The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiative that offers financial assistance to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses improve energy efficiency and adopt renewable energy systems. One specific part of this program focuses on Energy Audit & Renewable Energy Development Assistance Grants, referred to simply as …
Poultry welfare monitoring is an important aspect of modern animal husbandry, particularly in cage-free layer, broiler, and breeder production systems where birds have greater freedom of movement but are also exposed to a broader range of health risks. Poultry bodyweight is a key welfare indicator; its monitoring is critical for evaluating the growth and performance …
By Savannah Beasley, Sarah Beth Thompson, and Wesley Porter We had plenty of cold weather and below freezing temperatures this past winter. The near-term forecast shows that we are mostly out of the freezing temperatures, but you never know what will happen between now and Easter. Ideally, you properly prepared your irrigation systems for the winter and will not have …
In the USA, broiler chickens produce about 10-15 million tons of manure annually. Fresh poultry manure contains about 75% moisture that must be reduced prior to storage and land application. High moisture manure can lead to higher transport costs, faster reproduction of pathogens/bacteria and flies, and the generation of odors. Furthermore, wet manure tends to …
The poultry industry faces growing challenges in ensuring animal welfare, preventing disease outbreaks, and addressing labor shortages. Traditional vision intelligence-based behavior monitoring needs intensive manual labeling, which is impractical for large-scale operations, necessitating advanced, efficient, and scalable solutions. Utilizing artificial intelligence technologies to monitor poultry behavior accurately in real-time can revolutionize animal welfare practices and …
By David Hall, Sarah Beth Thompson, Wesley Porter This post was developed by David Hall and I appreciate him taking the time to put his thoughts, experiences, and observations from this season into this blog post. After a conversation with a local crop consultant regarding irrigation scheduling, the wheels in my mind really started moving. …
By Wesley Porter and Amilcar Vargas I know that this only applies to growers located in the Flint River Basin (FRB), but at the same time, it should provide some insight to everyone across the state of what is happening in this region. I probably should have posted all of the information below back in …
U.S. egg production is shifting from conventional caged systems to cage-free systems, largely due to growing concerns about animal welfare. Over the past decade, the market share of non-organic cage-free eggs has increased by 5–10%, reaching 40% by 2025. However, cage-free housing is associated with higher rates of mortality and injury, often linked to poor …
By Kaytlyn Cobb We are excited to announce the very first Field Days at the new UGA Grand Farm site- and you’re invited! These events mark our first public-facing opportunity to open the farm gates and showcase what’s happening here in Perry as we grow Georgia’s AgTech ecosystem. Taking place in conjunction with the Georgia National Fair (October …
By Nick Gladden, Hannah Grubbs, Sarah Beth Thompson, and Wesley Porter Even though after I had this post together, we finally received rain across most of the state, it still was not enough to have a significant impact on the current conditions. By the time this will be posted, we are expected to receive more …
