A Few Natural, Healthy Benefits of Growing Beets

Dan Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours, Vegetables

The healthy benefits of beets. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. If you’re looking for a natural way that may help you lose weight, or lower blood pressure, and improve overall athletic performance, among other things, then beets might be your new best friend. There are so many healthful benefits beets are known for. Including fighting inflammation, supporting …

More COVID-19 Tests for Florida Ag Workers

Dan Citrus, Coronavirus, Field Crops, Florida, Fruits, Labor and Immigration, Livestock, Nursery Crops, Specialty Crops, Vegetables

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services recently announced updates to COVID-19 testing sites in Hendry, Miami-Dade, Collier and St. Lucie counties for farmworkers. The effort to provide access to no-cost testing for farmworkers is part of a partnership with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the Florida Division of Emergency Management and county governments.  Testing services will continue as …

Growing a Gorgeous Flower for Both Food and Medicine

Dan Nursery Crops, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

Growing a gorgeous flower that has both food and medicine uses. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Multi-purpose plants are invaluable. Especially when you can maximize your harvests in more ways than one. The Purple Passion Flower is the perfect example. You can eat the fruits, flowers and leaves, and it’s an absolute pleasure to grow. The flowers …

Get Florida Freeze Updates With Winter Weather Watch

Dan Citrus, Florida, Fruits, Specialty Crops, Vegetables, Weather

By Chris Oswalt There was a time back in 1962, on Dec. 12 and 13, when a devastating freeze in Florida decimated a significant portion of the state’s citrus industry. In Polk County, the freeze caused serious damage to 134,000 acres of citrus. In 1963, citrus growers were concerned about receiving timely weather information and frost warning bulletins. Back then, …

Popular UF/IFAS Vegetable Gardening Guide now Available in Spanish

Dan Industry News Release, Research, Vegetables

(UF/IFAS) — With COVID-19 lingering, it might be a good time to use your green thumb to grow some vegetables in your garden. While you’re at it, you can get help from the UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide — now also in Spanish — and as a downloadable web app. Because we’re nearing the holidays, let’s look at some vegetables you …

Best Defensive Plants to Keep Your Garden Safe

Dan Nursery Crops, Specialty Crops, This Land of Ours

Some of the best defensive plants to keep your home and garden safe. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Natural plant barriers made up of defensive plants can be used as a source of protection on your property. Usually, modern fencing like an aluminum fence installation is used to keep animals in certain areas and can also be …

NCBA Highlights Beef and Produce Pairings on Healthy Plates with #UnitedOnThePlate Partnership

Dan Beef, Cattle, Industry News Release, Vegetables

Beef Checkoff partners with Produce for Better Health Foundation to showcase how pairing beef with vegetables and fruits boosts flavor and health (NCBA) — In an effort to continue to highlight beef’s place on the plate, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, has partnered with the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) to celebrate how …

Plant Protection Today – Tracking the Elusive Asian Giant Hornet

Dan Citrus, Field Crops, Fruits, Industry News Release, Pest/Pest Control, Pollinators, Research, Specialty Crops, USDA, Vegetables

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 …