|
|
| This Week's Titles: |
| Special
Awards For Cotton Farmers In 2006 |
|
|
Details On The Rural Wireless
Conference |
|
| 2005
Pecan Crop Looks Good |
|
| Cotton
Production Faces Challenge From Destructive Weed |
|
| FIghting
A Tough Disease In Grape Orchards |
|
|
|
| Special
Awards For Cotton Farmers In 2006 |
1:50 |
Beginning with the 2005 cotton
crop, several Georgia farmers will receive awards that recognize
their accomplishments to produce outstanding cotton crops. |
Farmers that want to be
in high cotton at harvest must work day and night, and always
be ready to act when a problem occurs. Several farmers will
be rewarded for their hard work next year, when they are awarded
the first Georgia Quality Cotton Awards. Phil Jost, a scientist
with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences says the award recognizes both growers
and cotton gins that are producing high quality cotton. He adds
this award will be different. "This will be based on entire
farm production. All your land rented, owned, irrigated, dryland,
document your inputs so the other side of this award not only
are we going to recognize winners but then we're also hopeful
that it's going to be a educational tool and that we can isolate
maybe some variables we haven't thought about that really do
play a key role in quality." Phil Jost with the College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences. Every gin in the state will nominate
three cotton farmers. These include a small grower with less
than five-hundred acres, a medium-size grower with between five-hundred
and a thousand acres, and a large grower that grows over a thousand
acres of cotton. The deadline for nominations is January 10,
2006, and farmers will receive the first Georgia Quality Cotton
Awards in March, 2006. For more information on nominations and
these awards, call Phil Jost at 912-681-5639. 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.)
|
| |
 |
| Details
On The Rural Wireless Conference |
1:55 |
Farmers and other agricultural
workers can learn how wireless technology can help rural Georgia
in early November. |
The complex technology
and language associated with wireless technology confuses many
people. So they think they will not be able to learn and comprehend
the basics of wireless communications. To help farmers and others
in rural areas of Georgia learn the latest about wireless internet
communications, the "Unwired: Rural Wireless Conference" has
been scheduled in Tifton November 1 & 2. Craig Kvien, a scientist
with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences says one of the featured speakers is
a farmer, that has used wireless communication technology to
turn his tractor cab into an office. "One of the speakers is
a farmer who has basically turned his tractor not only an implement
to help him manage crops but also his office is largely run
through there too as he has internet connection throughout farm
and so when he's in the tractor he can be tending to some duties
there." Craig Kvien with the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences. The "Unwired: Rural Wireless Conference" is scheduled
November 1 & 2, in Tifton, at the Rural Development Center on
the University of Georgia's Tifton Campus. Registration begins
at 12:30 Tuesday afternoon, November 1. For more information,
or to pre-register for this two-day conference, call 229-386-7274,
or go to www.nespal.org/unwired05/. 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.)
|
| |
|
| 2005
Pecan Crop Looks Good |
1:34 |
Pecan producers should see
a pretty good crop of nuts dropping from the trees this fall. |
Pecan growers still remember
the problems they had last year right before harvest. Three
September hurricanes blew away chances for a good harvest. Fortunately,
the hurricanes that devastated the Central Gulf Coast states
spared Georgia, and the 2005 pecan crop. But a horticulturist
with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences says the crop has faced several other
problems this year. "Insect pressures throughout most of the
season has been light, but over the past month-and-a-half it's
picked up significantly. Of course weevils began emerging in
August. Aphids and in particular mites have been a problem late
in the season as well. We've been in somewhat of a mini-drought
since mid to late August which will take a toll on dryland orchards.
This will probably cause some reduction in nut quality." That
was Lenny Wells with the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, who adds the disease scab has also been a problem
for several pecan varieties this year. Despite these problems,
the university horticulturist estimates this year's pecan crop
in Georgia will be ninety to ninety-five million pounds, which
is up from around forty-five million pounds in 2004. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
|
| Cotton
Production Faces Challenge From Destructive Weed |
1:36 |
A tough, destructive weed may
soon march through cotton fields in the state without having
to put up a fight. |
For years the herbicide
roundup has been an effective weapon for cotton farmers to keep
weeds under control. But scientists with the University of Georgia's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences report a
destructive species of pigweed has been found to be resistant
to roundup in five-hundred acres of cotton in Central Georgia.
This means it could become more expensive to produce a cotton
crop in the coming years. "It's going to change the way we do
things and it's going to increase our bills significantly to
manage this pest. Herbicide bills for those who have resistance
without a doubt will be going up. Well if we can't manage this
weed in conservation tillage we're going to have to go out and
start tilling and start incorporating herbicides again and spending
a lot of money just in fuel and equipment costs." That was Stanley
Culpepper with the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences. University scientists are still collecting data, so
it's too early to say what long-term effect this will have on
cotton production in Georgia. But Culpepper believes this destructive
species of pigweed will cause a lot of problems for the state's
cotton producers in the coming years. John Harrell, University
of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
reporting from Tifton. |
Links to audio files:
(files include a brief quote from the source for your use.)
|
| |
|
| Fighting
A Tough Disease In Grape Orchards |
1:37 |
College scientists are working
to find a cure for a disease that hits grapes hard. |
Since the nineties, interest
in wine production has been increasing in the state. Since the
demand for grapes has also increased, more growers are now producing
and harvesting grapes, especially in North Georgia. But Pierce's
disease can infect an orchard and drink away yields and earnings.
Scientists with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences are developing vines for grape orchards
that are resistant to this destructive disease. "OK and actually
I'm expecting three to five years we should be able to come
up with the vines that will be resistant to Pierce's disease
and also carry a good quality wine gene in there for good wine
making." That was C.J. Chang with the College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences. Besides breeding disease-tolerant
grape varieties, scientists have also been searching for other
ways to control Pierce's disease. Results of this research have
been encouraging, as chemicals have been developed that will
slow the disease. Results of this research will help both grape
production and the wine industry in the state. 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.)
|
| |
|
|
|
