Georgia oranges?
Kumquats: several varieties, usesDowdy lives in Brunswick, Ga. There, he doesn’t worry much aboutfrost and freeze damage. “When I was a teenager, our family had akumquat tree in our yard on Jekyll Island,” he said. “So my firstcitrus tree was a kumquat.”Good choice. Kumquats are the most cold hardy of the commonlygrown acid citrus fruits. “Kumquats have delayed growth in thespring,” Fonseca said. “This helps them avoid late freezedamage.”The kumquat is widely grown in home landscapes. It becomes anattractive, shrub-like tree with orange-like fruits about 1 inchin diameter.The fruits can be eaten fresh, peel and all, or used to makejellies, marmalade and candies. Several varieties are available.But only three are commonly propagated: Nagami, Marumi and Meiwa.”Nagami fruits are oblong to pear-shaped and have acid pulp,”Fonseca said. “The others are sweeter and rounder. Meiwa, whichproduces nearly round, sweet fruit, has become one of the mostpopular varieties for home planting.”Unfortunately, Dowdy’s kumquat plant declined and died. His nextcitrus tree has brought much more success. Experimenting with different citrus”The tangerine tree just took off and produced a lot of fruit injust a year,” he said. “I planted it by a huge oak tree, so Ithink it protects the tree from what little frost we do get.”The first year, Dowdy drove into Florida to buy citrus-fruitfertilizer.”The second year, it started looking bad, so I boughtcitrus-fruit spikes from Home Depot,” he said. “It perked upafter that and produced so much fruit that the limbs broke.”Dowdy and his neighbors often share their harvests. “On my streetalone, we have grapefruits, oranges, kumquats and tangerinesgrowing,” he said. By Sharon OmahenUniversity of GeorgiaDavid Dowdy harvested enough tangerines from his backyard tree togive a small basketful to each of his family members. That maynot impress you, except that Dowdy lives in Georgia, not Florida.University of Georgia specialists say citrus trees can grow incoastal and extreme southern Georgia with proper attention toselection and cold hardiness. South Georgia bestThey grow best south of a Columbus-to-Macon-to-Augusta line, saidMarco Fonseca, a Cooperative Extension horticulturist with theUGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.Fonseca strongly discourages trying to grow citrus in middle tonorth Georgia or in home landscapes lower than U.S. Department ofAgriculture zone 9.”The most significant limiting factor to citrus culture in theseareas is the damage from severe winter temperature,” he said. “Georgians along the coast have had success the past few yearsdue to the mild winters.”Fonseca has seen citrus growing as far north as Cherokee Co., butonly trifoliate-oranges. “This is a thorny tree with fruit that’sso sour it’s inedible,” he said.Georgia’s unpredictable weather also lessens homeowners’ chancesof success. “It can be 75 degrees one day and below freezing thenext,” he said. “This will obviously kill new growth and bloomsor flowers that could become fruit (and) put added stress on theplant.” Not just for fruitCitrus plants can be grown as individual plants or in groups ashedges, Fonseca said. They also make excellent container plants.”In addition to providing fruits, citrus plants make attractiveornamental specimens,” he said. “And they’re self-fruitful, sothey don’t require cross-pollination.”Hybrid plants called citranges have been crossed to grow betterin Georgia conditions, he said. “I know of two varieties that aregrowing in Telfair County and Thomasville,” he said. “Theyproduce blooms, but the fruit is lemon-like.”Back in Brunswick, Dowdy’s already planning his next citrusexperiment. “My neighbors are now growing big grapefruits thatI’d put up against Florida-grown fruit,” he said. “Maybe now I’lltry to grow a pineapple.”Pineapple plants can be potted and easily brought indoors, too,Fonseca said.
