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 …
Veggies for Raised Garden Beds
It is time to be thinking about the Spring garden. Cathy Isom tells us about some of the best veggies to grow in raised garden beds. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Raised garden beds aren’t just the prettiest way to grow your veggies: they’re also a fantastic opportunity to improve your garden’s yield, deal with problematic soil, …
Exploring Varieties of Tomatoes
Cathy Isom has us exploring the many varieties of the most popular vegetable in the world. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in the world. According to botanists, this South American native is actually a fruit. Despite this, most people prepare and eat it like a vegetable. One of the reasons why …
Super Bowl Avocados Consumption
Continuing her series on foods consumed during game day, Cathy isom lets us know about the super food  that Americans will consume by the millions of pounds on Super Bowl Sunday. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Super Bowl Sunday is the number one avocado consumption day of the year. While rumors of a shortage earlier this month …
Applications Now Available for Pilot Industrial Hemp Production
The Alabama Department of Agriculture & Industries (ADAI) is now accepting applications from eligible producers, farmers and universities interested in growing industrial hemp. ADAI is also accepting applications from prospective industrial hemp processors. In 2016, the Alabama Legislature passed the Alabama Industrial Hemp Research Program Act, Section 2-8-380 Code of Alabama 1975, tasking the ADAI with the development of a …
UAV-based Remote Sensing Can Help Avocado Growers by Detecting Asymptomatic Pathogen
Remote imaging can effectively detect a pathogen that endangers the $100 million-a-year Florida avocado industry – even before the trees show symptoms — University of Florida scientists say. Yiannis Ampatzidis, an assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, led recently published research that shows that multispectral cameras can detect laurel wilt …