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| This Week's Titles: |
| Drought
Getting Worse In Georgia |
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Wash Fresh Produce From
The Garden Before Eating |
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| Southeast
Bioenergy Conference Coming In August |
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| Putting
The Chill On Foodborne Pathogens |
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| Program
Helps Improve Family Situations |
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| Drought
Getting Worse In Georgia |
1:39 |
Drought conditions are once
again causing Georgia to get dry and thirsty. |
Temperatures soared well
into the nineties across most of Georgia during June. The only
rainfall was a few widely scattered to isolated thunderstorms.
David Stooksbury, the state climatologist and professor of engineering
with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences says two drought indicators for the state
are well below normal. "So the two big indicators of drought
that we look at, soil moisture and stream flow are both at levels
that are well below normal for early July. Unfortunately, we're
now into the time of the year that even with normal rainfall,
moisture loss from the soils do to evaporation and plant use
is usually greater then rainfall. So even if we have a normal
July, we can expect soil moisture to continue to decrease across
the state, as well as stream flows." David Stooksbury with the
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Through
October, the best chance for widespread drought relief will
be from tropical cyclones. However the tropics don't reach their
peak activity until August and September. So the drought shows
no signs of loosening its grip on the state as we move into
the dog days of 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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| Wash
Fresh Produce From The Garden Before Eating |
1:49 |
When you clean fresh produce
from the garden before eating, include a dose of elbow grease. |
With stories about people
getting sick with salmonella after eating certain produce, many
people worry about the safety of tomatoes, peppers, and other
fresh produce coming out of their summer garden. Judy Harrison,
a food safety specialist with the University of Georgia's College
of Family and Consumer Sciences says besides elbow grease, the
recipe for cleaning fresh produce from the garden should also
include cool, running water, and a clean vegetable brush. "The
best way to clean produce is to just rinse it well under cool,
running water, and use a clean vegetable brush to scrub the
surfaces of products like melons or carrots or peppers, things
that have kind of a tough skin. Otherwise it's just a matter
of rinsing thoroughly under cool, running water." Judy Harrison
with the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, who adds washing
fresh fruit and produce will not provide a one-hundred percent
safety guarantee. Most have small openings in the skin, and
stem scars that could allow pathogens to get inside. But a good
washing under cool, running water, along with some good, old
fashioned elbow grease will significantly reduce the chances
of contamination with food-borne pathogens. 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
Bioenergy Conference Coming In August |
2:01 |
People from across the Southeast
will come to Tifton in August to discuss bioenergy. |
With fuel prices soaring
over four dollars a gallon across Georgia and the nation, the
biofuel industry has shifted into high gear. Bioenergy experts
and industry leaders from across the nation will take part in
the third annual Southeast Bionergy Conference, at the University
of Georgia's Tifton Campus Conference Center. Craig Kvien, a
scientist with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences says business issues, as well as
environmental issues that involve bioenergy will be covered.
"Everything from how to put your businesses together, the money,
the tools, getting it to the market, new energy for your business
plan, feed stocks, some of the bioenergy environmental issues,
forestry of course is a great potential for the Southeast and
how can we use forest products to make fuel.' Craig Kvien with
the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who
adds Governor Sonny Perdue, U.S. Senator Saxby Chanbliss, and
state Senator Ross Tolleson will attend. The Southeast Bioenergy
Conference will take place August 12 & 13 at the University
of Georgia's Tifton Campus Conference Center. Activities begin
at 8 0' clock Tuesday morning, August 12. To learn more about
this conference, call 229-386-7274. Or go to the web site www.sebioenergy.org.
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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| Putting
The Chill On Foodborne Pathogens |
1:49 |
College scientists are working
to give foodborne pathogens on lettuce the big chill. |
When romaine lettuce is
transported a long distance, crushed ice is usually placed on
top of the container to prevent moisture loss from the surface
in a refrigeration unit. But certain E-coli bacteria can survive
in water for extended periods and possibly contaminate the ice.
Scientists with the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural
and Environmental Sciences have been conducting studies to learn
more about these pathogens and their potential contamination
of romaine lettuce. He adds most foodborne pathogens won't die
when conditions are icy. "Most of the bacteria will withstand
freezing conditions pretty well. You'll get maybe a little bit
of dying off but for the most part they're pretty much in a
stable state when they're frozen so if you have contaminated
water that you make into ice they your potential for still having
pathogens in the ice is still there." That was Mark Harrison
with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
University scientists tested a non-pathogenic E-coli strain
and compared it to E-coli bacteria that are pathogenic. They
found E-coli pathogens that make people sick make their way
to produce layers in shipping containers due to melted ice made
of contaminated water, which is then transferred from contaminated
to uncontaminated surfaces. 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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| Program
Helps Improve Family Situations |
1:37 |
A program is working to create
more stable families for children across the state. |
The latest reports indicate
around a third of all children under the age of eighteen in
the U.S. are living in some type of stepfamily situation. To
help deal with these family situations, several communities
across Georgia were selected to take part in the Georgia Healthy
Marriage Initiative Program. Ted Futris, a family life specialist
with the University of Georgia's College of Family and Consumer
Sciences says the program helps bring communities together to
deal with these challenging issues. "And so these healthy marriage
initiatives are ways to bring communities together, key community
leaders, faith-based leaders, social service agencies, the schools
to identify ways to strengthen relationships from adolescents
up to adulthood, and premarital to postmarital." Ted Futris
with the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, who adds the
program also helps equip these communities with effective marriage
education resources to strengthen marriage and family relationships.
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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