|
|
| This Week's Titles: |
| Bringing
Agriculture Downtown In Central Georgia |
|
|
Helping Teenage Mothers
In North Georgia |
|
| Satellite
Technology Helps Locate Historical Trees |
|
| Using
DNA To Solve Insect Mysteries |
|
| Helping
Senior Adults Improve Bone Health |
|
|
|
| Bringing
Agriculture Downtown In Central Georgia |
1:32 |
A central Georgia county is
helping farmers by bringing agriculture downtown. |
In 2003 the Upson County
Extension Service, Main Street Association, and the Chamber
of Commerce came together to establish a farmers market. This
market allowed vegetable producers from Upson and four other
counties to sell their produce in downtown Thomaston. Wes Smith,
a county extension agent in Upson County says these small produce
markets also set up in other towns in Upson and Pike County.
"We sell on Mondays and Wednesday's. The next town up which
is Zebulon has a market on Saturdays and all these producers
travel to three markets and then we're also going to have a
market in another community here in the county nest year, Yatesville
on Fridays." Wes Smith with the University of Georgia's College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who adds the farmers
market is open from June through October. Thirty vendors sold
produce in 2003, and generated more than $20,000. In 2004 the
number of venders increased to thirty-five, generating around
$21,200. John Harrell, University of Georgia College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
 |
| Helping
Teenage Mothers In North Georgia |
1:34 |
Several North Georgia counties
are working to help teenage mothers bring healthy babies into
the world. |
Georgia ranks fourth in
the country in the number of infant deaths, sixth for births
to teens, and sixth in the percent of low birth weight babies.
To help reverse these numbers, Walton County, along with other
North Georgia counties began a Teenage Mothers Nutrition Education
Program, which teaches pregnant and parenting teens the importance
of prenatal nutrition. Judy Hibbs, a county extension agent
in Athens says this program has the potential to help the entire
state. "Every low birth wight baby cost taxpayers an average
of $60,000 in first year hospital costs, and can cost up to
$400,000 over the first year of a babies life, and also every
low birth weight baby is fifty percent more likely to be enrolled
in special education in school, so there's an advantage for
all of us working together." Judy Hibbs with the University
of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
All twenty-three participants in the program delivered healthy
babies with an average birth weight of around six and a half
pounds. Also, the infant mortality rate for births in the Teenage
Mothers Nutrition Education Program was zero percent, as compared
to the state average of 10.7 percent. John Harrell, University
of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
|
| Satellite
Technology Helps Locate Historical Trees |
1:35 |
Satellite technology is helping
college scientists locate historical trees throughout Georgia. |
Global positioning systems
have already made their way to farms in Georgia, as farmers
use the satellite technology to help grow their crops. This
past May, scientists with the University of Georgia's College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences began using satellite
technology to locate and map historical trees in Clarke County.
Once located they are added to a geographic information systems
database. " We're kind of trying out the equipment here and
coming up with the procedure for how to take the inventories
and questions to ask and information to put in because we're
not just going to go locate the tree we're going to record information
about how tall it is, and how big around it is and what its
health and condition is." That was David Berle with the College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who adds mapping
landmark trees also helps contractors know which trees to protect
when they are developing land for residential or commercial
purposes. More testing and research will have to be done, but
in the near future satellites and global position systems will
locate and keep an eye on trees that played an important part
in the history of Georgia. John Harrell, University of Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, reporting
from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
|
| Using
DNA To Solve Insect Mysteries |
1:38 |
College scientists are using
technology many people consider science fiction to solve insect
mysteries. |
Most of us have seen or
heard reports about mysterious crimes being solved, thanks to
the use of DNA technology. Scientists with the University of
Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
have put this same DNA technology to work, so they can learn
how to control insect pests. One important factor in the use
of DNA technology is finding out where these invasive insects
came from. "Because we can determine what their behavior is
and their original habitat and then looking at their behavior
here in the United States we can kind of see how they are the
same and how they are different. And so it gives us some idea
about how to control them." That was Tracie Jenkins with the
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. DNA technology
has already allowed scientists to trace several invasive species
of termites by learning where they came from, and how they got
into the United States. Knowing where an insect came from will
also help inspectors know what to watch for, to prevent other
termites from coming into the country, or Georgia. John Harrell,
University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
|
| Helping
Senior Adults Improve Bone Health |
1:45 |
A county in Southwest Georgia
is helping senior adults avoid the breaks that normally come
with aging. |
Around twenty-eight million
Americans are at risk for the crippling bone disease, osteoporosis.
Ninety percent of women over the age of seventy-five are affected
by this disease. In Seminole County, an intensive six-month
Osteoporosis Education Program was recently conducted. Polly
Morgan, an Educational Program Specialist in Seminole County
says the program emphasizes to senior adults the importance
of maintaining good bone health. "So we then began a program
of education for six months and I did a different program on
how to prevent falls, and medications and foods and this type
of thing. We also began an exercise program since that's a very
valuable component. And by doing this, increasing their strength
and working on their balance we have done some work to decrease
their falls." That was Polly Morgan with the University of Georgia's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who adds
around sixty senior citizens in Seminole County went through
bone density screening. Results from this test showed twenty-six
had a normal score, twenty-six were more likely to suffer a
fracture, and seven had severe osteoporosis, which put them
at a high risk of suffering a bone fracture. John Harrell, University
of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
|
|
|
