Resora welcomes area farmers to Albany for Farm Field Day
Apr. 20—ALBANY — At one time the land now occupied by the Resora community was a plantation where black slaves toiled. On Thursday the former Cypress Pond Plantation land on Old Pretoria Road was the site of a diverse group sharing knowledge about agriculture gathering in fellowship.
The third annual field day showcased the operations of the Sherrod Foundation, which purchased the 1,638-acre property in 2011.
"In the 1800s, this was one of nine plantations owned by Hartwell Hill Carver," Shirley Sherrod said. "He had nine plantations, and he held the largest number of slaves on this plantation. When we acquired it in 2011, we didn't know any of that history.
"We are trying to use this place for training. I also want to use this place for healing. My dream is all the people from this area can come together to learn to live together and learn to heal themselves. This is not just a place for black people, it's a place for all people."
The Field Day featured a tour of the farm and booths set up with information on everything from health at a table for the state's Department of Public Health to beekeeping and even hibiscus products.
Where cotton once grew, the soil is now home to 200 acres of pecan trees, a grove of satsuma oranges and five acres of truffles, as well as muscadines and blueberries. A fenced area was recently created for the arrival of cattle for a research project.
Cabins are available on Cypress Pond through Airbnb.
"A lot of couples want to get married here," Sherrod said.
During the opening ceremony, the audience heard speakers from federal farm agencies as well as the Georgia Department of Forestry.
Much of the Sherrod Institute's work with farmers includes sharing information.
"We have people who go out and work with farmers to help them," Sherrod said. "We don't just leave it up to farmers to hear about things. We go out and tell them about (opportunities) and then we help them with their applications."
The annual Field Day is also a chance to share that information and take it back to the farm.
"It's also important to network and interact with each other and share the learning," Sherrod said ."I'm so glad to have everyone here. It makes me so happy to see people going tent to tent and learning and getting to enjoy each other."
As for the hibiscus products, they are grown and manufactured by Pride Road, a Lithonia-based company that also grows the fruit that looks a bit like a purplish okra in Shady Dale and Enigma.
Company founder Yasin Muhaimin was a Hurricane Katrina evacuee who served as network administrator for the New Orleans Parish School Board and also raised chickens prior to relocating to Georgia.
At his booth, Muhaimin had various hibiscus products, including a soda, chutney, jelly and others.
At another booth, Monica Spencer, the Georgia organizer for VoteRiders, which works to help voters acquire necessary documents for voting, set up shop.
"There are many hurdles, and we are there to help people jump over the hurdles and get to the ballot box," she said. "One of our target populations are in the rural communities."
