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by DAVID AUSTIN, UF/IFAS Extension Highlands County There’s nothing more refreshing than enjoying the shade of a tree while eating some fresh fruit on a hot summer day in Florida. The best way to do that is to ensure you have some nice fruit trees in your yard. Central Florida is a great place to […]

New Highlands County Extension Agent Ready to Take on the Challenges by REBEKAH PIERCE Ranking second in the state for dairy and beef cattle and third for citrus production, Highlands County has always been a hub for agriculture. Now there’s a new face in town ready to help county farmers make an even bigger impact.

As Noble Ag Nears Its Centennial, Technology Keeps It Competitive by PAUL CATALA Nearly 100 years ago, the citrus industry worked differently. In 1926, when W.G. Roe founded Wm. G. Roe & Co., citrus growing, cultivating, harvesting and processing were done almost entirely by hand.  Through the decades, those processes have evolved through the advent

Woman’s Vision Unites Consumers With Locally Grown Produce by REBEKAH PIERCE What if you could find local farm-fresh fruit and veggies just by clicking a button on Facebook? That’s the vision that drove Jillian Childs to create Florida Farm Finder.  Childs grew up in rural upstate New York in the Catskill mountains, where local farms

Brenda Eubanks Burnette Named 2024 Citrus Achievement Award Winner by RYAN MILEJCZAK photos provided by BRENDA EUBANKS BURNETTE Every year, Citrus Industry Magazine names a Citrus Achievement Award winner, which recognizes those who have made significant impacts within the Florida citrus industry or beyond. This year, Brenda Eubanks Burnette received the honor.  Burnette has been

by RYAN MILEJCZAK Sponsored by Farm Credit of Central Florida Summer is in full swing, and the Florida heat is as oppressive as ever. When temperatures shoot up like this, few things are more refreshing than a juicy, sweet watermelon. And when that watermelon is grown right here in Florida, it’s going to taste all

OTC Injections and Improved Tree Health Are Instilling Hope in Growers by PAUL CATALA The final USDA citrus forecast for Florida’s 2023-24 season turned out to be exactly what growers expected, and that’s not a bad thing. The July report for production of all oranges was up 1 percent from June at 17.96 million boxes

by BRAD BUCK Every 15 minutes, 365 days a year, University of Florida scientists can see how and where many coyotes move at two locations in the Sunshine state. Those images show coyotes in two different landscapes in Florida: pine flatwoods in North Florida and the rangeland in Central Florida. The movements tell researchers about

EVENT: Cultivate a Food Forest in Your Yard WHEN: June, 15 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. WHERE: Bert J. Harris Agricultural Center, Sebring 4509 George Blvd. in Sebring 863-402-6540 Registration: $10 in advance at the Extension Office, $12.51 online by DAVID AUSTIN, UF/IFAS Extension, Highlands County To grow your food is to know your

Sandra Moore a Staunch Advocate of the Tropical Fish Industry by PAUL CATALA Since she was 7 years old, Sandra Moore knew there was something a little fishy about her life. That hunch was right and what began as a little girl catching mollies and other tropical fish in ditches in southern Hillsborough County pooled