Consumer Q&A: Inquiries About Inspectors

Q:  I don’t think the gasoline pump gave the proper amount. Who do I report this to?   


A: Notify the station manager and call the Department immediately if you experience malfunctioning pumps (including leaking hoses) or problems with the quality of the gasoline, kerosene or diesel fuel you receive. The direct line to our Fuel and Measures Division is 404-656-3605 or you may call our toll-free line: 1-800-282-5852. This number is on all fuel pumps in the state. You can also e-mail the office.

Please let us know the name and address of the store or station, the pump number and the nature of the problem. Please do not just say “There is a problem with the gas station on XYZ Road outside Georgiaville.” Be precise so we have as much information as possible in order to investigate. If there is a problem, the affected pump or pumps will be locked down until the problem is corrected.

Q: What do your inspectors do when they go into a grocery store?

A: Our Food Safety Division administers state laws, rules and regulations and conducts sanitation inspections for retail food establishments such as grocery stores and food warehouses as well as places in the business of food processing including wholesale bakeries and bottled water, dairy and drink processors. We do not inspect restaurants; they are under your county health department.

The regulatory function of our Food Safety Division assures the consumer’s health is protected, provides food that is safe and unadulterated and ensures food is prepared in a clean environment and honestly presented.

Our inspectors conduct routine inspections, follow-up inspections, complaint investigations and foodborne illness investigations. During these inspections the inspectors may check sanitary conditions, proper food handling and storage, employee health and hygiene as well as check small scales for accuracy and collect samples for testing.

Q: The hose at the gas pump where I filled up my car looked like it was about to fall apart and was starting to leak. Should I report this to someone?

A: Please notify the station manager immediately so the company can take action to shut down the pump and call a repair person. Then call the Fuel and Measures Division at 404-656-3605 or toll-free at 1-800-282-5852. The telephone number is posted on the red inspection sticker on the pump. Please have the station name, address and the pump number to help our inspector investigate the problem. 

Recall Roundup: Sept. 13 - 26

Editor's Note: Food recalls related to a foodborne pathogen will be featured on individual blog posts. Food recalls related to food allergens, mislabeling or other causes will be rounded up, when applicable, in a Recall Roundup blog post. For up-to-the-minute information on food recalls, follow @GaMktBulletin and @GDAFoodSafety on Twitter, and visit the Georgia Department of Agriculture's food recall website.

Recalls were issued on select lots of the following products:

Gel Spice Company Inc.: 3.53-ounce jars of Fresh Finds Brand Ground Black Pepper with UPC code 4 1101098290 1 and best by dates of June 30, July 2, July 22 and July 23, 2017.
Recalled Sept. 18 potential Salmonella risk. Read more ...

S&S Food Import Corp.: Five-kilogram boxes of Uneviscerated Dried Roach (Vobla) with the best by date of June 5, 2015.
Recalled Sept. 22; potential botulism risk. Read more ...



Mars Chocolate North America: 3.40-ounce M&M’S Brand Milk Chocolate Theater Box with UPC code of 40000294764, and lot numbers 17DH4JP09, 417EM4JP10, 417FM4JP09, 418AG4JP10, 418BG4JP10, 418CG4JP10, 418DM4JP09, 418EG4JP10, 419AM4JP09, 417EG4JP09, 417FG4JP09, 417FM4JP10, 418AM4JP09, 418BM4JP10, 418CM4JP10, 418DM4JP10, 418EM4JP09, 419AM4JP10, 417EG4JP10, 417FG4JP10, 418AG4JP09, 418AM4JP10, 418CG4JP09,418DG4JP10, 418EG4JP09 , 418EM4JP10, 419BM4JP10.

Recalled Sept. 22; undeclared peanut allergens. Read more ...

Glaser Organic Farms: Eight-ounce packages of Raw Carob Powder with lot number 0507081456 and UPC code 83291005567, and 5.5-ounce packages of Carob Fudgy Brownie lot number 0207211406 and UPC code 832910002061. 
Recalled Sept. 23; potential Salmonella risk. Read more ...

The Original Soupman: 17-ounce packs of Original Soupman Lobster Bisque with lot numbers 0314435801, 0411435801, 0523435801, 0709435803, 0822435801, 0709435802 and 0821435801.
Recalled Sept. 24; undeclared shellfish allergens. Read more ...




