Charting a course ahead for the conservation and sustainable farming of freshwater and marine species is a chief focus of the first State of the World’s Aquatic Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report will contain smaller subsections from 89 contributing countries, including the United States. This summer, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) national program leader Caird …
Stocking Your Aquaponics System
Cathy Isom has some suggestions about the best fish species to source for your aquaculture or aquaponics system. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Some of the best-recommended fish species to add to your new backyard aquaculture or aquaponics system on the farm include Blue Tile Tilapia, also known as Rocky Mountain White tilapia. They are fast-growing, …
Getting Started With Aquaponics
Cathy Isom has some tips about getting started with an aquaculture or aquaponics system. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. An aquaculture or aquaponics system can be a beautiful addition to any backyard or farm. But you’ll need to know the best place or places to source fish species to stock it. Forget about the local …
Add a Pond to Your Garden or Farm
Cathy Isom has so many reasons why a pond would make a great addition to your garden or farm. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Whether you’d prefer a trickling waterfall or a babbling brook. Or perhaps something much smaller and quiet tucked away in the plant foliage, ponds are an easy addition to or farm. …
Nearly $1 Million Grant Will Help Struggling Blue Crab Industry
A researcher at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences wants to study the blue crab and a viral pathogen that infects it. Now, a nearly $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation will help Donald Behringer and colleagues study the disease along the entire western Atlantic seaboard. In Florida, several disasters—including hurricanes in 2004, 2005, …
Funding for Research to Improve Livestock and Aquaculture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced 40 grants totaling more than $15.7 million for agricultural research on the production of beef, dairy, poultry, pork, and fish that people consume every day. The funding is made possible through NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. “To ensure …
Certification Program to Teach Florida Students About Aquaculture
In an effort to help teach students about aquaculture, Dan Conner, an aquaculture teacher and member of the board of directors for the Florida Aquaculture Association (FAA), has helped spearhead a certification program. Conner says he feels this program needs to be available to students due to the popularity of aquaculture in the state. The program also helps aquaculture farmers …
FAMU, TCC Work to Improve Oyster Industry
By Jaci Schreckengost One of the main goals at Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) Division of Research is to help create new ways of thinking and creating to benefit the agriculture industry in the Southeast. Tallahassee Community College (TCC) and FAMU have teamed up in an effort to help increase the oyster industry. Timothy Moore, vice president of research at FAMU, …
UF Weed Scientist to Lead Aquatic Invasives Center
by Brad Buck, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences A University of Florida weed scientist has been named the director of the Center of Aquatic and Invasive Plants, a unit that develops environmentally sound techniques to manage invasive weeds. Jason Ferrell, an agronomy professor at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, was named to the position …
U.S. on Path to Sustainable Commercial Fishing Waters
Two new reports reveal nation’s progress in sustainably managing marine resources U.S. commercial and recreational fishing generated $208 billion in sales, contributed $97 billion to the gross domestic product and supported 1.6 million full- and part-time jobs in 2015 — above the five-year average — according to NOAA’s Fisheries Economics of the United States report released May 9, 2017. Also …