News Stories - Page 169

News from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp presented the 2019 Georgia Farmer of the Year award to Crawford County farmer Robert Dickey during a reception held Tuesday, March 19, at the Georgia Freight Depot in Atlanta. Pictured left to right are Kemp, Dickey, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black and UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean Sam Pardue. CAES News
Top Farmer
Crawford County peach farmer Robert Dickey has been named the 2019 Georgia Farmer of the Year. A fourth-generation farmer, Dickey manages approximately 1,000 acres of peaches and 3,000 acres of timberland with the help of his 90-year-old father, Bob Dickey, his wife, Cynde Dickey, and their son and daughter-in-law, Lee and Stacy Dickey.
Fire ants scurry along a piece of wood CAES News
Spring Ant Control
Whether you have a well-manicured lawn or a wild preserve, almost every landscape in Georgia shares one feature: fire ants.
In addition to spring cleaning, UGA Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Sciences agents recommend freshening the look of your home's decor. A few carefully placed pillows, wall art or an area rug can make a huge difference. CAES News
Freshen Up
Spring is in the air! For me, that also means it is time to update my home. Research has shown that we spend 90 percent of our time indoors, so let’s make our homes as comfortable and beautiful as possible. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension provides the following helpful hints to create wonderful spaces for our homes this season.
Lisa Baxter began her job on the UGA Tifton campus on March 1. She will focus her time in south Georgia, while Dennis Hancock serves north Georgia. CAES News
Forage Management
According to Lisa Baxter, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension’s newest forage agronomist, an unusually wet winter will cause problems with summer forage crop quality in Georgia.
University of Georgia Professors Scott Jackson, Dean Pringle and Manpreet Singh, recently graduated from LEAD21, a leadership-development program designed for land-grant university professionals. Pictured left to right at the graduation ceremony in Alexandria, Virginia, are Susan Sumner, board chair of LEAD21, Joe Broder, coordinator of LEAD21 faculty activities at UGA, Laura Perry Johnson, UGA associate dean of Extension, Jackson, Pringle, Singh and Brian Kowalkowski, LEAD21 program chair. CAES News
LEAD21 Graduates
Three University of Georgia professors were among the 79 individuals who completed the 14th class of the LEAD21 leadership-development program. Scott Jackson, Dean Pringle and Manpreet Singh, all faculty in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, represented UGA in the program, which is designed for land-grant institutions and their strategic partners from across the nation.
Peanuts seedlings part of UGA research in this 2018 photo. Because of the lack of rain over the past couple of weeks, peanut plants are likely to be irrigated this early in the growing season. CAES News
El Nino Impact
Farmers who might face a delayed planting season can thank El Niño for Georgia’s exceedingly wet winter, according to Pam Knox, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agricultural climatologist. Row crop and vegetable producers usually begin planting their crops in late March through May, but excessive rainfall and cloudy conditions in January and February have left many fields soaked and soggy.
This summer, teens from across the nation will gather in Georgia and Colorado for camps designed just for military kids by the Georgia 4-H Military Partnership. The camps begin in June, but adult volunteer leaders are needed now. CAES News
Adult Volunteers
Georgia 4-H is searching for adult volunteer leaders for this summer’s 2019 Military Teen Summits coordinated by the Georgia 4-H Military Partnership. The summits will occur in Jekyll Island, Georgia, Dahlonega, Georgia, and Estes Park, Colorado, through funding provided by several entities. The camps begin in June and conclude in early-August.
Sam Pardue, dean and director, UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. CAES News
National Ag Week Salute
As we celebrate National Agriculture Week 2019, many in the Southeast are still struggling to recover from hurricanes, tornadoes, whitefly outbreaks and record-breaking rainfall. Nature is both the nemesis and nurturer of agriculture - the ultimate “can’t live with it, can’t live without it” dilemma.
Basil is one of several herbs recommended for gardening this spring. It's an annual that prefers sun and moderate moisture. CAES News
Spring Herbs
Humans have used herbs since early times for medicinal purposes, for flavoring food and for fragrance. Their magical properties are entwined in the lore of many cultures and their flavor has added distinctive character to numerous regional dishes. Many modern medicines include plant parts from herbs in either a natural or synthesized state. And there is a growing field of research in pharmacognosy, as scientists look again at herbal remedies.
Irrigation of research plots on the University of Georgia campus in Griffin, Ga. Be careful not to apply too much water as it can be just as costly as under watering. CAES News
Soil Sensors
Farmers know water is a valuable resource, and many farmers are now using soil sensors in their fields to control soil moisture content. Small-plot and home gardeners can take a cue from professional farmers by becoming more conscientious about when they apply irrigation to home landscapes and gardens throughout spring and summer, says Andre da Silva, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable horticulturist.