Video summary
Lyn Harrison, a peach farmer in Shilton County, shares the deep-rooted history of his family's agricultural legacy, which began with his grandfather planting the first peaches there in 1945. Today, Chilton County peaches have become a well-known brand recognized throughout the country, serving as a vital destination for travelers heading to Alabama beaches from the Midwest. However, maintaining this reputation is a constant challenge due to a complex array of factors including unpredictable weather patterns, labor shortages, and an ever-evolving landscape of insects and diseases that growers must constantly work to control and manage.
To combat these challenges, the local agricultural community relies heavily on field research conducted by experts like David and Edgar, who serve as invaluable resources for solving specific problems faced by tree growers. These specialists conduct trials and experiments primarily focusing on peaches and strawberries but also addressing issues in general fruit crops, ensuring that solutions are scientifically sound before being implemented. Their role acts as a crucial bridge between academic institutions and grassroots farmers, testing new methods to determine what works in the local environment before passing that information back to the growers so they can make informed decisions about their crops.
The importance of this extension support is particularly evident when farmers encounter difficult issues that they cannot resolve on their own, such as a mysterious disease affecting trees several years ago that Lyn and his father could not identify. By contacting the experts, who then collected tissue samples for analysis at Auburn University, the specific cause was identified and an effective treatment plan was developed to save the crop. This process highlights how the experiment station provides capabilities and insights that individual farmers lack, offering a safety net that allows growers to innovate and adapt without risking their livelihoods on untested methods.
Ultimately, the relationship between the research stations and the farming community is described as deeply gratifying and essential for the survival of the local peach industry, which is currently shrinking in numbers and concentrated in specific areas like Thorsby, Gadsden, and Maplesville. For farmers operating east of Highway 65, this extension service is not just helpful but indispensable, providing a direct line to answers that keep their businesses viable. The ability to see research findings translated into practical solutions that solve real-world problems makes the entire effort worthwhile, ensuring that the tradition of growing high-quality peaches can continue for future generations despite the many obstacles they face.
Read the full video transcript
My name is Lyn Harrison. I'm a peach
farmer here in Shilton County. Uh my
granddad set out the first peaches here
[music] in 1945.
>> It's almost like a brand and it is it's
known throughout the throughout the
country. People on their way to [music]
Alabama beaches from the Midwest. They
know where Chilton County is and they've
had Chilton County peaches. [music]
We've got weather, you've got labor,
insects, new insects coming along all
the time that trying to figure out how
to control [music] them, keep them out,
diseases.
So, there's a whole gamut of things that
that's come up. Now,
>> I conduct a lot of field research u that
that helps to address some of the the
issues that growers face, primarily
peaches and strawberries, but fruit
crops in general. And so we um conduct
trials, conduct um field other field
experiments to help address some of
those [music] problems.
>> If I have a problem or need help with
something concerning my trees or my
other crops, I can call David [music] or
or Edgar. They'll get me an answer and
and we'll get the problem solved. They
are [music] an invaluable resource. You
couldn't put a price on what they're
worth to to our industry here in [music]
the county. The peach industry seems to
be shrinking in [music] numbers of
people. Most of them are back toward
Thorsby, Gemson area, Maplesville, and
then down [music] around the Fair View
area and stuff like that. But out in
this direction, east of 65 and stuff,
we're the only ones [music] that we that
we know of.
>> I don't know really what we do without
extension department.
I'm being just as honest as I can about
that. I want you to know that it means a
lot to us.
>> The experiment station is a is [music] a
big plus for this area because they're
able to do things that we don't have the
latitude [music] or the capabilities to
do and then they see what works. Then
they pass that [music] information along
to us. So I kind of look at them as
being the the handshake between academia
[music] and and the grassroots farmer
there. They're like they're the ones
that goes out and says, "Hey [music]
guys, this works. This works. Don't do
that. Do this. Don't do that. Let's try
this. [music] Let's see how it works.
What worked for you may not work for
somebody else.
>> I had a uh particular disease in trees
several years ago. Me and daddy couldn't
figure out what it was. So, I called
Edgar. He came down here. [music] We
took tissue samples off the trees. He
took them to Auburn, had them analyzed,
figured out what it was, and we took
care of [music] the problem. you know,
the experiment planning, the actual
execution of the experiments and the
gathering of the information and the
presenting of that information to the
grower. To see them use that, what we
find and then to hear that from them,
it's [music] it's very gratifying. It it
makes makes it all worthwhile.