Publisher’s Letter

Florida growers have been through a lot in the past month. Between the disappointing citrus forecast and dual hurricanes, growers throughout the state have faced their share (and more!) of adversity.  Hopefully, relief will make its way to those who need it thanks to payments the U.S. Department of Agriculture started issuing at the beginning […]

If you’ve spent any time in Florida, you know hurricanes are a fact of life. If you’ve spent any time in publishing, you know deadlines and the ability to pivot on a dime are also a fact of life. So when you put the two together, you have my life and that of my colleagues

It makes me sad that Florida farmland is being replaced by subdivisions and apartment complexes. There, I said it, and I’m not alone in feeling this way. I fully understand the economic aspect of why those decisions are made by those who get to decide, but it doesn’t make it stink any less that parts

If you own a farm or ranch or are involved in some way in an agriculture operation, there’s a good chance you’re a busy person who wears multiple hats and is forever juggling responsibilities, chores, financial matters, and so forth and so on.  The last thing you need is someone telling you what a great

You’ll often hear me talk about the importance of finding — and sharing — the bright spot in the news stories we publish. For example, I was particularly struck by how the community rallied to help Bok Academy North after dogs wreaked havoc on their animals, and our article on the lack of large animal

Artificial intelligence is the hot topic around the world right now regardless of industry, and that means the best and brightest minds are hard at work looking for ways to harness the power of AI. Most recently, my alma mater has jumped into the mix. Several researchers from UCF are working to develop AI-driven technologies

Farming is all about weathering the challenges and celebrating the wins of each season. AsFlorida’s blueberry season comes to a close, there are plenty of growers doing just that —celebrating. Ideal weather, suspiciously few birds, high volumes, and no real substantial threat fromdiseases are all key factors that growers are citing in their preliminary reports

Each year, the Legislative session is filled with high hopes that are met by 160 pairs of scrutinizing eyes in bid to make it to the final budget. The 2024 State Legislative Session yielded some pretty big wins for Florida agriculture within the $117 billion budget. Perhaps most notably, the budget includes $47 million in

March marks a special time around here for a couple of reasons.  First, who doesn’t love the Youth in Ag edition of Central Florida Ag News? Every time we get knee-deep in the production of this edition, we’re reminded of what amazing kids we have here in Polk and adjoining areas. We would never be

You aren’t known to be fans of jumping through hoops and wading through red tape. Unfortunately, a new law calling for just that is going largely unnoticed and the penalties can be stiff to say the least. That’s exactly why it’s important to get the word out and read up on the Corporate Transparency Act