Come See the UGA Organic Farm in Action

By Merritt Melancon

University of Georgia organic and sustainable agriculture experts will host their second annual Organic Twilight Tour July 11 from 6-8 p.m. at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ organic research farm in Watkinsville.

Last year’s inaugural tour attracted more than 100 visitors to the Durham Horticulture Farm, where the college’s organic research farm is located.

“Due to overwhelming interest last year, we have decided to make the Organic Twilight Tour an annual event,” said Kate Munden-Dixon, program assistant with Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. “There’s always new research at the horticulture farm… so this is a great chance for anyone interested to come learn directly from the researchers and see the plots.”

Farm tours are free and open to the public and will be held at 1221 Hog Mountain Road in Watkinsville. Preregistration is not required.

Farmers and gardeners will have the opportunity to learn about some of the newest research being conducted at the farm. Researchers and students will give talks and describe demonstration plots where the latest organic cultivation practices are tested.

This year’s demonstration topics include apple variety trials, micro-irrigation, squash diseases, summer vegetable production, cool season vegetables, summer cover crops and high tunnels.

The tour is sponsored by Southern SARE, the UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and the Piedmont Beginning Farmers Development Partnership.

For more information about sustainable agriculture at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, see SustainAgGA.org. For more information about the tour, contact UGA Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator Julia Gaskin.