Our Impact
2025 Terrell County ANR Extension Impact:
Evaluating Cover Crops for Profitability in South Georgia - 2025
Name: Seth Thomas McAllister
County: Terrell
Scope: County
State Issue: Sustainability, Conservation, & the Environment
Summary
Terrell County has approximately 60,000 acres of row crop production annually. Heavy soil types and rolling topography can greatly increase erosion, lead to lost fertility, increase weed pressure, as well as lead to stand establishment issues in conventional tillage systems. The Terrell County ANR Agent sought to evaluate multiple varieties of cover crops to determine which management practices may lead to increased cover crop adoption in the area, and more effectively utilize the incorporated cover crops to pay for the added seed cost of cover crop establishment.
Situation
Terrell County has a rich history in producing row crops. However, due to very diverse soil types, and uniquely heavy clays that are atypical to South Georgia, many producers have relied on conventional tillage for easier establishment of a cash crop in the Spring. Some producers have started planting cover crops in the last few years, but many are planting them late, terminating them early, and not building enough residue to increase organic matter in the soil. Growers are not achieving the complete benefit from cover crops, other than obtaining funds for planting them from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the United States Department of Agriculture. The fear of not getting a plant stand in heavy residue is a real concern, and many producers are not willing to take that chance.
Response
Terrell County Extension collaborated with The Jimmy Carter Plant Material Center and The Georgia Conservation Tillage Alliance to plant a multispecies cover crop variety trial in Americus, Georgia and determine which cover crop varieties performed the best in Terrell County area soil types. ? Evaluate cover crop blends to measure the nitrogen credit to the following crop from nitrogen affixed from the cover crops ? Collaborate with other state agencies and local RC&D?s to host field days and trainings to present this data to producers as well as other Extension Agents, and NRCS staff in the Southeast ? Analyze seed cost and fertility value for profit potential ? Demonstrate multiple planting dates with each variety to impress upon producers how impactful it can be on producing biomass from each cover crop.
Results/Impact
Preliminary data from Terrell County has shown that cover crop blends featuring a legume can reduce synthetic nitrogen rates of up to 70 units per acre for the following cash crop. This project was in collaboration with The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, The Jimmy Carter Plant Materials Center, The Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission, The Georgia Conservation Tillage Alliance, The Georgia Association of Conservation Districts, as well as the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. This project allowed producers to see individual cover crop species side by side, as well as with multiple planting dates to give them realistic expectations for given varieties. This data also helped producers rank what varieties they liked for different scenarios on their farm given limited seed availability.
2025 Terrell County 4-H Extension Impact:
Terrell County 4-H Utilizes Outdoor Learning to Address Summer Learning Loss
County: Terrell
Location or facility: UGA Cooperative Extension Service in Terrell County
Your unit / Department/ Group: CAES / Cooperative Extension Service/ 4-H
Summary
Youth in Terrell County participated in a series of outdoor classes during their summer break. There was evidence of increased interest in and knowledge of insects and plants.
Situation
Learning loss over the summer has been a concern of educators for decades. An article published by the American Federation of Teachers in 2023, outlined how harmful extended summer breaks can be for low-income students with limited or no opportunity for enrichment activities.
Terrell County is a rural community with very few summer enrichment opportunities for students. Each summer, programs like the public library, Positive Direction Youth Center and Terrell County 4-H provide fun opportunities for children to continue learning.
Response
There is significant research that connects outdoor learning with enhanced critical thinking skills for children. For example, a 2008 research project by Berman et al revealed improvements in attention skills when learning takes place in nature. The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) conducted a review of academic literature examining the impact of environmental education. This review found a number of studies indicating improved academic performance and critical thinking skills tied to environmental education.
This summer, Terrell County 4-H provided several outdoor education opportunities for students in our community. Through a partnership with the Terrell County Public Library and Positive Direction Youth Center, Terrell County 4-H had 53 children between 7 and 17 years of age to participate in local outdoor based summer activities.
Utilizing the 4-H educational garden located in the walking track behind the County Extension office, weekly classes were offered. The first class “Bees, Butterflies, and Native Plants” was co-presented by the SOWEGA Beekeepers and a Master Gardener. During the second class, our summer intern taught the children about grafting trees while guiding them through the fruit trees planted along the walking trail. Children learned about seed development during the third class. In the final class of the summer, the children participated in a nature journaling activity and had the opportunity to dissect an 8-foot-tall sunflower. During the first three classes, the children were encouraged to participate in a mock pollinator census using the flowers in the 4-H garden.
Results / Impact
For the first three classes, students were asked to name their favorite thing they experienced in the garden that day. They were also asked to name three interesting things they learned in the garden. The responses were surprising because they indicated that the students responded most to the mock pollinator activity. Overwhelmingly, they indicated that that the insects were their favorite thing or the most interesting thing they learned about. During the mock pollinator census, the children were given a photographic insect guide and count the number and variety of insects that landed on a flower during a 15-minute period. This activity of concentrated observation and recording data led to indicated interest in insects as reported on the evaluations. One student observed that “Different bugs land on some plants. Some bugs don’t like to land on some plants. Some bugs fly around the plants.” Another responded that he learned that crab spiders are not venomous.
Over the course of the summer, the students that attended more than one session had the opportunity to observe the rapid growth of the Mammoth Sunflowers in the 4-H garden. As the summer progressed, the students expressed excitement on the evaluations about watching the sunflowers grow. By the final session in the garden, the sunflowers had replaced insects as their favorite thing in the garden. In spite of that, 10 of the 14 children at the last garden session included something related to insects as one of the three interesting things they learned about that day. This gives evidence that the observation and data collection during the mock pollinator census was impactful for the children.