UGA Tifton campus set to host Corn Silage and Forage Field Day

TIFTON, Ga. — University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Corn Silage and Forage Field Day is set for Thursday, June 15, on the UGA/Tifton campus. The field day will feature presentations from UGA Extension faculty members and will focus on corn silage and forage production in the livestock industry. The day will also include a visit to the UGA Animal and Dairy Science Farm on the UGA Tifton campus. Glen Harris, UGA Extension soils and hydrology specialist, will discuss the importance of adding fertilizer and lime for high yields. He will also share results from a comparison of corn silage versus corn for grain. Wes Porter, UGA Extension irrigation specialist, will speak about irrigation and wastewater applications in silage and forage production systems. He will also demonstrate calibrating irrigation and waste handling systems at the Animal and Dairy Science Farm to end the event at 1:15 p.m. Other faculty members scheduled to present include Mississippi State University Extension agricultural economist and former UGA Extension specialist Curt Lacy and University of Florida livestock nutritionist Luiz Ferraretto. There is no charge to attend the event, which will begin at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center. Organizers request that participants preregister at attend.com/foragefieldday in order to provide refreshments and lunch. On-site registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and a tour of the variety testing plots is scheduled for 8:15 a.m.

 

Habitat for Humanity homeowner applicant meetings planned

DALTON, Ga. — Habitat for Humanity of Dalton-Whitfield & Murray Inc. homeowner applicant meetings will be on June 12 at 5:30 p.m. and on June 19 at 9:30 a.m. at the Habitat for Humanity office at 1509 N. Thornton Ave. in Dalton. You must be present at the meeting to receive a Habitat applicant package. To register for the meeting you can either call (706) 272-3336, ext. 7 (please leave your name, phone number and date of the meeting you wish to attend), or visit http://habitatdwm.org/own-a-home/.

 

Storms on the South Georgia horizon 

VALDOSTA, Ga.  — With Lowndes County running a rainfall deficit for 2017, an upcoming batch of thunderstorms could help ease the situation, according to forecasters. Valdosta runs thunderstorm chances from 60-70 percent day and night through late Tuesday, with a 50 percent chance during the day Wednesday, according to the official National Weather Service forecast. “Our rain chances for the next few days are above normal,” said Jessica Fieux, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Tallahassee, Fla., office. She said increased sea breeze activity from the Gulf of Mexico and a disturbance moving in from the Gulf play a part in the stormy weather. A low-pressure system and a cold front moving through South Georgia were cited as storm causes by Frank Strait, senior meteorologist for the private forecasting firm AccuWeather. He said while rainfall can be spotty, with some areas getting more precipitation than others, two to three inches in spots would not be unthinkable. Valdosta has only recorded 15.91 inches of rain since Jan. 1, about 3.71 inches below normal, Fieux said. Severe weather is possible, though not expected to be widespread, both forecasters said. The weather service’s Storm Prediction Center shows much of the Southeast, including South Georgia, marked for “marginal” thunderstorm risk Tuesday. Strait said while high winds may be possible in isolated spots, flooding issues are of more immediate concern. The area should start drying out and cooling off slightly Wednesday, both meteorologists said, with Valdosta’s high only expected to reach 84 that day. Strait said there is a chance of more moisture moving into the area this weekend.