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 »
article and photos provided by NRCS Highlands County is known to be home to a predominance of large cattle grazing ranches and citrus groves. Nestled within this rural landscape is Vera Farms — a small 33-acre sheep farm, ornamental plant nursery, and small-scale vegetable production farm owned by Pedro Velez and his wife Maria. The
NRCS Helps Vera Farms Find Conservation Solutions Read More »
Citrus Industry Speculates on Future of Season in Wake of Milton by PAUL CATALA & JESS McDONALD Just a month ago, Florida citrus growers were cautiously optimistic about the season ahead. While no one was expecting a drastic change, there were hopes that perhaps greening treatments were starting to even out the losses. Now, in
Sweet Hill Flowers Micro Farm a Mighty Success by RYAN MILEJCZAK When it’s time to buy flowers, most people simply head to our local grocery store or florist. But what they don’t realize is that the flowers in that local supermarket are far from fresh; in fact, they often come all the way from South
From Bloom to Bouquet Read More »
Florida Growers Assess & Adjust in Wake of Hurricane Milton by REBEKAH PIERCE photos provided by RYAN ATWOOD The timing of Hurricane Milton couldn’t have been much worse for Florida growers. The storm blew through the middle of the state just two weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the west coast and Big Bend region. As
Weathering the Storm Read More »
