Browse Cotton Stories - Page 9

Weeks of visits and tours across Georgia has University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean and Director Sam Pardue excited about the college improving upon the state’s No. 1 industry — agriculture.

Many food items, including fresh fruits and vegetables, would never make it to grocery store or farmers market shelves without the help of beneficial insects like honeybees and butterflies. The number of these pollinating insects in the U.S. is declining, and to help, Georgia agricultural experts developed a statewide plan to teach gardeners and landscapers how to care for their plants and protect these vulnerable insects that are vital to food production.

University of Georgia Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten helped shine a light on the role that UGA Cooperative Extension plays in the lives of Georgians and the state’s economy during a visit to Tifton, Georgia, this week.

The University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES), Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the Graduate School jointly hosted a graduate research event, focusing specifically on research conducted in south Georgia.

In an effort to combat the threat of thrips infestations in cotton, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension cotton entomologist Phillip Roberts encourages Georgia growers to be proactive with insecticide application in planting this spring. Failure to apply an insecticide treatment at planting leaves cotton plants vulnerable to increased thrips pressure, which could impact growth.

Georgia’s cotton and peanut farmers are not expected to plant seeds for another two months, but they should be tending to maintenance issues now, according to Scott Monfort, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension peanut agronomist.

Complaints over off-target movement of chemical applications went down 48 percent from 2014 to 2015, but Georgia farmers must better understand the factors that influence drift, according to University of Georgia weed scientist Stanley Culpepper.

Of the mindset that it’s “better late than never,” University of Georgia Cooperative Extension soils and fertility specialist Glen Harris advises Georgia farmers to take samples of the soil in their fields for analysis.

Georgia’s economy will be on the rise in 2016, fueled by population growth, resurgence of the housing market and major projects across the state, including two new professional sports stadiums planned for metro Atlanta. Georgians can also expect to continue to pay less for a gallon of milk, and for meat producers, exports look encouraging for beef and pork.

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension cotton economist Don Shurley says that Georgia cotton farmers can expect prices to remain low for their crop until worldwide demand improves. Shurley will give a detailed report on Georgia’s cotton crop at three of the 2016 Georgia Ag Forecast events set for January 2016.