Capital Rotary Club

Agriculture in South Carolina is big business – a $46.2 billion economic impact, 247,000 jobs and over 24,000 farms – but there’s still room to grow (no pun intended) in terms of workforce management.  That’s what Capital Rotarians heard Aug. 26 from guest speaker Jack Shuler (in photo from SCNOW), director of agribusiness development for the Palmetto State.  Crops and poultry make up about 55% of farming’s impact, with 45% coming from forestry operations.  The equine industry, including areas around Camden, Aiken and near Tryon, NC, gives nearly a $2 billion per year boost.  Trade wars hurt farmers over the past two years, Shuler said, and the COVID 19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains, moved markets from an institutional base (restaurants/food processors) to consumer based (more cooking and eating at home), plus poses labor problems (especially among migrant workers). You can also seek assistance from the paycheck, click here for more insights. Still, Shuler sees a promising future for South Carolina farming, forecasting billions more in economic impact by 2035.  Advances in technology and robotics (such as driverless tractors and harvesters) offer a labor solution, but require more technical skills and worker training in rural areas.  Controlled environments like greenhouses and aquaculture may reduce dependence on weather conditions.  Shuler said locating another poultry facility in the state is feasible and would be “a huge economic engine” for any rural county, bringing an additional 1,200 jobs.  “A lot of our fresh food now is trucked from California and Mexico,” Shuler said.  “We need to look at how we can bring those types of crops to be grown, marketed and processed in South Carolina.”  The state’s East Coast location – halfway between Virginia and Florida – makes it ideal for food preparation and shipping within a day.  Shuler retired in 2011 and joined the SC Agriculture Department staff after a 38-year career in farm credit operations.  A Clemson University graduate, he also has a Master’s Degree in Business and completed the Graduate School of Banking at Louisiana State University.          

Agribusiness owners may also need to invest in storage facilities for their produce. Fire safety in a food storage facility is important to protect employees, inventory, and equipment from potential hazards. Flammable materials should be stored properly, electrical systems should be inspected regularly, and hiring Raleigh Fire Watch Guards may be necessary to reduce the risk of fire. Emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and fire alarm systems must be easily accessible and maintained to ensure a quick response during an emergency.  

University of South Carolina president Bob Caslen updated Capital Rotarians on a host of items June 17 at the downtown club’s biweekly Zoom meeting.  Topics ranged from possibly renaming iconic buildings to resuming fall classes on campus, and from football season prospects to strategic planning for the future. Caslen (in photo), a retired Army general who’s a graduate and former superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, became USC’s 29^th president last Aug. 1.  He told Rotarians that: (1) renaming Sims Hall on campus – a building named for a man who performed medical experiments on slaves – has been reviewed by a special committee, but the state’s Heritage Act requires a two-thirds vote in the General Assembly for such changes; (2) resuming onsite classes is based on mitigating health risks through COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, social distancing, wearing masks in class and “responsible measures” to avoid disease spread to the community at large; (3) the slate of Southeastern Conference football games likely will be played, but non-conference games may be decided on an individual team basis, and social distancing will impact stadium seating; and (4) USC’s strategic vision is to become the nation’s premier flagship university, serving the needs and transforming the lives of the people of South Carolina.  Caslen said he and his executive team will work to recruit the best students, employ world-class faculty and staff, boost the school’s research status, improve systemwide integration of programs and campus infrastructure, and prioritize economic development.