By Stephanie SchupskaUniversity of GeorgiaATHENS, Ga. — “The ground is so dry that we couldn’t do the groundbreaking, so we brought our own dirt in,” Steve Nickerson said, pointing to the pile of red clay at Double Bridges Farm.Nickerson, head of the University of Georgia animal and dairy science department, grabbed a shovel and broke ground with UGA President Michael Adams and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean and Director Scott Angle at a ceremony Tuesday May 29.The weather stayed dry as representatives from UGA, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents, Oglethorpe County and others gathered in the middle of a hay field to celebrate the start of the new $5 million cattle, swine and equine facility on Double Bridges Road.”It’s taken a lot of effort from a lot of people to do this,” Nickerson said.Eight years ago, the CAES started looking for a new place to house its animals. “Right now our farms are old and in disrepair,” Nickerson said. “This will allow us to have top-notch research facilities and give students up-to-date classrooms that will allow them to be more hands-on with the livestock.”Double Bridges Farm will replace the South Milledge Avenue facility. East of Athens, the farm has acreage in both Clarke and Oglethorpe counties. It’s bordered on the northeast by Hwy. 78 and on the south by Double Bridges Road. Directly across Hwy. 78 is the current UGA Dairy Teaching Center.When the Double Bridges land came up, it was in an ideal location, said Robert Shulstad, CAES interim associate dean for research. “We want to be the leading star for the industry as we move forward” with this facility.Adams agreed. “This will be a place where the best faculty can work with the best students in facilities that are second to none,” he said.It’s the CAES’s unique role in both training students and helping producers and agribusinesses that sets it apart, Angle said. “We’re one of the very few places that has the capability to do both.”Angle, Shulstad and Nickerson all said former Athens Sen. Brian Kemp played a big role in helping Double Bridges Farm become a reality.”In 2004 and 2005, Brian went to bat for us before the (Georgia) General Assembly,” Nickerson said.”In my four years in the state senate, I don’t think I had anything that so many people worked so hard on,” Kemp said. From cattlemen to producers, “I don’t know of a single group that was against this project. Everybody had somebody at the capitol working hard for this.”The projected timetable for Double Bridges Farm is to start site preparation this fall, begin construction in the spring of 2008 and move the swine, cattle and horses and start classes there in about two years.The farm isn’t just about the University of Georgia, Adams said. It’s about being good neighbors.”It’s not just about growing cows and sheep and swine,” Kemp said. “It’s also going to help our state” by providing jobs and economic development.The name “Double Bridges” is appropriate, said Steve Stice, a UGA animal and dairy science researcher and eminent scholar. Double, he said, describes both the agriculture side and the biomedical application of the farm’s future. “We do a lot of double duty,” he said.Near the end of the program, Rep. Terry England (R-Auburn) presented Jary Douglas of the UGA dairy judging team a check for $5,000 and a check to a CAES scholarship fund for $1,000. The money “came out of our pockets,” he said, from 55 state legislators who are part of Georgia’s rural caucus.
Amid news of a still sputtering U.S. economic recovery, a report released this week shows the nation’s agbioscience industries are growing, especially in the South.According to the Battelle study, “Impact and Innovation: Agbioscience in the Southern United States,” agriculture, forestry, and fisheries production generates $240 billion in regional economic activity within the Southern region and supports over 2.2 million jobs with labor income totaling $62 billion. Agbioscience encompasses a broad continuum of development, production and value-added use of plants and animals for food, health, fuel and industrial applications. The study’s findings show that agbioscience, its value-chain in production and the downstream industrial activity are vital to the country’s sustainable global and domestic economic future. The Southern region helps drive that activity. In addition, the downstream processing of agriculture, forestry and fisheries output into value-added food and industrial products adds an additional $1 trillion in output across the Southern region’s economy and almost 4.6 million jobs with labor income totaling over $200 billion.“The current and future importance of the agbiosciences is hard to overstate,” said Simon Tripp, a co-author of the report. “For instance, this science and industry sector is fundamental to the survival of the world’s expanding population, the food security of our nation, and the health of our population.”The dean of the University of Georgia’s agricultural college credits land-grant research for pushing the industry ahead.“Agriculture is the foundation of our economy in Georgia,” said J. Scott Angle, dean and director of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “The innovation and education from our college has helped put the industry on a positive trajectory to become one of the leading food and fiber producers in the world.” Georgia’s total food and fiber sector employs 688,586 Georgia workers and has annual sales of nearly $107 billion, over $12 billion at the farm level. Food and fiber supplies more than 13 percent of the total employment in the economy and over 11 percent of the value-added business. UGA is most noted across the region and the nation as a leader in crop genetics, variety development, food safety and cutting-edged animal research. “Innovations from our college enhance the state’s ability to attract new, lucrative biotech firms to the state while continuing to support the vital agriculture industry that grows jobs and revenue at all levels of the