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  • What’s That Pest? Elm Leaf Beetles

    “Help! My Elm Trees are being eaten!” has been a common statement in the Extension office lately. I’ve had at least two clients with the same issue, and my suspicion is that the true number affected is much higher. The culprit is the larvae of the elm leaf beetle, or Xanthogalerucia luteola.             The elm…

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  • What’s That Pest: Fall Armyworms

    Unfortunately, it’s the time of year that I begin getting calls about defoliated hay fields, sod, and other crops. While not always the culprit, armyworms have been an issue for at least two of our producers this season. If you are not scouting and looking for these damaging pests, this is your call to begin…

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  • The Real Cost of Vegetable Gardening

    Did you know that over one-third of U.S. households participate in food gardening, and that the most common foods produced are vegetables? There are a lot of different motivations for gardening including personal enjoyment, reducing food expenses, and knowing where food comes from. Purchasing food from a grocery store or other producer is fairly straightforward-…

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  • Some weeks, I have a tough time figuring out what to write about for the Journal. Out of curiosity, I decided to take a look at the Georgia state symbols for this week’s article. State symbols are typically adopted after citizens of the state have made a concerted effort to have an item recognized for…

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  • “Lincolnton, GA- June 24, 2021—The National Wildlife Federation (NWF), America’s largest wildlife conservation and education organization, is pleased that Lincoln County Extension has successfully created a Certified Wildlife Habitat® through its Garden for Wildlife™ movement.             NWF celebrates this effort to create a garden that supports birds, butterflies, bees, frogs, and other local wildlife. Every…

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  • Oats in Horse Diets

    There are two ways that I approach nutrition and recommendations around animal feeding programs. For most production livestock and working animals, our goal should be to provide nutrition that meets the known nutrient requirements of that species. We know that deficiencies in things like vitamins and minerals are common and have significant impacts on reproductive…

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  • Home Orchard Pest Management

    Extension folks use the term “home orchard” quite loosely—generally, we are talking about anyone who is not producing fruit on a commercial scale. Per that definition, you might have one or two trees, or you could have several acres of them, and still fall into a “home orchard” producer category. One of the most common…

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  • Well Water Odors

    In the past week or two, we’ve had several clients call our office with questions about mysterious odors in their water. These clients have all been on well systems and have had questions about the source of the odor and water safety for general use in cooking, cleaning, and so on. In these cases, a…

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  • Making the Most of Pecans

    I had a client this week ask why he doesn’t get better nut quality from his pecan tree. Unfortunately, if you have older tree varieties and aren’t really managing them, you may never get the quality and quantity of pecans that you might hope for. With that said, I wanted to discuss some of how…

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  • Spring is typically a busy time of year for the Extension office, particularly in my main role as Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent. Between client inquiries, soil and water tests, educational programs, site visits, and training, we stay busy. Since our long-time 4-H leader Jodi Coon left us in early 2020, I have also been…

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