By Sen. Ben Albritton I have enormous respect for Congressman Francis Rooney and his life of public service. However, I have grave concerns about the congressman’s recent misinformed, inaccurate, and hostile comments about agriculture in Florida. Describing any sector of Florida agriculture as a “menace” clearly shows a lack of understanding of how agriculture has been a highly successful partner …
National Nutrition Month Advice: Eat More Fresh, Fewer Processed Foods
Nutrients from fresh foods give you “more bang for your nutritional buck,” says a registered dietitian with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “For every calorie, there’s also going to be a lot of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients in that food that contribute to our health,” said Laura Acosta, also a lecturer in the UF/IFAS …
How to Breed Your Homegrown Orchids
Cathy Isom began this series informing you of the extraordinary types of orchids. She covered planting, watering and feeding. Cathy concludes her series with how to breed your own homegrown orchids. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Once you have an orchid in your home that you’ve fallen in love with, you can take a cutting from the rootstock, …
UF/IFAS Center to Take Integrated Approach to Solving Water, Land Use Issues
By taking a more holistic approach to challenging issues facing Florida, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers will share more and better information about water and land use, including farming and urban landscapes, with the establishment of a new center. Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, said the center will galvanize …
Four Ag Leaders Inducted into Hall of Fame
The 40th Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet took place last night in the special events hall on the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Four distinguished ag leaders were inducted into the hall of fame. The evening began with a reception, during which agriculturalists from different industries were able to mingle and catch up with old friends. Following the reception …
Florida Ag Hall of Fame Online Ticket Sales Close Friday
Online ticket sales for the 40th annual Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet will close Friday, February 8. The annual event, which will be held February 12 in the Special Events Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, will honor four inductees who have made invaluable contributions to Florida agriculture. Tickets are available online at http://floridaaghalloffame2019.eventbrite.com or by calling 813-230-1918. This …
Tickets Available for the Florida Ag Hall of Fame Banquet
The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet is quickly approaching. Ray Hodge, president of the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation, is encouraging industry members to purchase tickets as he expects a big crowd at this year’s event. According to Hodge, the four inductees for 2019 have been great representations of Florida agriculture. “This year’s class is very diverse, but …
Next Steps Eyed in Fight Against Water Woes
Local governments have spent $17.3 million the state provided to combat outbreaks of red tide and toxic blue-green algae, which have caused massive fish kills and fouled waters in coastal areas for more than a year. And as red tide lingers in some Southwest Florida areas, and just $1.7 million of $19 million in state funding remains unspent by the …
Spread the Good News: Jan. 24 is National Peanut Butter Day
The peanut butter sandwich is about as American as baseball, hot dogs and apple pie. But history tells us its origins date back to the ancient Incas and Aztecs. All these years later, peanut butter remains a staple in many people’s diets, so celebrate the spread on National Peanut Butter Day, Jan. 24. Here’s a little peanut butter history lesson, …
DeSantis Offers ‘Bold’ Plan to Address Water Woes
Gov. Ron DeSantis, appearing in areas hit hard by outbreaks of toxic algae and red tide, signed an executive order Thursday expanding state efforts to improve Florida’s troubled waters. And while he took shots from environmentalists on the campaign trail last year when arguing that climate change is not a problem for state government to alleviate, DeSantis said Thursday his …