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News from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

OVPR Susana Ferreira 0016 (1) CAES News
Job Satisfaction
Sometimes at work, it’s not just a case of the Mondays. The level of dissatisfaction employees have with their job can last beyond the start of the week. New University of Georgia research has found that employers and policymakers might want to start paying attention because employee happiness contains critical economic information. Susana Ferreira, professor of agricultural and applied economics in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, used an empirical model to relate job satisfaction, wages and work environment.
UGA’s new Fellows, who are elected each year by the AAAS Council to recognize scientific achievements, are Melissa Mitchum of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Thomas Mote, Robert Schmitz, Michael Terns and Zheng-Hua Ye of the Franklin College of Arts and Science. CAES News
AAAS Fellows
Five University of Georgia faculty have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, bringing the university’s total membership in the exclusive group to 50. UGA’s new Fellows, including Melissa Mitchum of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, are elected each year by the AAAS Council to recognize scientific achievements.
The 2025 inductees to the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame are David Bridges, a former assistant dean for CAES at UGA’s Tifton campus, and Ralph Evans, a business and peanut industry leader whose family has been serving the agricultural community since 1922. CAES News
2025 Agricultural Hall of Fame
A visionary leader in agricultural education and research and a stalwart agricultural industry supporter and business leader were inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame on March 21 at the 69th University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Association Awards and Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame Ceremony. The 2025 honorees are David Bridges, a former assistant dean for CAES at UGA’s Tifton campus, and Ralph Evans, a leader of industry whose family has been serving the agricultural community since 1922.
HurricaneHeleneGreenhouseDamageCropped CAES News
Farm Bill
You’ve probably heard of the U.S. Farm Bill, but do you know what it is? While it may seem like it only affects farmers, this complex legislation impacts everyone — whether you buy groceries, care about conservation or rely on nutrition programs. Yet, despite its broad reach, it remains one of the most misunderstood laws in the country. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agricultural economist Amanda Smith, a faculty member in UGA’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, breaks down some of the most common questions about this complex but crucial bill.
Rhodes Center for Animal and Dairy Science CAES News
Regenerative Bioscience Center
The Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC) began in 2004 with just a handful of faculty and a bold vision. Today, it has grown into a thriving community of 44 members across eight colleges at the University of Georgia. More than a research center, RBC is a pioneer, launching the nation’s first and only regenerative bioscience program offering both bachelor’s and doctoral degrees. In this video, three co-founders, alongside a Ph.D. candidate, share that story through insights into the center’s groundbreaking research, innovation and commercialization efforts. They highlight the RBC’s greatest strength: a culture of collaboration and diversity.
The final round of this year’s Flavor of Georgia Competition will premiere the Savor the State: A Flavor of Georgia Tasting Experience. At past events, a short reception has preceded the event’s award ceremony, but now foodies are invited to sample the products vying for the top prize and make their choices known for the People’s Choice Award. (Photo by Dennis McDaniel) CAES News
2025 Flavor of Georgia
A record-breaking 173 products were entered into the 2025 Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest, setting the stage for an exciting competition on April 17 at The Classic Center in downtown Athens. First-round judges tasted their way through a delicious gauntlet to whittle down the 173 contestants to 37 finalists that will compete for top product of the year. The highest number of products entered was previously 148 in the 2008 and 2022 contests. The Flavor of Georgia contest is offered annually by the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The CAES Signature Event showcases the tastiest offerings from market-ready small businesses in Georgia.
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES Economic Impact
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences generated a statewide economic impact of $899.3 million in 2024, marking a fourth consecutive record-breaking year for contributions to the state’s economy. Divided among the arms of the college's tripartite mission of teaching ($265.6 million), research ($258.8 million) and outreach ($374.9 million), the total impact of CAES in 2024 was third highest among schools, colleges and units at UGA, factoring into the university’s total economic impact of $8.4 billion in the same year. The 2024 total represents a 7% increase over 2023, when CAES had an economic impact of $838.4 million.
Love them or hate them, bugs are a fact of life in the South. But some UGA researchers are determined to make these little beasties your new besties. CAES News
A Bug’s Life
While bees and butterflies often feel the public’s love, less conventionally attractive creepy-crawlies like cicadas and Joro spiders are left out in the cold—or, worse, squished. “I think insect conservation is one of the most overlooked areas of conservation biology,” says William Snyder, a professor of entomology in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “They’re not huggable; not many species of insects are charismatic. But insects support so many ecosystems.” Why should you care? Well, for starters, bugs are everywhere. Insects alone make up more than half of all the animals on Earth.
For more than 25 years, Andres Villegas has dedicated his career to promoting agriculture and the healthy, sustainable management of forests. (Photo Special) CAES News
Andres Villegas
Andres Villegas knows a thing or two about trees, and he wants you to know them as well. Throughout his career in the agriculture and forestry industry, Villegas has become an advocate and bridge builder connecting rural and urban communities through sustainable food and fiber products. Villegas was born in Colombia but moved to Athens at 8 months old when his parents, Pedro Villegas and Angela Villegas, returned to the University of Georgia for his father to become a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. From a young age, Villegas was interested in natural resources and agriculture.
CAES research shows that community volunteers have significant influence over adopting climate-adaptive practices in community gardens, such as the North Fulton Community Garden in Atlanta. Above, local resident Maxwell Barton and Fulton County Cooperative Extension Agent Gabrielle LaTora pull weeds from a planting bed during a community cleaning day at the garden in 2023. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA) CAES News
Community Solutions
Approximately 18 million U.S. households experienced food insecurity at some point in 2023, representing more than 13% of the population. One effective solution to confront this harsh reality on the local level is community gardens, but specific effects of climatic changes like altered rainfall patterns are introducing new hurdles for many grassroots efforts dedicated to growing and producing healthy, fresh foods, according to research from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.