According to a release from Sydney Stone, legislative assistant for the University of Florida/IFAS Governmental Affairs, while the governor’s veto list included a huge hit to the K-12 and higher education budget, 14 UF/IFAS projects, most of which were existing – not new projects — were saved. (from Sydney Stone) We want to send out a big, huge, thank-you to …
Registration Deadline for Tri-State Agronomic Scout School is Monday
The University of Florida/IFAS along with Auburn University and the University of Georgia will host a Tri-State Agronomic Scout School on June 8 at the Jackson County, Florida Agricultural Conference Center in Marianna, Florida. The event will start with registration at 8:00 AM (CST) and ends with lunch. But Monday, June 5 is the deadline to register for the event. …
Tri-State Agronomic Scout School Reminder
Here’s a reminder that coming up June 8th, the University of Florida/IFAS, Auburn University and the University of Georgia will host a Tri-State Agronomic Scout School at the Jackson County Agricultural Conference Center in Marianna, Florida. This meeting will focus on insects pertaining to cotton, corn, soybean, and peanuts, as speakers will cover information regarding the description, damage, life cycle, …
Children’s Book – Busy on the Farm
Cathy Isom takes us on a farm venture with the new children’s book teaching youngsters how to connect farming with food production. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Casey & Friends are back with a new book – Busy on the Farm. It’s the sixth in its series of books for children ages four through …
$4.7 Million to Support University Agricultural Science Programs
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced $4.7 million in available funding to support agricultural science programs at non-land-grant universities. Funding is made through NIFA’s Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land Grant Colleges of Agriculture Program (NLGCA). “Colleges and universities with strong agricultural science programs need support so they can address our nation’s challenges to …
National FFA Organization Looking for Convention Newsroom Interns
The National FFA Organization is looking for college students or recent graduates in fields like public relations, journalism, telecommunications, or similar fields, to help share news and feature stories from the national convention. The 90th annual FFA Convention is October 25-28th in Indianapolis. Students and graduates get a small stipend, inside access to the event, tips on becoming a better …
Community Helps School Garden
A lot can happen when the community comes together. Cathy Isom tells us about the Colorado elementary school going the extra mile to make students get a healthy lunch. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Healthy food in school-provided lunches has long been a topic of concern for parents at one elementary school in Arvada, Colorado. That’s why …
Ag Secretary Perdue Moves to Make School Meals Great Again
Local Control of Whole Grains, Sodium, Milk to Make Meals Healthful, Appealing U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide greater flexibility in nutrition requirements for school meal programs in order to make food choices both healthful and appealing to students. Perdue made the announcement during a visit to Catoctin Elementary School in …
Florida Teacher Calls Ag Students “Murderers”
A Florida teacher is on the verge of losing his job after bullying and harassing FFA students that were raising livestock to be sold for slaughter. An Associated Press article says Thomas Allison, Jr., who teaches middle school at the Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks, has been placed on unpaid leave. A Marion County School District letter documenting the case …
Florida Agriculture Literacy Day is Tuesday
The 14th annual Florida Agriculture Literacy Day is coming up this Tuesday, May 2nd where readers across the state will be using a new non-fiction children’s book that highlights Florida’s aquaculture and seafood industries. The book is geared to students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and while those reading are encouraged to do this on Agriculture Literacy Day, it’s something …