Tag Archives: UGA

UGA Expert Warns Georgia Cattle Producers: Drought Is Threatening Herd Nutrition This Calving Season

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Tifton, GA |

Over the course of several months, much of Georgia has been gripped by drought conditions that have left pastures stressed and hay stocks stretched thin. Now, heading into the heat of summer, that pressure is landing squarely on the shoulders of cattle producers. According to experts, the concern isn’t just the drought itself — it’s the timing.

“If we don’t have rain, we won’t have grass. If we don’t have grass — the main source of feed for cows — it’s not there. So we have to look for other things to supplement or feed the cows,” said Pedro Carvalho, Beef Cattle Specialist with the University of Georgia. “We need to be watching not only the amount but also the quality. If you don’t have rain, the first thing that happens is we won’t have grass — and after that, the grass that is there is going to get worse. So we need to look for strategies and opportunities to feed hay, to feed byproducts.”

THE WORST TIME FOR A FEED SHORTAGE

For many producers, spring calving is either underway or just wrapping up — making this one of the most nutritionally demanding stretches of the year. Carvalho says the drought cut into forage quality and availability at exactly the wrong time, and if producers aren’t careful, the consequences can carry over well into next year.

“What we want is to have that cow pregnant again — to produce a calf every year. In order to do that, we have to make sure those cows have enough nutrients to not only produce milk for the calf they just had, but also maintain good body condition and enough weight to rebreed, get pregnant, and produce another calf next year,” Carvalho said.

TWO THINGS EVERY PRODUCER SHOULD DO NOW

Carvalho says every cattle producer should be doing two things right now: assessing the physical condition of their cattle, and taking stock of what feed and forage they have available — and more importantly, its quality.

“Assess the body condition of your cows during calving, because that’s one of the most important times to do that — and it’s going to determine the success of getting them pregnant again,” Carvalho said. “The other thing is to test what you have available to feed. Not just how much, but what do you have? Test your forage, test your feed, test your byproducts before you feed them to the cows.”

DON’T OVERLOOK WATER QUALITY

Beyond forage, Carvalho says producers should also be keeping a close eye on water sources. Even as some drought conditions have eased with recent rainfall, water quality remains a concern that can easily be overlooked.

“Right now, a lot of cows may have only a pond as their only source of water. Are we checking that as well — and the quality of it?” Carvalho said. “As ponds get shallow, the water is going to get dirtier and dirtier, and the quality is not the same. We need to make sure we are giving the cows enough water, and good quality water.”

For producers looking for additional guidance, Carvalho points to the UGA Beef Team’s online resources at beef.caes.uga.edu, where a range of tools and recommendations are available to help cattle producers navigate drought conditions and nutritional management through the summer months.

By: John Holcomb

UGA Researchers Are Working to Protect Georgia’s Honeybees — and the Crops That Depend on Them

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Watkinsville, GA |

They may be small, but honeybees are responsible for pollinating billions of dollars’ worth of crops across the country every year — and Georgia has long been at the center of the supply chain that keeps those bees moving and the crops that depend on them thriving.

“Georgia historically was the largest beekeeping state in the Union. We only very recently were overtaken by California and Texas, but we still prop up a large amount of the beekeeping across all of North America,” said Lewis Bartlett, Assistant Professor in Honeybee Health and Pollinators at the University of Georgia. “Because we can raise honeybees here much earlier in the year, they can go up to places like Maine, other parts of New England, Canada, the central prairies, even California — and pollinate crops there in large colony sizes that otherwise wouldn’t be possible in those local environments.”

ALARMING LOSSES IN THE HIVE

That supply of honeybees, however, isn’t guaranteed. In recent years, colony losses have reached alarming levels — with consequences that extend far beyond the hive.

“In very severe years, as we saw one or two years ago, we can lose as many as fifty to sixty percent of the commercial honeybee population in the U.S. That’s a massive loss, particularly when certain commodity crops that are very valuable to U.S. agriculture rely on very large numbers of colonies being brought in to allow pollination to happen,” Bartlett said. “And it’s not just the number of colonies — it’s the size of those colonies. We’re not just looking to have as many honeybee colonies in the U.S. as possible. We need them to meet some minimum standard in size and ability, so that when they’re deployed in these crop scenarios, they’re actually able to do the job we’re charging them with.”

