With officials seeing a potentially lucrative industry, Senate Agriculture Chairman Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, is proposing creation of a state hemp program. Albritton on Thursday filed a bill that would set up the program under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The bill came after Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried last week named Holly Bell as the state’s first director …
Harvest and Store Your Homegrown Potato Crop
In the first part of her series, Cathy Isom gave tips about growing your own potatoes. Today she fills you in about how to harvest and store your potato crop. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. When you’re ready to harvest your homegrown potato crop, the first step is cutting the water off of the crop a few …
Growing Your Own Potatoes
Although there are numerous varieties, Cathy Isom lets you know about how to grow your own potatoes. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. If you want a consistent supply of potatoes, it’s a good idea to choose two different varieties. Pick an early type that’ll be ready by early summer, and a main crop choice that’ll be ready …
Springtime Vegetables to Start Indoors Now
In the second of her series of preparing your garden, Cathy Isom has tips on the veggies and flowers you can start right now for springtime planting. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. It’s not too early to get your garden going. In fact, some of your warm weather vegetables need a longer growing period, so February is …
Commissioner Nikki Fried Appoints Holly Bell as Director of Cannabis
Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried announced her appointment of Holly Bell as the Director of Cannabis. Bell’s selection comes after a national search and interviews with multiple finalists for the position. In her role as Director of Cannabis, Bell will oversee the development of rules, work directly with scientific experts, and ensure Commissioner Fried’s vision for cannabis in Florida continues moving forward and now sells more and …
Industrial hemp a featured topic at UF/IFAS ag policy conference Feb. 26 in Balm
Industrial hemp may soon be a financially significant crop in Florida, and an expert with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities related to this fledgling industry at the fourth annual Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference in Balm. The conference happens 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26 …
Giving Your Garden a Head Start
In this, the third and final part of her series, Cathy Isom gives you a few tips about how you to give your garden a solid head-start into the growing season. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Whether you have much or little to do, every lit bit helps move things in the right direction. Of course there are …
February Vegetable Garden Checklist
Cathy Isom has some great tips for you about getting your February Garden checklist in order.  That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Now that we are one month closer to Spring, let the gardening prep work begin. And February is just the right time to start seeds, especially if you’re in a region that isn’t allowing you to …
Gardeners Preserving with a Pressure Canner
We all have had this issue. What to do with all of the vegetables our garden produces. Cathy Isom explains why home gardeners should consider investing in a pressure canner. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. If you’re as diligent about preserving your harvest as you are about growing it, you know that a pressure canner is an …
New Crops Proposed After Michael Devastation
Hemp and hops are being promoted among alternatives for crops wiped out by Hurricane Michael in the eastern Panhandle. Glen Aiken, director of the University of Florida’s North Florida Research and Education Center, said Monday the need for alternatives has grown as farmers in an eight-county region suffered most of the estimated $1.5 billion hit to the state’s agriculture industry …