News Stories - Page 305

The 2014 Georgia Ag Forecast seminar series will be held Jan. 24-31 in Macon, Athens, Lyons, Tifton, Bainbridge and Cartersville. Registration for the series is open at www.georgiaagforecast.com . CAES News
Ag Forecast 2014
Agricultural topics from the price of peanut butter to how Europe’s demand for wood pellets will impact Georgia’s lumber supply will be discussed at the 2014 Georgia Ag Forecast seminar series. Seminars will be held Jan. 24-31 in Macon, Athens, Lyons, Tifton, Bainbridge and Cartersville. Registration for the series is open at www.georgiaagforecast.com.
Thrips are tiny winged insects that feed chiefly on plants. Many species damage cultivated plants, by either sucking the sap or transmitting viral plant diseases. Thrips reach a maximum length of about half an inch. Most have two pairs of long, narrow, hair-fringed wings. CAES News
Thrips Damage
A tiny insect proved to be a formidable foe for Georgia farmers in 2013. Whether thrips will deliver a similar punch in 2014 remains to be seen. There are more than 7,000 species of thrips, but only two cause problems for Georgia farmers and UGA researchers — tobacco thrips and western flower thrips.
Since 1990, Georgia has experienced almost annual fluctuations between drier than normal and wetter than normal years. CAES News
2013 Weather Recap
With 65 inches of rain observed statewide, conditions in Georgia were much wetter than usual in 2013. The state as a whole received its third largest annual total precipitation since state records began in 1895.
Jean Williams-Woodward, UGA CAES plant pathologist, examines impatience plant roots for signs of disease in greenhouse, Athens Campus, October 27, 2009. CAES News
Gardening Symposium
University of Georgia plant pathologist Jean Williams-Woodward will be among the experts presenting at The Inspired Gardener symposium set for Feb. 22 at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Amicalola Falls inn Dawson County froze into a beautiful spectacal during the winter cold snap that blew through Georgia Jan. 6 and 7. This photo was taken the afternoon of Jan. 7. CAES News
Below freezing temps
Even the most thick-blooded Georgians donned winter coats, hats and gloves Jan. 6 and 7 as a cold front blew across the state, dropping temperatures -- down to single digits and negative degrees in some places -- from the mountains to the coast.
Some parts of Georgia saw record-breaking warm temperatures just days before Christmas due to a wave of warm air. CAES News
Warm December
December was warm and wet across most of Georgia, a change from the cold and dry conditions that dominated November. Warm daytime high temperatures and higher than normal nighttime lows broke records.
Although there is no one-size-fits-all rule to rotational grazing management, to provide forage rest and recovery and improve grazing efficiency, the first step is to get cattle moving. CAES News
Hay Quality
Poor hay quality due to last year’s increased rainfall, has Georgia cattle farmers searching for alternative ways to supplement the hay they feed their herd.
A roll of freshly harvested sod CAES News
Sod Survey
If your spring landscape plans include installing sodded turfgrass, you can expect to pay more this year, according to a University of Georgia and Georgia Urban Ag Council survey.
Tomato plants in pots at various sizes CAES News
Small Gardens
Unfortunately, many would-be gardeners forgo planting a vegetable garden because they don’t think they have enough space. This need not be the case, since many vegetable varieties can be planted in small spaces. Alternative growing practices can also reduce the amount of space needed to grow a backyard (or back porch) garden.