Laura Ney

What can you tell us about your career path?

I was born and raised in the city of Atlanta but I grew up wishing I lived on a farm.

The fulfillment of my desire to have a life absorbed by agriculture started when I enrolled, as an undergraduate, in the Department of Horticulture at UGA. While working on my degree, I pursued a certificate in international agriculture and a certificate in organic agriculture.

After graduating, I worked as a farm manager at the small teaching farm on the former UGA Costa Rica campus. Working in Costa Rica was a great lesson in the importance of adapting cultivation practices to a specific region. The methods of farming in Monteverde, Costa Rica, were developed by generations of farmers to suit the needs and difficulties presented in that particular climate and terrain.

At the farm in Costa Rica, we cultivated around 30 different crops at any given time and raised pigs, cows and chickens. While learning about the importance of local wisdom, I was also able to bring practices of composting, crop rotation and drip irrigation to the farm.

While there, I was introduced to the practice of creating and applying a locally produced microbial inoculant, referred to as "microorganismos de la montaña," or microorganisms from the mountain.

I went on to complete a Ph.D. in the UGA Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, focusing on microbial inoculants and other aspects of soil health and nutrient cycling.

As a part of my research, I was able to take a close look at the effect that fertilizer enrichment and tillage have on the soil food web, as indicated by changes in the community structure of free-living nematodes.

What would you most like the public to know about your work?

As an Extension agent I always enjoy spending time speaking with people about the importance of healthy soil as a starting point for healthy plants and a healthy agroecosystem.

In our Clarke County Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) program, we focus a lot on educating home gardeners about the concepts of integrated pest management (IPM). We do this through classes and workshops as well as releasing helpful information via social media (@gardenwithclarke) and through providing thoughtful, IPM-based responses to farmer and resident questions and concerns.

As I settle further into this job and I get to know the needs of the county and the farmers in this area, I look forward to developing more resources to help people find ecological, economical and effective ways to manage obstacles that work for their particular farms and gardens.

What project have you been most proud of, and what was its end goal?

There are several exciting projects that I am currently a part of, which includes a collaboration with UGA IPM, Extension specialists Elizabeth Little and Timothy Coolong, along with neighboring Extension agents Alicia Holloway, Shanna Reynolds and Timothy Daly to create an Athens-Area Sustainable Growers Network.

I am excited, also, about a new native plant demonstration landscape that is being developed at our new Extension office, as well as some preliminary data gathering and development of research questions with Dr. Elizabeth Little, pertaining to root-knot nematode pressure in organic high tunnel cultivation.

The greatest challenge of being an ANR agent, for me, is wanting to do a million things while adding to the list every day. There is a great deal to teach people about sustainable practices and IPM and even more to learn. I am glad to have a job that allows me to do a little bit of both.