News Stories - Page 139

UGA Extension is looking for citizen scientist to help with the first-ever statewide census of pollinators, the Great Georgia Pollinator Census, on Aug. 23-24. CAES News
Pollinator Census
With just 15 minutes and proximity to any blooming plant, Georgians can help University of Georgia Cooperative Extension researchers gain a clearer picture of pollinator health across our state.
Bermuda grass stem maggot damages the upper leaves of a forage crop. Lisa Baxter estimates about 60% yield loss in this picture. CAES News
Forage Pest Management
Drought-like conditions this summer are forcing Georgia forage farmers to delay treatments for Bermuda grass stem maggot, according to Lisa Baxter, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension forage specialist.
University of Georgia Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus Larry Beuchat (right) and UGA Professor Francisco Diez were recognized by the International Association for Food Protection at the association’s annual meeting held July 21–24, 2019, in Louisville, Kentucky. CAES News
IAFP Honors
Two University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences food scientists have been presented awards of excellence from the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP). Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus Larry Beuchat and Professor Francisco Diez were recognized at the association’s annual meeting held July 21–24 in Louisville, Kentucky.
A corn plot grows for research at the Sunbelt Ag Expo. UGA Extension weed specialist Eric Prostko encourages farmers to continue managing their weeds even after corn is harvested this year. CAES News
Weed Control
Georgia corn farmers are preparing for harvest, but they can’t take a break once they ship their crops to market. That time should be focused on staying ahead of weeds that can cripple the next year’s crop.
In addition to produce safety procedures, UGA Extension helps farmers develop record-keeping plans to help keep them in line with FDA food safety guidelines. Cory McCue of Woodland Gardens in Winterville, Georgia, makes notes about the farm's July harvest in the packinghouse while Christine White packs shishito peppers into 10-pound bags. CAES News
Produce Safety
Over the past decade, Americans have fallen in love with locally grown produce, but just because something is grown nearby doesn’t automatically make it safe.
Andrew Crain, director of experiential professional development with the UGA Graduate School (far left), and Ron Walcott, associate dean of the UGA Graduate School, (far right), led UGA graduate students on an industry tour in St. Louis, Missouri, as part of UGA's annual Crop Protection Tour. CAES News
Crop Protection Tour
This summer a group of nine graduate students in the University of Georgia’s crop science disciplines embarked on a two-day site visit to corporate and nonprofit agricultural research centers in St. Louis, Missouri. 
An increase in illnesses that trace back to wheat products has prompted scientists in the UGA Center for Food Safety to search for ways to eliminate pathogens in raw wheat without affecting the quality or taste of the staple food. In wheat-related cases, cookie dough, cake batter and raw wheat flour are common carriers of foodborne pathogens. CAES News
Wheat Outbreaks
Consumers have long been warned against the hazards of eating raw cookie dough. As more cases of foodborne illness are linked to contaminated wheat flour, University of Georgia food safety experts are touting the risk in a louder, more forceful voice, while searching for ways to eliminate foodborne pathogens on wheat products.
Field days like this one “serve as a direct conduit between growers, agents and scientists,” says Mark McCann, assistant dean for UGA Cooperative Extension. Field days also allow UGA specialists to share their research and farmers to gain knowledge, all with the benefit of improving Georgia agriculture. CAES News
Midville Field Day
The University of Georgia Southeast Georgia Research and Education Center (SREC) in Midville, Georgia, will host its annual field day on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Hurricane Michael's strong winds uprooted pecan trees in Tift County. CAES News
Pecan Dieback
Nearly a year after thousands of trees were destroyed by Hurricane Michael, Georgia pecan producers are reporting the dieback of pecan branches and leaf burning in trees that survived the October 2018 storm, according to Lenny Wells, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist.