Adults Playing Board Game with Christmas Tree in Background

Intentional hosting: The key to a good, stress-free gathering

by Lourdes Mederos
December 18, 2025

Gatherings don’t have to feel overwhelming or revolve entirely around food. The key to a meaningful celebration is intentional hosting, a practice that Jessica Alfonso-Rodriguez experienced and developed while growing up in South Florida. ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Health & Nutrition, Relationships & Family, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Board Games, Celebration, Connect, Family An D Consumer Sciences, Gatherings, Healthy Appetizers, Holiday, Holiday Gatherings, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Intentional Hosting, Jessica Alfonso- Rodriguez, Menu, Mindful Moment, Mindfullness, Mocktails, News, Planning Activities, South Florida, Stress-free, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida, Yearlong

From 5,000 strawberries to DNA breakthrough: Doctoral grad sweetens the future of fruit

by Brad Buck
December 18, 2025

As we enter the height of Florida’s strawberry production season, many consumers crave the taste and aroma of the fruit. That’s part of what compels Mark Porter to try to enhance those qualities.For his doctoral dissertation, Porter led ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Horticulture
Tags: Aroma, Consumers, DNA, DNA Test, Doctoral Dissertation, Flavor, Genome, Growers, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Mark Porter, Ph.D., Plant Breeding, Plant Breeding Ph.D. Program, Seonghee Lee, Sour, Strawberries, Strawberry Breeding, Sweet, Taste

For 2026, do you resolve to lead a healthier lifestyle? Making it a habit is easier said than done

by Brad Buck
December 17, 2025

If you’re like many people, you will make a New Year’s resolution to eat better and exercise more. It might seem simple enough to start your diet and walking, but making those actions into habits can be a lot tougher. Research indicates ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, Work & Life
Tags: Action, Contemplation, Diet, Exercise, Family, Food Science And Human Nutrition, Habit, Healthy Lifestyles, Heidi Radunovich, Laura Acosta, New Year, Outcome, Psychologist, Registered Dietitian, Resolutions, Self-reflection, SMART, Stages Of Change/Transtheoretical Model, Sweets, Vegetables, Youth, Youth And Community Sciences
hurricane damage beneath a raised coastal structure with concrete pillars, a red ladder, caution tape, and a damaged utility box amid gravel and debris.

2026 EDEN Spring Training Set for Tampa

by Annabel Henson
December 16, 2025

Tampa, Fla. — The 2026 Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) Spring Training will take place in Tampa from Feb. 24 to 26, 2026. Early bird registration closes Jan. 15. This year, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in ... READ MORE

Category: Disaster Preparation, EVENTS, Professional Development, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Center For Public Issues Education, Center For Public Issues Education In Agriculture And Natural Resources, Conference, Disaster Recovery, FL EDEN, Florida Extension Disaster Education Network, PIE Center
Hands writing a “New Year Resolutions” list in a notebook on a rustic wooden table, surrounded by pine branches, pinecones, wrapped gifts, red star garlands, and holiday lights. Photo by Victor Moussa. AdobeStock

¿Tiene propósitos para este 2026? Aquí le explicamos cómo mantenerlos

by Luz Bahder
December 16, 2025

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Cada enero, millones de personas se plantean ambiciosos propósitos de bienestar, solo para abandonarlos en cuestión ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Blog Community, Health & Nutrition, Home Management, Money Matters, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: 2026, Agente De Extensión De UF/IFAS, Año Nuevo, Bienestar, Bienestar General, Ciencias De La Familia Y Del Consumidor, Consejos, Economia, Ejercicio, Espanol, Estilo De Vida, Estres, Finanzas, Jessica Alfonso- Rodriguez, Metas SMART, Objetivos SMART, Relajacion, Resoluciones De Ano Nuevo, Respiracion, Respiración Cuadrada, Rutinas De Bienestar, Salud, SMART, SMART Goal, Spanish, UF/IFAS

Have 2026 resolutions? Here is how to make them stick

by Lourdes Mederos
December 16, 2025

Every January, millions set ambitious wellness resolutions only to abandon them within weeks. In fact, the second Friday of January is known as Quitter’s Day, a reminder of how quickly good intentions fade. For 2026, we turn to Jessica ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Health & Nutrition, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Box Breathing, Consistency, Family And Consumer Sciences, Goals, Habit, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jessica Alfonso- Rodriguez, Mindful Moment, Mindfullness, Plan, Progress, Quitter's Day, Resolutions, Routine, SMART Objectives, Sustainability, Track, UF IFAS Family And Consumer Sciences, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida, Wellness Resolutions
Calendar displaying the month of January, pink dumbbells, and a workout glove placed on a surface.

Para el 2026, ¿se propone un estilo de vida más saludable? Convertirlo en hábito no siempre es tan fácil como parece

by Luz Bahder
December 16, 2025

Creado por Brad Buck, especialista sénior en relaciones públicas para UF/IFAS.  Para muchas personas, el inicio del Año Nuevo trae el propósito de comer mejor y hacer más ejercicio. Empezar una dieta o salir a caminar puede parecer ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Acción, Agente De Extensión De UF/IFAS, Alimentacion Saludable, Año Nuevo, Contemplación, Departamento De Ciencias De La Familia, Etapa Del Cambio, Heidi Radunovich, La Juventud Y La Comunidad, Laura Acosta, Mantenimiento, Metas SMART, Modelo Transteórico De Etapas De Cambio, Objetivos, Preparacion, Propósito De Año Nuevo, Saludable, UF/IFAS
A mosquito feeds on the skin of a human hand

Es improbable que el virus del Oropuche se propague a través de mosquitos en el sureste de los Estados Unidos

by Luz Bahder
December 11, 2025

Creado por Meredith Bauer, especialista sénior en relaciones públicas para UF/IFAS. En el 2024, el virus del Oropuche se dio a conocer como una nueva amenaza para la salud pública: el virus se detectó en personas que habían viajado ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Aedes, Aedes Aegypti, Barry Alto, CDC, Ceratopogónido., Chikunguña, Culex, Culex Quinquefasciatus, Defectos Congénitos, Dengue, Dolor De Cabeza, Dolores Musculares Y Articulares, Eficiencia, Encefalitis De San Luis, Enfermedad, Escalofríos, Espanol, Estados Unidos, Fiebre, Fiebre Amarilla, Florida, FMEL, Jején, Jejenes, Laboratorio De Entomología Médica De Florida, Mosquito De Arena, Mosquito Polvorilla, Mosquitos, Nathan Burkett-Cadena, Ncefalitis Equina Occidental, Propagación Del Virus, Propagación Y Establecimiento, Spanish, Transmisores De Enfermedades, Transmiten Enfermedades, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Virus, Virus Del Nilo Occidental, Virus Del Oropuche, Zancudos, Zika

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