News Stories - Page 80

The forces at work in a marsh require a delicate balancing act. Rising and falling tidewaters keep clumps of Spartina grasses from growing too dense. But too much water makes it difficult for them to survive. Tip this balance too far in either direction and the marsh ecosystem collapses, resulting in a population of different plants — or no plants at all.

An impressive team of University of Georgia researchers has received $765,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Crop Protection and Pest Management Program to support the continuation of integrated pest management (IPM) programming throughout the state over the next three years.

Scientists have discovered that some varieties of peanut have natural defenses against a devastating disease that completely stunts the growth of other varieties. Now, they are homing in on where those resistant peanuts store that defense – where in its genome the disease-fighting weapon lies – so that they can tap into that resistance and give subsistence farmers a way to grow a more bountiful crop with less risk. Esther Achola has her eye on that prize.

The Peanut Innovation Lab is adding another project to its portfolio, one that will help farmers in Ghana to see how improved farming practices can improve their bottom line. The project – Modern peanut technology adoption and smallholder farmers’ welfare – is led by Anthony Baffoe-Bonnie, an assistant professor at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi.

A scholarship honoring University of Georgia alumnus Stephen “Steve” Morse will be the first designated for students in the Hospitality and Food Industry Management program in the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Georgia and South Carolina share a border, a passion for football and pride in their peaches. With the University of Georgia and Clemson University campuses separated by a mere 70 miles, the Bulldogs and Tigers began fighting it out on the football field in 1897, with the teams set to meet for the 65th time on Sept. 4. As pitched as the battle is on the football field, there’s an even deeper rivalry between the two states when it comes to their peaches.

The Aspire Alliance’s Institutional Change Initiative (IChange) has selected 27 college and university faculty and administrators for the third cohort of fellows for the IAspire Leadership Academy. The program aims to create not only individual, but institutional change by supporting these individuals and giving them a support network.

After earning her undergraduate degree in regional economic development, Sarah Cook joined the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Center of Innovation for Agribusiness on the University of Georgia Tifton campus. It was there that she fully grasped the importance of Georgia’s No. 1 industry.

We’ve all heard it before, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But what really happens when students skip meals?

After COVID restrictions forced the cancellation of the annual event last year, 69 Georgia 4-H youth joined 4-H’ers from nine southern states to compete at the five-day Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championship event held in Perry, Georgia.