Have you thought about growing flowers in and around your veggies? Cathy Isom fills you in about how to start a cut flower bed in your vegetable garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. The purpose of a cut flower bed is to cut the flowers as often as they bloom so you can create beautiful bouquets. You …
UF Eyes Butterfly Pea as Natural Food-Color Source
It provides a natural food coloring. It gives nurseries another ornamental to grow and sell, and it might provide health benefits to those who eat it with their food. It is the Butterfly Pea, and University of Florida researchers are studying the flower to see if it will grow in Florida. Much of what we eat every day contains added …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Continues Israel Trade Mission-Day 4
Today (May 26, 2019) marked the fourth day of Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried’s first trade mission to Israel. Fried has spent several days meeting with government officials, agricultural research groups, and agriculture-related businesses before joining other Florida Cabinet members next week for a Cabinet meeting and business development meetings. Among other events, Commissioner Fried met today with Agriculture Minister Uri …
Deadline for NAP Buy-Up Coverage is Friday
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds producers this Friday, May 24 is the deadline to obtain buy-up coverage for 2019 or 2020 eligible crops for which the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) application closing date has passed. They note that higher levels of coverage are now being offered through NAP. The 2018 Farm Bill also increased service fees and …
Identify and Get Rid of Pesky Garden Critters
Cathy Isom has a few interesting ways to help you identify and get rid of a pesky garden critter. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Aphids are interesting creatures which can wreak havoc on your garden. They are usually small green bugs with a soft body. Different species of aphids can be a variety of colors such as …
Best Sun-loving Flowers for Your Garden
Cathy Isom has a few helpful hints for you about some of the best sun-loving flowers for your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Fill your garden with bold, bright, beautiful this summer. There are many sun-loving flowers and plants that come in a range of shapes, sizes and colors. Just make sure your garden beds, pots, …
What to Plant in a Hanging Basket Garden
Cathy Isom continues her series by giving you a few tips about what you should and shouldn’t plant in your hanging basket garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Having a hanging basket garden is ideal for having your own fruits and veggies at arm’s reach. It’s also a space saver, and works well on balconies and smaller …
Farm Groups Ask President, Congress for Disaster Relief
A group of 135 farm organizations and banks that supply seasonal loans to farms and ranches today called on President Trump and Congress to put aside political differences and supply urgently needed relief in the wake of weather-related disasters in 2018 and 2019. The organizations highlighted the year’s unprecedented destruction in the letter. Farmers and ranchers are especially anxious for …
Study Sheds Light on Major Disease in Roses
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Beltsville, Maryland and their colleagues have discovered why a mite is causing extensive damages to the nation’s $250-million-a-year rose industry and why it’s so hard to detect and control. It seems the mite hides deep in the flower’s internal organs. The rose bud mite (Phyllocoptes fructiphilus) is about half the size of a grain of …
Deadline Nearing for Block Grant Program Applications in Alabama
The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) wants to remind producers that the grant application deadline for projects that enhance the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crops in foreign and domestic markets is April 18th. These block grants, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), are for specialty crops like fruits and vegetables, dried fruit, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery …