News Stories - Page 253

Well-maintained pastures prevent erosion, protect water and, as it turns out, can restore the soil’s organic matter much more quickly than previously thought, according to a team of researchers from the University of Georgia and the University of Florida.

More than 300 Cooperative Extension agents, some from as far away as Norway and American Samoa, converged in Atlanta May 4-7 to share ways that Extension is making an impact in the cities where they live.

April 2015 was much warmer and wetter statewide than is usual for the month. The wet conditions caused delays in planting and contributed to some crop disease pressure, while the warm conditions accelerated the growth of plants, like corn, that were already in the ground. While statewide statistics will not be available until later this month, this April is expected to be one of the warmest Aprils on record for Georgia, coming close to the record of 67.9 degrees Fahrenheit set in 2002.

It’s that time of year again. As the warm weather returns, so do the dreaded mosquitos.

To complete their mission of education and to fight the state’s obesity problem, University of Georgia Extension agents are teaching state residents about exercising and cooking healthier meals. These two simple acts can, and are, having dramatic effects across the state.

The late-March cold spell caused some Georgia peach growers to lose a portion of their crop, but consumers should see a typical selection of fruit when the first Georgia-grown varieties ripen this month, said University of Georgia scientist Dario Chavez.

The University of Georgia is more than 9,000 miles away from where most Vietmanese college students pursued their undergraduate degrees, but representatives from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences want it to be on the top of their list of possible graduate schools.

University of Georgia Extension is connecting vegetable farmers and impoverished families in Dougherty County, Georgia. The desired results are improved eating habits for this southwest Georgia community and a new market for producers.

A pig’s skin cells may hold the key to new treatments and cures for devastating human neurological diseases. Researchers from the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences working in the UGA Regenerative Bioscience Center have discovered a process of turning pig induced pluripotent stem cells into induced neural stem cells.