The Lincoln County Soil and Water Conservation District, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, and Lincoln County UGA Extension collaborated to host an educational field day for youth in the Lincoln County High School Agricultural Education program last week at Double Branches Farm and Produce Market. With agriculture one of Georgia’s number #1 industries, youth awareness of agriculture and conservation is more important than ever. The goal of this field day was to introduce different conservation practices to students and show how they are applied in a working farm setting.
A critical area of interest for agricultural producers is the conservation of natural resources, wildlife, and the environment. Students learned about the organizations that are involved with these initiatives including career options within UGA Extension, the NRCS, GACD, and the GSWCC. Interestingly, all of our experts stated that what they wanted to do as a career when they started college was not what they wound up doing today. After the career discussion, students had a demonstration of a rainfall stimulator. The rainfall stimulator shows examples of well-managed pasture, overgrazed pasture, cover crops, bare earth, and forest/unmanaged land, and compares the impact of rainfall on that land. Ultimately, there is more water and sediment runoff from bare earth and overgrazed pastures than some of our other management styles- which is important when we discuss preserving water quality. Next, students were taken on a walking tour of Double Branches Farm, where they learned about production techniques, pest management, pollinator health and some of the challenges associated with farming. Did you know that the early frost in March caused a dramatic decrease in the number of blueberries we can expect to harvest this year? After our farm tour, guests ate lunch, sponsored by Lincoln County Farm Bureau (thank you!)
In the afternoon, the group went for a walk out on some forested land and learned about timber and forestry management. They discussed how to evaluate the goals of an operation and some ways to improve wildlife habitat, such as the use of prescribed fire to increase forage availability in the woods. The day ended with a brief conversation about conservation techniques for livestock including grazing and manure management.
Our students had an excellent time exploring conservation topics with our guests and experts. The Lincoln County Soil and Water Conservation District would like to express our sincere appreciation to partnering organizations, sponsors, and our host for this year’s event. We hope students come away from our program with a newfound appreciation of agriculture and conservation practices, and look forward to our next youth field day!
