The Winter Farmer Series consisted of in-person networking and educational events hosted at farms across Georgia in February and March. These farmer field days took place in lieu of the annual Georgia Organics Conference & Expo, which has evolved to engage regenerative farm and food advocates across the U.S. Southeastern region under the moniker “SOWTH.”
ORGANIC GROWERS FARMER FIELD DAY RECAP: Building Cooperative Organic System Models + 2023 Georgia Certified Organic Network (GCON) Program
Georgia Organics hosts a series of educational workshops, Organic Growers Farmer Field Days (OGFFDs), as part of the Farmer Services GO Organic! program to provide a portfolio of services geared specifically towards transitioning and Certified Organic farmers.
ORGANIC GROWERS FARMER FIELD DAY RECAP: Raising Profits & Organic Livestock
At Grateful Pastures Farm — the only Certified Organic poultry farm in Georgia — field day attendees took an autumnal farm tour while learning about pasture management and, later, the importance of record keeping.
Introducing the 2022-2024 Accelerator Cohort!
By Lydia Hsu
Lydia Hsu is a Farmer Services Coordinator at Georgia Organics.
The Farmer Services team here at Georgia Organics is excited to formally introduce the farmers in the 2022-2024 Accelerator cohort!
The Georgia Organics Accelerator Program combines expert coaching with tailored on-farm investments to grow the vitality and resiliency of Georgia farms and improve the quality of life for farmers.
The seven farms selected for the 2022-2024 cohort are all doing incredible work to grow their farm products and businesses, sustainably and organically. Each farm was chosen based on their proposed utilization of the program, which includes identifying three focus goals and one in-hand resource that the farms work towards achieving and completing by the end of the program.
The Farmer Services team is working closely with each farm to develop their goals and in-hand resource, and to support them over the next two years as they execute their Accelerator plan. We have a robust directory of coaches that will be working hand-in-hand with the farmers to provide technical assistance, guidance, and training on a vast array of topics that help them with long-term farm business planning. In-hand resources can look like a Soil Fertility plan, a Food Safety plan, a Labor plan, a Transition plan, and more!
The coaches will also advise farmers on how to maximize their Accelerator funding for their strategic capital investments. This funding can be applied towards farm expenses — including on-farm infrastructure, labor, healthcare, and marketing.
Accelerator Coaches, Case Managers, and Farmers mingle at December 2022 Networking Session. Photo by M.F. Espinoza (@healianthusfarms).
In addition to the individual support farmers receive from coaches and case managers, a key part of the Accelerator program is the cohort community itself, and the peer-to-peer connections the program provides space for. The farmers have the opportunity to participate in networking sessions with their fellow cohort members, as well as Accelerator alumni farmers. These networking opportunities, hosted by Georgia Organics both online and in-person throughout the year, allow the cohort to learn from each other, discuss the Accelerator program together, and connect with other Georgia farmers while visiting each other's farms. Our hope is that these networking sessions become an invaluable way to grow community and friendships with other farmers.
The seven farms in the 2022-2024 cohort are located across the state of Georgia and range from diversified vegetable operations to fiber and livestock farms. Without further ado, here are the 2022-2024 Accelerator farmers!
Andrew Douglas and family of Crossroad Farm and Garden. Photo credit: Southern Soil.
Crossroad Farm and Garden (Facebook, Instagram)
Andrew Douglas | Alma, GA
Crossroad Farm and Garden is a Certified Naturally Grown farm owned and operated by Andrew Douglas. The farm uses sustainable practices to cultivate the soil and grow vegetables, herbs, and fruits. As a member of WayGreen, a local food coalition in southeast Georgia, the farm provides food for the community through the Family Farm Share program in Waycross.
Brendan Gannon of Gannon Organics. Photo credit: Gannon Organics.
