News Stories - Page 266

When using pesticides, remember that the safe and legal use of pesticides requires that the entire label be followed exactly. Contact your local Extension agent if you're unsure about a product. CAES News
Pesticide Recertification Classes
Pesticides can be helpful in controlling insects and diseases, but there are chemicals that should be handled with care. To educate pesticide users, University of Georgia Extension has planned pesticide safety and handling classes in Albany, Savannah and Perry this February and March.
Ryegrass forage gets harvested the first of what could be three to four times. CAES News
Nitrogen Deficiency
In light of recent wet weather, nitrogen deficiency problems have shown up in some small grains and ryegrass fields.
A warm and wet December helped to rid the state of the moderate drought conditions that had dogged southwest Georgia farmers through out the fall. CAES News
Warm December
After a bone chilling November, Georgia saw warmer and wetter weather in December. The rain eliminated drought across the state, although some patches of abnormally dry conditions were still present at the end of the month.
Pictured are in-line feeders delivered by AgrAbility to a farmer in Fitzgerald. CAES News
AgrAbility Program
A small-town Georgia farmer, George Burke of Fitzgerald, counts his blessings for the much-needed assistance he received from the National AgrAbility Project, a program that helps physically disabled farmers, ranchers and other agricultural workers.
Pecans on the ground in an orchard on the University of Georgia Tifton campus. CAES News
Georgia Pecans
Too much, and then too little, rain left Georgia pecan growers with smaller and, sometimes, empty nuts this season. The small size of pecans in the crop this year is expected to significantly impact the state’s overall production.
When transplanting a tree, dig the new hole 50 percent wider than the soil ball to loosen the surrounding soil and ensure good root establishment. The root system should be at the same depth it was before it was moved. CAES News
Protect Bare Roots
Landscape planting season is upon us and home gardeners may be eager to buy new fruit trees and ornamentals. New plant material is often produced bare root — without soil — and must be either kept in cold storage or temporarily planted outdoors to survive.
Kathryn Holland, a graduate student in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, prepares to hang a radon testing kit in her office. CAES News
Radon Testing Kits
Your home may be filled with an invisible, radioactive gas called radon. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that comes from the decay of uranium found in most rocks and soil. It ranks as the second-leading cause of lung cancer and is the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.
Earthworms burrow through a compost pile in Butts County, Ga. CAES News
Compost Waste
Resolve to live more sustainably in 2015 by creating a compost pile or bin to help reduce household waste.
Beau Lamb tosses a watermelon into a truck, as Robert Ames writes down its weight while working at the UGA Tifton Campus. The two student workers work for vegetable horticulturist Tim Coolong. CAES News
Watermelon Variety Testing
Research by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences could help Georgia’s watermelon growers produce sweeter results.