florida

2021 Florida Virtual Beef Conference

Dan Beef, Cattle, Education

For the past 35 years, the Florida Panhandle Ag Extension Team has offered a cattle rancher educational program in Marianna that included a trade show. But, due to COVID19, the 2021 event will be a 90-minute webinar with two invited speakers, brief updates from cattle and forage researchers, and then a question and answer panel discussion. According to Doug Mayo, …

covid

U. S. Researchers to Host Webinar about COVID-19 Disruptions to Food Supply Chains

Dan Alabama, Coronavirus, Florida, General, Georgia, Industry News Release

(UF/IFAS) — A multi-region, multi-institution research and outreach team investigating the impact of COVID-19 on food and agricultural systems will host a free webinar those engaged in the food supply chain at any level at 2 p.m. EST January 28, 2021. Participants interested in the webinar can register at https://tinyurl.com/lessonsfromcovid-webinar. This hour-long webinar is part of the Lessons from COVID-19: …

hemp

UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Virtual Workshop Available

Dan Florida, Hemp, Industry News Release

(UF/IFAS) — The UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Program launched a virtual workshop with research and program updates, available online beginning January 11 for $40. The workshop consists of a collection of pre-recorded lectures and prepared documents available for on-demand viewing. In addition to the virtual delivery, there are opportunities to engage with experts from UF/IFAS. As the two-year pilot project …

citrus production

High-Tech Scouting in Citrus Production

Dan Citrus, Research, Technology

Traditional sensing technologies in citrus production for pest and disease detection and field phenotyping rely on manual sampling, which is time consuming and labor intensive. Since availability of personnel trained for field scouting is a major problem, small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with various sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) can simplify the surveying procedure, decrease data collection time and …

third

Food-Safety Concerns Sought for Produce Industry

Dan Citrus

The University of Florida (UF) and Rutgers University are teaming up to find out what food-safety issues are the biggest concerns across the produce industry. Members of the produce industry are invited to participate in an anonymous online survey that will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Michelle Danyluk said the survey …

aquatic

Management Advice for Aquatic Weeds

Dan Citrus, Research

Nearly every Florida citrus grower will sooner or later experience aquatic weed control problems. Aquatic plants are necessary for maintaining the balance of nature and offering food, protection, oxygen and shelter to aquatic species. However, maintaining a balance in the aquatic system while sustaining crop success and avoiding loss of income can be a challenge. Excessive aquatic weed growth can …

heat

Heat Brings Out Antioxidants, Increases Red in Tomatoes

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

(UF/IFAS) — Turn up the heat, and get more nutrition from your tomato, University of Florida researchers say. Furthermore, when you buy a tomato, it will be about as red as it can be, thanks to the UF/IFAS methods deployed for the study. The findings are crucial to an industry in which Florida ranks second to California in tomato production …

gerbera daisies

UF Scientists Help Thwart Disease that can Ravage the Popular Gerbera Daisies

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

(UF/IFAS) — Gerbera daisies are popular worldwide for their wide array of brightly colored flowers. They also make great plants for the garden, and their blooms yield long-lasting cut flowers. Many newlyweds use cut gerbera flowers to decorate their wedding ceremonies. Gerbera daisies also are increasingly used as garden, bedding, patio and indoor plants. Cut flower gerberas in the United States …

farm computer

Pandemic Fuels some of 2020’s Most-Searched UF/IFAS Extension Information

Dan Coronavirus, Florida, Industry News Release

(UF/IFAS) — The coronavirus pandemic occupied space in everyone’s minds this year, prompting online searches about any variety of topics related to it. The year’s most popular UF/IFAS Extension EDIS publications were no exception, with two of the top 10 being brand-new documents related to food safety and the coronavirus. In all, the Electronic Data Information Source, which hosts peer-reviewed …

pests

Growers’ Input on Pests Needed

Dan Citrus, Research

Entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock is seeking Florida citrus growers’ help in determining information gaps and future directions for her research on pests. To get that help, she’s asking growers to participate in a survey, which is available here. Diepenbrock, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher, would like to have growers take the survey by March 31, 2021. …