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You may have seen small trees in white shrouds on hills along the highways. They protect citrus trees from the Asian citrus psyllid and therefore, citrus greening disease. New University of Florida research shows the trees grown under the individual protective covers (IPCs) also grow…
Read More Mesh Bags Protect Citrus Against Greening, May Improve Tree Health And Fruit Quality Later
ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla – Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson announced Friday the conservation of a local family-owned farm in St. Lucie County through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. The program has secured a rural land…
Read More Florida Preserves 490-Acre Family Farm In St. Lucie County Through Conservation Program
Florida’s strawberry season doesn’t return until December. But University of Florida scientists work year-round to support an industry with a $500 million-a-year farm-gate value in Florida. Among their research endeavors, UF/IFAS scientists search for ways to help growers control diseases that can damage strawberries. Most…
Read More University Of Florida Scientists Use AI Algorithm To Improve Strawberry Disease Detection
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced Thursday the preservation of Lowder’s Gulf Hammock, a 691-acre family-owned timber and wetland property in Levy County, through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. The land will be protected under…
Read More Florida Ag Commissioner Announces Preservation Of 691-Acre Levy County Family Farm
Instead of taking what the broker or retailer feels like paying, small- and medium-sized farmers who sell directly to consumers should track costs, determine what they want to earn and set their own produce prices, University of Florida experts say. Growers should base their prices…
Read More When Pricing Produce To Sell Directly To Consumers, Farmers Urged To Know Their Costs
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded a $650,000 grant to a UF/IFAS researcher to study a plant that could help mitigate the opioid epidemic, a national health crisis responsible for more than 130 deaths each day. Mitragyna speciosa, or kratom, is…
Read More Grant Funds University Of Florida Research For Potential Opioid Relief
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced Friday that farmers, ranchers, and growers affected by Hurricane Debby can now apply for low-interest and interest-free loans through the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program. These loans are available to eligible producers for restoring,…
Read More Florida Offers Disaster Recovery Loans To Farmers And Ranchers Impacted By Hurricane Debby
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an emergency order suspending all use of dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA), a pesticide also known as Dacthal. Effective Aug. 7, DCPA may not be sold, distributed or used in any manner. Consumers with current stocks of the…
Read More EPA Issues Emergency Order Against DCPA Pesticide Use
Trees can provide much-needed shade in cities, thereby reducing the “heat island” effect. Such benefits underpin the growth of urban tree planting campaigns across the globe. But they can also topple in storms, generating headaches and possibly heartache — a salient point as we enter…
Read More UF Study Sheds Light On Challenges, Recommendations Of Managing Urban Trees And Storms
Former state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam is set to become the chairman of the Board of Directors of Alico, Inc., a leading Florida citrus grower, the company announced Monday. Putnam, who has been a board member since 2020, will assume the chairman role in February,…
Read More Former Florida Ag Commissioner Adam Putnam To Become Chairman of Alico, Inc. Board