 

Georgia Grown Profile: Southern Nuts

Originally published in the Jan. 22, 2014, issue

 

Retail facility focuses on shelled, unshelled pecans

 

By Jenna Saxon, press office

 

Southern Nuts is a family-owned-and-operated pecan retail facility in Lyons, Ga. The Jordan family began growing pecans more than 20 years ago and founded Southern Nuts in 2008. The company sells its own homegrown products at its retail location and online with a focus on shelled and unshelled pecans. Southern Nuts takes pride in the quality of its shelled and unshelled pecans and offers Oconee, Desirable, Sumner and Stuart varieties. In addition to pecans, customers can also find Georgia-grown jams, jellies, sauces, raw honey, Vidalia Onion dressings, chocolate covered pecans, cookbooks and more.

 

Southern Nuts joined the Georgia Grown program at the gold membership level with the hope of increasing the exposure of its business and to network with other agribusinesses in Georgia.

 

“We hope to gain more exposure, improve our marketing and increase sales through our membership with Georgia Grown,” said Debbie Jordan of Southern Nuts.

 

Georgia Grown acts as an outlet for Southern Nuts to meet and network with other tree and pecan growers while increasing the awareness of its operation. The company stands behind Georgia Grown and the program initiative and serves as an ambassador for the program by encouraging other agribusinesses to join.

 

“We help promote Georgia Grown by talking to other local businesses about the benefits that we have seen since joining,” Jordan said.

 

In addition to sharing its testimony, Southern Nuts also assists in marketing the Georgia Grown program by featuring the Georgia Grown logo on its product labels, website and marketing materials. 

Recall: Select Lots of Organic Carob Powder Taken Off Shelves

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black is alerting Georgians to the recall of select lots of organic carob powder produced by Glaser Organic Farms of Miami, Fla.

The recall was initiated as a precautionary measure. The company received notification from its suppliers that the product could contain Salmonella. Salmonella is a bacterium known to cause salmonellosis in humans and animals. Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. In some cases, they are known to be severe enough to require hospitalization and can cause serious complications or death in young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

The affected products are eight-ounce packages of Raw Carob Powder with lot number 0507081456 and UPC code 83291005567, and 5.5-ounce packages of Carob Fudgy Brownie lot number 0207211406 and UPC code 832910002061.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

Georgia Department of Agriculture inspectors will be checking to make sure the recalled products are removed from sale. Consumers who purchased these products are asked not to consume them, but to dispose of the product and its container.

Questions about this recall?

 

Consumers who purchased this product can contact a Glaser Organic Farms customer care representative at 305-238-7747, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, or at raw@glaserorganicfarms.com.

 

To view a comprehensive list of food and feed recalls affecting Georgia, visit our Food Safety Division recall website. If this recall expands or additional details become available in the future, the website will provide the most up-to-date information. 

King of Pops Owners Look to the Land for Business Expansion

Originally published in the Jan. 22, 2014, issue

 

By Dallas Duncan

 

King of Pops is the king of Georgia Grown gourmet popsicles. With flavor combinations including blueberry lemongrass, tangerine basil, grapefruit mint and pineapple habañero, the company built a business that thrives on locally sourced products.

 

And it’s about to get a lot more local — co-founders Steven and Nick Carse are hiring a farm manager to help them start growing their own ingredients.

 

King of Pops co-founder Nick Carse mans the store window in Atlanta, Ga.,
on a sunny day in January. The popsicles, already made with Georgia-grown
ingredients, will soon contain elements sourced from around the company's
farm. Photo by Dallas Duncan

They haven’t nailed down a farm location yet, but the brothers have lots of plans for when they do.

 

“We want to do honey, berries, melons, herbs and kind of experiment from there,” Steven Carse said. “With greenhouses, we can push the limits more, possibly do persimmon and cherry.”

 

Once they’ve figured out what plants work, he said the remainder of the farm will focus on one or two crops. But first, they have to do soil testing and figure out which of their ingredients will grow best in the ground.

 

"Herbs will be the quickest thing that we’ll be able to get to and grow a good bit of what we’ll use,” Steven Carse said.

 

The goals of the farm are three-fold: take over the company’s produce composting, grow their own ingredients and continue Tree Elves, a living Christmas tree operation that “rents” potted Christmas trees to families during the holidays, and takes care of them the other 11 months of the year. When the trees get too big to deliver to new families, they will be planted, donated or sold.