economy,” Angle said. “Agriculture is one of the most stable industries in any economic environment.” The industry’s tremendous economic impact across the Southern region is due in large part to the modern science and technology innovations from the Land-grant University Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station System. The system successfully addresses agriculture’s crucial national and global needs through research and development, practice improvement, skills enhancement, and new technology introduction, dissemination, and adoption, the Battelle report shows. “The findings from this study underscore agbioscience’s potential in the Southern region, said Saied Mostaghimi, director of Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station and associate dean for research and graduate studies at Virginia Tech, and this year’s leader of the region’s research association. “By utilizing the research and development power of our land-grant universities, we can develop the knowledge and appropriate technologies to further increase agriculture and forestry production for food, fiber, and fuel, while improving food safety and nutrition, enhancing environmental stewardship, and promoting economic development,” he said. The study notes the Land-grant University Extension Service and Experiment Station System is on the frontline of sustaining and securing U.S. competitiveness in what is, and will continue to be, a sector of core strategic importance for the country.This U.S. system of research and extension provides science and technology development and transformational education that keep Southern Region agriculture, agribusiness, and associated business sectors at the forefront of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. These advancements create and sustain jobs and contribute to a strong regional, national and global economy. “Throughout our hundred-year history, Cooperative Extension has set the pace of change in agriculture, natural resources and rural America. In today’s fast-changing world, we must provide the best decision-making tools and Extension education possible to farmers, ranchers, families and communities,” said Beverly Sparks, UGA’s associate dean for Extension and leader of the region’s extension directors this year. “It is imperative the Southern region be well-prepared to take advantage of the tremendous potential we have before us.”Sustaining the Extension Service and Experiment Station System, further investing in it, and addressing its challenges are keys to maintaining the strength of the economic and social fabric of the nation, the region and the state. (Who said this?)“The Southern Region’s Extension Service and Experiment Station System represents a uniquely powerful resource,” said Deborah Cummings, a co-author of the report. “In recognition of this importance, the system is traditionally supported by federal, state, and local governments, and by industry, producers, commodity organizations, and other key stakeholders. This support must not only be sustained, but ideally—given the size and scope of grand domestic and global challenges addressed by the agbiosciences—should be significantly expanded so that the Southern Region can take advantage of the large-scale opportunities presented,” she said.Over the past four years, UGA CAES has sustained cuts from the state budget totally well over 20 percent and the pending federal cuts will take more from the college’s resources. “In our science and technology-based economic development practice at Battelle, we have observed the consistent rise of agbioscience as a core driver of economic growth and business expansion opportunities for the U.S.,” co-author Tripp said. “This is an extremely dynamic sector, leveraging sustainable biobased resources to produce goods that meet large-scale market needs. The Southern Region is a global leader in traditional agricultural economic activity, and can count itself as one of a select few regions in the world that is also leading the charge in emerging areas of the modern bioeconomy.”The full report is available online at: www.LSUAgCenter.com/SouthernAgbioscienceImpact
Farmers interested in growing an alternative crop can learn about Satsuma oranges on Thursday, Aug. 22 at the Lowndes County Civic Center in Valdosta.A conference will be held highlighting potential Satsuma commercial production in south Georgia and north Florida. Satsumas are mandarin oranges that most resemble tangerines. They are grown mostly in California, Alabama and Louisiana but are not grown in South Georgia or North Florida. Lowndes County Extension agent Jake Price is hoping this conference will help change that.“They grow in pretty much the same (climate) zone as we have. There’s no reason that Georgia can’t have some industry too,” Price said.The conference will feature scientists and researchers from the University of Georgia and University of Florida, including Wayne Hanna, a plant breeder in UGA’s Crop and Soil Science Department on the Tifton campus. He will discuss making cold hardy citrus fruits seedless. Also to be featured will be ways to market Satsuma oranges. Joyce Akins, a former director of the school and nutrition program in the Lowndes County School System, will talk about how to market the crop to school systems. Sean R. McCoy, a regional specialized agent in the Rural and Agribusiness Development for the Suwanee Valley Agricultural Extension Center, will discuss pricing and marketing satsumas. “If somebody’s going to produce something, it’s good to have them a market lined up before they get into production,” Price said.Satsumas are a cold-tolerant fruit. Once established, they can withstand temperatures as low as 15 degrees. They’re also seedless and easy to peel.“They’re about as good or better than anything you will buy in the store,” Price said. The conference will be held from noon to 3 p.m. To register, contact the Lowndes County Extension Office at (229) 333-5185. Registration is limited to 75 participants. A meal will be provided.
