Master Goat Farmer Training

 UGA's next Master Goat Farmer Certification Training for North Georgia is offered through Whitfield County's Extension Office.

Location: North Georgia Fairgrounds,  500 Legion Dr., Dalton, GA 30721
Dates: Thursdays,  January 28, February 4, 11 & 18
Times: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. on each date, with a meal served at 7:00 p.m.
Cost: $100. Includes study materials, manuals, meals, refreshments, door prizes and graduation certificate

Preregistration required by January 21, 2016
To register, contact the Whitfield County Extension Office at 706-278-8207.

For topics, presenters, and additional details, see information online linked here.

Farming in Cobb County?

"The U.S. Agricultural Census of 1850 reports that in Cobb County the county's largest crops were cotton, wheat, corn, oats, rice, and sweet potatoes." (from Mable Property Rural Preservation Plan)

The Mable House planning document linked above also tells that, after the Civil War, chickens became a larger part of agricultural activity in the county, and, after WWI, cotton ranked higher in productivity. By 1935, Cobb County's farms were producing "cotton, corn, hay, truck garden crops, and sweet potatoes." After WWII, agriculture in Cobb County was still an important economic activity, but the amount of land in agricultural production has been in decline, generally, since then.

Today, as area residents consider beginning new agricultural businesses, UGA's consumer horticulturalist Bob Westerfield has some words of advice, offered through an interview published on Georgia FACES: 

“Think small to begin with, unless you have a lot of help and equipment,” he said. “I recommend a quarter- or half-an-acre plot.”

Egg Candling Classes Scheduled in Paulding County

The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) has scheduled four back-to-back classes in Paulding County for certification in egg candling:

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

UGA Extension/Paulding County

530 West Memorial Drive

Dallas, GA 30132

The classes will be offered at two hour intervals, starting at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 12 noon, and 2:00 p.m.

Anyone planning to sell eggs to individuals or at a farmers market must hold an egg candling certificate. According to GDA information, the license can be obtained by successfully taking and passing both written and candling exams.

Classes are open to any Georgia resident, without age restrictions. There is no charge, but preregistration is required. Time slots will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. Study materials will be mailed by the GDA after registration.

To register:
Call the GDA at 770-535-5955, and provide your name, mailing address, email address, and preferred class time.