A tiny insect with a big appetite for hydrilla could help reduce the presence of this troublesome invasive water weed in lakes, springs and rivers, says an entomologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. During National Invasive Species Awareness Week (Feb. 26 to March 2), researchers with UF/IFAS want to make residents aware of this …
Theme of Agricultural Safety Awareness Program Week-‘No One Can Take Your Place’
The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS) has teamed up with the American Farm Bureau and the U.S. Agricultural Safety and Health Centers to raise awareness of agricultural health and safety by promoting Agricultural Safety Awareness Week March 4-10 with the theme “No One Can Take Your Place.” A different safety focus will be highlighted by the …
UF Marks National Invasive Species Awareness Week
UF highlights battles against pests during National Invasive Species Awareness Week Florida agriculture loses an estimated $179 million annually to invasive species. This comes as no surprise to researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences as the state, with 28 ports of entry, is ranked number one in the continental United States for the number …
National Strawberry Day brings attention to UF/IFAS varieties
Vance Whitaker toils day and night to develop the tastiest, best-looking, aromatic strawberries a consumer would want. Yummy enough for a nutritious snack or to help flavor a cake or pie just in time for National Strawberry Day on Feb. 27. Whitaker, an associate professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, leads …
Northwest Florida Beef Conference and Trade Show is Wednesday
Everyone in the cattle industry is invited to attend the 33rd annual Northwest Florida Beef Conference and Trade Show, Wednesday, February 14, at the Jackson County Extension Office in Marianna, Florida. Registration and Trade Show open at 7:30 AM central time, the program starts at 8:15 AM, and concludes with a steak lunch. There will be a $5 per person …
UF/IFAS Researchers Blame Cold for Fish Kills, Offer Suggestions
Cold weather is killing fish in northern and Central Florida counties, according to University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers, who are also offering some solutions. “In an aquaculture operation, farmers can cover their ponds with a frame covered with plastic, as ornamental fish farmers do in the Tampa area to protect their fish from the cold,” …
Two with UF/IFAS Ties to be Inducted into Florida Ag Hall of Fame
One spent his career bringing research-based data from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to Florida’s farmers; the other spent his career planting trees and protecting forests. Two inductees into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame on Feb. 13 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida, have ties to the University of Florida Institute of …
UF/IFAS Rethinking Forest Protection; Hosts UN Expert as Lecturer
With trees, we enjoy healthier air, shade, a way to store carbon, economic opportunities and much more. Without them, we could wind up with a devastated ecosystem and much lost revenue, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers say. In fact, Florida’s forest industry generated $12.5 billion in sales in 2016, according to recent UF/IFAS economic research. …
Florida Ag Policy Conference to Help Growers Deal With the Ever-Changing Global Economy
In light of the competitive and dynamic global economy, experts from UF/IFAS and other organizations will share knowledge about how to deal with pressures facing growers in Florida at the third annual Florida Agricultural Policy Conference. The conference will be held Feb. 21 at the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka, Florida. Whether it’s trade agreements, labor, water …
The PB&J sandwich: A classic on National Peanut Butter Day
The peanut butter and jelly sandwich is as about as American as apple pie. So, celebrate the American tradition by eating a sandwich on National Peanut Butter Day, Jan. 24. The average American schoolchild will consume about 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the time he or she graduates from high school, according to the Peanut Advisory Board, a …