NOTICEÂ OF PUBLIC MEETING The Duval Soil and Water Conservation District Full Board will meet on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 3:30 p.m. at the Duval Agricultural Extension Office, 1010 N. McDuff Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32254. This hybrid meeting will be held via Zoom teleconference. At this time the Extension Office is open only at limited capacity. Public participation is encouraged, …
Items to Cross Off the Garden To-Do List This Month
Some of the items to cross off your garden to do list this month. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. One thing you can for your roses this month is to feed the soil around them. If you’re growing potatoes and corn, hill up soil and top dress with a high nitrogen fertilizer. Now is the right time to …
BASF Introduces Provysol Fungicide for Peanuts
The 2021 peanut planting season is well underway, but still on the minds of many growers are the various issues they had to deal with last year, with leaf spot and white mold being two of those. BASF Technical Service Representative Abraham Fulmer told Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman, this was an issue even in some very well rotated fields last year. Go …
Florida Beef Council Leadership Participates in Checkoff Orientation
After a year of adaptation and uncertainty, State Beef Councils (SBCs) once again had the opportunity to come together in person to share ideas and learn about their role in the Beef Checkoff. Dr. Lujean Waters. director on the Florida Beef Council board, joined DeAnne Maples, Florida Beef Council (FBC) Director of Beef Marketing and Promotion, and 18 other states …
Estimating Crop Yield With Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
A researcher at the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) in Greece is using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to estimate crop yield. “Crop yield is the most important piece of information for crop management in precision agriculture. Early crop yield estimations allow farmers to optimize farm operation scheduling, field management and product marketing decisions,” said AUA associate professor Spyros Fountas. Fountas …
Three Easy Methods for Growing Gourmet Potatoes
How to grow gourmet potatoes. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. There are literally thousands of varieties of potatoes, some the size of a foot and others barely bigger than your pinky finger. They can be purple, blue, yellow, red, or white; inside, out, or inside and out. They can have a fluffy texture or creamy or waxy. Three …
How to Deal with Sawflies in Your Garden
How to deal with Sawflies in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Sawflies are pests that are related to wasps. They deposit eggs into plants that eventually hatch into larvae and eat away at your garden. The larvae measure 1/2 inch long and are greenish-black, long, slim, and look like a hairless caterpillar. Gradually, the sawfly …
Florida Challenged Over Pesticide Decision
(TALLAHASSEE, Wednesday, May 12, 2021/NSF) — Amid arguments about the troubled citrus industry and the health of farmworkers, a chemical company is challenging a state decision to block a pesticide that could help fight a disease that has caused massive damage in citrus groves. AgLogic Chemical, LLC filed an administrative challenge Tuesday, about three weeks after the state Department of …
Beating and Treating Common Grape Pests and Diseases
How to beat and treat some common grape pests and diseases. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. There are quite a few pests who like to munch on grapes just as much as we humans do. Some of the common pests you might find, include: Japanese Beetles, Black Vine Weevils, Grape Cane Girdlers, Grape Mealybugs, and Grassy Winged …
Trump Backs Simpson for Agriculture Commissioner
(Tuesday, May 11, 2021/NSF) — Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, in a potential run for state agriculture commissioner. “Wilton Simpson has done an outstanding job as President of the Florida State Senate, and I hope he runs for Florida Agriculture Commissioner in 2022 —- he will have my complete and total endorsement!” …