September 2011 Features

  • Georgia 4-H Takes Learning Outside the Classroom

    September 29, 2011

    Whether a classroom is virtual, at home or in a brick-and-mortar school, learning can happen anywhere. The Georgia 4-H Environmental Education Program uses nature as a classroom for students across the Southeast.

  • A Conversation with Georgia State Rep. Terry England

    September 27, 2011

    Since Jan. 10, 2005, Terry England has represented District 108 in the Georgia House of Representatives. England currently serves as Co-Chairman of the Agricultural Education Advisory Commission, as well as a member of the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board and the Georgia Agricultural Exposition Authority Overview Committee. He also serves as Chairman of the Southern Legislative Conference Ag and Rural Development Committee and as a member of National Council of State Legislatures Energy Committee.

  • Federation of Southern Cooperatives Responds to Farmers in Need

    September 25, 2011

    With many U.S. Department of Agriculture offices cutting back local programs, organizations like the Federation of Southern Cooperatives/Land Assistance Fund are responding to more requests for assistance from farmers. According to Executive Director Ralph Paige, most of the Federation’s work arises from direct requests for help.

  • USDA NASS Tracks the State of Agriculture

    September 22, 2011

    Work on the 2012 Farm Bill is well under way in Washington with considerable data used in drafting the bill coming from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). NASS issues about 500 publications annually covering all aspects of U.S. agriculture.

  • Senator Chambliss' Office Talks 2012 Farm Bill

    September 20, 2011

    In an unprecedented budgetary environment in Washington, uncertainty about spending levels and timelines prevails. Leaders of the House and Senate agriculture committees are waiting on the deficit reduction super committee, formally known as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, to issue a baseline number for Farm Bill spending before they begin to draft the 2012 Farm Bill.

  • UGA Students Earn Ag Leadership Degrees Online

    September 18, 2011

    This semester, nearly 50 students are logging on and learning through an innovative program at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. They are earning their UGA master’s degrees in agricultural leadership conveniently online.

  • September and October are Perfect for Seeding Tall Fescue Lawns

    September 15, 2011

    This summer’s drought and high temperatures hit tall fescue lawns in Georgia hard. As a result, September and October could be months for greater interseeding, a practice of adding tall fescue into an existing stand. To successfully establish a new tall fescue lawn or interseed an existing lawn, consider the following techniques and practices.

  • FFA Foundation Works to Support Student Success

    September 13, 2011

    The Georgia FFA Foundation is all about providing opportunities for students to be successful. Through contributions from corporations and individuals, the Foundation is able to send several hundred students each year to attend and in some cases, compete at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

  • UGA Agents Deliver Free Vegetables to Atlanta 'Food Deserts'

    September 11, 2011

    University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents in Fulton County are heading up an effort to deliver fresh produce to areas of the county considered “food deserts,” or areas with poor access to affordable, healthy food.

  • Clarke County Agent Weighs in on Fall Gardening

    September 08, 2011

    Following the results of a soil test are usually the best method when gardening. But in Georgia's drought conditions, stressed plants in dry soil may have their roots burned by a fertilizer application. The following is a helpful Q&A on fall gardening tips:

  • Fall is Fire Ant Killing Time

    September 07, 2011

    Fire ants can ruin picnics and football games. Treating fire ant colonies in the fall can help edge out future colonies, lessening the likelihood they’ll steal your chips or nip at your toes. “Fire ant colonies have been growing through the summer and have reached their peak size,” said Dan Suiter, a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension entomologist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

  • Cold Weather Veggies

    September 01, 2011

    Now is the time for home gardeners to start preparing fall gardens of cool-season vegetables. If you planted a summer vegetable garden, use your lawn mower to chop up these plants. Incorporate these plants, along with a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10, into your fall garden plot with a tiller.