Potato Giveaway In Portage

Nov 04, 2019

You likely saw a large crowd of people at the corner of Saskatchewan Avenue West and 18th Street in Portage this morning, and afternoon.

It was the second Community Potato Giveaway in three years, hosted by Mark and Yanara Peters of Spruce Drive Farms.

Mark explains why they're doing it.

"The surface reason would be, I guess, just to build a relationship between the rural community and Portage," he says. "There's something contagious that happens when you give like this. There are a lot of good things that Portage has to offer, and we just want show our appreciation for what we can do."

Peters tells us it's the second time in three years, with last year's giveaway cancelled because of frozen potatoes. He says doing this feels great.

"Because I know that a lot of people do need it," he says. "And there's just a lot of thankfulness, and we're very thankful, too, that we actually are able to do something like this. I'm not really sure how to put it all to words properly."

Yanara Peters sees this as a way of giving back.

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Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.