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Tarpon Springs Artist Captures Floridian Culture and History by MARY TOOTHMAN Christopher Still’s art serves many purposes.  It is a teacher. It is a visual history. It has imagination; sometimes there are 3-D depictions. There are puzzles and mysteries. Most of all, though, the works of art have heart. When a person can combine their […]

Ag Angels Program Thriving in 13th Year Serving Children in Hardee and Highlands Counties by TERESA SCHIFFER Christmas is a special time of year for most of us. It’s a time filled with light, laughter, and generosity. When Scott Kirouac learned that for some children, Christmas was just another day, his heart broke. It was

UF/IFAS Experts Help Farmers Cope with Mental Stress by BRAD BUCK, UF/IFAS Correspondent When some people think of a farmer, they conjure an image of a stoic, tough-as-nails figure – one who can cope with any hardship. But that’s not always the case, particularly when cold, heat, drought, disease or a natural disaster strikes their

From Family Farm to County Extension Director, Citrus Is in Laurie Hurner’s Blood by BRAD BUCK, UF/IFAS correspondent Laurie Hurner grew up in a fifth-generation Florida citrus-growing family, and she and her sisters worked their farm in Highlands County. “My parents had three daughters,” says Hurner, the director of UF/IFAS Extension Highlands County and the

Highlands County Ag-Venture Teaches Children the Importance of Agriculture by TERESA SCHIFFER It’s never too early to start teaching kids about the importance of agriculture, and Highlands County Ag-Venture, Inc. is taking that education seriously.  Every year, the program provides the opportunity for third-grade students to learn firsthand valuable lessons from various agricultural industries. It’s

Area Growers Optimistic, Though Accepting of a New Normal by TIM CRAIG It’s October and eyes are looking toward the start of what may be Florida’s true season: citrus and the official citrus forecast published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.    “We’re glad to see the Citrus Forecast come out because it marks the

Kubota Presents Lithia Veteran and Farmer With Tractor Through Geared to Give Program U.S. Marine Corps veteran Russell Guzzetta of Country Song Farm in Lithia was recently chosen from more than 400 applicants nationwide to receive a donated Kubota L Series compact tractor. The giveaway was part of Kubota’s Geared to Give program. This program

Citrus Industry Enlists Help of Dogs Trained to Detect Greening Anyone with a four-legged friend of the canine kind knows that it’s nearly impossible to hide anything from a dog’s sense of smell.  In fact, their olfactory senses are approximately 1,000 times stronger than those of a human. With the proper training, our canine friends

Polk County Farm Bureau Names Outstanding Agriculture Program and Teacher of the Year by MARY TOOTHMAN   “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.”   — Future Farmers of America motto Sometimes the phrase “practice makes perfect” is merely a figure of speech. Other times, every bit of it rings true.

A guide to taking advantage of ag-recreation in Central Florida by J.P. SMITH “In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” —Aristotle   There is certainly something marvelous about Florida’s nature and wildlife for the adventuring Floridian to discover. Summer trips and plans might have come to a close, but as the