It's Kickoff Time in Tifton

Friday, Aug. 23, 2019

Tifton, Georgia

IHeardIt@tiftongrapevine.com ~ 478-227-7126 ~ www.tiftongrapevine.com

The Tift County High Blue Devils and the Tiftarea Academy Panthers start their regular seasons tonight

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

BOTH TEAMS LOOK TOWARD A SUCCESSFUL YEAR

Local high school football officially gets underway tonight with the "Friday night lights" ablaze at Brodie Field as the Tift County High School Blue Devils face the Warner Robins High Demons.

Meanwhile, up in McDonough, the Tiftarea Academy Panthers will take on the Creekside Christian Academy Cougars.

Both games are at 7:30 p.m.

Tift County Coach Ashley Anders and Tiftarea Coach Erik Soliday both addressed the Tifton Rotary Club on Wednesday and said they're looking forward to the season.

"I'm super excited about the group we have," Anders said. "I'm very optimistic about the season."

He noted that the Blue Devils went to the quarterfinals the past two years and said the rising seniors are part of that group. "They've learned how to win," Anders said.

Tift County has 31 seniors this year, and the coach said they are leaders. "They're doing things right."

Anders said the recent sudden death of Assistant Coach Anthony Bateman was " very tragic; he was a great coach, a great person. ... He's going to be missed more than you know."

Soliday is in his second year as Tiftarea's head coach and had an undefeated regular season last year. He said the Panthers graduated a lot of players from last year's team.

"We lost some leadership," Soliday said. "We're playing some very good football teams. It's a very tough region."

Soliday said the team is excited about the upcoming season, and "We're hoping to be competitive."

The coach added: "I'm not smart enough to coach anything else; that's why I coach football. If you ever have a question, turn around and 2,000 people will tell you what to do."

UGA AGRICULTURE SCIENCES NO. 3 IN U.S., STUDY SAYS

The University of Georgia has been ranked No. 3 in the United States in agricultural sciences by Niche.com , a company that researches colleges, businesses and neighborhoods using community feedback and statistics.

"It isn't just @UGA football that is ranked #3 in the country . Niche.com just ranked @UGA CollegeofAg #3 in US ," tweeted Sam Pardue on Thursday . Pardue is dean of UGA's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences .

In its 2020 rankings of the "Best Colleges for Agricultural Sciences in America," Niche.com placed UGA third , behind Cornell University at No. 1 and the University of Florida at No. 2. Texas A&M University was ranked fourth .

UGA's ag sciences program was given an A+ in the rankings based on key statistics and student reviews using data from the U.S. Department of Education . The ranking compares the top agricultural science degree programs including animal sciences, horticulture, aquaculture, agronomy, crop science and turf management .

Niche.com said its ag science rankings are based on a rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial and student life data along with thousands of reviews from students and alumni. It also looked at student scores, research and ag expenditures at the colleges as well as the number of successful graduates of the ag science programs.

MAKING LOCAL CONNECTIONS IN UGANDA

Marion Curry of Tifton , left, meets in Uganda with Phil Dimon , a nephew of Mike and Moppy Brumby of Tifton . Dimon is with the U.S. State Department and is currently based at the United States Embassy in Uganda .

Curry , a member of the Rotary Club of Tifton , is on a return trip to Uganda with Rotary International. She is aiding the Great Aubrey school in Tororo , which has been working to get a fully functional computer lab .

Curry is also working with a school in Aweki Paro . On a trip there last year , Curry , with $300 in donations from Tifton Rotary Club members and the Tifton Junior Woman's Club, was able to supply notebooks, three pencils each and a color pencil set for all 300 students, as well as supplying two textbooks for each grade in all four subject areas with supporting educational posters.

LOCAL OFFICIALS TALK WITH SIXTH STREET ACADEMY STUDENTS ABOUT MAKING GOOD DECISIONS

Tifton Mayor Julie Smith , from left, City Liaison Brandon Howard and Police Chief Buddy Dowdy talked with students at Tift County's Sixth Street Academy on Tuesday .

They were joined by County Commissioner Melissa Hughes and spoke to the students about gun violence, bullying and making good decisions .

Sixth Street Academy is an alternative educational program designed to intervene positively with students who have difficulty succeeding academically and socially in a traditional school environment .

TIFTON'S PB2 FOODS' NEW PEANUT POWDER HAS PRE/PRO-BIOTICS

In a first for the category, Tifton-based PB2 Foods has begun rolling out PB2 peanut powder with prebiotics and probiotic s – bringing the trend of offering additional functional benefits in new formulas to the nut butter market .

The new product is now available at Walmarts nationwide and is expected to hit shelves in other retail locations beginning in September, according to a press release Thursday.

"This item is completely unique within our category because no one else in the food business has produced a peanut butter powder with prebiotics and probiotics ," said Craig Entwistle , PB2 Foods chief executive officer .

"We're also introducing a no-sugar-added element as part of this product, and that is a big differentiator for us that we know will translate to sales."

PB2 with Pre + Probiotics contains 6 grams of plant-based protein per 13- gram serving, which amounts to about 2 tablespoons. It also has 60 calories and 1.5 grams of fat per serving, or roughly 90 percent less fat and nearly 70 percent fewer calories than traditional peanut butter .

"We are the creators of the category ," Entwistle said. "And we pride ourselves on being the pioneers of the powdered nut butter space. So, we're always listening to our consumers and developing new products to better suit their evolving needs ."

'PHOTO ALBUM OF IRELAND' EXHIBIT OPENS SEPT. 4 AT GA AG MUSEUM

Beginning Sept. 4, visitors to the Gallery at the Ga. Museum of Agriculture may view a rare archival exhibit containing more than 120 photographs showcasing Ireland’s history, tradition and culture .

“This touring exhibition emerges from an ongoing democratic archive that is a celebration of ordinary and extraordinary histories, viewed from the perspective of private individuals and families,” said Curator Polly Huff.

“From the earliest photographs taken in the 1850s to the advent of the digital era in the early 1990s , these images reveal details about how people l ived, worked and gathered that official historical records may have overlooked.”

“A Photo Album of Ireland” opens Sept. 4 at the museum gallery and remains on display through Jan. 7.

The exhibition presents an extensive range of digitized images from early Ambrotype portraits and informal Box Brownie images to 35mm documentary photographs and Polaroid images. The overall exhibition design concept will emulate that of a family photo album with images of various sizes installed salon style.

GEORGIA'S UNIVERSITY SYSTEM HAS

NEARLY $18 BILLION IMPACT, STUDY FINDS

The University System of Georgia (USG) in fiscal year 2018 had a $17.7 billion impact on communities across Georgia, an increase of almost 5 percent over the previous fiscal year.

It also created 168,284 direct and indirect jobs , a nearly 3 percent increase over last fiscal year, according to a study by the Selig Center for Economic Growth in the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business .

“While we remain focused on graduating more students , keeping college affordable and increasing our efficiency in delivering a quality education , we are proud our colleges and universities help power Georgia’s economy ,” said USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley.

“ USG and its 26 institutions play an important role in generating jobs and boosting businesses across the state, befitting the investment Georgia’s leaders have made in us.”

The latest version of an annual study on the statewide economic impact of USG’s institutions concluded that, on average, every dollar of initial spending generates an additional 47 cents for the economy of the region that hosts the institution .