Gannon Organics (Facebook, Instagram)
Brendan Gannon | Savannah, GA
Gannon Organics was founded by Brendan Gannon in December 2019. The operation is a 4-acre sustainable and diversified vegetable farm serving Savannah, GA. Brendan has been farming organically for over a decade, uses 100% organic methods to grow his produce, and uses cover cropping and field rotation as means for a regenerative growing environment.
Keisha and Warren Cameron of High Hog Farm. Photo credit: High Hog Farm.
High Hog Farm (Facebook, Instagram)
Keisha and Warren Cameron | Grayson, GA
High Hog Farm is run by returning generation farmers Keisha and Warren Cameron. They officially started cultivating the land in 2014, regenerating the soil, and quickly becoming students of permaculture, agroecology, and indigenous practices. They produce locally grown fibers and plant-based dyes from heritage breed sheep, rabbits, and heirloom seeds.
Brennan and Gwendolyn Washington of Phoenix Gardens. Photo credit Kayla Williams.
Phoenix Gardens (Facebook)
Gwendolyn and Brennan Washington | Lawrenceville, GA
Phoenix Gardens was started in 2006 and is owned and operated by Gwendolyn and Brennan Washington. The farm is Certified Naturally Grown and uses sustainable methods to grow vegetables, herbs, and fruits. The farm has been a mainstay in Gwinnett County for over fifteen years, hosting farm tours and educational events for the community.
Stephanie Simmons of PolyCulture Production at Gaia Gardens. Photo credit: Food Well Alliance.
PolyCulture Production at Gaia Gardens (Instagram)
Stephanie Simmons | Decatur, GA
Stephanie Simmons started PolyCulture Production at Gaia Gardens in 2022. With 2.5 acres in production, Stephanie grows a variety of vegetables and fruits organically. The farm focuses on soil health as the foundation for plant, community, and cultural health and on mimicking the biodiversity of nature by producing multiple crops in the same space.
Ashley Rodgers of Rodgers Greens and Roots Organic Farm. Photo credit: Rodgers Greens and Roots Organic Farm.
Rodgers Greens and Roots Organic Farm (Facebook, Instagram)
Ashley Rodgers | Douglasville, GA
Rodgers Greens and Roots Organic Farm is a Certified Organic farm owned and operated by Ashley Rodgers on 64 acres of historic farmland along the Chattahoochee River. Currently, 15 acres are under cultivation; 10 acres in vegetables, and 5 acres in perennial fruit orchards. The farm’s growing style is medium-scale and sustainable practices are the backbone of the farm.
Rahul Anand of Snapfinger Farm. Photo credit: Snapfinger Farm.
Snapfinger Farm (Facebook, Instagram)
Rahul Anand | Covington, GA
Rahul Anand started Snapfinger Farm in 2016, when he took horse pastures and turned them into vegetable fields, built a walk-in cooler, wash station, hoop houses, and more. The farm is Certified Naturally Grown and uses sustainable growing methods. The farm expanded onto a new property in 2022 and will be scaling up from 2.5 acres to 30 acres of production.
JOIN US IN WELCOMING THE NEW COHORT OF ACCELERATOR FARMS!
GIVE THEM A FOLLOW AND SHARE THE LOVE AS WE LAUNCH A GREAT YEAR.
MAP OF CURRENT & ALUMNI ACCELERATOR FARMS
To learn more about Georgia Organics, visit georgiaorganics.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn by searching the handle @GeorgiaOrganics or Georgia Organics.
Our full suite of programs and services is accessible to our Farmer Members at no additional cost and can be discovered by visiting farmerservices.georgiaorganics.org. Not a member yet? Visit georgiaorganics.org/membership to become a member today!
Farmer Field Day Recap: Accelerator Networking Event – Welcoming the 2022-2024 Cohort!
By Lydia Hsu
Lydia Hsu is a Farmer Services Coordinator at Georgia Organics
Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, started as a cloudy, drizzly morning as over 25 attendees pulled up to Hearts of Harvest Farm, located in Arnoldsville, GA. Farmers traveled from across the state to convene at this diversified vegetable, flower, and mushroom farm run by Paul and Lindsey Sorah, 2020-2021 Accelerator alumni.
