scientists

Florida Beef Cattle Short Course is Next Week

Dan Cattle, Education, Florida

The 2019 Florida Beef Cattle Short Course will be held May 8-10 at the Alto and Patricia Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center in Gainesville. The premier educational event is designed for serious beef cattle producers in the Southeast. Discussions will be held concerning the beef cattle industry’s future direction, there will be information provided on management decision making skills, and new information about …

ranchers

Florida Beef Cattle Short Course Starts May 8

Dan Cattle, Education

The 2019 Florida Beef Cattle Short Course will be held May 8-10 at the Alto and Patricia Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center, located at 2142 Shealy Drive, Gainesville, Florida.  The program is premier educational event for serious beef cattle producers in the Southeast. Those attending will be able to pick up knowledge about the beef cattle industry’s future direction, along with …

barn

Mosquitoes Prey on Beneficial Barn Owl Nestlings, But Permethrin Can Help

Dan Environment, Florida, Research

Barn owls make their homes in boxes put up by farmers in South Florida. The growers like the owls because they eat rodents that would otherwise munch on their sugarcane, sweet corn and rice. Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have found that mosquito bites can contribute to the deaths of the beneficial barn …

cattle

Florida’s Beef, Dairy and Allied Industries Generated Billions in Revenues in 2017

Dan Beef, Cattle, Dairy, Economy, Florida, Industry News Release, Research

As Florida approaches the 500-year anniversary of the introduction of cattle to her shores in 1521, a new report from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) demonstrates just how important beef and dairy production have become to the state’s economy – and shows a recent upswing in Florida cattle industry exports. In 2017, Florida’s combined …

center

Center Combines Scientists, Industry to Manage Insects More Efficiently

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Research

When she joined the University of Florida as an eminent scholar in entomology and nematology two years ago, Bryony Bonning brought an insect and nematode research center with her. That center works with researchers and industry to help manage insects and nematodes that harm crops and humans. Bonning started the Center for Arthropod Management Technologies while conducting entomology research at …

strawberries

It Could Be Lights Out for Some Diseases and Pests in Strawberries

Dan Fruits, Industry News Release, Research, Specialty Crops

Natalia Peres envisions a day when light from a machine that resembles a spacecraft helps prevent powdery mildew from causing much damage to strawberries. Peres, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, works with a global group of scientists studying how to use ultraviolet light to suppress plant pathogens. Powdery mildew …

florida

UF Scientists Sequence Vanilla Genome

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Research, Specialty Crops

Could Support Domestic Industry University of Florida scientists have sequenced the genome of Vanilla, which will help them select the best types for breeding new varieties of the popular plant to grow in Florida. Some consumers crave vanilla. The U.S. leads the world in imported vanilla beans, said Alan Chambers, an assistant professor of tropical fruit breeding and genetics at …

foods

National Nutrition Month Advice: Eat More Fresh, Fewer Processed Foods

Dan Florida, Fruits, Industry News Release, Vegetables

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 …

strawberry

UF/IFAS Researchers Find Aromatic Strawberry Variety Grows in South Florida

Dan Florida, Fruits, Industry News Release, Research, Specialty Crops

As National Strawberry Day approaches on Feb. 27, University of Florida scientists have found another variety that can grow in South Florida. It’s largely unknown to American consumers, it’s temptingly tasty and it’s good for local markets, UF researchers say. Alan Chambers, an assistant professor of horticultural sciences with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, led a team …

water

UF/IFAS Center to Take Integrated Approach to Solving Water, Land Use Issues

Dan Florida, Industry News Release, Research, Water

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 …