A BEETLE THAT TRICKS ITS HOST

Among the biggest drivers of those losses are diseases and parasites. In Georgia, one of the most notable culprits is the small hive beetle — a deceptively clever pest that has proven particularly difficult to manage in the Southeast’s warm, humid climate.

“It’s a rather intrepid small beetle that comes into the colonies, sneaks in through the cracks, and actually imitates and mimics the bees — begging them for food and tricking them into thinking it needs to be taken care of,” Bartlett explained. “They then lay their eggs in the colony, and those larvae — maggots, essentially — will ruin an entire honeybee colony by burrowing through and causing the honey to ferment. It causes the colony to become very slimy and will kill them outright. That’s a particularly challenging problem here in the Southeast, where it’s warm and humid and very permissive for this specific sort of beetle.”

STUDYING BEE HEALTH AT EVERY SCALE

That’s where Bartlett and his team at UGA’s bee health research lab come in. Working at scales ranging from individual insects to hundreds of colonies at a time, their research is focused on understanding what threatens honeybee health — and what can be done about it.

“We investigate how infectious diseases affect these animals in these colonies — everything from large field studies at the apiary where we’re physically going into colonies, counting the numbers of parasites, assessing how many bees are in there, how many baby bees they’re able to raise, the overall health of the colony,” Bartlett said. “All the way through to bringing individual bees into the laboratory, where we take samples and are able to quantify just how much virus they have, and test all sorts of aspects of their behavior and their response to certain challenges.”

For Georgia’s farmers and the broader agricultural supply chain that depends on healthy pollinators, the work being done in Watkinsville couldn’t be more critical — or more timely.

By: John Holcomb

UGA Hosts Inaugural Southeastern Specialty Crop Technology Conference in Tifton

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Tifton, GA |

From drones spraying crops to robots scouting fields, technology has become a constant presence in Georgia’s number one industry. To help growers make sense of what’s available — and what actually works — the University of Georgia recently hosted the inaugural Southeastern Specialty Crop Technology Conference, giving attendees a firsthand look at the latest research and development shaping the future of agriculture.

“The reason behind the conference is to bring growers, academia, students, and the industry together and see how we can bring these technologies to the Southeast — and how they can actually help growers be more efficient, more sustainable, and more economically successful,” said Luan Oliveira, Precision Agriculture Specialist with UGA.

A CROSSROADS FOR AGRICULTURE

The timing of the conference couldn’t be more relevant. Producers across the region are navigating record-high input costs while working with an ever-shrinking amount of available farmland — a combination that makes efficiency not just beneficial, but essential.

“Agriculture is at a real crossroads across the country, but particularly here in the southern United States. We have got to come up with ways to more effectively produce the food and fiber to feed a growing world,” said Dr. Michael Toews, Associate Dean for Extension at UGA. “This is the opportunity for us to introduce some of those technologies to our growers that will adopt them and allow us to get over that hurdle — and mind you, that’s on less and less land each year. So we have to get more and more efficient, as well as meet that growing population. It’s critically important that we continue this march forward.”

DATA BEFORE THE DECISION

That march forward does come with a higher startup cost — which is exactly why events like this one matter. Producers can evaluate the latest data before committing to new technology, weighing both performance and return on investment.

“Agriculture is a highly scientific field, and it is critically important that we look at all these new technologies — not just from the perspective of how well they work, but the scalability, so that we can use them to feed a growing country,” Toews said.

Oliveira echoed that sentiment, noting that ROI remains one of the most pressing questions for growers considering adoption. “How reliable is it? What is the return on investment? When is the ROI? Is there an ROI? How much is the return on a machine like that?” he said.

EFFICIENCY THAT ADDS UP

For at least one technology on display, the numbers are starting to make a compelling case. Field robots like the Leaf Deck may move slowly — topping out at one to two miles per hour — but the savings they generate in chemicals, labor, and fertilizer tell a different story.

“What we’re talking about here is truly efficient — on chemical savings, on labor savings, on fertilizer savings. That’s the efficiency we’re talking about,” Oliveira said.

