Browse Field Crops, Forage and Turfgrass Production Stories - Page 32

If you grew up on a farm or currently live on a farm, you might not think of adding additional exercise to your routine, as many farm chores require physical activity. Whether you have a small farm, large farm or just a few acres, try to consciously change how you carry out some of your routine tasks in an effort to remain or get physically fit. Your health will improve over time as a result.

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension plant pathologist Bob Kemerait cautions Georgia corn farmers about the El Nino weather pattern that will likely interfere with planting this March. A delay would increase the likelihood of diseases too, so Kemerait advises growers to plant resistant varieties and be ready to apply fungicides earlier than normal.

Researchers at the University of Georgia, working with the International Peanut Genome Initiative, have discovered that a wild plant from Bolivia is a "living relic" of the prehistoric origins of the cultivated peanut species.

Sugarcane aphids have turned their back on their namesake and become a major pest for Georgia’s grain sorghum growers. The pest began infesting fields in the state two years ago and, last year, devastated farmers who chose not to apply spray controls, said University of Georgia small grains entomologist David Buntin.

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.

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension peanut agronomist Scott Monfort insists that poor peanut plant stands in Georgia may not necessarily be due to seed quality.

The University of Georgia is world renown for its turfgrass breeding program so much so that the cultivars of grass produced by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are used in high profile sporting arenas and golf courses worldwide. This weekend, millions of viewers will see one of the college's most accomplished turfgrasses in action, as the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers play in Super Bowl 50.

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.