Featured

CUPS U-pick Prepares Opens in Late November by SHAYLYNN MARKS After months of anticipation, Golden Ridge Groves and Market in Alturas is ready to welcome visitors with its grand opening celebration in late November. Founders Katie and Shane Bevilacqua say the positive response from the community has been nothing short of overwhelming. The couple credits […]

by RYAN MILEJCZAK Sponsored by Farm Credit of Central Florida Florida gets plenty of attention for its fruit, from oranges to watermelons and more. But did you know that Florida is also the nation’s top producer of fresh market tomatoes? In fact, 70% of all fresh-market tomatoes grown in the U.S. come from right here

by DAVID AUSTIN, UF/IFAS Extension Highlands County The Master Gardener Volunteers’ 2025 “Let It Grow” Garden Festival and Plant Sale is just around the corner.  It’s the eighth year as a festival, and it continues to grow and improve each year.  This year, it will take place on Saturday, Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to

Outdoor activities help them form close bonds. by SHAYLYNN MARKS  When David Hunt first walked parts of the 4,500 acres of Polk County land that the Florida Forest Service had acquired in 2009, he wasn’t sure how best to use it. “It had a commercial citrus lease, commercial cattle lease, and some private residences on

By RYAN MILEJCZAKSponsored by Farm Credit of Central Florida  The citrus industry has long been one of Florida’s defining features. And while the industry has struggled in the past two decades, it still remains a key part of the identity and economy of Florida.  In fact, the citrus industry employs more than 32,500 people and

Hopes Buoyed by CRAFT, Research, Varieties, Weather by RYAN MILEJCZAK Hurricanes and greening have made the past couple of citrus seasons quite challenging here in Florida. With the 2025-2026 citrus season officially underway, we reached out to growers and industry professionals to learn what they’re expecting for the season.  “I think we’re expecting a good

Florida’s citrus industry is a cornerstone of the Sunshine State. Its legacy has been passed down through hardworking Florida families for more than a century. Among the Centennial Citrus Growers who have helped to build and sustain this industry is the Barben Family – owners of The Barben Fruit Company in Avon Park. For more

Lakeland’s Grune Heidi Farm Rescue Saves Horses From Slaughter to Rehabilitate & Rehome by REBEKAH PIERCE photos provided by GRUNE HEIDI FARM RESCUE  Every horse has a story, and Lakeland’s Erika Gilbert has made it her mission to learn those stories. She wants to make sure that each horse has the opportunity to continue living

Woody Larson, Dennis Wedgworth, and Jack Vogel to Be Honored Provided by FDACS TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation recently announced Woody Larson, Dennis Wedgworth, and Jack Vogel as 2026 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Inductees.  Since 1980, the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame

by REBEKAH PIERCESponsored by Visit Central Florida The welcome center greets visitors from near or far as they arrive in Lake Wales. The facility is a retail store and a museum filled with exhibits about the cooperative of growers founded in 1933—Florida’s Natural Growers.  Opened in October of 2021, the Grove House is a visitors