Story by student reporter Morgan Warr
The newest agricultural innovations were presented to participants at the 2016 Sunbelt Agriculture Exposition in Moultrie. The event lasted for three days, Oct. 17-20.
“Everything from top notch technology to livestock can be found here,” Michaela Falconer, a 2016 Sunbelt Rodeo Queen said. “Numerous ways of learning about farming and different forms of agriculture is shown through different vendors and producers in the industry.”
There are 280 students enrolled in agriculture classes at Thomas County Central High School, with six career pathway options. Seventy-two of these students from different ag classes attended the expo. Why did TCCHS take its students? The agriculture industry in America is growing and more youths want to get involved.
“The Sunbelt Agriculture Expo is a great opportunity for students to see some of the latest innovations in agriculture right in our backyard,” Robbie Harrison, a TCCHS agriculture teacher said. “In addition, students have a face-to-face opportunity to talk with representatives from colleges from around the southeast.”
While farming is a large industry in agriculture, there are many other forms such as livestock, medicine, and even technology. All of these areas could be found at the event. Harrison said students have the opportunity to test ice cream, participate in simulations, visit livestock, and view current farm equipment and technology.
TCCHS students visited the 600 acre working farm that showcased the latest crops and harvesting technology.
“It was nice to get to look at all of the new cattle working technology and hay equipment,” student Gage Odom said. “The corn harvesting demo was a great way to wrap up our day.”
In addition to the working farm, students had the option to test and view the latest agricultural equipment like tractors, irrigation, and agricultural manufacturing.
“There was a lot of cutting edge technology there for farming,” student Kolby Phillips said. “I liked the new John Deere 8400R tractor.”
When asked, many people named the livestock as their favorite part of the expo. Several different livestock could be found including horses, cows, and alpacas.
“My favorite part of the expo was the horse demonstrations,” student Madison Lombardi said. “I love horses and I learned a lot of new tricks and information that I can utilize.”
Donald Dalton, another agriculture teacher at TCCHS, attended the expo to participate in the annual Georgia Young Farmer Q-Fest barbeque competition. They cooked for expo participants and Georgia Young Farmer members.
“Cooking for the Thomas County Young Farmers was the team of Brandon Barnes, Layton Harvey, Jason Cone and Lavor Cone,” Dalton said. “They finished fourth out of 24 teams.”
Students enjoyed the trip and returned home with valuable information beneficial to their futures.
“I learned about several different things that can definitely help me out in my future,” Hailey Parrish said. “I really want to be involved in agriculture because it is always changing.”
Harrison said the educational event is a fun and important way to witness the evolving world of agriculture.
“The Sunbelt Ag Expo showcases the newest research, technology, and equipment in agriculture today,” Harrison said. “It is more important today than ever that young people understand the important role agriculture plays in our global economy, future, and world.”