PPQ Shares Cutting-Edge Methods with State Partner By Greg Rosenthal (USDA/APHIS) — After weeks of searching, Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) entomologists–—with some cutting-edge methods from USDA’s Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ)–—have located and eradicated the first Asian giant hornet (AGH) nest ever found in the United States. For months, WSDA had been trying to find the nest they …
Tips to Ripen Green Tomatoes Indoors
How to ripen green tomatoes. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Even if the tomatoes you’re growing are green, you can still pick them and after-ripen them indoors. Especially, if you live in a region with cold weather extremes. It’s perfectly ok to harvest tomatoes when the fruits begin to change color and soften to the feel. At …
Fruits and Veggies Easy to Grow in Your Garden
Some fruits and veggies that are easy to grow in your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Covid-19 has forced us into the new normal of social distancing. And when it comes to grocery shopping, produce availability in stores is less consistent. There’s no better time than now than to learn how to grow our own fruit and …
Bipartisan Congressional Letter Calls for Stronger U.S. Approach to Preserving Common Food and Wine Terms
A coalition of leading farm and agricultural groups are applauding a bipartisan letter sent by 111 members of Congress urging stronger protections for American-made food and wine exports using common terms. This is an important message regarding the need for enhanced U.S. efforts to combat the European Union’s (EU) attempts to ban U.S. exports of cheese, meat and wine products that are …
Winterize Your Garden Doing These Must-Do Steps
Some things to do right now to winterize your garden. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. There are several must-do items that you must check off your garden to-do list before winter rolls around. First, pull all of your plants out. But, before you can do that, you should pull out any plant supports that they might be …
Scary Insects for Halloween: The Blood-Thirsty Calyptra
Sometimes insects show signs of monster-behavior. It’s nothing personal to us humans and let me assure you that this behavior has nothing to do with full moons or anything that may live under your bed at night. Sometimes an insect’s monster-behavior is nothing more than the result of good old-fashioned circumstances. According to scientists in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s …
Could the Miracle Fruit be for South Florida?
New study uncovers data showing how bountiful it can grow in the subtropics (UF/IFAS) — Scientists at University of Florida’s Tropical Research and Education Center have unlocked the mystery behind a highly sought-after berry known as the Miracle fruit in a study published this week. This news brings much needed insight to local growers, and food and drink manufacturers who …
New Blueberry Variety Honors Benefactor and UF Alumnus Alto Straughn
(UF/IFAS) — When Patricio Muñoz developed the University of Florida’s newest blueberry variety, he wanted to name the fruit in honor of Alto Straughn, a longtime, strong supporter of UF’s blueberry breeding program. Muñoz decided to call the new variety the ‘Sentinel.’ “A ‘sentinel’ is a watcher or guardian,” said Muñoz, a UF/IFAS assistant professor of horticultural sciences. “It is …
Florida Ag Expo Decides to Forego its 2020 Event
Florida Ag Expo, an annual trade show with educational seminars for vegetable and specialty crop growers, has decided to forego its 2020 event. “While we see businesses reopen and people are returning to a sense of normalcy, we know that has only been made possible by everyone doing their part. Therefore, we made the decision not to go forward with …
Recycling Your Pumpkins After Halloween
How to recycle your pumpkins after Halloween. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Once all the trick-or-treating is over you may be wondering what to do with all your Halloween pumpkins. According to the Energy Department, about 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins end up in landfills. When Jack-o’-lanterns may be looking a little shriveled and sunken but they can …