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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

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

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

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

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

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

by FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES On October 23, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation announced Cary and Marcia Lightsey, Madeline Mellinger, and Jim Strickland as the 2025 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame inductees. Since 1980, the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame has honored men

by RYAN MILEJCZAK Sponsored by Farm Credit of Central Florida This Thanksgiving, households across Florida and the nation will be preparing snap beans for their holiday meal. But have you ever wondered where those snap beans come from? Well, there’s a good chance they were grown right here in Florida.  Snap beans, not to be