News Stories - Page 30

Severe drought in the Midwest corn-belt is driving up poultry feed costs in Georgia. Economists and poultry industry experts predict corn costs will increase 50 percent in 2012 compared to typical years. Some economists say corn prices could double by the end of the summer.

The practices that can help us save energy in our own homes, like sealing leaks, insulating and updating cooling systems and replacing light bulbs, are also being used to make Georgia’s prolific poultry industry more efficient — one chicken house at a time.

Chickens can’t speak, but they can definitely make themselves heard. Most people who have visited a poultry farm will recall chicken vocalization – the technical term for clucking and squawking – as a memorable part of the experience.

Despite an uncomfortable mix of wet, cold and windy weather, North America’s premier farm show, the Sunbelt Ag Expo, marched on this week in Moultrie, Ga. More than 70,000 visitors perused the wears of 1,200 vendors, a North Carolina farmer was tapped as the Southeast’s top and land-grant universities brought their messages to the masses.

After just two days of developing in the egg, a chicken’s heart beats. Students discovered the beating organ firsthand after cracking open eggs to learn about embryo development in “Chickenology,” a seminar course offered by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Four University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty members were awarded the college’s highest honor Oct. 4 in Athens, Ga., at the annual D.W. Brooks Lecture and Faculty Awards for Excellence.