Rice has been a staple food crop around the world for millennia, but little was known about the wild origins of the world’s most widely produced crop until the recent mapping of the genomes of 13 ancestral rice species. Scott Jackson, director of the University of Georgia Center for Applied Genetic Technologies (CAGT) in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, helped to map these genomes as part of The International Oryza Map Alignment Project.

An upcoming Small Engine Maintenance and Repair Workshop will teach attendees how to properly select, troubleshoot and maintain common garden and landscape equipment; sharpen hand tools, knives and chainsaws; tune motors; and properly prepare engines for long-term storage. Offered by the University of Georgia, the class will be held on the Griffin, Georgia, campus.

February has arrived. Cue the hearts, flowers and Valentine’s Day festivities. While we have love on the brain, I would like to challenge you to change your perception of love by caring for your heart. February is American Heart Month.

February is here and, even though it is cold outside, many garden tasks can be completed now in preparation for a successful growing season. From starting seeds indoors to cleaning and sharpening garden tools, there are plenty of garden chores to do before spring arrives.

Pruning young pecan trees is a necessity and, if done properly, can save farmers the hassle of pruning older, much larger trees, according to University of Georgia Cooperative Extension pecan specialist Lenny Wells.

Commodity updates for high-value row crops like peanuts and cotton highlight this year’s Georgia Ag Forecast meetings, which are currently being held statewide.

Georgia is due for another blast of arctic air this week and, while Georgians themselves might be groaning about the cold weather, it’s beneficial for the state’s peach crop. These chilly days provide the cold temperatures that Georgia’s fruit crops need for healthy production this summer.

Hundreds of people get sick each year from inappropriate pesticide use, but those who don’t deal with pesticides daily may not think about it very often. Of the 11 states participating in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) pesticide safety program, workers reported 853 serious injuries from pesticides in 2011, according to the CDC.

Tax time is stressful for many Americans, but this year, Georgians in more than a dozen counties can visit their University of Georgia Cooperative Extension county offices for help filing their income taxes through UGA Extension’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.