 

“We’re both pretty big dreamers and we have pretty high goals of what it could eventually be,” Steven Carse said.

 

King of Pops sells about 500,000 popsicles each year, between its carts, catering and retail sales. Inspirations for the unusual flavor concoctions come from everywhere, including creative cocktails. Roughly 50 percent of the produce, all of the dairy and honey ingredients are locally sourced, Steven Carse said.

 

“We go to the State Farmers Market, we deal with Destiny Organics a good bit. Then we do a lot of kind of really small scale with some of the farmers at farmers markets we attend. We get all our peaches from Peterson, all our milk from Southern Swiss in Augusta,” Steven Carse said. “We shoot for as much local as we can get.”

 

Though the business has only been around since 2010 — the inspiration came years before when Steven and Nick visited their elder brother, an anthropologist, and became enamored with a variety of Latin American fruit-based popsicle — its distributors have already taken note of the growing fan base.

 

Destiny Organics is one such distributor.

 

“We see how popular their products are and how well they’re selling,” Communications Director Ben Pruett said. “I think that they’re able to do something that is very unique and I think that being able to produce their own ingredients could really add to the possibilities of the unique market that they’ve already carved out.”

 

Pruett said he believes King of Pops will be the first Destiny Organics producer that grows its own ingredients for a prepared product.

 

“We kind of have somewhat of a responsibility to be outspoken leaders in this because our business model is so closely tied to this,” Steven Carse said. “Almost as important as the food we’re going to be creating is our ability to familiarize our fans with local food in general, sustainable food and using it as a marketing tool and learning experience.”

Guest Column: Rockdale County -- Rural Livestyles in the Metro Area

Originally published in the Jan. 22, 2014, issue

 

Sanders

Imagine looking out your windows every morning to see your horses lazily grazing in your own pastures. Imagine your own hobby farm nestled in a community of like-minded farmers. Imagine picking your own blueberries and fruit for breakfast or gathering fresh eggs from your own small flock of poultry. Think how good your own homegrown vegetables will taste. Now, imagine any or all of this readily available a short 30- to 40-minute drive from downtown Atlanta or Stone Mountain. Close enough to commute to work.

 

Seem impossible? There’s more. Land. Prices are still affordable. Taxes don’t cripple. There are numerous move-in ready farmettes from three acres up, or purchase raw tracts of land and carve out your dream.

 

A 19-square mile Watershed Protection area in the northern part of the county guarantees excellent water quality. Ordinances mandate a home in the Watershed Protection must have at least three acres. No subdivisions with homes so close you can touch your neighbor’s house from your own window.

 

Rockdale County provides all of this and more. Zoning in the Watershed Protection area is designed to encourage rural life. In fact, the county is actively seeking well-managed farm and livestock operations. New Watershed Protection zoning allows two adult hooved animals per three acres. It also requires fencing to keep livestock 150 feet from all state waterways to keep the water quality high. Apart from the Watershed Protection, much of the county is still designated as agricultural. 

 

But there’s more. For horse owners, Rockdale County is an easy drive to at least 10 of Georgia’s most popular horse trails. And remember the Georgia International Horse Park, site of the 1996 Centennial Olympic horse events?  This world-class facility is still home to many of the region’s largest horse shows of all disciplines. It also provides 15 miles of possible trail riding on the park’s well maintained horse and mountain bike trails. Should you desire to board your horse, opportunities abound at some of the county’s 16 licensed stables, training barns and horse camps. 

 

In and near Rockdale County are numerous sources for high quality hay. Feed stores dot the county and surrounding areas, providing lots of choice and variety. Highly qualified large and small animal veterinarians call Rockdale County home. Too, the University of Georgia’s large animal clinic is an easy one-hour drive away.

 

For those with spouses or family that would rather golf or fish, the county offers golf courses and a stocked 700-acre reservoir. There are also numerous for-profit private lakes and many tracts of land for sale with existing lakes or lake sites. 

 

This small county, just a straight shot out I-20 east of Atlanta, sees much less traffic and congestion than its metro neighbors and is only a 45-minute drive to the Atlanta airport.

 

Qualified realtors familiar with the county can readily assist you in finding just the spot to make your imaginations a reality. You can be slicing your own delicious home-grown tomatoes by early June. Come check us out.

 

Gerald Sanders is chief of staff of the Rockdale County Board of Commissioners.

