Farming in Georgia: Then and Now

Politics

Farming in Georgia: Then and Now

Georgia's most lucrative industry has transformed in recent years. From automated tractors to soil moisture sensors connected to smartphone apps, here's a look at the industry's past and its $70 billion present. In this undated photo from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, farmers try to keep a donkey and its plow straight.

Todd Whitfield monitors the application of liquid nitrogen to a cotton field owned by Chuck and Matt Coley in Vienna on June 10, 2015. Whitfield has a host of electronics to monitor, but he doesn't have to actually steer the tractor. The auto steer tractor is able to prevent the overlapping application of chemicals.

A dump rake used to cut hay on a farm near Martinez is seen in this undated photo.

Matt Coley climbs aboard his John Deere cotton picker on June 10, 2015. The machine, with a price tag of around $700,000 is the heart of the family farm.

Farmers in a wagon train are seen in this undated photo.

Liquid nitrogen is applied to a cotton field owned by Chuck and Matt Coley in Vienna on June 10, 2015. Farmers are using a variety of technological advances to help them produce higher yields and high profits. Many tractors are equipped with an auto steering system that creates perfect rows and prevents the overlapping of chemical applications. Computer generated maps can tell the farmer the precise condition of the soil and where additional fertilizer might be needed.

Old tractors sit idle in a junkyard near Hazelhurst in this undated photo.

Addis I. Bugg, 17, tills the field under the direction of his dad, Addis L.Bugg. Bugg, a retired Marine, has returned to the family farm to try his hand at growing vegetables and raising cattle with his son. Addis is in his first year of farming the family's historical land that was passed down through the family from the days of slavery.

Antique plows are shown in an undated photo.

Workers stake tomato plants at Osage Farms in Dillard on June 29, 2015.

Old grain silos and a cattle barn are seen in this undated photo.

Jimmy Brewer, 75, at his Southland Seed Company, the receiving point for sesame seeds on June 3, 2015 in Dudley.

A farmer plows his field with help from his donkey in this undated photo.

Liquid nitrogen is applied to a cotton field owned by Chuck and Matt Coley in Vienna.

A farmer repairs his plow in this undated photo.

Matt Coley checks a cotton plant in a field he farms with his dad, Chuck Coley in Vienna on June 10, 2015.

Addis L. Bugg, , right, and his son Addis I Bugg plant sweet potatoes on the family farm on July 7, 2015.

A crop duster preparing to treat fields is seen in this undated photo.

Gerald Calhoun, co-owner of Calhoun Produce in Ashburn, Georgia checks his crop of butter peas to see if they were ready for harvest. In addition to growing and shipping peas and beans around the country, the family has capitalized on the growing Agri-tourism trend in Georgia. They have added a fall corn maze, you-pick strawberries and blackberries, and duck races among other things to attract more business to the remote family farm.

Field corn after harvest are seen in this undated photo.

Beans straight from the field are unloaded at Calhoun Produce in Ashburn on June 10, 2015.

Calhoun Produce in Ashburn, Georgia is owned and operated by Gerald and Joyce Calhoun, their son Brad, and daughter Sheila Rice.

Men watch a new combine in a field in this undated photo.

Ricky James, owner of Osage Farms in Dillard Georgia grows a variety of produce, including tomatoes, to sell around the country and locally in their produce stand.

A tractor plows over a field in this undated photo.

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Georgia's most lucrative industry has transformed in recent years. From automated tractors to soil moisture sensors connected to smartphone apps, here's a look at the industry's past and its $70 billion present. In this undated photo from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, farmers try to keep a donkey and its plow straight.

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