Column

We spend a lot of time in this monthly column focused on Tree Defender’s impact in Florida and the Florida citrus industry. That seems obvious: We were born in Central Florida. We live here. The idea, research, development, and deployment of Tree Defender was, in large part, a response to a Central (and beyond) Florida […]

Nobody is born an entrepreneur. Not Steve Jobs, not Henry Ford, not even John Deere, and certainly not me. There’s a popular misconception that some people are born into good fortune. That they don’t have to put work into their dreams to see them blossom. But in truth, starting a successful business takes hard work,

With so much focus on the new treatments for greening, it can be easy to forget the importance of the essential basics. UF/IFAS associate professor of citrus water and nutrient management Davie Kadyampakeni reminds Florida citrus growers that “it is important to make sure citrus trees always receive adequate nutrient supplies,” even with the new

Equine navicular disease, also known as navicular syndrome, is a common and often challenging problem that affects the feet of horses. It primarily involves the navicular bone (a small, flattened bone located within the hoof) and the surrounding structures. The navicular bone acts as a shock absorber and helps distribute the weight of the horse’s

Hoof health should be a top priority if you’re a horse owner, but did you know that it’s not just about the hooves, but the whole horse? A horse’s hoof health is intricately linked to their overall well-being, and staying on top of things can prevent all kinds of problems later down the road. Here

Citrus greening, also called Huanglongbing (HLB), is known to affect the fibrous root growth of citrus trees, among other things. The disease has turned the Florida citrus industry into one that measures its inputs very carefully against bottom lines, so every dollar that can be saved is important. One UF/IFAS greenhouse study suggests that citrus

The option to shop online for pretty much anything and everything has changed the way we live. What was once reserved for special request items can now be used to purchase everyday goods from clothing and medicines to cleaning supplies and even groceries. But like all change, the ability to shop online brings with it

How many of us in the citrus industry breathed a slight sigh of relief when the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its January forecast and the total count remained unchanged? “At least it didn’t go down,” is what may have crossed my mind. Is this the state of the Florida citrus industry? It might be

For nearly five years now, the CRAFT (Citrus Research and Field Trial) Foundation has worked with Florida citrus growers to field test potential solutions to combat greening. Each project year (or “cycle”) has added numerous projects and acreage, currently representing 10,000 acres of Florida citrus across Cycles 1-4.  But 2024, which begins Cycle 5, looks

In life, it is through trial and error, success and strife, that we find our way. We learn to adjust expectations and reassign our priorities for better results. It’s the school of life, and admission is free of charge. Ask any parent of an FFA student, and they’ll tell you the Youth Fair experience is