Consumer Q&A: An Apple a Day ...

Q: I have an odd question. Apples grow in orchards, but oranges grow in groves. What is the difference between an orchard and a grove? 

A: An orchard is an area of land devoted to the cultivation of fruit or nut trees. “Orchard” is also defined as the trees cultivated in such an area. A grove is a small wood or stand of trees lacking dense undergrowth. “Grove” is also defined as a group of trees planted and cultivated for fruit or nut production.

An orchard always has to consist of fruit or nut trees, but a grove does not. That is the big difference. Orchards are usually maintained in a grove-like manner, with all the competing underbrush removed. So an orchard can almost always be considered a grove by both definitions of the word, but a grove is not always an orchard.

You can say that oranges are grown in orchards or groves, but I suppose “orange orchard” was too clumsy to say, and grove became the norm when referring to where they are grown.

Q:  When is apple season in Georgia?

A:  The bulk of Georgia’s apple harvest is in the late summer and fall (August through December), but a few varieties ripen in early summer. 

Q: Why do Red Delicious apples I see in the supermarket look different from the ones I saw at the orchard?

A: Perhaps the apples you saw at the supermarket were grown in Washington. Both Georgia and Washington grow the same variety, but when grown in the South it looks different than it does when grown in the cool Pacific Northwest. Our Red Delicious apples are rounder than and not as elongated as those from Washington. Also, ours are not as dark red.

If you are only familiar with Washington State apples, try some of the ones grown here in Georgia. You will not be disappointed! 

Recall: Dried Fish Taken Off Shelves for Potential Botulism Risk

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black is alerting Georgians to the recall of select lots of dried fish produced by S&S Food Import Corp.

Routine sampling by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets revealed the products were not properly eviscerated before processing. The sale of uneviscerated processed fish is prohibited in New York as viscera can contain highly concentrated Clostridium botulinum spores. Clostridium botulinum spores can cause botulism, a serious and potentially fatal foodborne illness, which has been linked to uneviscerated fish in the past. The classic symptoms of botulism include double or blurred vision, general weakness, poor reflexes, and difficulty swallowing. These are all symptoms of the muscle paralysis caused by the bacterial toxin. If untreated, these symptoms may progress to cause paralysis of the respiratory muscles, arms, legs, and trunk. Symptoms generally begin 18 to 36 hours after eating a contaminated food, but they can occur as early as 6 hours or as late as 10 days.

The affected products are Uneviscerated Dried Roach (Vobla), which were distributed nationwide in five-kilogram boxes. The products have a best by date of June 5, 2015. 

No illnesses have been reported to date.

Georgia Department of Agriculture inspectors will be checking to make sure the recalled products are removed from sale. Consumers who purchased these products are asked not to consume them, and are advised to return the product to the place of purchase.

Questions about this recall?

 

Consumers who purchased this product can contact a S&S Food Import Corp Customer Care Representative at 718-677-6888.

 

To view a comprehensive list of food and feed recalls affecting Georgia, visit our Food Safety Division recall website. If this recall expands or additional details become available in the future, the website will provide the most up-to-date information. 

Recipe: Award-Winning Chili with Southern Cornbread

Originally published in the Jan. 8, 2014, issue

 

Editor’s Note: This chili recipe comes to us from Department Inspector General Stewart Hicks. It won the Department’s Chili Cook-off for Charity event in December. The cornbread recipe was inspired by Wendy Thornton of Kathleen, Ga.

 

Ingredients:

For the chili:

2 pounds ground beef

1 pound beef sausage, diced

Two 15-ounce cans chili beans

15-ounce can spicy chili beans

Two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes

6 ounces tomato paste

1 large yellow onion

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 green chili peppers

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon bacon bits

4 cubes beef bouillon

½ cup beer

¼ cup chili powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

 

For the cornbread:

2 cups self-rising buttermilk white cornmeal mix

1/3 cup self-rising flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 egg, beaten

1.25 cups buttermilk

¼ cup vegetable oil

 

Instructions:

 

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble ground beef and sausage into the hot pan and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.

 

2. Pour in chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add onion, bell pepper, chili peppers, bacon bits, beef bouillon and beer. Blend and season with remaining ingredients.

 

3. Stir well. Cover and simmer over low heat for at least two hours, stirring occasionally.

 

4. While chili is cooking, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix all cornbread ingredients together in a bowl. The mixture should be thick, but still thin enough to pour without being soupy.

