Browse Crop and Soil Sciences Stories - Page 14

738 results found for Crop and Soil Sciences
Most of the U.S. was warmer, and the eastern two-thirds of the contiguous U.S. was wetter, from 1991–2020 than the previous normals period, 1981–2010. With 20 years of overlap between the current normals and the previous iteration (1991–2010), annual changes between these two data sets were somewhat muted compared to trends over the same period. Monthly and seasonal changes are more dynamic. For example, the current normals for the northern-central U.S. are cooler in the spring, while much of the Southeast is now warmer in October, cooler in November and warmer again in December. Atmospheric circulation dynamics and surface feedbacks result in substantial differences from month to month and region to region. CAES News
New Normals
Day-to-day swings in temperature are an accepted part of the weather in many areas around the country. However, when 30-year averages of daily temperature fluctuations from thousands of stations around the country indicate a steady change in average temperatures over time, there are tangible implications for agriculture, energy consumption and many other aspects of daily life.
UGA Extension offices are often a critical resource for many Farm to School programs and gardens, offering curricula, publications and sometimes even hands-on labor. CAES News
Farm to School Programs
The idea and principles of Farm to School programs have been around for more than two decades, but it took nearly half that time for adoption and funding to garner growth and wider attention.
UGA researchers have been looking for ways to reverse the decline of pollinator populations by examining centipedegrass as a food source for pollinators. CAES News
Bee-friendly lawn
Over the past few decades, pollinators have been in decline worldwide, which is concerning because 70% of crops used for human food depend on pollinators. Turfgrasses – used for most residential lawns – often take some of the blame for pollinator decline as they are known to be wind-pollinated and were thought not to serve as a pollinator food source, until now.
The Peanut Innovation Lab has posted the second in a pair of animations giving farmers valuable advice on growing groundnut. This edition focuses on late-season information related to harvest and storage, and might be shown together with the first animation or separately. CAES News
Groundnut animation
The Peanut Innovation Lab has posted the second in a pair of animations giving farmers valuable advice on growing groundnut. This edition focuses on late-season information related to harvest and storage, and might be shown together with the first animation or separately. The animations, produced by Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO), relay to smallholder farmers proven methods to protect and improve yield. The message of the videos was shaped through interviews and surveys with partners in Africa to ensure that the information is prioritized to have the most impact.
Danielle Essandoh, a master’s student at Makerere University in Uganda, grew out 376 lines of plants derived from peanut ancestors and looked for resistance to modern diseases. The project, headed by Soraya Leal-Bertioli at the University of Georgia, could result in new varieties that allow African farmers to fight plant diseases that can decimate a crop. CAES News
Student Profile: Danielle Essandoh
Danielle Essandoh always liked plants, but as she prepares to defend her master’s thesis for a degree in plant breeding from Makerere University in Uganda, she sees how her love of plants grew into a passion for helping people. Specifically, the work could lead to improved varieties that can withstand two particular diseases that can destroy groundnut crops in eastern Africa – groundnut rosette disease and late leaf spot.
In this study, researchers examined the effects of using planter downforce technology in cotton fields with varying soil textures in differing regions across south Georgia. CAES News
Controlling Force
Due to high consumer expectations, farmers and agricultural producers are constantly under pressure to deliver their products at higher yields for cheaper prices. This may seem like an impossible combination of demands, but University of Georgia Cooperative Extension researchers are developing precision agriculture methods to make the planting process more efficient for farmers while protecting profits.
Frank McGill was born on a family farm in Tift County, Georgia, on Dec. 16, 1925, in the area where he spent most of his working career and retirement. In his autobiography, he joked, "It's obvious I didn't get very far in life!" CAES News
Frank McGill dies
J. Frank McGill, affectionally known throughout the Georgia agricultural community as “Mr. Peanut,” passed away surrounded by family on March 3 at age 95 in Tifton, Georgia.
Critical pesticide application training for pest control professionals and producers will go online for 2020. CAES News
Pesticide trainings stay virtual
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension and the Georgia Department of Agriculture are partnering to offer the Using Pesticides Wisely training program in a virtual format again this year.
FABricate is an entrepreneurial pitch contest hosted by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Proposals are due Feb. 20 for the 2021 contest. CAES News
FABricate 2021
It’s not too late for University of Georgia students to turn their novel ideas into a chance at a grand prize of $10,000.
Price increases for sod this year could range from 2-8% over 2019 prices, according to a new survey of producers by UGA and the Georgia Urban Ag Council. CAES News
Sod Price Survey 2021
If seeing the turfgrass during the Super Bowl has you itching to unfurl sod for a new lawn, it will likely cost a bit more than usual, according to a report by the University of Georgia.