With spring approaching, blueberry farmers focus on maximizing their 2018 yields, which means finding new ways to deal with pests like gall midge and spotted wing drosophila. To help these growers stay on top of potential pest problems, University of Georgia integrated pest management (IPM) researchers hosted a spring field day in Alma, Georgia, on Feb 21. Over 70 regional farmers from several southwestern Georgia counties, such as Bacon, Clinch, Appling and Pierce, attended the half-day event.

Stepping on the spiny seed head of a lawn burrweed while running barefoot in the yard is a sure sign of summer. If you want to save your feet some pain, now is the time to treat your lawn, according to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents.

Sophia Rodriguez, a Hinesville, Georgia, 4-H member, has been awarded the national 2018 4-H Youth in Action Healthy Living Pillar Award. Rodriguez received the award for her effort to promote the emotional well-being of children in military families through her Tie Dye for Troops program. She will be recognized at the National 4-H Council Legacy Awards in Washington, D.C., this month.

It’s 11 a.m. on Thursday, during the Georgia General Assembly’s spring session, and people from all over the state start to the fill the wide hallways of the Georgia Capitol in downtown Atlanta.

Gardeners in search of new vegetable and flower varieties to test this spring, or those with a surplus of seeds, should consider attending Rock Eagle 4-H Center’s annual seed swap. The Rock Eagle 4-H Center in Eatonton, Georgia, will host this year’s seed swap on Saturday, March 17, as part of the Saturday @ the Rock event series.

Pecan season may be over, but Georgia’s producers should continue to scout for pests, like the Asian ambrosia beetle, that could impact future crops.

To avoid disaster due to subfreezing winter temperatures, leaky pipes and uninvited rodents, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension irrigation specialist Wes Porter recommends that Georgia growers inspect their irrigation systems before planting their crops this spring.

The Farm Again program will host a workshop to introduce potential farmers to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and loans at the University of Georgia Tifton campus on Wednesday, Feb. 28.

The Georgia Association of Teachers of Family and Consumer Sciences has named Elizabeth Andress, professor of foods and nutrition in the University of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS), the organization’s Postsecondary Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher of the Year.