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| This Week's Titles: |
| Ag
Awareness In North Georgia |
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Protect Outdoor Pipes From
Winter Freezes |
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| Studying
Agro-Ecology In Central America |
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| Southeast
Georgia Farm Welcomes Visitors |
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| Research
On Keeping Fruits And Vegetables Safe |
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| Ag Awareness
In North Georgia |
1:41 |
A North Georgia County wants
children to know about agriculture, and it's importance to the
area. |
Franklin County is still
considered a rural county in North Georgia, where children grow
up on a farm. But in recent years, families from urban areas
have been moving into the county. So a lot of the children now
living in Franklin County have little knowledge about the importance
of agriculture in North Georgia. To help children learn about
agriculture, an Ag Day was held for all fourth grade students,
according to Ricky Josey, a county extension agent in Franklin
County. "We bring in livestock, sheep, swine, beef cattle, we'll
have some eggs hatching so we can talk about poultry a little
bit, talk about dairy production and the cotton people will
come in from the Cotton Commission and they'll talk to the student
a little bit, we've had little horse demonstrations and try
to make them aware of the different facets of agriculture and
how important it is." Ricky Josey with the University of Georgia's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Around three-hundred
fourth grade students in Franklin County attended these educational
sessions. Around seventy-five percent of the students taking
part in the Franklin County Ag Day indicated they did not live
on a farm 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.)
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| Protect
Outdoor Pipes From WInter Freezes |
1:41 |
Now is the time to protect
those outdoor pipes from the wrath of old man winter. |
Several counties in extreme
North Georgia have already experienced light freezes. During
November those freezing temperatures will work their way South
through the state. So now is the time to winterize outdoor pipes
and lawn sprinklers. Kerry Harrison, an engineer with the University
of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
says it's important not to overlook sprinklers above the ground.
"It's those sprinkler heads that are elevated up above the ground
like those in shrubbery areas, and they might have a check valve
that is down in the bottom of the sprinkler and if that holds
water in that sprinkler head and it's up above the ground, and
we have the freezing weather the case of that sprinkler can
very easily burst, and when you turn it on in the spring you're
going to have a rude awakening, a great big leak and a great
big geyser in the yard." Kerry Harrison with the College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who adds exposed valves
or pipes around a home should be taped up, or wrapped up in
an old sack for protection. Water hoses should be disconnected,
drained, and stored in a location with a constant temperature,
to add years to their lives. 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.)
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| Studying
Agro-Ecology In Central America |
1:37 |
Students and faculty from the
University of Georgia recently traveled to Central America,
to study agro-ecology. |
The purpose of the tour
was to give students from the University of Georgia, and North
Carolina State University a chance to see how agriculture and
the environment can work together. One of the stops was a farm
in Costa Rica, where liquid pig waste was converted into methane
gas. Marcy Coburn, who works in the Office of Global Programs
at the University of Georgia says once the methane gas is formed,
it is put to good use. "And then the liquid was filtered into
this kind of giant balloon that was fueled and then methane
gas formed inside the balloon and they had pipes that were hooked
up really basic, some of them even duck-taped to the tops that
then piped of the methane gas up to the house and they were
actually using that gas to cook with in the house." Marcy Coburn
with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences,
who adds excess liquid travels through a set of lagoons and
water hyacinths. Once the water travels through these natural
filters, it's clean enough to give back to the pigs. Students
and faculty were able to get a close look at how the biogestor
system allows farmers in Costa Rica to get fuel, feed, and fertilizer
from pig waste. This also keeps these waste products from running
off into nearby streams and causing problems with pollution.
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.)
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| Southeast
Georgia Farm Welcomes Visitors |
1:31 |
Despite the challenges of drought
and insect problems, 2006 has been a year of encouragement for
a farm in Southeast Georgia. |
The Moody Farm Corn Maze
in Brantley County began welcoming visitors in mid-October.
The 740 acre farm features a six acre cornfield maze that include
one mile of trails, and a larger 2.4-mile trail. There's also
two large "corn boxes," filed with 1,500 pounds of shelled corn,
for toddlers to play in. Bob Boland, a county extension agent
in Brantley County says there are not many maze farms in South
Georgia. "It's a new enterprize that he's trying to do. So far
it's been a lot of fun, and it's picking up because most of
the maze that are in Georgia, most of them are in the North
Georgia area. So this is something that is kind of unique to
Southeast Georgia." Bob Boland with the University of Georgia's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The Moody
Farm Corn Maze is located a half mile off the old Woodpecker
Trail, which is Georgia Highway 121 near Hoboken, in Brantley
County. The farm will be open to the public this year through
November 18. For more information on the Moody Maze, call 912-288-4730,
or 912-458-2230. 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.)
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| Research
On Keeping Fruits And Vegetables Safe |
1:40 |
College scientists are conducting
tests on sanitizers, to find out which ones do the best job
keeping fruits and vegetables safe for consumers. |
With many people getting
sick with e-coli after eating bagged spinach, concerns are increasing
about the safety of bagged spinach and other produce. There
are also some concerns about fruits, such as blueberries, strawberries,
and raspberries. Since the mid-eighties, scientists with the
University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences have been studying new methods of sanitizing fresh
fruits and vegetables. One sanitizing product getting a lot
of attention is a gas product called chlorine dioxide. Despite
the potential, it still poses some challenges. "If we use too
much we get a bleaching effect, the appearance of the fruit
will not be as fresh as we would like them. So there is a window
that we have to use in terms of killing the microorganisms but
not applying too much that we would damage the appearance of
the fruit or vegetable." That was Larry Beuchat with the College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences . More research is
also needed to define the specific time of exposure and temperature
at which fruits and vegetables should be exposed to the chlorine
dioxide gas. Despite the positive signs, the vegetable industry
may not rush to accept it, because of the added cost of installing
the equipment required to use chlorine dioxide. 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.)
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