Beginning of a new 4-H year
Welcome back! The 4-H new year is here, but isn’t in full swing yet. There is still plenty of time to sign up and find ways to become involved in this year’s activities. We have… Read More
A Typical Day at Beef Repro School
Most of the Central Florida Livestock Agents (CFLAG) are quite familiar with the annual gathering at Deseret Ranch in Osceola County known as Beef Reproduction School. The old timers tell me that UF has been… Read More
Permit now required to sell saw palmetto berries
Many companies use dried, ripe berries from the saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) to make an herbal extract. The extract is used to treat symptoms associated with enlarged prostate glands. In Florida, saw palmetto berries ripen… Read More
Sunn Hemp (Not Industrial Hemp)
Cover crops are used in commercial agriculture to promote soil health by adding organic matter to the soil. They are often termed green manure since they enhance soil microbial communities, add herbage to the soil,… Read More
Red tide
Readers may have seen images of large numbers of fish, marine mammals and sea turtles washing ashore on beaches in southwest Florida. While these images are disturbing, the animals’ deaths are not related to discharges… Read More
State Supplies Helpful Insects to Homeowners
Florida’s tropical climate is the perfect environment for introduced exotic organisms from around the world to thrive. The term exotic means native to somewhere else. Exotic reptiles such as the giant alligator swallowing pythons tend… Read More
Mangroves
I first became the UF/IFAS Extension Sea Grant agent for Flagler and St. Johns Counties in 2001. At that time, I was told that a hard freeze a few years earlier had stunted many of… Read More
Summer Camps in Review
Although it will still feel like summer for several more months, the summer vacation for students is over half way through. Students will be starting back classes next month, but our 4-Hers will hopefully be… Read More
Shells of pteropods on local beaches
Beachgoers may have recently noticed something glistening in the sand, especially in areas where the tide has left debris lines. If they have looked closely at the sand, they may have noticed tiny (less than… Read More
Sweetpotato: A New Crop in Town
Growers in the Tri-County Agriculture Area (TCAA) which includes Putnam, Flagler and St. Johns Counties are certainly familiar with the potato crop with nearly 20,000 acres of cropland devoted to tablestock and chip potatoes. It’s… Read More