News Stories - Page 15

There is no doubt about it: the periodical cicadas have arrived. “Brood XIX (Brood 19) is Georgia’s only 13-year cicada. The Great Southern Brood is the largest periodical cicada brood in North America, covering at least a dozen states in the Southeast,” said Nancy Hinkle, professor in the University of Georgia Department of Entomology. “This year, millions of periodical cicadas are emerging in Georgia from now until Memorial Day.”

University of Georgia undergraduate students came together to showcase their individual research projects and achievements on April 8-9 at the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) Symposium. For 25 years, the CURO Symposium has served as an opportunity to highlight the breadth and depth of undergraduate research across multiple disciplines. CURO enables undergraduates to engage in faculty-mentored research as early as their first year, regardless of discipline, major, or GPA.

The interdisciplinary Rural Engagement Workshop for Academic Faculty, launched by Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost S. Jack Hu and Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Jennifer Frum, brings together academic faculty and public service faculty. This partnership expands the impact of UGA’s research and ties it to practical applications in rural communities across Georgia.

At the end of a 35-year career with the University of Georgia, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Associate Dean for Extension Laura Perry Johnson reflects on the journey that has taken her from her home on the farm to a lifetime of helping farmers. Johnson, affectionately known as “LPJ,” recently shared some of the lessons she has learned from a lifetime in agricultural education.

After completing 106 sessions, learning from 122 expert speakers and completing more than 220 hours of educational content over 18 months, 25 leaders in two of Georgia’s largest industries — agriculture and forestry — are prepared to lead their industries thanks to the Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry program. The 2022-24 cohort was selected from more than 90 nominations, 60 applications and 40 interviews for the program, which is offered by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Office of Learning and Organizational Development.

At the University of Georgia Tifton campus, the new Tifton Integrative Precision Agriculture Research, Education and Demonstration Laboratory will be the first of its kind in the Southeast to provide state-of-the-art collaborative spaces, top-of-the-line autonomous equipment and job training for the next generation of agricultural leaders. The $3 million project will include a working lab, electronic labs and office spaces to increase collaboration among graduate students, scientists and industry.

According to figures from the newly released Georgia Farm Gate Value Report for 2022, food and fiber production from Georgia’s 159 counties contributes more than $18 billion to the economy statewide. The Georgia Farm Gate Value Report offers a comprehensive analysis of the county-level production value for Georgia commodities. The report is compiled and published by the University of Georgia Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development within the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics.

Ten years ago, the Georgia Peanut Tour welcomed its first visitor from the southern African nation of Malawi, where peanuts are part of the local cuisine but are only grown in small gardens or bought in informal markets. Over the next decade, visitors from Malawi attended the tour every year, traveling halfway around the world to see how farmers, shellers, researchers and others work together to get a large crop of peanuts to consumers every year.

Bill Flatt earned his first dollar from plowing a mule and picking cotton in the Tennessee heat. His grandmother made sure he set aside some of his earnings for the church and saved the rest for college. That discipline he established early in his life stuck. By his 80th birthday, Flatt had given over $1 million to the University of Georgia, creating seven endowed funds and two professorships in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.