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by BRAD BUCK, UF/IFAS Florida strawberry growers can use less pesticide and save money as they try to control a mighty pest known as chilli thrips, University of Florida research shows. An invasive pest in the southeastern United States, chilli thrips was introduced to the United States from Southeast Asia. The first report in Florida

by MEGAN WINSLOW, UF/IFAS The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety and the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have partnered to create an online toolkit to help protect agricultural workers from the summer heat. Last year’s sweltering summer temperatures convinced SCCAHS leadership that additional promotion about heat-related illness education

by VISIT SEBRING Mark your calendars for the much-anticipated 33rd edition of the Caladium Festival, set to take place from July 26 – 28, 2024, in the heart of Central Florida. Known as the Caladium Capital of the World, Lake Placid welcomes plant enthusiasts to celebrate the vibrant beauty and diversity of caladiums. With a

Cattlemen’s Association Honors Conservation Florida CEO provided by CONSERVATION FLORIDA Conservation Florida CEO Traci Deen was recently honored with the Florida Cattlemen’s Association’s Friend of Conservation Award in Marco Island at its annual convention. This accolade underscores Deen’s exemplary leadership and unwavering commitment to uniting the realms of conservation and agriculture.  “The Florida Cattlemen’s Association

by FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES TALLAHASSEE, FLA. – To help meet the state’s reforestation needs, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and the Florida Forest Service today announced the opening an online portal where the public can buy tree seedlings. Sales will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis and will continue until

by BRAD BUCK, UF/IFAS Growing up in rural Douglas, Georgia (pop. 11,000), Stephanie Brown actively participated in Future Farmers of America. She also liked to watch cooking shows on TV, and she enjoyed science. But she wasn’t sure how to combine food with science. Flash forward a couple of decades, and now she’s the new

provided by FLORIDA CITRUS MUTUAL BARTOW, FLA. — The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a June 2024 revised citrus crop forecast for the 2023-2024 harvest season on June 12. Florida citrus growers are expected to harvest 17.86 million boxes of oranges this season, an increase of 60,000 boxes compared with last month’s crop estimate. Additionally, the USDA forecasted 1.79 million boxes of

Learn About Results and Solutions on July 25 at the KeyPlex Citrus Symposium at Seven Sebring Raceway Hotel WINTER PARK, FLA. — Eleven years of research conducted in EU have determined causes of fruit drop on citrus, and the results will help to guide the citrus industry into the future. Fruit drop, in particular, was