As Panhandle growers start gearing up for another production year, attention naturally turns to weed control plans, fertility programs, and getting equipment ready to roll. In the middle of all that planning, one practice often gets pushed ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management
Written by: Nick Dufault, UF/IFAS Crop Pathology Specialist Despite the dry weather, Fusarium Wilt is showing up again in watermelon fields across North Florida, and importantly, we are also observing it in our UF/IFAS variety trials. The ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, Pests & Disease
Rainfall The first quarter of 2026 was very dry across most of Florida. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides rainfall estimate maps for Florida and also provides a comparison with historic average. The map ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Crops, Horticulture, Livestock, Water
Lauren Goldsby’s path to becoming a UF/IFAS Extension Agent in Bay County, Florida's panhandle, wasn’t linear. During her undergraduate years at UF, she worked in the Forage Breeding and Genomics Lab and the Blueberry Breeding Lab, gaining ... READ MORE
Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center’s (IRREC) Postharvest Technology lab, led by Mark Ritenour, is researching how to reduce decay in strawberries and blueberries ... READ MORE
Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Food Safety, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Construction is underway for two new Agricultural Inspection Stations in Jackson County. One on Highway 231, at the Alabama border, and one on Highway 2, at the Georgia border. Agricultural Law Enforcement Officers have been hired and have ... READ MORE
Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Events, Horticulture, Livestock, Pests & Disease
Viburnums are a cornerstone crop for many Florida nurseries, but over the past two decades growers have faced increasingly severe foliar disease problems—especially during propagation. What was once a nearly trouble‑free crop has, in some ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Crops, UF/IFAS Extension
Recap of April 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector This month, we explored several invasive pests that threaten pine forests. Florida has roughly 17 million acres of forestland, with a large portion dominated by pine species. Our ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension
From artificial intelligence that can diagnose palm diseases to drone technology tracking tree health from above, the Palm Quest 2026 Conference will spotlight the future of palm science when it returns to Fort Lauderdale April 21 to 22. Hosted ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research