Over the past decade, the numbers of school gardens across Georgia has grown rapidly, and these gardens have become vital to the teaching process. Once seen primarily as a way to teach students about the importance of fresh vegetables and proper nutrition, the school garden has become a classroom resource that covers much of the curriculum.

Sustainable, efficient agricultural practices will be featured at this year’s Northern Nut Growers Association (NNGA) annual conference, which will be held at the Tifton Campus Conference Center from Aug. 13-16.

Think back to your teenage years. Did you feel awkward, especially given the changes with your body and emotions? Today’s teens are no different. They are quiet, forgetful and sometimes even surly. They consume large amounts of food and sleep all the time. If I sound like I know them well, I do. I have two teenagers in my home and I have to remind myself daily that they are not little adults. They are experiencing monumental changes that affect their interactions.

Summer break is almost over. That’s right — no more late nights, naps during the day and, my favorite, living without a schedule. While I hate to remind you that our time will no longer be our own, I hope to make it easier for parents, as well as teachers, to return to their respective routines, which includes getting children back to school. As parents, we are instrumental in our children’s educational success. There are some things we can do to prepare little ones for success in the classroom.

Today, bullies have more ways to inflict mental and physical abuse than they did just 10 years ago, said Cheryl Varnadoe, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development specialist. Fortunately, children being bullied also have more outlets in which to seek help and refuge from the abuse.

Increasing a child’s exposure to a new food increases the likelihood the child will consume it and become healthier in the process, according to MaryBeth Hornbeck, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent in Rockdale County.  To encourage children between the ages of 2 and 6 to eat produce, Hornbeck says parents should be vigilant and introduce new fruits and vegetables to their children.

June’s heavy rains meant that many Georgia farmers were able to cut back on irrigation, but the rain also contributed to fungal diseases in vegetable crops and hampered vegetable farmers’ harvests.

While laymen may look at a farm field dotted with round bales and think that those bales are all the same, forage farmers and livestock producers know the truth. Hay quality varies widely from producer to producer and from year to year.

Fourteen years ago, ‘Prairie Sun,’ one of the most striking gloriosa daisies ever, was chosen as an All-America Selections award winner. This followed on the heels of ‘Indian Summer,’ another outstanding selection, and might have garnered all the love and attention it deserved. Thanks to progressive greenhouse growers and a new generation of landscape color professionals, this outstanding Rudbeckia hirta is generating a lot of dazzle in both commercial and homeowners’ landscapes.