The 2020 Sunbelt Expo in Georgia may have been canceled, but it did not prevent organizers from holding the annual field day. The Georgia Farm Monitor shares the story.
The Sunbelt Expo decided to make their field day a drive-thru to help limit the spread of COVID-19. However, just because the format changed, does not mean that the content or quality was changed.
According to the expo’s executive director, Chip Blalock, “It’s a little different, its a drive-thru with 34 videos online and when you go and stop at one, you get your smart phone and hook it up to the bluetooth... it’s a new concept... We call it a hybrid approach where we blend the safety of the farmers not having to get out their truck, but they still get to come to the farm, see the crop and watch the videos and learn.”
The information is important for producers so they can see what research is being done to help them grow the best and most cost effective crop possible.
“Farmers are essential workers, providing food, fiber and shelter for the world,” Blalock said. “The research we are doing now is basically for the future.”
Growers also got to hear from University of Georgia agronomists on update on crops across the state. Dr. Glen Harris, a soil specialist with the university, noted that the 2020 crop was looking good and he hopes that the crops keep getting good moisture.