ANR
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Over the years, numerous factors influenced where and how our food is grown. In this century, economic downturns, mirroring war-driven scarcity of the previous century, renewed interest in backyard food gardens. Concerns over pesticide safety fostered a trend of smaller, intensely-managed farms with fewer chemical inputs.
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Heavy rainfall and flooding can contaminate wells with pollutants and bacteria. Here are actions to take if your private well is overtopped with flood water during a storm. As soon as possible after flooding, pump a minimum of 2 to 3 times the well volume out of the well. This action helps to clear the…
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Strong winds and ice storms create stress factors in trees that can break branches, snap trunks, and expose or lift roots from the ground. Trees with minor damage may be salvageable, but severely damaged trees pose hazards for people and property, and should be removed. Before beginning any work on a storm-damaged tree, carefully assess…
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Did you know that 80 percent of plant diseases are fungal? High humidity and wet weather – also known as Georgia weather – are optimal conditions for fungal growth. Fungal and bacterial diseases spread by contact (plant to plant, gloves to plant, etc.), as well as through water and wind.
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Fall is still eight weeks away, but fall webworms are already eating tree leaves. These caterpillars stay safely in a silken web at branch tips, which they expand to other branches as they run out of food. While unsightly, the annual feasting of fall webworms usually doesn’t cause significant damage to mature trees.
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Severe and extreme drought afflicted much of the south last year, and 12 metro-Atlanta counties are still under level-2 drought conditions. Because of drought, this spring, we’re seeing delayed green-up in warm-season lawns and numerous issues with trees and shrubs, such as twig and branch dieback, poor flowering and fruiting, and plant death.
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Rainfalls levels were below normal in Georgia during most of 2016, and much of northern Georgia is still experiencing severe to extreme drought conditions. While these areas have received rainfall, drought conditions are still predicted through May 2017 in northern Georgia. Agriculture, wildlife, and water quality resources have been negatively affect by the drought.
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Forsythia are blooming beautifully around Forsyth County, and some of our early blooming trees and shrubs are budding out. In my yard, crocus and azaleas are blooming together. For many plants, however, the effects of last year’s record drought are becoming evident. Projections are that the drought will continue in March for the northern part…
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Spinach was a “super food” long before super foods were trendy. Full of vitamins A, C and iron, the beautiful green leafy vegetable was first cultivated in Persia (modern day Iran) more than 2000 years ago. Popeye ate copious amounts that made his biceps “pop,” and children have made puckered faces for years at the…
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John Chapman, an entrepreneur from Massachusetts, developed a forward-looking business model. He took a waste product that he could get for free, cultivated it over several years into a must-have item for other independent start-ups, and strategically positioned his sales outlets along developing travel routes.