 

5. Pour cornbread batter into a hot, greased eight- to nine-inch cast iron skillet. Bake for approximately 25 minutes until golden brown.

 

6. After two hours, adjust salt, pepper and chili powder to taste.

Recall: Black Pepper Pulled for Potential Salmonella Risk

Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary W. Black is alerting Georgians to the recall of select lots of ground black pepper produced by Gel Spice Company, Inc., of Bayonne, New Jersey.

Routine sampling by the US Food and Drug Administration revealed the products could contain Salmonella. Salmonella is a bacterium known to cause salmonellosis in humans and animals. Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation and urinary tract symptoms. In some cases, they are known to be severe enough to require hospitalization and can cause serious complications or death in young children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems.

The products were distributed nationwide with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, at Big Lots Stores, Inc.

The affected products are 3.53-ounce Fresh Finds Brand Ground Black Pepper in plastic jars with best by dates of June 30, July 02, July 22, and July 23, 2017. The jars have the Fresh Finds brand label with UPC code 4 1101098290 1.

Georgia Department of Agriculture inspectors will be checking to make sure the recalled products are removed from sale. Consumers who purchased these products are asked not to consume them, but to dispose of the product and its container.

Questions about this recall?

 

Consumers who purchased this product can contact 718-702-1532.

 

To view a comprehensive list of food and feed recalls affecting Georgia, visit our Food Safety Division recall website. If this recall expands or additional details become available in the future, the website will provide the most up-to-date information. 

Arty's Garden: Winter Jasmine -- Sunny Flowers for Gloomy Days

Originally published in the Jan. 8, 2014, issue

 

When people ask me about the “forsythia that blooms in the winter,” I know they are usually referring to winter jasmine.

 

Like forsythia, winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) produces lemon-yellow flowers on bare stems. However, winter jasmine can begin blooming in December. Its dark green stems and mounding, almost weeping, habit are also distinguishing features. In fact, this mounding habit makes winter jasmine a perfect choice for a steep bank that is difficult to mow.

 

Another good way to use winter jasmine is to plant it at the top of a retaining wall and let it cascade over or plant it next to a chain-link fence where it can grow up and drape over the fence. In northern climes, gardeners train winter jasmine against sunny walls to provide extra warmth and earlier blooms. While there is no need for that here, it could be an attractive choice for espaliering against a wall. Those who have only seen winter jasmine in the landscape may be surprised to find it is a popular subject for bonsai, readily trained into picturesque shapes and beautiful in flower.

 

I am obligated to mention that winter jasmine is durable, withstands poor soils and heavy clay, has no serious pest problems, thrives in sun or shade – although flowering is reduced in shade – and is drought-tolerant, but what I really want to discuss are those flowers that will brighten the darkest winter day. All winter jasmine needs is a little warmth in winter and it will begin flowering. If there is a cold spell, it will put on the brakes and begin again as soon as it is over. This on-again, off-again manner of flowering means that although winter jasmine blooms over a longer period than forsythia, it does not usually create the grand yellow spectacle that forsythia does in the spring. That is a small matter. One winter jasmine flower in early January is worth 10 forsythia blooms in late March.

 

Lastly, winter jasmine is indeed a true species of jasmine but, unlike many of its cousins, it has no fragrance. Hey, we can’t have everything.

 

Arty Schronce is the Department’s resident gardening expert. He’s a lifelong gardener and a horticulture graduate of North Carolina State University who encourages everyone to discover the pleasures of plants and gardening. 



Guest Blog: As Harvest Begins, Make Your Cotton Contamination-Free

Courtesy Georgia Cotton Commission

By Chris Chammoun

 

Chammoun

The United States cotton industry has long enjoyed a reputation of producing some of the highest quality cotton in the world. This reputation has been earned by our American cotton farmers for their diligence in consistently producing a high-quality cotton crop even given the challenges imposed annually by Mother Nature. One new challenge surfaced in recent years that has the potential to damage the quality of cotton grown in the United States. The challenge is keeping cotton free of contamination by foreign materials. 

 

Foreign material is any impurity, whether organic or inorganic, that gets unintentionally    mixed with cotton in the various harvest and post-harvest processes. Foreign materials can range from plastic grocery bags to leather gloves. These contaminates have the potential to make it through the various stages of textile production and end up ruining many yards of cotton yarn.

