78th Polk County Youth Fair Takes Place Jan. 24-Feb. 1 by PAUL CATALAphotos by TOM HAGERTY (2024) For the past year, youths from across the region have been working to get ready for what always proves to be one of the most exciting weeks of the year. When the 2025 Polk County Youth Fair takes […]
by BRAD BUCK, UF/IFAS As we enter the state’s strawberry-growing season, establishing young strawberry plants in the field requires substantial water. New University of Florida research shows that growers can save as much as 67% — or up to half a million gallons per acre per season by alternating sprinkler cycles on and off —
Intermittent Irrigation Can Save Strawberry Growers Water While Maintaining Yield Read More »
UF’s SmartAg Certificate Programs Teach Application of AI Concepts by BRAD BUCK, UF/IFAS Graduate students from across the University of Florida can leap into the future workplaces of agricultural technology. Through two Smart Ag certificate programs, started in 2022, the agricultural and biological engineering department (ABE) offers classes in which students can learn and apply
Preparing Students for the Future Read More »
Ben Hill Griffin Nursery Ventures Into Vegetables, Greens, Herbs, and Flower Products by REBEKAH PIERCE photos by JESS McDONALD Beloved performer Dolly Parton famously said, “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” As Florida’s citrus industry continues to struggle amid the citrus greening crisis, more producers are having to adjust their
Growing in New Directions Read More »
Polk County Farm Bureau Takes Home Prestigious Apex Award by RYAN MILEJCZAK Agriculture is a complicated industry, requiring intense coordination at all levels to ensure farmers can do their job and put the food we eat on the table. The farm bureaus across our nation at the federal, state, and local level are essential to
by RYAN MILEJCZAK Sponsored by Farm Credit of Central Florida Sweet, fragrant, and easy to peel, tangerines are one of the tastiest members of the citrus family, and they’re also one of Florida’s most iconic crops. This fruit takes its name from the port of Tangier in Morocco, with “tangerine” simply being an adjective for
Tangerines Shine Amid Florida’s Fall/Winter Harvest Read More »
by REBEKAH PIERCE When we think about AI in 2024, we tend to think about robots shuffling words on a computer screen, of virtual assistants that answer our customer service inquiries for online stores, and of self-driving cars. Very few of us realize the massive potential artificial intelligence has in the world of agriculture. Yet
EZ Ag Innovations Using AI to Help Florida Farm Smarter Read More »
How the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence Is Already Changing the Face of Florida Agriculture by REBEKAH PIERCE Could artificial intelligence be used to grow the perfect tomato? Nathan Boyd, Associate Director for the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture at the University of Florida, certainly thinks so. The idea came to him after
Smart Solutions for Specialty Crops Read More »
Santa’s Christmas Tree Forest in Eustis Celebrates 35 Years of U-Cut Sand Pine by PAUL CATALA photos by MIRANDA LOVE When Jack and Judy Ewing moved with their daughters to a 33-acre plot in rural Eustis in 1980, they had no idea the move would be the beginning of a Florida winter wonderland. When their
Florida-Fresh Christmas Trees Read More »
by BRAD BUCK A combination of herbicide and fertilizer can prevent the nasty nutsedge weed from harming tomatoes, new University of Florida research shows. That, in turn, should mean more of the fruit going to the grocery store and your kitchen. An increase or decrease in tomato production is critical because it’s a $400 million-a-year
Research Shows Herbicide Plus Fertilizer Prevents Nutsedge on Tomatoes Read More »
