News Stories - Page 139

Temple Grandin, world-renowned animal agriculture consultant and advocate for the autism community, is no stranger to overcoming challenges. So when Grandin stepped to the podium and told a crowd of young people to think their problems through and face what scares them, they listened.

Students in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) spend a lot of class time discussing ways to end food insecurity, but there are many lessons that can’t be learned in the classroom.

Sam Pardue, dean of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), will serve as the keynote speaker at the upcoming Georgia Ag Forecast seminar series set for Jan. 22 through Feb. 1. The annual meetings allow UGA agricultural economists to address Georgia’s farmers, lenders and agribusiness leaders about the latest trends and economic conditions in Georgia’s No. 1 industry — agriculture.

A state program aimed at teaching farmers and other pesticide applicators how to properly apply pesticides continues to limit pesticide drift in Georgia. The educational training system, called “Using Pesticides Wisely,” was created by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the Georgia Department of Agriculture. UGA Extension weed scientist Stanley Culpepper, who developed the training, credits Georgia farmers’ excellent teamwork and decision-making for the low number of pesticide drift complaints in Georgia in 2017.

In the last year, the medicinal herb program at UGArden, the University of Georgia’s student-run farm, has expanded its product line and the number of students involved has expanded rapidly.

With the advent of CRISPR technologies and other precise genome editing methods, it has become faster and easier for crop scientists to breed new varieties. But there are still a few technical roadblocks that need to be overcome.

University of Georgia agricultural education students usually stand out in a crowd, but there’s something exciting about being around thousands of people who share a purpose.

Three separate weather events this season will likely impact the quality and yield of a substantial amount of Georgia’s peanut acreage, according to Scott Monfort, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan agronomist.

The Georgia Forestry Commission estimates that 2.4 million acres of timber were damaged by Hurricane Michael. This equates to $763 million in direct losses.