingestion leads to the turtles' death .

Gerdes and Ridgdill are natural resource management majors with a concentration in conservation law, and both have the dream of becoming game wardens .

TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

RIBBON CUTTING

Hunter Outdoor Connections

550 W. 7th St. (U.S. Highway 82), Tifton

Oct. 4

BALDWIN PLAYERS PRESENT COMEDY

The Baldwin Players at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College will stage the comedy, "Boeing, Boeing," on Oct. 10-12 at 7 p.m. each night at ABAC’s Howard Auditorium .

The cast includes, pictured from left, Isabella Sauls from Albany , Roderick Baisden from Tifton , Angel Rewis from Fargo , Parker Lewis from Macon , and Hannah Moseley from Cochran .

Tickets are $10 and may be purchased at the door. Baldwin Players’ Director Brian Ray said the play focuses on the hilarity which ensues when a French bachelor becomes engaged to three different air hostesses at the same time .

'1995' & 'NOIR BLANCO'

Two Art Exhibits Open Oct. 13 at Fitzgerald's Carnegie Center

Two art exhibits – ‘1995’ and ‘Noir Blanco’ – created exclusively for Fitzgerald's Carnegie Center , open Oct. 13 and feature illustrations and photographs .

"1995" is a series of illustrations that Sable McWilliams created to represent the 1990s .

“Even though I only had a short period of time to experience the ‘90s era , I can honestly say that it was an influential time to me, and this is my way of paying tribute to the ‘90s,” said McWilliams , who was born in 1995 .

McWilliams grew up in Ashburn , where he said there was little art inspiration to draw from but he still fell in love with different art forms, including drawing, dance and music .

The other exhibit, " Noir Blanco," is a series of photographs shot by Marque “Milla” Reese of Tifton . He has chosen not to publicly display or discuss the content of the photos before the exhibit opens because he wants viewers to see it in person and to form their own opinions without his influence.

Reese said he found his passion for photographing life’s most raw and emotional

moments in 2009 .

The exhibit opening will be 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct.13 , at the Carnegie Center . Sponsored by the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Arts Council , it is free and open to the public . The exhibit runs through December .