Gift cards make great gifts, but it’s important to make sure gift givers understand the disclosures that come with the card. Otherwise, they could end up giving retailers the unintended gift of free cash.

The current highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5 outbreak in the United States is a concern for the commercial poultry industry, not the general population, says a University of Georgia poultry expert. Humans won’t be infected with avian influenza by eating chicken or other poultry products. Nearly all previous cases of human infections with other avian influenza viruses involved close, direct contact with infected poultry, but little to no direct transmission from person to person. While the HPAI H5 virus has caused some severe devastation for the U.S. commercial poultry industry, there have been no reports of infections in humans, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers the risk to people from this virus to be low.

Whether it’s a specialty sweet treat, small-batch pork sausage or pimento cheese made from Grandma’s secret recipe, the University of Georgia’s Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest shines the spotlight on the state’s craft foods. Registration for the 2016 Flavor of Georgia contest, which is conducted each year by the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, is now open.

Georgia peanut farmers can’t control rainfall or the recent deluge the state received over the last week. They can, however, control how much water they apply to their crops through irrigation. A University of Georgia researcher believes applying too much water to peanuts can invite diseases and reduce yields.

The growing poultry industry in Georgia has farmers searching for alternative bedding options for their birds. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension poultry scientist Claudia Dunkley recommends that growers use giant miscanthus grass as bedding in their poultry houses.

High temperatures, humid nights and disease pressure make growing pumpkins difficult for south Georgia farmers, according to Tim Coolong, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension vegetable horticulturist.

The University of Georgia’s newly hired Cooperative Extension cotton agronomist believes the biggest challenge Georgia cotton farmers face is making a profit. Jared Whitaker will officially being his post on Dec. 1 and will be based in Tifton, Georgia.

This year, farmers from 13 Southeastern states competed to show off their farm’s best hay or baleage in the 2015 Southeastern Hay Contest.

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ outreach at the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo and the presence of university, college and UGA Cooperative Extension leaders at the event highlighted Georgia's importance, and UGA's role, in regional and national agriculture.