Recent Posts
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Robyn Stewart One of the most popular vegetable plants grown by home gardeners in Georgia is the tomato. Tomatoes are popular for a huge number of reasons, from taste, versatility, available varieties, and dietary benefits. Tomatoes are a great addition to any diet due to their high levels of antioxidants, vitamin C, potassium, folate, and…
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Robyn Stewart One of my favorite views as I drive around Lincolnton are the numerous pastures filled with a wide variety of livestock including horses, goats, and cattle. I just wanted to bring a few reminders about feeding livestock during this time of year and stage of life for our producers. First things first, it’s…
Posted in: Animal Agriculture -
Robyn Stewart If you have spent any duration of time in the South, I’m sure you are well familiar with the unpleasant experience of getting bitten by fire ants. Fire ant hills are prevalent in almost every county in Georgia and can be seen in yards, pastures, alongside roads, and other places. There are two…
Posted in: Insects and Pests -
Robyn Stewart I hope that you are still maintaining your social distancing and prioritizing the health of yourselves and your loved ones. With that said, I know many of us have started to enjoy time with close families and friends as Georgia starts reducing COVID restrictions on events and gatherings. The other day as I…
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Robyn Stewart An excessive amount of weeds in a pasture or hayfield can be unsightly and unattractive at best, and may also significantly decrease the quality and stand life of desirable forage species at worst. A weed is defined as any plant growing where you don’t want it to. For example, crabgrass growing in a…
Posted in: Forages -
Robyn Stewart I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately around soils for raised beds and home gardens. Unfortunately, most of these calls are coming 2-3 months after seeds have been planted, when nothing is growing and it’s clear there is an issue. While there are many reasons that plants won’t grow or thrive, poor…
Posted in: Soil -
Robyn Stewart Press coverage from several news outlets last week led to a surge of interest in the Asian giant hornet and led to widespread speculation and concern. While we should take any invasive species seriously, there is a lot of misinformation being spread in the media about what the Asian giant hornet is, who…
Posted in: Insects and Pests -
Robyn Stewart Modern America has strayed far from its rural roots, where each person needed to produce whatever raw materials and food they could in order to survive. Changes in technology and transportation have enabled us to have access to a huge variety of produce regardless of time of year. Americans have continued access to…
Posted in: Food -
Robyn Stewart If you are active on social media, you may be seeing and hearing about how COVID-19 is impacting our agricultural industries. Stories of dairy products being dumped, pork processing plants being shut down, farmers leaving crops to rot in fields, and other situations are abundant. Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unique…
Posted in: Misc. -
Robyn Stewart As you drive around Lincoln County, you are guaranteed to see a variety of wild and domesticated animals. Among the chickens, deer, cattle, horses, and other livestock, it is not uncommon to find a goat or sheep- otherwise known as small ruminants. While there are some distinct differences between goats and sheep, they…
Posted in: Animal Agriculture