禁漫天堂

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Towns County
禁漫天堂 Extension Office

Our Impact

Making A Difference in Our County

University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is working hard for its constituents. The following are examples of Extension’s impact in the county over the past year.

Download Our Annual Report (pdf)

AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Pesticide Disposal

Many farmers have a back shelf in their barn or shed that holds old pesticides and have no plan for use or disposal. The availability of proper disposal sites within a reasonable driving distance is low to non-existent. To assist with this difficulty the Georgia Department of Agriculture hosts a pesticide disposal program to allow individuals and organizations commercially involved in agriculture an opportunity to properly dispose of pesticides free of charge. Oftentimes, this program is located in Middle or South Georgia. Union County Extension hosted a program that collected pesticides for disposal, and then drove the collected pesticides to Perry, GA for disposal at the Georgia Department of Agriculture Georgia Clean Day. The pesticides disposed of totaled over 1,100 pounds. The savings created by this program to producers was over $3,700.

Sweet Sorghum Research

Union County Extension conducted a trial on sweet sorghum for syrup varieties. The 2022 trial was conducted at the Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center. Four varieties of sweet sorghum, M81E, Top 76-6, Sugar Drip, and Dale, were planted in May. Yield was measured as the amount of sorghum juice produced. The highest yielding variety was M81E at 3,582.03 gallons per acre. The variety with the highest brix was Top 76-6 at 14.73. Lodging was an issue for all varieties, but Top 76-6 had significantly less lodging than other varieties. Top 76-6 was the best performer and was originally bred in Blairsville.

Master Naturalist Program

The Master Naturalist program is designed to educate adults on the natural world around them. In Union county this training covers: soil health and management, history of natural resources, tree identification, watershed management, ecology, nuisance animal management, hemlock woolly adelgid management and research native plants, ornithology, mushrooms, pollinator gardening, mushrooms, fisheries, mountain bogs, aquatic invertebrates, salamanders, and invasive species. Speakers come from 禁漫天堂, University of North Georgia, US Forest Service, Young Harris College, US Fish and Wildlife Services, Mountain True, and more. Trainees had the opportunity to go on field trips and get first hand experience with rare and endangered species.?

4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

As of February 2023, the Towns County 4-H program serves over 200 4-H’ers in grades 4th – 8th. These students are able to participate in in-class programs and after school programs, thanks to our partnerships with the Towns County Board of Education, Towns County Schools , Chatuge Gun Club, and Brasstown Valley Stables. Many of our 4-H’ers have participated in Project Achievement, S.A.F.E. BB Team, and Horse Club.?

In-School Programs

Our in-school programs consist of monthly meetings in each 4th through 6th grade class. Our 4-h’ers learn about careers, agriculture, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). At the end of the school day 4-h’ers can join in on some fun in our after-school clubs.

After School Programs

Our after-school programs include Horse Club and S.A.F.E. BB Team. As of January 2023, Towns county after-school programs had over 25 4-H’ers joined. The Horse Club program teaches 4-H’ers Grade 4th through 8th horse id, habits of horses, horse care, and riding techniques. Our S.A.F.E. (Shooting Awareness, Fun and Education) BB Program teaches gun safety and marksmanship skills grades 4th through 9th.?

Cloverleaf Summer Camp

At the end of the school year Towns County 4-H’ers have the chance to sign up for Cloverleaf Summer Camp. In June of 2022 Towns County 4-H took 10 4-H’ers to Burton 4-H Camp for a whole week of fun. 4-H’ers got to learn about marsh life, beach ecology, environmental education, and herpetology. 4-H’er got to go to the beach, movie theatre, a tour around savannah, and even got to go on a dolphin tour. ?