Visitors to the largest farm show in the Southeast can learn
a lot about what the
Georgia is doing for them at
the College
of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences tent.
“Many of the things we do are quite apparent. But most of
what we do is very
subtle,” said CAES Dean and Director Gale Buchanan.
“But it’s very important. We support farmers and agriculture in
Georgia, which has
everything to do with the food you eat and many of the clothes
you wear.”
The CAES tent at the Sunbelt Expo Oct. 20-22 near Moultrie,
Ga., will show off some new
farm technologies. And it’s not just for farmers. “A lot of the
work we do benefits
homeowners, too,” Buchanan said.
CAES scientists can answer your questions about water
quality, insects, pollution
prevention and student programs at the UGA agricultural
college.
The Farm/Home*A*Syst
program on display at Sunbelt helps Georgians protect themselves
against improper chemical
use.
“We have a survey that asks about everything from yard
fertilizer to wellhead
protection,” said Lisa Ann Kelley,
a CAES pollution prevention specialist. “From that survey, we
can help you make your
home safer.”
Kelley said the first 50 visitors who take home a survey from
the pollution prevention
exhibit will get a coupon for free water testing when they
return the survey and a water
sample.
A CAES program that can help farmers and homeowners is
Distance Diagnostics through
Digital Imaging. Throughout Georgia, 31 counties already have
digital cameras, microscopes
and computers with Internet connections. These stations make it
possible to get quick
answers to plant problems.
Project manager Julian
Beckwith said this system
lets scientists diagnose disease and insect problems and get
back to the farmer or
homeowner almost immediately.
“It’s making a dramatic difference in how quickly a plant
disease or insect
problem can be treated,” he said. “In many cases, it has saved
the crop. The
specialist could positively identify the problem and recommend a
treatment in just a few
hours.”
A working station of this system will be at the CAES tent.
Beckwith said a few samples
will be sent to scientists via the World Wide Web for diagnosis
and treatment
recommendations.
The tent will have exhibits, too, on weather and agriculture,
precision farming, ag
alumni and student recruitment. It will also house “The World of
Insects: fire ants,
honey bees, termites, roaches and a butterfly garden.”
Buchanan said he’s excited about being part of the Sunbelt
Expo.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for Georgians to see what’s
happening in
agriculture,” he said. “There are so many new ways to approach
everyday
problems. And we’re researching them and getting that
information to the people who can
use it.”
