Candidates for ag chief will debate tonight

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September 2, 2010

Staff Reports The Moultrie Observer The Moultrie Observer Thu Sep 02, 2010, 12:08 AM EDT

MOULTRIE — Georgians can watch a debate online tonight between the three candidates vying to replace long-time Secretary of Agriculture Tommy Irvin.

The debate, billed as the first sustainable agriculture debate in the state’s history, will include Republican nominee Gary Black, Libertarian Party nominee Kevin Cherry, and Democratic nominee J.B. Powell.

Irvin has held the office for more than four decades, making him one of the longest-serving statewide elected officers in the country.

The idea behind sustainable agriculture is using natural methods of fertility and weed and pest control, Colquitt County agricultural extension agent Glenn Beard said.

Often, but not always, it encompasses organic farming.

Locally, “there are some people that have some of the practices, but they’re not really considered certified organic, Beard said. “There’s a growing market for those products because there’s a certain population out there that feels it’s healthier with the use of less pesticides and less antibiotics. That kind of market is growing more and more.”

Fruits and vegetables produced using organic and sustainable agricultural practices cost more because yields tend to be less than using more common practices, and costs are higher because hand-weeding is used in the former methods.

While “the jury’s still out” on whether organic and sustainable farming means overall healthier food, the methods are probably better for the environment, Beard said.

The debate starts at 7:30 p.m. and can be accessed online at http://www.media.emory.edu:8080/gaagdebate. It is being sponsored by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, Whole Foods, Emory University, Atlanta Community Food Bank and The Georgia Citizens Coalition on Hunger.

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