Florida agriculture has what Jack Payne, University of Florida/IFAS senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, calls a new head of R&D, or the IFAS research dean. Rob Gilbert started that position last week. Sponsored ContentFlorida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Production ResearchMay 8, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement Board Provides Opportunities to Develop Preliminary Data For Future Grant ProjectsMay 1, 2026Florida Cattle Enhancement …
Flatwoods Fire and Nature Festival
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida invites everyone to attend the Flatwoods Fire and Nature Festival, January 26, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on the University of Florida’s Austin Cary Forest off Waldo Road in Gainesville, FL. During the family-friendly festival, you can enjoy prescribed fire demonstrations, fire ecology tours, live wildlife, live music, food trucks, exhibits, quail mascot Burner …
Applying Performance Data for Bull Selection
On Tuesday, January 15th Understanding and Applying Performance Data for Bull Selection will be presented at the Washington County Agricultural Center, in Chipley. The primary goal of this class is to help commercial cattlemen decipher all of the performance data available and develop a practical plan for utilizing these resources when selecting bulls for their own operations.The catalog form the Florida Bull Test …
Florida Foundation Seed Producers Affected by Hurricane
In the months since Hurricane Michael hit the panhandle of Florida, cleanup continues in many areas. As we know, the storm was so devastating that it not only wiped out a lot of farmers’ 2018 crop, but it also went after future crops. Some folks may be familiar with the Florida Foundation Seed Producers (FFSP), the place many farmers get seeds …
UF Researchers to Breed a New Variety of Florida-Friendly Hops
Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have been awarded a two-year grant for $194,000 to breed varieties of hops that can grow in Florida. The researchers, based at the UF/IFAS Mid Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka, Florida, said the grant will help continue their work to bring an alternative crop to the …
UF ‘Plant Whisperer’ Helps Floridians Keep Produce Lush, Green and Safe
Liz Felter gazes at the tomato plant and considers it quietly for a few seconds. Stroking the discolored leaves, she sticks two fingers in the soil and pushes the dirt down. “My gut tells me it’s not Erwinia,” says Felter, a University of Florida IFAS Extension regional specialized agent. The visitor to the UF/IFAS Diagnostic Plant Clinic in Apopka merely …
Arboriculture Society Donation to Help Fund UF/IFAS Tree Expert
UF/IFAS will hire a new tree scientist, at least partially with funds donated recently by the Florida Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. During a campus visit on Dec. 3, Florida ISA chapter CEO Norm Easey and President Scott Shultz provided a pledge payment to help the UF/IFAS department of environmental horticulture inits search for a new faculty member, …
Soil Moisture Sensors Help Suwannee Valley Growers Manage Irrigation
Soil Moisture Sensors (or SMS) are a precision agriculture technology on the rise in North Florida. Using electronic sensors at various depths, moisture readings are taken continuously throughout the day. By using this technology, growers are now able to “see underground” and at a distance through cell phone transmission of data. UF/IFAS Extension, as part of the land grant system, …
UF scientists act as plant detectives to identify disease
As a University of Florida plant pathologist, Gary Vallad likes to call himself and his colleagues “sleuths of the plant world.” These detectives find out what ails plants and crops, hopefully before the disease gets out of control. Most recently, scientists with the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences discovered some novel pathogens that may damage Florida tomatoes. Their …