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Katrina Ohstrom, communications director (left), and Sarah Hovater, director of Marigold Market, work in tandem to build community in Winterville. CAES News
Collective Good
In Winterville, Georgia, a small market grew into a movement. Meet the people behind the Marigold Collective, where farmers, volunteers and neighbors band together to transform fresh food into shared growth. With support from University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Marigold Collective is working to make local food more accessible while creating economic opportunities for small agribusinesses.
UGABeeLab hiveentrance CAES News
Honey Bee Losses
Earlier this year, commercial beekeepers across the U.S. faced unprecedented winter colony losses, with some reporting over 60% of hives perishing — more than double the typical overwintering loss rates. Hobbyists and sideliners — those who keep bees as a secondary source of income — also saw catastrophic declines, with total economic impacts to beekeepers estimated at over $600 million. Now, scientists are linking the losses to high viral loads and mite resistance as they work to develop solutions to protect the industry moving forward.
web 20220408 Pam Knox by DMD 05 Cropped CAES News
Climate in Context
From her cozy office at the J. Phil Campbell Research and Education Center in Watkinsville, Georgia, Pam Knox has a clear view of the sky, and that is the way she likes it. In fact, she’s built a career on it. “One of the nicest things about studying meteorology is I can look outside the window and understand what's going on in the atmosphere, what's causing the kinds of clouds we get, and where the rain is happening and where it's not,” said Knox, director of the University of Georgia Weather Network.
Heat stress is dangerous for farmers and landscape industry professionals. CAES News
Heat Illness Prevention
When outdoor temperatures climb into triple digits and the humidity becomes suffocating, most people head inside. But for Georgia’s farmers, farmworkers and landscape professionals, the work doesn’t stop when the heat index rises to dangerous levels. As the hottest weeks of the year stretch ahead, the physical, mental and emotional risks of working outdoors increase. Extreme heat doesn’t just threaten crops, turfgrass and livestock — it wears down the people who grow our food and maintain our green spaces.
New head of UGA Department of Entomology, Sonia Altizer CAES News
Entomology Department Head
Renowned ecologist and science communicator Sonia Altizer has been named head of the University of Georgia Department of Entomology, bringing a collaborative vision and decades of research and public outreach experience to the role. A longtime UGA faculty member, Altizer is focused on honoring the department’s strong legacy while advancing innovation, interdisciplinary research and community engagement through Extension.
UGA entomologist William Snyder CAES News
Frontiers Planet Prize
Multifaceted research on the social and environmental impacts of diversified agriculture from institutions around the world, including the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has been named one of three International Frontiers Planet Prize winners. An initiative of the Frontiers Research Foundation, the Frontiers Planet Prize recognizes transformational research that shows the greatest potential to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges.
Agricultural climatologist Pam Knox monitors the effects of climate change on agiruclture throughout the U.S. Here, she checks a weather monitoring system at Durham Horticulture Farm in Watkinsville, Georgia. CAES News
Weather Sense
From peach orchards to porch conversations, weather is always part of the story in the South — and University of Georgia climatologist Pam Knox brings clarity, science and common sense to every weather event. Whether you’re wondering why the seasons feel out of sync, how climate change plays out in your backyard, or what to expect before the next storm, Knox offers answers grounded in decades of research and a deep connection to the land. It’s your forecast with context.
Selecting heirloom collard plants. CAES News
Community-Led Heirloom Collards
The Heirloom Collards Project is a nationwide, community-driven effort to preserve and evolve heirloom collard varieties through seed saving, education and collaborative research. The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has joined the effort to promote seed sovereignty and strengthen resilient food systems across the South, engaging students in hands-on seed stewardship.
iStock image of a hurricane approaching the Southeast. CAES News
Hurricane Preparedness Tips
June marks the start of hurricane season in Georgia — and there’s no better time to prepare than on a sunny day. In this episode of Cultivating Curiosity, we’re joined by Pam Knox, agricultural climatologist and director of the University of Georgia Weather Network, to unpack what hurricane season means for Georgia residents. Pam breaks down the difference between weather and climate, how El Niño impacts hurricane activity, and how Georgia’s farmers rely on real-time data from UGA’s 90 weather stations across the state.
A native, southeastern blueberry bee pollinates a blueberry blossom. CAES News
Bee Diversity
Long before a ripe blueberry makes it into a grocery cart or muffin mix, a native bee has likely played a quiet but critical role in its journey. Now, thanks to a robust study on wild bee diversity in blueberry fields, we know more about just how essential those wild pollinators are to one of the state’s most valuable fruit crops. Sarah Rezende, a doctoral candidate in entomology at the University of Georgia, is working to uncover what Georgia’s wild bees need to thrive — and how their movements shape the productivity of commercial blueberry farms.