August 2011 Features

  • Georgia Development Authority Reports Lower Loan Demand

    August 31, 2011

    With the economy and drought affecting many Georgia growers, demand for farm loans is lower in 2011 than in has been in the past, according to David Skinner, executive director of the Georgia Development Authority (GDA). “We have seen higher demand for larger loans due to farm consolidations, but smaller loan demand is down,” Skinner reported.

  • New Ag. Dept. Website Offers More Features and Information – and it’s Easier to Use

    August 30, 2011

    Employees at the Georgia Department of Agriculture are proud of their new website. Their old website sometimes embarrassed them and even required them to walk callers through it to locate information. Years of shoe-horning in features and cobbling together information had resulted in a website that was visually cluttered and difficult to navigate. It was a mess.

  • UGA Researchers Use Team Approach to Overcome Budget Cuts

    August 28, 2011

    The state budget for research in the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has been cut by about 25 percent over the last three years. Because of the cuts, the college lost 40 research faculty and 99 staff positions mostly through retirement and attrition. This year Dr. Robert N. Shulstad, CAES associate dean for research, expects cuts of 6 to 16 percent in the college’s federal formula funds and competitive funds for research.

  • Terry Hollifield Expects Further Consolidation of Crop Improvement Associations

    August 25, 2011

    Forty-four states in the U.S. currently operate Crop Improvement Associations (CIAs) to encourage the use of high quality seed of superior varieties.  However as private companies take a bigger role in the development of new varieties and states face increasing budget pressures, these state organizations may face pressure to consolidate into regional associations. “We’re already seeing some consolidation with Alabama and Florida combining their organizations,” said Terry Hollifield, executive director of the Georgia Crop Improvement Association (GCIA).  “I think more states will consolidate to become more proficient and more efficient.

  • Georgia Poultry Federation Hoping for Improved Conditions in Late 2011

    August 23, 2011

    With corn prices 70 percent higher than one year ago and poultry prices down, poultry companies are suffering through another tough downturn.  In June, Allen Family Foods Inc., a 92-year-old Delaware poultry company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced its intention to sell itself to Mountaire Farms of Delaware Inc. “The poultry industry has always been very cyclical.  It’s just unfortunate we’ve had two down cycles so close together,” said Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation.

  • Website Connects Georgians with Instant UGA Extension Information

    August 22, 2011

    Providing counties with help and science-based information is the core of University of Georgia Cooperative Extension’s mission. And now they’ve made it easier for Georgians to access instant information when office hours are over. Extension is helping Georgians virtually through its newly redesigned website extension.uga.edu. The site provides the state’s citizens with multiple ways to get their questions answered – through websites, publications and easily accessible contact information for county agents.

  • In the Field - Cotton Acreage in GA and the US

    August 17, 2011

  • GACAA Strengthens the Researcher-to-Farmer Connection

    August 10, 2011

    For more than 75 years, county agricultural agents have demonstrated the latest techniques and research developments to Georgia producers in the areas of horticulture, animal science, forestry, pest management, economics and others.  Seed and crop improvements, and modern fertilization programs all took root to some extent through county agent demonstrations. “Our current production of cotton and peanuts is a good example of university research facilitated by on-farm programs.  On-farm demonstrations have facilitated perhaps more change in Georgia agriculture than any other program or practice,” said Casey Ritz, president of Georgia Association of County Agricultural Agents (GACAA).

  • Emerging Weather Patterns Raise Possibility of Dry, Warm Winter

    August 07, 2011

  • Urban Ag Council Helps Members Comply With Changing Regulations

    August 02, 2011

    On June 28, the Urban Ag Council held a seminar for its members on the new state immigration law and its implications for business owners. Legal and human resource experts offered advice on how to maintain a strictly legal workforce in light of the new rules requiring businesses to verify the immigration status of new workers. “Our members are focused on the day-to-day realities of running a business in today’s economy so we try to look out for new laws and regulations and lay out what it will take to comply,” said Mary Kay Woodworth, executive director of the Georgia Urban Ag Council.