THE FUTURE IS ALREADY HERE

For UGA’s agricultural leaders, the conference also served as a reminder of just how far the industry has come — and how central technology has become to staying competitive.

“Agriculture and technology are almost synonymous. You have to be invested in technology in order to stay in business,” Toews said. “First and foremost, farmers are businessmen. In order to stay productive, you have to constantly be looking at what the next attribute is going to be that will allow your farm to continue to produce food and fiber for a growing world. Agriculture today is about sensors, controls, and satellites — we have some of the most cutting-edge approaches going on right now.”

For Georgia’s growers, the message from Tifton was clear: the technology is here, the data is growing, and the farms that embrace it will be the ones best positioned to thrive in the years ahead.

By: Damon Jones

Great Southland Stampede Rodeo Continues to be Successful

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Athens, GA

“Back in 1970, some members of the UGA Block and Bridle Club were on the livestock judging team and needed money to travel across the country to compete. So, they had the idea of starting a rodeo as a fundraiser and used their washers and dryers and trucks as collateral and signed on for this large event that it turned out to be, and so, in 1974, the first Great Southland Stampede Rodeo was hosted in Stegman Coliseum,” says Lorene Parker, 2023 GSSR Advertising Chair. “So, they removed the basketball court and put in ten inches of dirt for the rodeo weekend, and it stayed there for twenty-nine years. Then after that, it moved around to a couple different parks and places, but Block and Bridle worked hard to bring it back to campus. So, since 2004, we’ve been here at the UGA Livestock Instructional Arena.”

The students involved in organizing and running the Great Southland Stampede Rodeo are a shining example of why this event is sold out night after night. Their dedication, hard work, and passion for the sport of rodeo is evident in every aspect of the event. From the exhilarating bull riding, to the fast-paced barrel racing, the Great Southland Stampede Rodeo showcases the best of the best in rodeo, and with the help of the students running the show, this event has become a true highlight of the rodeo calendar.

“I’ve been thinking about this rodeo since August, like I haven’t had a life,” says Braelin Smallwood, 2023 GSSR Chairman. “None of us have had a life. Anytime we see each other, we’re just like, ‘how’s like rodeo?’ Knowing how much people love this has just made things great. I don’t know, it’s made it worth it.”

Braelin Smallwood, a Senior from Lincolnton, Georgia brought with her a unique perspective to this years rodeo. In addition to serving as chairperson, Braelin is a rodeo veteran and competitive barrel racer. Long before she became a student at UGA, Braelin heard stories of the Great Southland Stampede Rodeo, and hoped someday she could not only see it in person, but maybe even compete in it. Well eventually, she did. An experience that some would argue made her the perfect chair. And Braelin will be the first to admit, her role became somewhat of an obsession.

“Because I have competed, I’m like, okay, what’s gonna make this better for spectators as well as contestants,” says Smallwood.

“It’s amazing to me the amount of people that come out that were a part of the
GSSR twenty, thirty years ago that have kids now and that’s maybe that’s how they met their spouse was when they were working with Block and Bridle on the rodeo,” says Parker. “So, some really cool stories come from it. It’s really an honor to be a part of it the way that we are and be able to carry that tradition on and just see it grow bigger each year.”

Because of it’s tradition and uniqueness in that it’s organized entirely by students, the Great Southland Stampede Rodeo continues to grow in popularity. On the morning our cameras were there, the arena was packed full of local school children, about twelve hundred total. All three night’s, sold out. Yes, a good problem to have, but challenging when the demand outnumbers the amount of people the local fire Marshall will allow.

“Last year we sold out all three nights. This year we sold out all three nights, but even faster,” says Smallwood. “We had discussed having four different performances, so having a Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday daytime, and a Saturday night. I imagine in order to accommodate more people, we’re gonna have to do that in the future; have more performances, maybe extend it to a Sunday just because I know we’ve had to turn so many people away.”

“It could be bigger. If we could find somewhere else that could host this big of an event, we could definitely expand to have more attendees, but we also have the love and value for being on campus in UGA’s Livestock Arena,” says Parker. “So, I think we’ll stay here for the sense of being connected to UGA, but there’s always ways to expand, and ways it could be bigger.”

By: Ray D’Alessio