University of Georgia President Jere Morehead assumed his presidential post on July 1. Long before, however, President Morehead expressed a desire to learn more about agriculture, the state’s No. 1 industry. Last Wednesday and Thursday, he was immersed into the agricultural world, thanks to a guided tour by Georgia Agricultural Commissioner Gary Black and UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean and Director Scott Angle. The group was joined by state representatives Terry England, chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee, and Tom McCall, chairman of the House of Representatives Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee. Also joining a portion of the two-day tour were Georgia Senators John Wilkinson and Jack Hill. Wilkinson is chairman of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, while Hill serves as chairman of Appropriations.The agriculture contingent visited farms and UGA CAES research facilities and talked with farmers and Ag consultants across the state. It was an educational two-day trip down agricultural lane.“(President Morehead’s) shown a strong desire to learn about agriculture,” Angle said. “Several months before he assumed office, he was already meeting with Commissioner Black and myself and others in the Ag industry to learn more. At that time he promised one of the first things he’d do once he got into office is tour farms and Ag businesses around the state. (Wednesday’s) the product of that promise.”During the two-day tour, President Morehead made stops at the UGA Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center in Lyons, Lewis Taylor Farms in Tifton, Sunbelt Expo in Moultrie, Southeastern Minerals in Bainbridge, the UGA’s Bull Test Station in Rome, Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge and Field Farms in Cornelia. Through the tour, the new president learned about peanut, cotton, beef, poultry, fruit and vegetable production in Georgia and challenges Ag operations face like labor and limited water use.“Georgia has a unique position with our climate, water, land, people, research capabilities, market and transportation system that agriculture should be a part of the mainstream economic development strategy in this state,” Black said. “We’re the local bread-basket for the whole east coast. The American consumers want their products produced locally. They want to be engaged with good, strong family farms. We’re trying to make that connection between the importance of the university system, with its research and Cooperative Extension. We’ve got people who we are employing that are offering advice that farmers like Bill Brim are relying on, and that advice has multi-billion dollar economic consequences.“Putting all that together, that’s why we’re on this tour and President Morehead gets that. I believe we’re going to see some wonderful results from it.”At the Vidalia onion center, onion growers like Chris Hopkins told the president how the university and the center benefit their industry directly. “You can mimic growing onions in other parts of the state, but you can’t put a price on real time research data that’s conducted at your back door,” he said. Hopkins, who holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the UGA CAES, farms land that adjoins the research center property. On the second day of the tour, Phil Worley explained the benefit of the UGA Bull Test Station to the president and others on the tour. “A lot of what we do here is test what the scientists think will work in a practical setting,” said Worley, superintendent of the Northwest Georgia Research and Education Center, as the delegation toured the experimental pastures and viewed the university’s 225 head of cattle. “It doesn’t always work on the farm the way it works in the computer. We get most our funding from selling cows, and I think that keeps us focused on what’s practical and cost effective.” A big reason for that economic success has been the research and improvements made by UGA scientists, like Stanley Culpepper in his study of palmer amaranth, and John Beasley and Glen Harris, crop agronomists who contributed in a study about the potential use of unmanned aerial vehicles. The trio discussed their research during the tour’s stop at the Sunbelt Expo in Moultrie on Wednesday afternoon.“This is the most important industry in the state of Georgia,” President Morehead said. “The University of Georgia has always been supportive of the state of Georgia, so I thought it was very important that I get out across the state and do this farm tour.“I appreciate Commissioner Black giving up his valuable time to put this tour together. We have so many of the state’s leaders with me on this tour. It’s a terrific opportunity for me to learn more about how the University of Georgia interacts with the agricultural community and what we can do to support agriculture more in this state.”In the UGA 2011 Farm Gate Value Report reports agriculture commodities around the state generated more than $12 billion in farm gate value. According to the UGA Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, the total economic impact of agriculture in 2011 was $71.1 billion.
For many Indian families, “pulse” crops – lentils and other legumes that are eaten as porridges – are essential. Not only are they an important source of protein, but these pulse crops can also grow on poor soil and produce lentils and legumes even with limited and erratic rainfall.Despite their resiliency, production levels of these important crops have declined over the past 70 years, according to Sushil Yadav, a Borlaug Fellow who spent four months at the University of Georgia Center for Applied Genetic Technologies working with Zenglu Li, learning “metabolic fingerprinting” skills that he’ll take back to India.“Eighty percent of the farms in the Hyderabad area of India are small and marginal,” said Yadav, who is a scientist at the Central Research Institute for Dryland Research there. “If we can identify the key genetic regulators for enhancing drought-stress tolerance in these crops, we can stabilize their productivity and increase their availability to a very large vegetarian population in India.”Yadav is one of three international researchers who studied with UGA faculty this spring as part of the Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program. The program, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, promotes food security and economic growth by providing training and collaborative research opportunities to researchers and policymakers from developing or middle-income countries who are in the early or middle stages of their careers, according to the USDA’s website. At UGA, the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Office of Global Programs manages the program.Also studying at UGA through the Borlaug Fellowship Program are Direba Demisse of Ethiopia and Reham Fathey Aly of Egypt.“Ethiopia has more than 50 million head of cattle, but milk production is very low. In fact, we have to import milk from other countries,” said Demisse, national project coordinator for smallholder dairy cattle genetic improvement research at the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research in Holeta. “If we can use modern molecular technologies to increase the number of improved animals while conserving indigenous genetic resources and develop a clear breeding strategy, we can improve our country’s food security.”During his stay, Demisse worked with Ignacy Misztal in the college’s Department of Animal and Dairy Science.Aly, who will remain at UGA until late July, said she has learned a great deal about integrated pest management (IPM), which she plans to introduce to her colleagues in the agricultural zoology and nematology department at the Cairo University in Giza, Egypt.“I’ve learned so much about the principles of bioassay and how applicable the work I’m doing here will be in Egypt,” said Aly, who is working with Ashfaq Sial in the UGA entomology department. “Not only will the work I’m learning be useful in the management and mitigation of the peach fruit fly and Mediterranean fruit fly, but I hope to write a project that uses IPM for the control of snails, which have become a major pest in Egypt.”Sial, whose research includes developing new integrated pest management techniques to control spotted wing drosophila in blueberries, said he looks forward to traveling to Egypt later this year to continue his work with Aly.“One of the many benefits of the Borlaug Fellowship is the opportunity for mentors to travel to the fellow’s country,” he said. “At this point, Egypt has very little understanding of IPM techniques and relies more on chemical options to control pests. I think there are a lot of opportunities to establish partnerships with researchers there that could particularly benefit fruit and vegetable growers in both Georgia and parts of Egypt.”Borlaug fellows are selected annually based on research proposals submitted to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. Once the fellows have been selected, U.S. universities bid to host them, identifying research mentors and arranging logistics. Costs are covered by the Borlaug Fellowship Program.“We have been hosting Borlaug Fellows in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences since 2006 and have had researchers from Armenia, Rwanda, Malawi, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Kosovo, Iraq, Pakistan, the Philippines and Poland,” according to Victoria McMaken, associate director of the Office of Global Programs.“There are a number of benefits for both the individual fellows and mentors, but because all of these projects are related to food security, the University of Georgia, the state of Georgia and the United States all benefit from creating long-standing connections with university and research institutions throughout the world,” McMaken said.
