The Christmas season is upon us! It is hard to believe that another year will soon be behind us. Even though it has been a year

of major natural disasters for our nation, we were very fortunate here in Georgia not to bear the brunt of it. We have heard over and

over how

many houses, businesses, schools, and churches were destroyed. While this is very important to know, we have not heard much about the agricultural losses that were sustained. I did some research on the hurricanes’ impact on the gulf region.

The region’s poultry, livestock, and timber industry took a very hard hit. In Mississippi, the Department of Agriculture estimates 2,400 poultry houses sustained damage, with up to 400 totally destroyed and nearly 6 million birds killed. On-farm poultry industry losses are estimated at $102 billion. The New Orleans area suffered high beef cattle losses. Of the 15,000 beef cattle left in the St. Bernard Parish area, 10,000 are presumed dead. These lost animals are valued at an estimated $8 million. The estimated value of damaged timber is $1.3 billion. Nearly 90 percent of all forests damaged were within 60 miles of the coast, predominately in Mississippi.

4-H’ers who attended Junior Conference at Rock Eagle are pictured, from left, seated: Rhonda Lovett and Margaret Dickens; front row standing: Tabitha Trent, Lavonte Lovette, Aaron Tanner, Ashton Sherrod and Krysten Yager; and second row standing: Whitley Clark, Jessica Herrmann, Brianna Lane and Emily English. Hurricanes Katrina/Rita showed no mercy on the region’s dairy and cotton crop. Approximately one-half of upland cotton production in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee sustained hurricane or tropical force winds. The September 1 crop production report reduced Alabama’s cotton production by 20,000 bales and cotton production in Mississippi by 100,000 bales, with an estimated production loss of $30 million. According to private sources, cotton producers in Louisiana have experienced $10 million in losses.

The dairy industry was adversely affected as well. Many producers suffered damage to buildings and equipment and loss of power, leaving them unable to milk their cows without generators. In addition, the absence of electricity and impassable roads prevented the processing and movement of milk to processing plants. The total cost of not producing milk for all producers totaled $3 million/week.

As you can see, these are just the figures for a few commodities. It would take the entire newspaper to discuss the loss of sugarcane, corn, soybeans, pecans, etc. These hurricanes significantly impacted agriculture in the region. As I stated earlier, it will take years for the lives of affected individuals to return to normal.

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4-H Junior Conference

On December 3 and 4, State 4-H Junior Conference was held at Rock Eagle 4-H Center. This is a yearly event in which Jenkins County is always represented.

During Junior Conference, 4H’ers attended classes on healthy lifestyles and learning how to prepare portfolios for D.P.A. Our 4-H’ers always have a good time meeting new people and participating in the different events.

This year, I took our delegation to see the actual Rock Eagle. The actual Rock Eagle monument was constructed by Native Americans and is considered a holy shrine. The Eagle was constructed on top of the ground and, therefore, you must climb a tower to view its entirety. Once at the top of the tower, you can see the eagle from head to toe. The kids really enjoyed seeing this work of art, and we have some excellent pictures of the eagle from 100 feet in the air!

We will be closed all of next week and will reopen January 3. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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