06/12/2023 SOURCE: www.nifa.usda.gov
FVSU Extension is leading way in offering clean and renewable energy to middle Georgia residents with new solar operation. The solar farm consists of a model demonstration site dedicated for academic and research use. It will serve as a power source for energy-dependent applications at the FVSU Sustainable Research Site. Fort Valley State University is playing a role in bringing clean and renewable energy to residents of middle Georgia. In collaboration with Georgia Power Company, a solar farm of more than 107 acres was built on FVSU’s campus in 2021. This story is reprinted with permission of Fort Valley State University and first appeared here. The facility, one of the largest solar operations on a college campus in the United States, consists of more than 27,000 solar panels (400 watts each) that includes a connected sub-station built at a cost of more than $9 million. FVSU did not incur any costs in the construction of the facility. In addition to the solar farm, the solar farm consists of a model demonstration site dedicated for academic and research use. It will serve as a power source for energy dependent applications at the FVSU Sustainable Research Site. “This solar project will expand FVSU’s Cooperative Extension Program in Agricultural and Natural Resources (ANR) to include renewable energy,” said Dr. Cedric Ogden, FVSU professor of engineering technology and Cooperative Extension engineer specialist. “It will also provide additional opportunities for FVSU and the Extension program in the areas of sustainability, climate change awareness and alternative energy,” Ogden said. FVSU’s Cooperative Extension Program is supported in part by USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture through capacity funding. More than 10.8 megawatts (10.8MW) of power can be generated by the farm to more than 3,000 homes in the middle Georgia area. FVSU will not receive any of this power. This is done with solar panels and the substation converting sunlight to electrical power through the...
Powering Up
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12/06/2022 SOURCE: www.nifa.usda.gov
The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) promotes collaboration, open communication, the exchange of information and the development of resources that accelerate application of scientific discovery and technology to solving needs of the various specialty crop industries. The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) promotes collaboration, open communication, the exchange of information and the development of resources that accelerate application of scientific discovery and technology to solving needs of the various specialty crop industries. On Friday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. EST, NIFA staff will discuss the SCRI Request for Pre-Application requirements and provide technical assistance to applicants. Across the nation, researchers and Extension specialists at Land-grant Universities funded by the program are addressing critical needs of the specialty crop industries, including conventional and organic food production systems. Fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture comprise the bulk of specialty crops. Learn more about some of this NIFA-funded work below. Reducing the Vulnerability of Growers to the Guava Root Knot Nematode Guava root-knot nematode is a highly lethal root-knot roundworm species with the potential to devastate production of multiple crops in the southeastern United States. New resources and information are urgently needed to help farmers manage this aggressive pest that caused the collapse of Brazil’s guava industry. This roundworm is particularly concerning as it can reproduce faster and be more aggressive than other nematode species. Additionally, it has a much wider host range, affecting watermelon, tomato, pepper, carrot, squash, cucumber, soybean, cotton and tobacco crops. Over the last few years, this roundworm has spread across Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Puerto Rico, and is being monitored in Louisiana and Georgia. In North Carolina alone, it has been reported in 13 counties, causin...
Land-grant Universities Helping Solve Needs of Specialty Crop Industries
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