Featured

Signs of the Season

Sponsored by Farm Credit of Central Florida Celebrating Fall With Florida Pumpkins and Squash by ERIKA ALDRICH Fall is upon us, and that means it’s pumpkin and squash season. These members of the gourd family, called the cucurbit family, are synonymous with fall. Whether it’s a carved jack-o’-lantern flickering on the porch on Halloween night […]

Signs of the Season Read More »

2020-2021 Citrus Forecast

  Despite Expected Drop in Production, Growers Encouraged That Mexico, Brazil Face Same Challenges by TERESA SCHIFFER This year’s citrus harvest wasn’t exactly one for the record books, but overall, it was respectable. Coming in at 67.65 million boxes of Florida oranges produced and marketed, growers were satisfied with their haul. There were some issues

2020-2021 Citrus Forecast Read More »

Citrus Challenge

Researchers Try to Crack Greening With Comparative Genomics by HEATHER MACHOVINA Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) is the bacterium responsible for causing the devastating Huanglongbing (HLB or citrus greening) disease. Infected trees have poor vegetative growth, fruit drop, low fruit quality, and tree decline. Scientists are not able to cultivate CLas on its own in a

Citrus Challenge Read More »

Making Lemonade From Lemons

As Greening Battle Continues, Florida Citrus Growers Turn to Hardy Lemons as Alternative by PAUL CATALA When it comes to Florida citrus, naval, valencia and hamlin oranges come to mind while Ruby Red, flame and Thompson grapefruits are common names. But other citrus names are often overlooked: Harvey, Bearss and Eureka, for example. Those are

Making Lemonade From Lemons Read More »

Florida Roots

Plant City Saw Mill Has Been Supporting Local Families for 50 Years by PAUL CATALA When R.J. Stone opened a sawmill in Plant City about 50 years ago, he spent the first 30 years focusing on wood products for agriculture – 2-by-2-feet posts for peppers and 5-feet tall stakes for tomatoes, for example. McCain Mills

Florida Roots Read More »

Signs of the Season

Legumes, Especially Snap Beans, Big Business in Florida    by TERESA SCHIFFER    Sponsored by Farm Credit of Central Florida   When you think of Florida agriculture, legumes probably aren’t the first thing to come to mind. Renowned for our citrus, Florida farms are home to more than just those sweet, juicy oranges. Several varieties

Signs of the Season Read More »

Open-Air ATVentures

Bone Valley ATV Park Uses Old Phosphate Mining Land to Make Way for Families, Fun by TIM CRAIG photo by JEREMY MAREADY/POLK COUNTY GOVERNMENT On 200 acres in Mulberry, there is a tract of land that is a testament to the feats that can be forged when the county and community collaborate. On quiet days,

Open-Air ATVentures Read More »

Into the Deep

Florida Spearfishing Adds Element of Adventure to Favorite Pastime by MATT COBBLE In Florida, nearly surrounded by open water, finding a recreational activity to do in the water is not hard. So with all of the various possibilities, why should a sportsman (or sportswoman) consider spearfishing? In a lot of ways, spearfishing is one of

Into the Deep Read More »

A Deeper Look

Scientist Studying How Water Sources Influence Conservation Behaviors by HEATHER MACHOVINA Did you know as much as 50% of household water use goes toward landscape irrigation nationwide? That totals nearly 9 billion gallons of water per day just for watering outside the home, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Drastic numbers like these

A Deeper Look Read More »

Accessibility Toolbar