|
|
| This Week's Titles: |
| North
Georgia County Helps Green Industry |
|
|
Drought Tolerant Trees
And Shrubs |
|
| Tiny
Insects Killing Big Trees |
|
| Reduce
The Chances Of A Snake Encounter |
|
| Turning
Poultry Waste Into Fuel |
|
|
|
| North
Georgia County Helps Green Industry |
1:44 |
A North Georgia county is digging
deep, so an important industry will continue to grow. |
Ornamental horticulture
production totaled around $1.9 million in Hall County for the
year 2004. Despite the success, the green industry faces many
challenges, including adequate training for employees. In 2003,
Hall County began offering training sessions to keep workers
in the green industry informed on budgeting, seasonal color,
and other important topics. Billy Skaggs, a county extension
agent in Hall County says education and training helps everyone
in the green industry come out winners. "Whether it's a two-year
degree, a four-year degree, or even just some basic training
on how to identify weeds, on how to care for turfgrasses, on
insect problems you might find in trees and shrubs. So we want
to encourage those folks to open those businesses and provide
those services. We want to be able to get them the information
they need to provide a better service and to be competitive
in the market." Billy Skaggs with the University of Georgia's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Many people
in Hall County working in the green industry learned how to
use digital distance diagnostics at the third annual North Georgia
Turfgrass Field Day in 2005. The economic value to the Hall
County businesses represented at the Field Day totaled over
two million dollars. 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.)
|
| |
 |
| Drought
Tolerant Trees And Shrubs |
1:30 |
There are trees and shrubs
homeowners can grow that won't wilt and bake during hot, dry
weather. |
A lot of homeowners spent
the summer months dragging a water hose and sprinklers, trying
to provide water to parched landscape gardens. But a horticulturist
with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences says there are trees and shrubs that
grow in landscape gardens that can take the summer heat, and
a withering drought. "Butterfly bushes are drought tolerant.
Lots of our shrub roses are very tough as well, they'll go ahead
and provide us flowers through the summer and fall, and so there's
quite a selection of different native shrubs and other shrubs
that can be used in the landscape." That was Jim Midcap with
the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who
adds several hollies can also hang tough during extreme heat
and dry conditions. Those that want to plant drought tolerant
plants and trees should do so in early fall, while the soil
is still warm. This will allow the new landscape plants to become
well established, and get ready if they have to withstand another
drought in the future. 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.)
|
| |
|
| Tiny
Insects Killing Big Trees |
1:46 |
A tiny insect is killing a
lot of big, tall trees in the North Georgia mountains. |
Hemlock trees can be found
in most counties in the North Georgia mountains. Hemlocks are
unique, because they grow in dense shades, and in poor soil
by mountain streams. But an entomologist with the University
of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
says these tall, beautiful trees are being brought to their
knees by an insect called the hemlock wooly adelgid. The insects
are small and are not impressive to look at, but have the ability
to suck the life out of hemlock trees. "It looks like it has
this wooly white cotton and you see these little white flax
at the bases of needles and looks like it's got snow on it.
It's not a very spectacular looking insect. These insects have
piercing-sucking mouth parts and they just punch their beak
into the base of a needle and they suck out the starch and nutrients
from the plant." That was Wayne Berisford with the College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. University scientists,
along with the U.S. Forest Service are conducting studies to
find ways to stop the mass destruction of hemlock trees. Research
is also being conducted to find quick, safe ways to control
hemlock wooly adelgids with chemicals in commercial and home
landscapes in the North Georgia mountains. 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.)
|
| |
|
| Reduce
The Chance Of A Snake Encounter |
1:32 |
There are ways to reduce the
chances of an unplanned meeting with snakes in your yard. |
Reports from local extension
offices indicate the number of calls for help involving snakes
around homes increase in late summer and fall. Willie Chance,
a county extension agent in Houston County says it's important
to learn which snakes in Georgia have a poisonous bite, and
which ones are harmless. "Well the venomous snakes we see around
here are copperheads, your rattlesnakes, several types, the
moccasins, and then in South Georgia you may see some coral
snakes but they're not extremely common. Most of the rest of
them are harmless." Willie Chance with the University of Georgia's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who adds
snakes usually avoid people. So don't do things to corner them,
or make them feel they have to defend themselves. Most people
are bitten by a poisonous snake when they try to kill it or
catch it. To reduce the chances of an unpleasant encounter with
a snake, clean up clutter in yards, remove shrubs and other
things close to the ground. Clean up brush and trash piles,
mow tall grass and weeds, and remove things snakes like to hide
under. 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.)
|
| |
|
| Turning
Poultry Waste Into Fuel |
1:48 |
Research by college scientist
may soon turn stinky waste into a valuable energy source. |
Poultry production ranks
number one in agriculture production in Georgia. But the poultry
industry must also find ways to deal with a lot of poultry waste
litter. Not long ago, scientists with the University of Georgia's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences began studying
ways to add value to poultry waste. One specific area of research
involves finding ways to turn poultry waste litter into a valuable
alternative fuel product. "We're taking poultry litter and producing
liquid that's called bio-oil, and charcoal and energy dense
gas. So what we're doing with this process is basically taking
some parts of the poultry litter, converting it into energy,
and the other parts of the poultry litter we're converting them
into fertilizers." That was K.C. Das with the College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences. University scientists have been
able to break up poultry litter into two parts, and use them
for energy and fertilizer applications. The researchers will
also have to determine whether the process should be done at
centralized locations across the state, or at individual farms.
Developing a cheap source of energy from poultry litter would
provide a cleaner source of energy, that would help the state
grow economically, and help the environment. 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.)
|
| |
|
|
|
