UF/IFAS will hire a new tree scientist, at least partially with funds donated recently by the Florida Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. During a campus visit on Dec. 3, Florida ISA chapter CEO Norm Easey and President Scott Shultz provided a pledge payment to help the UF/IFAS department of environmental horticulture inits search for a new faculty member, …
UF/IFAS Professor Emeritus Wins International Award For Cattle Reproduction
A University of Florida animal sciences graduate research professor emeritus has won the 2018 International Ruminant Reproduction Symposium Pioneer Award (IRRS), given to scientists who have trained students and made major contributions to understanding reproductive biology in cattle. Bill Thatcher won the award at the 10th IRRS, held in Iguacu Fos, Brazil, Sept. 16-20. This award is one of the …
UF/IFAS-led Global Group Seeks Traits for Wheat with More Protein
When consumers buy wheat products, such as bread or pasta, they expect to get protein with their purchase. But in a warming world with high atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, the genes required to keep wheat production high are the same ones that keep grain protein down, a University of Florida scientist says. By breeding wheat with specific traits, scientists can …
Two Years After Birth, Cows from Heat-Stressed Cattle Produce Less Milk
If lactating dairy cattle get too hot, they don’t produce as much milk, and that can add up to economic losses of more than $1 billion a year in the U.S. alone, University of Florida researchers say. This loss can easily double if dry cows — those in late pregnancy that are not lactating — suffer from heat stress. That …
FDA Gottlieb, Abram on FDA’s New Plan to Advance Plant, Animal Biotechnology Innovation
Innovations in plant and animal biotechnology offer tremendous opportunities for advancing public health. Promising new technologies that can edit animal and plant genomes have the potential to improve human and animal health, animal well-being, food productivity and food security. New forms of biotechnology allow modification of living organisms, such as plants or animals, in order to produce a new product, …
Central Florida UF Researchers Use Drones to Assess Hurricane Michael Damage in Panhandle
Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences recently traveled to Panhandle counties to include Gadsden, Jackson and Calhoun with their drones to assess damage after Hurricane Michael devastated the region. “This is the first time UF/IFAS scientists have used drones to determine agricultural crop damage and yield reduction,” said Jim Fletcher, a regional specialized agent …
Florida HS Students Present Research at Prestigious Global Conference
Five students who completed a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences program were among 210 high school students from around the world who attended the 25th Annual Global Youth Institute symposium hosted by The World Food Prize Foundation. The students discussed critical food security and agricultural issues with international experts. The event was held from Oct. 17 …
Cell-based Meat Summit Leading to Joint Regulatory Action
The Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration is inching towards a joint regulatory approach for cell-cultured, or so-called lab-grown meats. Agri-Pulse reports Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb “drew no lines in the sand” throughout a two-day meeting on the subject. Gottlieb told reporters that FDA and USDA have worked together in the past, …
UF/IFAS Employees Help Hard-Hit North Florida REC
Scientists at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center — particularly its Marianna facility — may take a while to fully recover their research after it was damaged by Hurricane Michael, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences administrators say. In Marianna, five center pivots – irrigation systems — were turned over and damaged, said Glen Aiken, …
UF/IFAS-led Study May Lead to More Heat-Tolerant Rice
Rice, the most widely consumed food crop in the world, takes a beating in hot weather. To combat the high temperatures, a global group of scientists, led by a University of Florida researcher, has found the genetic basis to breed a more heat-tolerant rice cultivar. “The productivity of rice, one of the three major cereal grains feeding the world, is …