The structured learning, encouragement and adult mentoring that young people receive through 4-H play a vital role in helping them actively contribute to their communities, according to the study.To learn more about Georgia 4-H, go to georgia4h.org. To find out more about Georgia 4-H in your county, contact your local UGA Extension office. Georgia 4-H’s 172,354 student members will celebrate National 4-H Week Oct. 2-8. During the week, the state’s largest youth development organization wants to raise awareness of the program that started as a club for farm kids and has grown into a place that helps youth become successful and confident adults. It’s true that 44 percent of Georgia 4-H members live in rural areas, but just 3 percent live on a farm. Fifty-three percent say they live in the city, in a small town or in another urban or suburban setting.Georgia 4-H is available to children in all of Georgia’s 159 counties. The four ‘H’s stand for head, heart, hands and health and are represented by the four-leaf clover. Participating youths develop life skills through hands-on projects involving volunteer work, health, science, engineering, technology, leadership, agriculture and communication. Georgia 4-H is under the umbrella of UGA Extension, and 4-H programs are based on research from the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and other UGA colleges. Georgia 4-H agents supplement teachers’ efforts by using after-school lessons and in-school curricula designed to meet Georgia Performance Standards.Georgia 4-H has always had roots in science. In recent years, that emphasis has shifted slightly to include other closely-related disciplines, known as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The strategic inclusion of engineering and technology programs has been a natural fit for Georgia 4-H, as its slogan is “Learn by Doing.” STEM subjects are presented to 4-H members through new STEM 4-H Ambassadors, new projects at 4-H Project Achievement, new in-school club meeting curriculum, and new activities like robotics competitions and Mission Make-It: Georgia 4-H Engineering Challenge.“The idea of bringing UGA research and resources to Georgia students through the use of county agents throughout the state was a cutting-edge idea in 1904 and remains so even today,” said Arch Smith, state 4-H leader. “The most important work of 4-H is to help young people become better citizens and enable them to grow into responsible, active adults.”When asked, “attending 4-H camp and making lifelong friends” continues to top the list of Georgia 4-H members’ favorite things about being in 4-H. High-school-age Georgia 4-H youths say their 4-H experience provided them with opportunities to travel, learn leadership skills, give back to their communities and overcome their fears of public speaking.Each year, over 30,000 Georgia 4-H youth perform community service, conduct research, compile portfolios of their accomplishments and learn public speaking skills through oral presentations at 4-H District Project Achievement.Students also learn responsibility through livestock projects, programs and judging. Georgia 4-H partners with Georgia FFA and the UGA Department of Animal and Dairy Science to provide these programs. Every year, close to 2,500 students complete a year-long process to prepare more than 4,500 animals for exhibition at the Georgia Junior National Livestock Show and other competitions.According to a Tufts University study, 4-H members are:Two times more likely to contribute to their communities than youths not in 4-HThree times more physically active than youths not in 4-HFive times more likely to graduate from college than youths not in 4-HTwo times more likely to pursue a career in science than youths not in 4-H
The final round of competition included “Shark Tank”-style presentation from each group followed by five minutes of questions from the judges.This year’s judges include: Tony Bass, agricultural consultant, Fort Valley, Georgia; Ian Biggs, chief operating officer of the UGA Innovation Gateway Startup Program, Athens, Georgia; Caroline Hofland, president and chief executive officer of agricultural equipment firm CBH International, Suwanee, Georgia; Bob Pinckney, director of entrepreneurship at UGA’s Terry College of Business, Athens, Georgia; Octavio Ramirez, head of the CAES Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; and Jose Reyes de Corcuera, associate professor in the CAES Department of Food Science and Technology.Prize money was provided by generous donors, Keith Kelly of Kelly Products, a national agrichemical company based in Covington, and Hofland.For more information, visit students.caes.uga.edu/current/fabricate.html. From a smart irrigation system for the home landscape to a new recipe for protein-packed meals on the go, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences students have some great ideas.Those great ideas were front and center Wednesday evening as the college celebrated the finale of its inaugural FABricate entrepreneurship contest – a multi-month program during which teams developed new agricultural technology, food and hospitality startups and pitched them to business leaders.Students were given $1,500 in seed money to develop their products and business ideas as far as they could in six months. The team in each category with the most innovative and best-developed idea in those six months won $1,000 per team member. An overall winner and people’s choice award were also presented.