News Stories - Page 52

News from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

UGA Extension's new Master Forager program is now open for registrants in the Griffin, Georgia, area. CAES News
Master Forager Program
The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension’s novel Master Forager program has spots available for curious Georgians interested in learning how to safely harvest and use herbs, fungi and more. The first class for the program, which begins Aug. 24, will be held at the UGA Research and Education Garden in Griffin, Georgia.
Allison Johnson is the new new Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator for UGA Cooperative Extension. CAES News
Safety Educator
University of Georgia alumnus Allison Johnson joined UGA Cooperative Extension as the new Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) coordinator on Aug. 1. The public service position is responsible for creating educational resources and training materials to help private and commercial pesticide applicators obtain proper certifications for the safe and effective use of pesticides throughout the state.
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will welcome students for the fall semester at the annual Ag Dawg Kickoff on Wednesday, Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. at the UGA Livestock Instructional Arena. CAES News
2022 Ag Dawg Kickoff
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will welcome students for the fall semester at the annual Ag Dawg Kickoff at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at the UGA Livestock Instructional Arena. In addition to free t-shirts and dinner options, there will be music from the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band and an appearance by Hairy Dawg.
From designing more inclusive agricultural education to developing her brand, Kristen Dunning does it her way. CAES News
Setting the Course
Since landing at the University of Georgia in 2018, Kristen Dunning has been building opportunities. While at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, she has become a student leader and researcher, started a successful personal care products business, and developed an idea to make the industry she loves more transparent in its history and more equitable in its future.
Researchers in the University of Georgia College of Engineering are developing a new way to detect potentially deadly Listeria contamination in food. CAES News
Listeria Rapid Test
Researchers at the University of Georgia are developing a new way to detect potentially deadly Listeria contamination in food. Listeriosis, an infection caused by eating food contaminated by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, can cause severe illness in pregnant women, newborns, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.
Data science, technology and A.I. coalesce in the field of plant robotics. CAES News
Plant Robotics
Say hello to Watson. A four-wheeled, phenotyping robot that operates autonomously or under human control, Watson is taking shape in Changying “Charlie” Li’s lab at the Phenomics and Plant Robotics Center (PPRC) on the University of Georgia’s Athens campus in collaboration with researchers in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
An arched iceberg located along the Antarctic Peninsula, taken June 17. Last month Antarctic sea ice extent reached a record low for June, at 4.68 million square miles — or about 471,000 square miles below average. (Photo by Dan Costa/National Science Foundation/Creative Commons) CAES News
Weather extremes
Halfway through 2022, Earth is on course for another top-10 finish in global temperature. After six months, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the period from January through June 2022 was the planet’s sixth warmest on record, with observations that go back to 1880. Antarctica also saw its lowest June ice coverage on record.
Georgia 4-H'er Mia Burnett, the first grand marshal for the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, stands in front of her bee mural displayed at the Flint River Arts Council building in Camilla. CAES News
Pollinator Census Grand Marshal
Mitchell County 4-H member Mia Burnett has been named the 2022 Great Georgia Pollinator Census Grand Marshal in honor of dedication to pollinator preservation and awareness. A rising ninth grader at at Westwood School in Camilla, Georgia, Burnett will open the fourth annual census on Aug. 19 with a social media announcement inviting Georgians and South Carolinians to begin counting pollinators.
Robin Buell, GRA Eminent Scholar Chair in Crop Genomics, works in a plant growth chamber. Buell received nearly $800,000 in funding to study the genome of tepary bean in an effort to address climate-related difficulties faces in production of common bean. CAES News
Bean Genes
The common bean — which includes many varieties of dry beans, from navy and black beans to red, pinto and green beans — are an important nutritional source for many world populations. However, rapidly changing climate conditions are making them increasingly difficult to grow in many locations due to high temperatures and susceptibility to diseases and pests.
Palmer amaranth can reach heights of up to 7-10 feet. UGA Extension weed specialist Eric Prostko encourages farmers to continue to control Palmer amaranth even after their corn is harvested. CAES News
Brake Herbicide
Peanuts, although a major crop in Georgia, are a minor crop in the U.S., with only about 1.5 million acres planted. Due to its limited acreage, there are not many herbicides solely developed for peanuts. Emerging herbicide resistance is an increasing concern in peanut-producing states, and growers need more tools to combat pernicious weeds like Palmer amaranth.