CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 03/02/06

UGA specialists urge Georgians to live well

By Stephanie Schupska
University of Georgia

When Sue Chapman considered the best gadgets to represent Living Well Week March 12-18, she decided to go with a tape measure, the small roll of plastic and metal that takes the guesswork out of so many things.

Started in 2002, Living Well Week is a time for special efforts to educate adults, youths and families on ways to better their lives inch by inch, dollar by dollar, day by day, said Chapman, a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension coordinator in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

“For us, it’s a time to recognize the work of our family and consumer sciences agents and other staff throughout Georgia who deliver our content,” she said. “Basically, we offer educational programs and information using a holistic approach that improves the quality of life.”

Measurements are needed for everything, she said, in “Raising Kids,Eating Right,Spending Smart and Living Well.” That’s the theme of Living Well Week.

“We’re measuring the impact of chronic disease and nutrition for all families,” said Nancy Bridges, an FCS Extension agent in Oglethorpe and Madison counties. She’s also president of the Georgia Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.

“In housing, we’re concentrating on energy conservation, home ownership, first-time home buyers, financial goals, family budgets and savings programs,” Bridges said.

“For children,” she said, “we’re emphasizing training for child care providers and foster parents to help them not only to meet their training needs, but help make an impact on quality of care.”

Bridges was introduced to Extension as a child through 4-H. But it wasn’t just the youth program that affected her life and her family. Her mother also gained valuable knowledge about food safety, preservation and nutrition from Cooperative Extension.

“I’ve seen what Extension does to educate people to become better family members and better citizens,” she said. “It helps the whole family.”

For more information on living well, contact your county UGA Extension FCS agent at 1-800-ASK-UGA1. For more on Living Well Week, visit www.learningandlivingwell.org.

(Stephanie Schupska is a news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)

Stephanie Schupska is the communications coordinator with the University of Georgia Honors College.

Experts/Sources:
Sue W. Chapman
Nancy R. Bridges
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time to spend more of the holiday with guests, taking time ahead of the day to set expectations can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. CAES News
Manage holiday stress with kindness, boundaries 11/21/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The holiday season can be a time of anticipation and joy, but balancing multiple commitments and personalities across families and friends can be a source of stress for hosts and visitors alike. Much like preparing parts of the meal ahead of time allows you to spend more of the holiday with guests, setting expectations ahead of the celebration can go a long way to ensuring enjoyable gatherings, said Ted Futris, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension specialist and professor of human development and family science.
Conner Hall CAES News
CAES welcomes 2024 cohort of Rural Scholars 11/20/24 Maria M. Lameiras
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences welcomed its fourth cohort of students chosen for the CAES Rural Scholars Program this fall just weeks after celebrating the program's first graduation. Georgia Orman, one of four inaugural Rural Scholars in CAES, graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education. The new scholars for 2024, all from Georgia, are Ela Ash of Ocilla, Lauren E. Coley of Cochran, Amelia Housley of Canon, and London O’Steen of Ambrose.
Women play a vital role in rural American farming, but much of that work is "invisible," like raising children or household chores, according to a new UGA study. (Getty Images) CAES News
The women and stress behind rural farming in America 11/19/24 Leigh Hataway
Recent research from the University of Georgia suggests the unique stresses from farm life may be taking a toll on one of the pillars of the families that make your dinners possible: the women who keep farming families running. “If we don’t control our food sources, we don’t control our health and safety,” said Anna Scheyett, lead author of the study and a professor in UGA’s School of Social Work. “It’s a matter of national security that farmers survive in the United States. And one of the big factors in helping farms survive is women.”
Mergoum at Creature Comforts CAES News
That's the spirit! 11/18/24 Maria M. Lameiras, Claire Sanders Kinnard
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Professional brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile.
Contest-winning concept becomes viable business for alumnus who developed solar-powered, self-propelled chicken coop as a student. CAES News
Poultry in motion 11/14/24 Sean Montgomery
Chris Ayers emerged from his orange and black rough-terrain vehicle with an ear-to-ear grin. “This is Chiktopia,” he said, sweeping his arm wide to indicate the back half of a 3,600-square-foot warehouse on his family’s farm in Ball Ground, Georgia. “This is where I manufacture and assemble the chicken coops. Everything is done entirely from over here.”
UGA Grand Farm Site Plan web CAES News
UGA Grand Farm wins stage two of 2024 Growth Accelerator Fund competition 11/13/24 Jordan Powers
Startups in the agricultural technology sector face significant barriers on the path to establishment, including access to training and capital. These barriers are heightened for underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking to start new companies. The University of Georgia Grand Farm, part of a historic partnership between the University of Georgia and Fargo, North Dakota-based Grand Farm, aims to change that.