North Georgia forages
Here in the Catoosa County area we have some of the most beautiful land in the state. We have the Appalachian Mountains to our east, Lake Chickamauga and Lake Nickajack to our north and fertile fields all around. We produce thousands of head of cattle each year and have a growing small ruminant market as well. To support the strong and growing livestock industry here in North Georgia we also produce an abundance of hay to feed these animals. As we prepare for the upcoming season I wanted to share a few things regarding our forages and pastures.
Here at the Catoosa County Extension Office we offer a few tools and services to help you and your business. I have already made a few farm visits and collected several soil samples to help some of our farmers get ready for lime and fertilizer applications. I also have collected a hay sample and sent it off for analysis in my short time here and hope to do several more. This is a useful tool for growers and consumers to check the quality of their hay. If you are certified private pesticide applicator and need your training hours, I can also help you with that here at my office. If you plan on using restricted-use pesticides/herbicides you’ll want to keep those hours up to date.
I plan to do weekly forage checks around the county so you may see me out and about this summer. If you do see me in your field, I will be checking for insects and disease mainly. Fall army worms have to be handled quickly and I hope to scout our fields enough to give everyone a heads up via my crop update email. I will also be scouting for Bermuda grass stem maggots, which is what I worked on for my masters degree at Georgia. If you have hay and would be willing to let me scout your fields, please give me a call.
If you have hay or livestock and would like to be added to my Catoosa County ag update email please give me a call, 423-355-7056. Likewise, If you have any questions or need help on the farm please let me know.