“Universities have long been institutions that foster inquiry and investigation into nature and discovery,” said Dean Sam Pardue. “This program helps students transfer that curiosity and their ingenuity into an innovative business idea or product for the marketplace.”The competition enabled UGA students to expand their leadership and business skills through the development of a new food product, new agricultural technology or a new food- or agriculture-related business. In addition to seed money, the college provided coaching and guidance from faculty mentors as well as monthly seminars from successful entrepreneurs.Undergraduate students submitted business ideas in three categories – new food products, agricultural technology and agricultural or food-related businesses. Graduate students competed in a separate category. One team from each category received the prize money.This year’s undergraduate category winners include:Agricultural Technology and Overall WinnerReservoir, by Jesse Lafian, studying horticultureReservoir is a solar-powered, automated smart irrigation system for urban and suburban landscapes aimed for use for upscale landscaping companies.Ag- or Food-Related Category and People’s Choice Award WinnerFresco, by Lizzy Isgar, studying food marketing and administration, and Antonio Rodriguez, studying computer scienceFresco is a phone app that allows restaurant owners and diners to share their wait times at local restaurants and make reservations. It is especially designed for college towns, where large groups of friends or family members struggle to find large tables.New Food ProductAsian Sausage with Rice and Vegetables, by Britta Thinguldstad, Rachel Detweiler and Haley Gilleland, all studying animal scienceConceived of as full meal inside a sausage, students developed a recipe for a pork sausage with flavor notes drawn from Asian cuisine that also contains vegetables and rice.This year’s graduate category winners include:Graduate Research TechnologyLight Variability Chamber, by Jacob Kalina, an undergraduate studying agriscience and environmental sciences; Allison Couch, master’s degree student in plant protection and pest management; and Jonathan Fox, a master’s degree student in crop and soil sciencesThis team of researchers developed a large light box that uses variable and programmable LEDs to deliver a set amount of light to turfgrass being evaluated for shade tolerance. The chamber allows researchers to determine the precise amount of light delivered to the trial plot.
Twenty-five professionals, who represent a wide swath of Georgia’s agriculture and natural resource industries, have been chosen to participate in the 2019-2020 class of Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry (AGL).Organized by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, the purpose of AGL is to educate and empower Georgia’s agricultural leaders to become effective advocates for the largest economic drivers in Georgia — the state’s agriculture and forestry industries.“This class was chosen from 78 outstanding nominations,” said Lauren Griffeth, director of AGL. “These individuals represent a broad array of facets in agriculture, forestry and allied sectors and display a commitment to leadership in the field for their career.” The AGL program is designed to bring together leaders from all segments of the state’s agriculture, forestry, natural resources and allied industries. Over 16 months, participants will help one another grow through personalized leadership development training geared toward understanding themselves as leaders, analyzing issues facing their industries, and strengthening connections to become catalysts for positive change.AGL’s 2019-2020 inductees are:Daniel Atkins, area marketing manager, WeyerhaeuserToby Bowen, account manager, AGCOJason Bragg, vice president for government relations, Georgia EMCSam Brown, owner and CEO, Fiddleheads Garden CenterJordan Carter, director of sales and marketing, Leger & SonTR Clark, regional manager, F&W Forest ServicesHillery Culpepper, assistant director of development, FFA FoundationNicole Duvall, program coordinator, Commission for MilkDusty Engel, corporate precision ag manager, John DeereChan Flanders, forester, West FraserSusan Harrell, financial analyst and timberland