News Stories - Page 225

Summer break is almost over. That’s right — no more late nights, naps during the day and, my favorite, living without a schedule. While I hate to remind you that our time will no longer be our own, I hope to make it easier for parents, as well as teachers, to return to their respective routines, which includes getting children back to school. As parents, we are instrumental in our children’s educational success. There are some things we can do to prepare little ones for success in the classroom.

Today, bullies have more ways to inflict mental and physical abuse than they did just 10 years ago, said Cheryl Varnadoe, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development specialist. Fortunately, children being bullied also have more outlets in which to seek help and refuge from the abuse.

Increasing a child’s exposure to a new food increases the likelihood the child will consume it and become healthier in the process, according to MaryBeth Hornbeck, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent in Rockdale County.  To encourage children between the ages of 2 and 6 to eat produce, Hornbeck says parents should be vigilant and introduce new fruits and vegetables to their children.

June’s heavy rains meant that many Georgia farmers were able to cut back on irrigation, but the rain also contributed to fungal diseases in vegetable crops and hampered vegetable farmers’ harvests.

While laymen may look at a farm field dotted with round bales and think that those bales are all the same, forage farmers and livestock producers know the truth. Hay quality varies widely from producer to producer and from year to year.

Fourteen years ago, ‘Prairie Sun,’ one of the most striking gloriosa daisies ever, was chosen as an All-America Selections award winner. This followed on the heels of ‘Indian Summer,’ another outstanding selection, and might have garnered all the love and attention it deserved. Thanks to progressive greenhouse growers and a new generation of landscape color professionals, this outstanding Rudbeckia hirta is generating a lot of dazzle in both commercial and homeowners’ landscapes. 

Jonathan Oliver’s study of blueberries and his homegrown knowledge of citrus makes the Palatka, Florida, native a valuable addition to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Opening day of dove season is a little over two months away, so it’s time to start planning for and planting dove fields. A prudently planned dove field can provide family entertainment and economic benefits through most of the dove season, which starts Sept. 2.

Every year, hot summer temperatures lead to life-threatening heatstroke. Adults know to keep themselves hydrated and to get to a cooler place if they begin to feel overheated. Children, however, often don’t know how to protect themselves. Heatstroke in children, particularly those left in vehicles, is very serious.

The Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics awarded 30 scholarships for the 2017-2018 academic year. Here are a few of the outstanding students who were awarded departmental scholarships for their accomplishments.