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| This Week's Titles: |
| Reducing
Farm Fuel Bills This Summer |
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2008 Tobacco Tour A Success |
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| Fourth
Of July Watermelon Supply Looks Good |
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| Eating
Healthy At Summer Family Reunions |
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| Gardening
In Shaded Areas |
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| Reducing
Farm Fuel Bills This Summer |
1:32 |
Farmers can take steps to take
some of the heat out of their fuel expenses. |
As the growing season heats
up, farmers are having a hard time keeping their fuel bills
from losing their cool. Paul Sumner, an engineer with the University
of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
says it appears high fuel prices are here to stay. So it's important
for growers to make sure their tractors are fuel efficient.
One important step is keeping the right amount of air in the
tires. "Inflate tires to proper pressure. Over-inflated tires
waste fuel and reduce productivity. One study showed that a
tractor using low correct tire pressure required twenty percent
less diesel and improved productivity more than five percent."
Paul Sumner with the College of Agricultural and Environmental
Sciences, who adds it's also important to keep the engine on
a tractor properly tuned. Include a regular check on air, fuel,
and oil filters. Keeping them changed or cleaned will help improve
fuel efficiency. Make an effort to reduce the number of times
a tractor is used in the field, and driven on the road, to reduce
pain at the pump on farms this summer. 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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| 2008
Tobacco Tour A Success |
1:34 |
Farmers got a close look at
tobacco research and fields during the recent Tobacco Tour. |
Around fifty tobacco farmers
from North Florida and South Georgia took part in the 2008 Florida-Georgia
Tobacco Tour in early June. J. Michael Moore, an agronomist
with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences says many farmers expressed a concern
about rising production costs on tobacco farms. "The number
one discussion on the part of growers though is how can we afford
to pay the cost of production of these inputs that continue
to increase in value everyday. Fertilizer prices have skyrocketed
for this season and many growers have tried to cut corners.
Some of them have cost themselves in quality and yield by cutting
corners too close." J. Michael Moore with the College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences. The two-day tour also featured the
latest tomato spotted virus management strategies, which include
strip-till production of tobacco, chemical controls in the greenhouse
and the field, as well as insect and disease control strategies.
The tour included stops in several tobacco fields in North Florida
and South Georgia, as well as visits to research plots at the
University of Georgia's Tifton Campus. 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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| Fourth
Of July Watermelon Supply Looks Good |
1:33 |
Despite some spring problems,
there should be plenty of cold, sweet watermelons for the Fourth
of July holiday weekend. |
As summer officially begins
in late June, many people begin making plans to celebrate our
nation's birthday on July 4. For most people, the celebration
would not be complete without a fresh, cold Georgia watermelon.
Terry Kelley, a horticulturist with the University of Georgia's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences says below
normal temperatures during the spring caused some problems for
this year's crop. But Georgian's should not worry about having
plenty of watermelons in early July. "And during that time period
we saw some cooler than normal temperatures at night particularly
not necessarily in the daytime. Also had a lot of wind and that
did a lot of damage to the plants early on which caused the
early fruit that would set on the plant to not be as prolific
as they would be in a normal year." Terry Kelley with the College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who adds consumers
may see a very slight increase in prices for watermelons at
grocery stores this year. But overall prices should be similar
to what they were in 2007. 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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| Eating
Healthy At Summer Family Reunions |
1:42 |
There are healthy food choices
to spread out on a table at a summer family reunion. |
Those lazy, hazy days of
summer are when many families get together for a yearly reunion.
When the time comes to eat, most of the choices are fried, sweet,
and loaded with calories. Connie Crawley, a nutrition and health
specialist with the University of Georgia's College of Family
and Consumer Sciences says grilling is healthy, but those doing
the grilling must do their part. "Yes, certainly grilling can
be better, the biggest problem with grilling though is sometimes
we add a lot of sauces to our food, and if we can try and choose
either to grill without as much sauce or to just use the lower
sodium sauces, then it would be better for people. So it does
take some planning ahead to try to control what people are eating
there." Connie Crawley with the College of Family and Consumer
Sciences. Some healthy food choices include potato salad made
with light mayonnaise, macaroni and cheese made with reduced
fat cheese, and gelatin salads made with sugar-free gelatin.
The dessert table can also be loaded down with calories. Some
lower calorie dessert choices include angel food cake, reduced-fat
ice cream, peaches and other fruit, and frozen fruit bars or
fudgesicles that are low in fat. 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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| Gardening
In Shaded Areas |
1:36 |
Shady gardening can brighten
up the landscape. |
Homeowners have no problem
choosing shrubs and plants for a garden in a site that receives
plenty of sunlight. But gardeners are tempted to back off when
they think about growing landscape plants in shaded areas. Bob
Westerfield, a horticulturist with the University of Georgia's
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences says first
determine how much shade you have in that landscape. "What type
of shade do you have, there's light shade, there's medium shade,
there's heavy shade and some plants are just atunned better
to a certain degree of shade so make sure what you select is
going to be right for the plant that you want to grow under
there but in most cases there's something out there for everybody
depending on what degree of shade they have that they can get
something to grow well." Bob Westerfield with the College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. When it comes to shrubs,
azaleas are popular shade-tolerant shrubs. Evergreen shrubs
like holly also like shaded areas. Many vines grow well in low-light
areas, and add color. Some examples include honeysuckle, cross
vine, and trumpet vine. Invasive types such as English ivy should
be kept out of the landscape, since it could take over the garden,
and do more harm than good. 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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