The Field Day served as a networking event to welcome the 2022-2024 Accelerator cohort and provided the farmers with an opportunity to meet each other, connect with several alumni, get to know their program coaches, and put faces to the names of the Farmer Services team.
Daniel Sweeney, a Seven Springs Farm Supply Crop Adviser, shares soil health and fertility knowledge at Hearts of Harvest Farm. Photo by M.F. Espinoza (@healianthusfarms)
The day started off at Hearts of Harvest’s home location, and the alumni farmers shared their Accelerator program experiences and insight, while the new farmers had the chance to talk about their hopes and goals for the program. As the drizzle turned into rain, the group left the cover of the tents, and we toured Hearts of Harvest Farm. Attendees were able to learn how Hearts of Harvest utilized their Accelerator capital investment funding to revamp a wooden structure on their property into a mushroom house. Growing mushrooms now provides them with a revenue stream through the winter months and allows them to retain employees with minimal turnover before the growing season – a game changer.
After learning more about how the farm applied their Accelerator program funding, including shade cloth, market bins, and microgreen trays, the tour wrapped up and the group drove to the new, secondary farm location Hearts of Harvest just recently acquired. This expanded acreage will allow them to divide the two properties between flower-focused production and produce-focused growing space.
Accelerator Farmers learn about the mushroom house at Hearts of Harvest Farm. Photo by M.F. Espinoza (@healianthusfarms)
In addition to receiving strategic capital investment funds to put towards their farm’s infrastructure, the new cohort receives funding specifically designated for working with coaches to further advance their short and long-term goals for their farm business. Accelerator program coaches spoke about their areas of expertise and the coaching services they could provide to the new cohort, ranging from food safety plans to legal guidance and everything in between. As an aspect of a newly formed partnership between Georgia Organics and Seven Springs Farm Supply, one of Seven Spring’s Crop Advisers, Daniel Sweeney, will be an Accelerator coach for the 2022-2024 cohort, focusing on soil health, fertility, and integrated-pest management.
Inside the Farm Home at Hearts of Harvest Farm. Photo by Lydia Hsu
To finish out the Farmer Field Day, the new cohort of Accelerator farmers separated into breakout groups and met with the coaches and Farmer Services case managers to talk more in-depth about the year ahead.
Despite the rain and dreary weather, the Field Day was filled with rich conversations, joyful connections, and invaluable community building between farmers. To cap the day, attendees shared a hearty meal together from Farmer Champion Farm Burger in Athens, GA, provided for by a gracious donation from Seven Springs Farm Supply.
The Farmer Services team is excited to jump into the new year and start working with these seven, awesome 2022-2024 Accelerator farmers. So, without further ado, here is our newest Accelerator class!
Gannon Organics (Facebook, Instagram) | Brendan Gannon | Savannah, GA
High Hog Farm (Facebook, Instagram) | Keisha and Warren Cameron | Grayson, GA
Phoenix Gardens (Facebook) | Gwendolyn and Brennan Washington | Lawrenceville, GA
PolyCulture Production at Gaia Garden (Instagram) | Stephanie Simmons | Decatur, GA
Rodgers Greens and Roots Organic Farm (Facebook, Instagram) | Ashley Rodgers | Douglasville, GA
Snapfinger Farm (Facebook, Instagram) | Rahul Anand | Covington, GA
Accelerator Coaches, Case Managers, and Farmers mingle at Hearts of Harvest Farm. Photo by M.F. Espinoza (@healianthusfarms)
Learn more about the Georgia Organics Accelerator Program by visiting our website at farmerservices.georgiaorganics.org/accelerator.
To learn more about Hearts of Harvest Farm, visit www.heartsofharvestfarm.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @heartsofharvestfarm.
Find out more about Seven Springs Farm Supply by visiting www.sevenspringsfarmsupply.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram @sevenspringsfarmsupply.