The 44th edition of the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo is ready to dazzle visitors and impress exhibitors with innovations, the latest agricultural developments and a wide array of demonstrations. With the Covid-19 pandemic in the rearview mirror, organizers are taking a much more optimistic tone this year as events get under way Oct. 18 at the Expo show grounds and the Darrell Williams Research Farm.

Chip Blalock, long-time director of the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition welcomes the return to normal. He said he has a good feeling about this year’s edition of the show. A strong slate of exhibitors is expected, and Blalock anticipates a spike in attendance.

“We are hoping for a much larger crowd this year,” Blalock said. “People are hopefully getting past the pandemic and are ready to get out there. There is a concern for people traveling with high gas prices, but if people invest their time to come, they will learn tips and techniques, whether it’s about new seed varieties, soil protection and fertility, irrigation procedures, things to lower their input costs. It will allow us to improve and maintain our economic and environmental sustainability.”

Blalock said the Moultrie region has had more of a normal growing season compared to last year’s excessively wet summer.

“This time last year, we were under water. Now, after a wet July, we are back to dry again, which we consider a blessing compared to last year, which was wet the whole summer. This year has been more of a normal growing season for us. We haven’t been flooded, nor have we had a prolonged drought. Our research farm is turning out some great work, and we look forward to demos during the show.”

Producing the Expo is a massive undertaking for Expo staff, which is comprised of eight full-time members and two part-timers. During the Expo’s three-day run, that number spikes to between 150 and 175 who will be working the show, providing forklift service, shipping and receiving, food booths, parking and security and exhibitor registration. They are supported by about 200 volunteers who sell tickets and help out as needed.

“We have help from area colleges and universities- Clemson, Georgia, Florida, Fort Valley, and Auburn.” Blalock said.  “We work very closely with all of our schools, and also with the FFA and 4-H groups.”

New Equipment

A new exhibitor, Ryse Aerotech will hold daily test flights of its new eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing), electric vehicle in the ultralight class. The company said it created the vehicle “for people with a purpose—those whose job can be done better with flight.”  The operator does not need a pilot’s license. Ryse is touting the vehicles potential uses on farms such as soil testing, checking on livestock and locating cattle. Test flights will be held at 2 p.m. each day.

“The drone demonstrations will take place on our research farm,” Blalock said. “We will likely be flying them over the peanut crop, or the cotton that is ready to be picked.”

Another equipment highlight will be electric tractors from Solectrac, a Windsor, Calif.-based company that is building zero-emission tractors at new facilities in Windsor and Denton, N.C. The tractors improve operator, livestock, and environmental health by reducing air pollution, exposure to toxic diesel exhaust, and diesel particulates on crops and soil, according to the company, which has been making the rounds at agriculture shows around the U.S. this year.

“They have been working really hard to establish their dealer network in the Southeast,” Blalock said.  “We’re excited to show that technology.”

Visitors will also be able to check out trucks and various pieces of farming equipment either from directly inside the cabs or while watching crops being harvested on the real-working Darrell Williams Research Farm, where 600 acres are dedicated to agronomic research and technologies. The farm is also the location of the popular Expo in-field demonstrations, said Cody Mitchell, the Expo farm manager.

There will also be peanut harvesting technology to see, and on each of the three days of the show, multiple brands of hay cutters run side by side, along with tedders, balers and rakes, providing detailed comparison of how each piece of equipment performs.

The Expo’s format will be similar to last year. The opening ceremony is set for 9:30 a.m on Tuesday, Oct. 18, followed by the Southeast Hay Contest. The Expo Luncheon will be held at noon on Tuesday. One of the Expo’s major highlights, the luncheon will see the naming of the 32nd Expo Southeastern Farmer of the Year. Top farmers in individual Southeastern states will also be recognized.

“We’ll have an antique tractor parade daily, and the stock dog trial will be going on daily. We have an exhibitor reception, the Youth Educational Challenge, and the informal pork cookoff on Wednesday. Hopefully, by the time Thursday rolls around, we’ll have a lot of tired exhibitors, from interacting with farmers from all around the region, introducing their services and technologies.”

There will also be a wide variety of demonstrations, including beef cattle management, dairy, cattle handling, horses, fence building, catfish pond management, aquaculture, sheep and goats.

The Southeastern Hay Contest started growing in 2004, and so did the interest in improving Southeast hay production. The hay competition focuses on Relative Forage Quality, RFQ, a measurement of the nutritional value the hay or baleage offers animals.

The contest is an educational partnership between Southeastern land-grant universities. Over the last 17 years, the program has encouraged producers to test their hay to refine Southeastern forage production practices.

Cooking Demos

Each day of the Expo will see cooking demonstrations at the Georgia Grown and Georgia Dept. of Agriculture Cooking stage at the Georgia Agriculture/Georgia Farm Bureau Building. Visitors will have the opportunity to view informative videos from agribusinesses across the state, visit with members of the Georgia Department of Agriculture staff, and gather great recipes and cooking tips from Georgia Grown Chefs, including Chef Olivia Rader who will demonstrate a featured recipe at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Another daily cooking highlight will be Chef Chris Walton’s cooking demonstrations of U.S. farm-raised catfish.

Grow It

Large-scale agriculture is not the only focus of the Expo. The South's subtropical climate is excellent for backyard gardening enthusiasts. The Expo's garden space is maintained year-round by an army of volunteers, so visitors can enjoy a great learning experience in October during the show.

“This space is all about teaching people to grow food for themselves,” said Fredando Jackson, or “Farmer Fredo” as he commonly known. Jackson is the executive director of the non-profit Flint River Fresh. He has turned garden demonstration plot into a must-see for anyone interested in agriculture. This space serves as a tool to educate people on personal food production and sustainable agriculture.

Equine demonstrations and seminars will be held each day at the Priefert Horse Arena

Festivities will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday with the Sunbelt Expo Rodeo Queen and Princess introduction. At 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Logan Wolfe, owner of Wolfe Cowhorses of Colorado will conduct ranch sorting demos.

Analise Granger will hold trick riding demonstrations at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. She's a professional Roman rider from Dothan, Ala. Roman riding, sometimes referred to as trick riding, is a Western style that allows a rider to stand on two horses and perform various patterns or jump through fire.

Expo attendees come from all over the Southeast, and there will be some from all around the country, according to Blalock. Georgia, Florida, and Alabama send the largest contingents. Organizers also expect an increase in international visitors. Recent years have also seen an increase in younger farmers coming to the Expo.

The Sunbelt Expo is also a magnet for agricultural students from around the Southeast who attend to learn about the industry.

“We have enhanced their experience with youth educational programs, challenges and competitions,” Blalock said.  “We had over 500 kids last year, and we hope to get up to 800 this year. The contests include animal science, forestry, wildlife, and horticulture.”

Planning for the Sunbelt Expo is a rear-round process for Blalock and his staff. It’s safe to say that the minute this year’s event concludes, they will turn their attention to 2023.

“As soon as we finish one show, we are working on the next one,” Blalock said. “At the show, we will visit with exhibitors while we can, and get ideas about what we can do different and better for the next year.”