University of Georgia Cooperative Extension will host two insect scouting schools to introduce new scouts to insect monitoring and serve as a review for experienced scouts and farmers. The first scouting school will be held Monday, June 11, at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton, with the other school taking place Tuesday, June 19, at the Southeast Georgia Research and Education Center …
UF Survey: Homeowners Want to Keep Their Lawns Lush and Conserve Water
Homeowners who irrigate want a beautiful lawn, and they’re more than willing to conserve water, a new University of Florida survey shows. It’s not a matter of a lush lawn versus saving a precious commodity. They also want a landscape with pollinators, one that helps preserve the environment and one on which they can lie in a hammock for peace …
UF/IFAS Researchers Will Try to Educate Public on Genetically Edited Food
Genetic improvement of food crops sometimes gets a bad rap, but University of Florida researchers plan to educate consumers so they can make more informed decisions at the grocery store. To help combat misinformation, four UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers are going to better inform the public about the nuances of how plants are genetically adjusted to …
UF/IFAS Researchers May Use Fungi to Control Deadly Crop Disease
A group of fungi might fight a disease that’s dangerous to tomatoes and specialty crops. University of Florida scientists hope to develop this biological strategy as they add to growers’ tools to help control Fusarium wilt. Tomatoes are the number one vegetable crop in Florida. In 2017, approximately 28,000 acres of tomatoes were commercially harvested, with a production value of …
UF/IFAS Researchers Hope Better Technology Produces Less Costly Ethanol
University of Florida scientists wondered how cheaply fuel ethanol can be made from inedible plant material – called biomass – using currently available technology. Their goal is to make this form of ethanol less expensively than gasoline and help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. Currently, fuel ethanol is made from corn, which is edible. Corn also uses a lot of fertilizer and …
Enjoy the Great Outdoors This Summer: Maybe Even a Florida Forest
Feel an itch to see the “Real Florida?” Summer is just about here, so you can take the kids to theme parks, but the Sunshine State offers much more, if you want to venture outdoors. You might even try a forest. With the start of ecotourism season, visitors to Florida can explore everything from vineyards to farms to scenic trails. …
Agri View: Georgia Citrus Expanding Thanks to Research
Everett Griner talks about citrus farming and related research in Georgia expanding in today’s Agri View. Georgia Citrus Expanding Thanks to Research You know, many people thought that citrus business in Georgia was a temporary thing that would soon go away. They don’t think that anymore. Not with the research and the diversity and the growth that’s taking place. The …
USDA/NIFA Invests in Research on the Implications of Gene Editing Technologies
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced awards to advance research on public engagement and the implications of gene drive and other gene editing technologies. The funding is made possible through the Social Implications of Emerging Technologies initiative within NIFA’s Agriculture Economics and Rural Communities (AERC)’s program area. “Recent advances in gene editing …
Agri View: Honeybee Research Continuing
Everett Griner talks about honeybee research in today’s Agri View. He discusses a grant researchers have received to study the Varroa mite problem. Honeybee Research Continuing I hadn’t had an update on the honeybee problem in a month or so now. I got one yesterday. Researchers have received a substantial grant to cover part of the cost to study the …
FMD Vaccine Development A Restrictive Process
Last week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue authorized the movement of a live, non-infectious, genetically modified strain of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) virus to the mainland U.S. for continued vaccine research and development. But according to a story from Rod Bain, this approval comes with restrictions to assure safety. FMD Vaccine Development A Restrictive Process But according to a story …