UGA launches national search for agriculture dean

A survey is now being conducted by the University of Georgia in an effort to get a year-end perspective of the impact of the pandemic on Georgia’s agricultural industry.

During the holiday season in the U.S., more than 20 million freshly cut Christmas trees are sold every year, with fir trees topping the most-desired list. Unfortunately growers cannot meet the needs of consumers, and every year, there is a shortage of trees, primarily due to the incredible losses of susceptible firs — including balsam, Fraser, Canaan and others — to the root fungus Phytophthora.

Economists from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will discuss the effects of COVID-19 on farming, highlight agritourism impacts in the state, and give a forecast of top commodities for the next year during the annual Georgia Ag Forecast.

The elemental message communicated by Julie Borlaug during the 2020 D.W. Brooks Lecture on Nov. 10 was that no child should be born in a world with hunger and famine.

Professional and home gardeners alike can grow landscapes sustainably with the help of biodegradable plant containers, but gardeners may wonder whether these containers decompose quickly enough to avoid hindering plant growth.

Three new wheat varieties released this year by the University of Georgia’s wheat breeding program are the product of more than a dozen years of work by breeders on the UGA Griffin campus.