Farmer First: Vaso in Georgia
Happy Farmer First!
In the end, everything our community has done comes back to the farmer. Ag businesses provide farmers with better supplies and inputs, ag coaching offers farmers better approaches to bigger yields, and your donations enable our scout teams to seek out the farmers most willing to try these new approaches.
Many farmers are dead set on doing things the way their parents and grandparents did them, and that makes sense. There’s something good and right about the tradition of farming, but occasionally you meet a farmer willing to plant a different crop or try different seed or feed or some new tech—Vaso is one of those farmers.
Born in the Republic of Georgia, Vaso inherited the family farm as a young man and has worked hard to keep up the family growing traditions, but he also noticed the world around him changing and the need to keep up.
“I started farming back in 2003,” Vaso told us. “People say the climate isn’t changing, but I can see it. On our farm, we’re experiencing the changes directly. The air, soil, temperatures are different from when my grandfather worked this land. I need to adapt.”
So Vaso began planting soya in between his corn and other row crops and immediately noticed the benefits. “When I heard soy is good for crop rotation and soil health, I immediately wanted to try it. Many farmers don’t want to try new things, but I think it will be great. Actually it will be more than great, it will be the future for farmers here.”
“Why are all the countries around us growing soy? We’re missing something, and we must catch up.” —Vaso
Vaso is also exploring the use of drones for planting and watering as well as other crop rotations to keep his soil healthy. As we drove away from Vaso’s beautiful fields, a friend and partner farmer in the region said, “I wish more farmers in this area were like Vaso. He cares about soil quality and companion. He’s so rare, being willing to try new things. That willingness to experiment ensured a stronger yield, hopefully others follow his lead.”
Thank you for celebrating and supporting farmers like Vaso! We’re grateful he’s willing to try new growing methods and tools, and we’re grateful you keep showing up for up-and-coming farmers like him as he helps keep people in his region fed and hard at work.
