When you hear the word agriculture, seaweed might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But Allison Fortner, a University of Georgia doctoral student pursuing a degree in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication, is doing her part to help raise the profile of this important marine species.

Farm family health and wellness is a priority for many rural Georgia communities. As the backbone of Georgia’s No. 1 industry, agricultural producers face unprecedented pressures, including increasing input costs, a flood of produce imports, labor shortages, pandemic protocols for worker safety and more.

Peter Zimmerli, Consul General of Switzerland in Atlanta, implored attendees to expand their thinking regarding technology and sustainability at the opening of the recent Cleantech Symposium at the University of Georgia. “Imagine a world where all humankind has access to sufficient food assured by sustainable agriculture. Imagine a world where we have technology that addresses these needs,” Zimmerli said.

As the inaugural cohort of the Rural Scholars Program completes their first year in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the next cohort of three scholars has been chosen.

The winner of the University of Georgia’s 2022 FABricate Entrepreneurial Initiative competition is a novel automated system designed to help pasture-raised egg producers increase their efficiency. Conceptualized by a team led by poultry science undergraduate student Chris Ayers and biological engineering student Jeffery Whitmire, Chiktopia is an automated chicken tractor designed to move pasture-raised chickens easily and efficiently while preserving the land and saving labor costs.

When Kristen Dunning participated in her first UGA Entrepreneurship Idea Accelerator Program, she was a woman with sensitive skin, a knack for plants and a dream of selling soap to the masses.