 

While there is not one obvious source or type of contamination in cotton, there are things that can be done at different stages to help mitigate contaminates entering the cotton stream. For cotton growers, the easiest thing to do is to be diligent in inspecting your cotton harvester for any excessive grease, fluid leaks or foreign materials that may have accumulated on the harvester. Also be aware of any debris that could be potentially taken up during the harvest process. Debris such as plastic grocery bags and plastic mulch are very lightweight and can easily be picked up by the harvester. Once these items enter the harvester they may be torn or shredded, affecting an entire module of cotton. 

 

For cotton gins, contaminates may be found at the gin or transferred from the field by module trucks. Ginners need to be aware of any foreign material found on equipment or on the gin floors. Take extra time prior to ginning the first module to inspect all equipment to ensure that there are no contaminates located in or around the ginning equipment. Inspect module trucks for foreign materials such as plastics or rope that may have been picked up in the field. Also be sure to educate all gin employees on the proper techniques used to safely unwrap round modules and be sure to not use torn module covers for traditional modules that may introduce contaminates into the cotton. 

 

For warehouse operators, contaminates may be found in or around the areas in which cotton is stored. Be meticulous in inspecting equipment to ensure that no grease, oil or fuel are present on equipment surfaces that handle cotton. Train and educated all warehouse employees on the proper handling techniques for cotton bales to maintain the integrity of the bale packaging so that contaminates are not introduced when moving, loading or unloading bales.

 

With these simple guidelines for growers, gins and warehouses, we can all work together to ensure that we make contaminate-free cotton this harvest season. This is a must if we are to maintain the integrity of cotton grown in the United States and especially to maintain the cotton industry in Georgia.

 

Chris Chammoun is the director of public affairs for the Georgia Cotton Commission. For more information about cotton contamination or about the commission, visit www.georgiacottoncommission.org or call 478-988-4235.



Take 5: Meet Our Fall Intern

Originally published in the Sept. 17, 2014, issue

 

Mohler bottle-feeding a calf at the University of Georgia
Teaching Dairy in Athens, Ga.

1. Tell us a little about your agricultural background.

 

I was blessed to have a middle school ag teacher who got me really excited about agriculture. He actually helped get me into raising and showing hogs, and taught me how much hard work and dedication goes into growing crops, raising livestock and running a farm. I also benefitted from more than 10 years involvement with the National FFA Organization, which helped me build a foundation in the agribusiness world. 

 

2. Why did you want to intern with the Department and the Market Bulletin?

 

Aside from the fact that it’s an amazing opportunity to use all of the skills that I have been developing for the past four years as an agricultural communication student at the University of Georgia, I am super interested in the way that consumers form their opinions about farm commodities and the marketing practices that farms employ. I felt like this internship would give me a real glimpse into some of the practices that Georgia farmers are able to employ. 

 

3. What part of the internship are you most excited about?

 

The entire experience excites me, but if I had to nail down one thing it’s just being in the office and getting to actually write and edit things for the Market Bulletin. I don’t have as much newswriting experience as I do magazine work, but this feels like a great way for me to get some! 

 

4. Many of your extracurricular activities in college revolve around agriculture. Which of these experiences stands out most in your mind and why?

 

There are two in particular that made the biggest impact on me: my involvement with Sigma Alpha, the professional agricultural sorority, and my job at the UGA Dairy. Through Sigma Alpha I found some of my best friends, and it’s wonderful to have a strong support base that feels as strongly about agriculture as I do. Work at the dairy is some of the dirtiest I have ever done, but it’s also the most rewarding. Helping take care of baby cows, and even assisting in delivering calves is not something that I would ever have imagined doing, but it really is a labor of love and I know after graduation it’s going to break my heart to leave my babies behind. 

 

5. If you could design your last meal using only Georgia-grown commodities, what would you like to eat?

 

Since it’s my last meal I’m going all out! A fresh chicken and blueberry salad with strawberry vinaigrette and fresh produce, all from my beloved south Georgia sounds the best. And since I have the world’s biggest sweet tooth, I would end it with ice cream, made from Georgia produced milk of course, and my Granny B’s brandied peaches. 

 

Beth Mohler is the fall 2014 intern for the Market Bulletin and the Department communications team. She is an agricultural communications major at UGA with a minor in food and fiber marketing and a leadership in service certificate. Mohler plans to graduate in May 2015.