By Clint Thompson
The Sunbelt Ag Expo, scheduled for Oct. 14-16 in Moultrie, Georgia, will feature Georgia as the Spotlight State, crown a new Farmer of the Year and showcase technological advancements through its field demonstrations.
Chip Blalock, Sunbelt Ag Expo executive director, talked about this year’s event.
“We are looking forward to the 47th annual North America’s premier farm show, the Sunbelt Ag Expo coming up Oct. 14, 15 and 16. Gates open at 8:30 (a.m.) daily, close at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and 3 p.m. on Thursday. We look forward to welcoming the world to the Sunbelt Expo,” Blalock said.
Attendees are welcomed to stop by the Georgia Cotton Commission to learn more about the state’s cotton crop as well as the Georgia Peanut Commission to sample peanut butter sandwiches and other peanut delights. Each organization will have sites on the Expo grounds.
Field demonstrations will also be held amid extremely dry weather conditions, though Blalock’s field crew has helped to maintain the crops through irrigation.
“We’re keeping them as moist as we can with irrigation. It’s been a challenge for sure, especially with the hay,” Blalock said. “But we’re ready, running irrigation and keeping everything going. We’re going to have the traditional peanut and hay harvesting demos. We’re going to have drones and autonomous tractors. We’ve got several new things this year, including mechanical harvesting, working with a company called Oxbo, running a mechanical harvester in butter beans, peas and sweet corn.
“We’ve teamed up with National Cattlemen’s Beef Association; 2 p.m. daily is stockmanship and stewardship presentation. It comes with BQA points for cattle producers that come.
“We’ve got the cattle demos, forages, catfish, sheep and goat, aquaponics, equine, poultry, dairy and the cow milking contest all three days.”