Chattooga County 4-H is inviting local young people and their families to learn more about opportunities to participate in SAFE Sports and judging teams during an upcoming open house.
The University of Georgia Extension in Chattooga County will honor Rebecca Thomas later this month as she retires following 30 years of dedicated service to local youth, families and the community.
A retirement celebration for Thomas will be held Tuesday, September 29, from 1 until 5 PM at the Chattooga County Ag Center, located at 40 Middle School Road in Summerville.
Organizers are inviting friends, former and current 4-H members, families and community members to drop by during the afternoon for refreshments and fellowship while recognizing Thomas’s three decades of service.
During her career with UGA Extension, Thomas has been a familiar face to generations of Chattooga County residents, particularly through her work with Chattooga County 4-H. The retirement celebration will recognize what organizers describe as her extraordinary journey of leadership, compassion and unwavering commitment to the youth, families and communities she has served.
The celebration is open from 1 to 5 PM on September 29, allowing visitors to stop by throughout the afternoon to congratulate Thomas and wish her well in retirement.
The Demonstration Kitchen, sponsored by the Chattooga County Farm Bureau, will return during the Chattooga County Agricultural Fair with hands-on demonstrations scheduled throughout the four-day event.
Activities begin Thursday, August 27 at 5:30 PM with Make & Take Air Dry Clay Flower Frog with Donna Sausville.
Friday’s demonstrations include Beeswax Lip Balm at 5:30 PM with Stacie Marshall of Mountain Mama Farms, followed at 7 PM by Using Herbs To Create A Variety Of Flavor with Rebecca Thomas of UGA Extension Chattooga.
Saturday’s lineup begins at 2:30 PM with DIY Low Toxin Detergent with Katie Bandy Carlson of Sunset Creek Farms. At 4 PM, Logan Money of Pine Ridge Outdoors will present Dirt Cheap Gardening, followed at 5:30 PM by No Bake Protein Bites with Payton Smith of Chattooga 4-H.
On Sunday, Melanie Morris will present MacGyver Meals at 2:30 PM. Donna Sausville returns at 4 PM with DIY Low Toxin Dishwasher Detergent, and the Demonstration Kitchen wraps up at 5:30 PM with Ice Cream in a Bag presented by Sandy Wheat and the Chattooga County Farm Bureau.
The demonstrations are included with the $5 gate admission to the fair at the Chattooga County Agricultural Center.
Walker County residents will have an opportunity this fall to learn how to eat healthier, stretch their grocery budgets and prepare nutritious meals during a free Food Talk workshop series in LaFayette.
The 2026 Chattooga County Fair Demonstration Kitchen, sponsored by Chattooga County Farm Bureau, will offer a full lineup of hands-on demonstrations covering crafts, cooking, gardening and homemade household products.
Cattle producers from across northwest Georgia will have an opportunity to expand their knowledge of herd management, nutrition, marketing and other areas of the cattle industry when the 2026 Northwest Georgia Master Cattlemen’s Program comes to Chattooga County this fall.
The Chattooga County Extension Office is now accepting registrations for the 2026 Northwest Georgia Master Cattlemen’s Program, an educational series designed for cattle producers looking to expand their knowledge and improve herd management.
The program will be held Monday evenings at 6:00 p.m. at the Chattooga County Agricultural Center, located at 40 Middle School Road in Summerville.
The registration fee is $100, which includes all in-person sessions, educational materials, a UGA Beef hat, and meals. The registration deadline is September 8.
The Master Cattlemen’s Program is offered through UGA Extension and covers a variety of topics related to beef cattle production and management.
Those interested can register online through the UGA Beef Team website or contact the Chattooga County Extension Office at 706-857-0744 for additional information or assistance with registration.
Chattooga County Extension is encouraging livestock producers to have their hay and other stored forage tested while this year’s hay crop is being harvested.
Forage testing provides information about the nutritional value and overall quality of hay, helping producers make better decisions when developing feeding programs for times when fresh grass is unavailable. Hay quality can significantly affect livestock health, growth, performance and the amount of supplemental feed needed during the winter.
University of Georgia Extension specialists say appearance alone cannot reliably determine the nutritional value of a particular supply of hay. A laboratory analysis can measure factors such as crude protein, fiber, digestibility and total digestible nutrients, allowing producers to build a feeding plan around the actual needs of their animals.
A representative sample is important for accurate results. UGA recommends using a clean forage probe and collecting samples from multiple randomly selected bales rather than simply pulling hay from the outside of a bale.
With hay now being cut and stored across the area, Chattooga County Extension says this is a good time for producers to test their forage and begin planning for the upcoming winter feeding season.
University of Georgia students are helping Georgia farmers spend less time behind a desk and more time in the field through a new artificial intelligence-powered platform called FieldLog.
Many home gardeners across Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia are finding that this year’s tomato crop hasn’t lived up to expectations. While tomato plants may appear healthy, many are producing fewer tomatoes than normal, dropping blossoms before fruit develops, or producing fruit that cracks, rots, or ripens unevenly.