THE ANNUAL AGRITECHNOLOGY EDITION of Central Florida Ag News is here! If you’ve ever been within earshot when I’m talking about Florida’s agritechnology sector, you may have heard me use terms like Florida’s economic “sweet spot.” Agriculture is such a big economic driver for Florida (about $100 billion big, to be specific), which is why when I read about research or developments that are working to help advance this essential part of our infrastructure, I get really excited.
With the stories you’ll read in this (October 2012) edition and online, I think you’ll agree that the research and development coming from the experts in the area is producing some major candidates to add to that sweet spot of our economy.
Some of the exciting new things on the horizon for Florida are utilizing old crops for new uses, such as growing Eucalyptus trees for biomass, which we present in detail with some other promising crops here. We didn’t stop with technology used in the production of crops, however. Here, you can read a great story about the use of RFID technology on the ranch. We also present here how technology has made it possible to take the “waste-not, want-not” phrase literally when it comes to the many modern uses for citrus peels.
As agritechnology continues to propel the industry into the future, the ag teachers of our community are working to secure that future in our youth. In fact, three very special teachers were recognized recently at the Polk County Farm Bureau Annual Meeting for their commitment to providing students with a thorough education in agriculture. I was honored to present the awards at the meeting and meet these outstanding and dedicated people. I recommend their story, which is presented online here. Enjoy, and remember … you read about it first in Central Florida Ag News!
CREDIT
column by NELSON KIRKLAND
Nelson Kirkland is publisher of Central Florida Ag News. He may be reached by e-mail at nelson@centralfloridamediagroup.com.