ownerAaron Hemmer, regional lending manager, AgGeorgiaMatthew Hested, executive director of communications and strategy, Georgia Forestry AssociationJessica Jarvholhm, event coordinator, PineyWoods FarmBen Lancaster, sales manager, International Forest CompanyJason Little, director of valuation services, Forest Resource ConsultantsDavid Martin, president and CEO, Widget DevelopmentSamantha McLeod, executive director, Georgia Pecan Growers AssociationFrances Mitchell, field sales representative, BayerArren Moses, farmer, Edward Moses FarmsSarah Nerswick, agriculture education teacher and FFA advisor, Cambridge High SchoolErin Nessmith, Young Farmer and Rancher Program coordinator, Georgia Farm BureauBlake Poole, middle Georgia field representative, Office of Governor Brian KempEric Simpson, farmer and co-op organizer, West Georgia Farmer’s CooperativeKeaton Walker, marketing and sponsorship director, Georgia National Fairgrounds & AgricenterIn 1991, community and state leaders started participating in the original, agriculture-based leadership development program known as “Agri-Leaders,” which was sponsored by the Georgia Agri-Leaders Forum Foundation. Since that time, 399 Georgia business leaders, farmers, foresters, educators and other stakeholders have completed the program and become more effective leaders and advocates.Through AGL, participants will complete five in-state institutes, an advocacy institute in Washington, D.C., and an optional international experience in Chile. This will be the fourth class of AGL participants to experience transformational leadership development through the UGA program.Those seeking more information about AGL can visit www.agl.caes.uga.edu.
Source: Dealer.com Burlington, VT, August 24, 2009 — Inc. magazine today recognized Dealer.com of Burlington, Vermont, with a rank of 88 among the top 100 fastest growing private advertising and marketing companies. Dealer.com, the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, experienced a three year sales growth of 307.2% between 2005 and 2008. Overall, Dealer.com was ranked number 996 on the third annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. 2009 marks the third consecutive year that Dealer.com has been recognized in the ranking. The Inc. 5000 list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs.“Savvy trend spotters and those who invest in private companies know that the Inc. 5000 is the best place to find out about young companies that are achieving success through a wide variety of unprecedented business models, as well as older private companies that are still expanding at an impressive rate,” said Inc. 5000 project manager Jim Melloan. “That’s why our list is so eagerly anticipated every year.”Commenting on the ranking, Mark Bonfigli, Dealer.com CEO, stated: “Our employees are the heart of our business and they are responsible for our growth and this top ranking– for the third consecutive year. I am excited about our ranking and give credit to the entire Dealer.com team. Their talent and dedication to our clients’ success is what drives our business and our continued growth. In fact, we are currently on track to have our most successful year ever in 2009.”MethodologyThe Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2005, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Additionally, they have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies — as of December 31, 2008. Revenue in 2005 must have been at least $200,000, and revenue in 2008 must have been at least $2 million. The top 10 percent of companies on the list comprise the Inc. 500, now in its 28th year.About Inc. MagazineFounded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures LLC, Inc. (www.inc.com(link is external)) is the only major business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies that delivers real solutions for today’s innovative company builders. With a total paid circulation of 712,961, Inc. provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing, and technology. Visit us online at Inc.com.About Dealer.com (www.dealer.com(link is external))Dealer.com is the global leader in online marketing solutions for the automotive industry, providing award winning e-marketing solutions to OEMs, auto dealers and media companies. More of the nation’s top auto groups use Dealer.com for their local online marketing than any other provider. Recent national and international accolades include: the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, top ranking in the Net Promoter® Score Survey of customer satisfaction, Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 and the Web Marketing Association’s Automobile Standard of Excellence. In addition, Dealer.com was the 2008 top rated web provider on leading online rating websites, as well as the Gold Award winner from the Dealers’ choice awards for best dealer website solutions.