Agriculture
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Deciduous fruit trees, bushes, and vines in the home garden need ongoing care, and one of the most crucial yet often overlooked tasks is pruning. Proper pruning and training help shape the plant, improve fruit quality, enhance its longevity, and reduce the risk of disease and damage. It is a practice that supports the plant’s…
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The senior team from Madison County won first place in the Georgia 4-H State Livestock Judging contest on March 16 at the Georgia FFA-FCCLA Center in Covington. Team members Matthew Highfill, Mallory Lee, Maggie Moon, and Emily Wall. They will represent Georgia at the National 4-H Livestock Judging Contest in Louisville, Kentucky this fall. In the…
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Everyone knows that the classic gift for Valentine’s Day is chocolates and roses. I know that it is a crowd pleaser and just about everyone will appreciate getting that gift, but there is another option. Instead of buying a dozen roses that will last a short while, buy a rose bush that will keep giving…
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Fall is finally here and it is almost time to start planting new trees and fruit producing bushes. If you want to be successful and give your new plants the best opportunity to grow and thrive, then you have to start at the ground and work your way up. You literally have to start with…
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The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), in coordination with the USDA and the University of Georgia, announced the confirmation of the non-native Yellow-Legged Hornet (Vespa velutina) in Savannah, Georgia on the 9th of August. This is the first confirmed sighting of this hornet in Georgia. The Yellow-Legged Hornet is originally from Southeast Asia and can…
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Recent concerns have been buzzing around vinegar used for canning. Specifically the acidity level. The main concern is the use of 4% acidic vinegar when canning products. The use of vinegar with acidity levels lower than 5% is strongly advised against, as it may not be sufficiently strong enough to ensure the safety of the…
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We are so happy to have Travis Tankersley, a lifetime native of Madison County, as our new ANR Agent. Travis has a BS in Animal Science and is no stranger to the livestock exhibiting industry because he grew up showing swine, dairy cattle, and goats. He looks forward to serving in a community where he…
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I have been with UGA Extension for 15 years and in that time, I have had the opportunity to travel and visit with cattlemen from around the state and country. Large or small, the successful producers all have a few things in common, but probably not the things you are thinking of. Certainly, inherited land,…
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Bermudagrass decline is a term that broadly describes the gradual thinning and sometimes the outright loss of pasture grass stands over time. The term is broad because the problem is often linked to several different causes. These primary causes are often exacerbated by extreme environmental stresses like drought, heavy rainfalls, harsh winters, and late spring…
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I have recently received numerous calls about problems with tomato plants. This time of the year we typically see issues start to arise in our flourishing gardens. Two of the most common problems are leaf spots and blossom end rot. There are three leaf spot diseases commonly found on garden tomatoes: Septoria leaf spot, early…