News Stories - Page 109

In Oglethorpe County, 4-H’ers have met monthly for the past seven years as a part of the Georgia 4-H Cooking to Share initiative, which challenges 4-H’ers across the state to develop cooking skills by preparing food for families in need. This past program year, more than 60 families benefited from this project in Oglethorpe County. To adapt to COVID-19 restrictions, 4-H'ers began preparing animal-safe treats for a local animal shelter.

The University of Georgia, The Ohio State University and Zamorano Pan-American Agricultural University, a private university in Honduras, partnered to facilitate 4-H programming during the COVID-19 pandemic at six Honduran schools, reaching 180 students.

During the holiday season in the U.S., more than 20 million freshly cut Christmas trees are sold every year, with fir trees topping the most-desired list. Unfortunately growers cannot meet the needs of consumers, and every year, there is a shortage of trees, primarily due to the incredible losses of susceptible firs — including balsam, Fraser, Canaan and others — to the root fungus Phytophthora.

Whether you are planning to celebrate the holidays face-to-face or virtually, it is understandable if you are feeling mentally drained. As we face the challenges of navigating the holidays safely, there are a variety of ways to focus on mental health.

Economists from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will discuss the effects of COVID-19 on farming, highlight agritourism impacts in the state, and give a forecast of top commodities for the next year during the annual Georgia Ag Forecast.

Both veteran and novice gardeners have spent many hours taking care of plants and gardens while spending extra time at home this year.

Home gardeners and commercial farmers alike can attest to the disappointment of seeing a beautiful tomato ripening on a vine, only to discover that the fruit has dark, sunken pits at the blossom end of the fruit. Called blossom-end rot (BER), this physiological disorder is prevalent in fruit and vegetable crops, including tomatoes, and can cause severe economic losses.

With winter just around the corner, now is a good time to perform some preventive maintenance on center pivot irrigation systems and to have them winterized.

By 2050, the animal and food industry will need to be able to feed a world with a projected population increase of 2.1 billion. With the help of industry and academic experts, University of Georgia researchers identified the most pressing issues for the animal and food industry.