Students from Celebration High School in Osceola County have placed first for the second year-in-a-row in the annual Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Regional Envirothon competition held February 8, 2018 at Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando. The 5-member winning team of sophomores and juniors was made up of Julian Landin, Matthew Eynan, Bradley Band, Spencer Schmidt, and Mason Theurer. Envirothon …
USDA Names 2018 Agricultural Outlook Forum Student Diversity Program Winners
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the selection of 30 university students who will attend USDA’s 2018 Agricultural Outlook Forum (AOF), as winners of the USDA Student Diversity Program. These undergraduate and graduate students will receive a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., capped off by their attendance at the AOF, the USDA’s largest annual meeting, held Feb. 22-23 …
RFA Develops ‘Ethanol in the Classroom’ Program for Students
Consumers are never too young to learn about the benefits of ethanol. The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has developed an “Ethanol in the Classroom” course, providing a fun and interactive way for students to learn about the renewable fuel. The e-Learning program is broken down into three levels: Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8, and Grades 9-12. After selecting the appropriate level, …
Agri View: FFA Strong Leadership
Everett Griner talks about FFA leadership in today’s Agri View. You can’t say too much about the Future Farmers of America, or FFA. It is a lot more than farming. FFA has long been recognized as one of the most productive programs at the high school level. It stresses excellence in all of its endeavors. The leaders for 2018 were …
Alabama Extension Hosts Precision Ag Workshop
The Alabama Cooperative Extension System will host the year’s first precision agriculture workshop Jan. 18 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. While producers continue to adopt new farming technologies, Alabama Extension professionals are committed to working alongside them with industry partners to expand their practical knowledge and increase adoption. Previously held at E.V. Smith Extension …
Legislation Would Improve Students’ Access to Milk
The School Milk Nutrition Act of 2017 introduced by Representative Glenn Thompson would allow schools to give students more milk choices. American Farm Bureau Federation market intelligence director John Newton says the bill gives schools the flexibility to bring back low-fat flavored milk. Legislation ”Newton says the legislation provides a market opportunity for dairy farmers. Market Allowing schools to provide …
American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture Building Ag Literacy
Celebrating 50 years, the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, among other things, is creating educational resources to address ag literacy. Foundation board of directors member Hilary Maricle says the Foundation works to build bonds of trust between consumers and farmers and ranchers Foundation This year, the Foundation gave away 50 teacher resource grants, created a free ag careers curriculum …
Secretary Perdue Hears from Youth in Ag
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue hosted a roundtable meeting about youth in agriculture at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) on Dec. 8 in Tallahassee. Those involved in the discussion included FAMU President Larry Robinson, Florida Congressman Al Lawson, FAMU students, Florida FFA state officers and members of Florida 4-H. Perdue began the meeting by asking the participants what …
Challenge Raises More Than 20,000 Pounds of Peanut Butter for the Hungry
Spread the cheer and the protein! Some families will get more healthy food to eat, now that Florida Panhandle residents donated a record of more than 20,000 pounds of peanut butter for this year’s UF/IFAS Extension Peanut Butter Challenge, organizers said. Combine nearly 9,000 pounds in donations to UF/IFAS Extension county offices with 11,340 pounds from the Florida Peanut Producers …