Category: UF/IFAS Research

A broad view of a community garden and a perfect example of urban agriculture public support in South Florida. UF/IFAS Photos by Jiangxiao Qiu

What’s driving support for urban agriculture? Public surveys and AI-assisted analysis offer insights

by Lourdes Mederos
August 13, 2026

A University of Florida study provides evidence that public support for urban agriculture has deep roots. The findings show that public support is not one-dimensional. Instead, researchers at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Farm Management, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agriculture, AI, Community Gardens, Food Security, Sustainability, UF-IFAS, Urban Agriculture

From backyard garden to grocery cart: UF/IFAS study explains how growing food shapes consumer choices

by Jamie Groh
August 12, 2026

Growing a few vegetables in the backyard may have effects that extend far beyond the garden gate that could impact economics.   More than 53 million U.S. households participate in food gardening, a number that has grown steadily in recent ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agribusiness Journal, Agricultural Communities, Agricultural Economics, Backyard Gardening, Blog Community, Community Gardens, Consumer Behavior, Consumer Preferences, Farm To Table, Featured, Florida Agriculture, Food And Resource Economics, Food And Resource Economics Department, Food And Resource Economics Research, Food Gardening, Food Production Awareness, Food Purchasing Decisions, Food Systems, Fresh Produce, Gardening And Economics, Gardening Benefits, Gardening Research, Healthy Communities, Home Gardening, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Local Agriculture, Local Farmers, Local Food Demand, Local Food Movement, Locally Grown Produce, News, Support Local Farmers, Sustainable Agriculture, Tomato Consumers, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, University Of Florida, Vegetable Gardening, Zhifeng Gao

What do Elephants have to do with Bee Fences?

by Maria Quirico
August 11, 2026

MGV Giles Paget-Wilkes, self-described multi-national citizen and lead of the Discovery Gardens apiary, gave a fascinating talk on the development of Bee Fences on Mount Elgon in Kenya.       Map of Mount Elgon; Speaker MGV Giles Paget-Wilkes. Mount ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: African Bees, Bee Fences, Elephants, Human-Elephant Conflict, Kenya, Mount Elgon

Sargassum Summer: Florida’s 2026 Record Sargassum Bloom Is More Than a Beach Problem

by Dana Saunders
August 10, 2026

Quick Facts What it is: Sargassum is a free-floating brown seaweed that drifts across the open ocean. Where it comes from: The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt, a massive accumulation of floating algae stretching from West Africa to the Gulf ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Events, Invasive Species, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research,
Tags: Department Of Microbiology And Cell Science, Sargassum Bloom, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences
FFL Plants WITH Florida Natives

Native Plants Play Key Role in Wildlife Gardens

by Maria Quirico
August 9, 2026

 Native plants are increasingly promoted as a cornerstone of wildlife-friendly gardening, but experts say gardeners do not need to limit themselves exclusively to native species to support pollinators and other wildlife. What are Native ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Wildlife
Tags: Ecological Value, Florida Native Plants, Florida-Friendly Plants, Low Maintenance, Non Invasive
Dandelion_Sedge01

Florida Lawn Weed Control

by Maria Quirico
August 6, 2026

How do we control Florida Lawn Weeds? We begin by identifying the weeds into three groups: Broadleaf Weeds, Grass Weeds and Sedge Weeds. To control common Florida lawn weeds, use a combination of proper lawn care practices, targeted chemical ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Chemical Control, Cultural Control, Dollarweed, Integrated Pest Manangement, Nonselective Herbicide, Preventative Control, Selective Herbicide, Torpedo Grass, Yellow Nutsedge
Broadleaf vs sedge weeds

Identifying Florida Lawn Weeds

by Maria Quirico
August 6, 2026

The definition of a weed is any plant that is unwanted in your yard or garden.  There are three types of weeds: broadleaf, grasses, and sedges. Identifying the weed type will assist in weed control methods. Broadleaf Weeds Broadleaf Weeds ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching
Tags: Broadleaf Weed, Crabgrass, Dandelions, Florida Lawn Weeds, Grass Weed, Sedge Weed, Yellow Nutsedge
Buttonwood with Butterfly

Florida Weeds to Grow (Some are Great Butterfly Plants)

by Maria Quirico
August 6, 2026

A weed is a plant in an unwanted place. However, this depends on your point of view! Sometimes we are surprised that these weeds are host plants for butterflies. Host plants provide food for the caterpillars of these butterflies. Here are ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Butterfly Host Plants, Checkered White Butterfly, Dainty Sulphur Butterfly, Frogfruit, Great Southern White Butterfly, Porterweed, Spanish Needle, Tropical Buckeye Butterfly, Virginia Pepperweed, White Peacock Butterfly
Person seated beside a stereomicroscope in a laboratory workspace, facing the camera. Shelving, labeled containers, laboratory supplies, buckets with marker flags, and scientific equipment are visible throughout the room, with the microscope positioned prominently on the workbench in the foreground.

Intern Profile: Cassidy Dalton’s Journey in Research and Learning

by Joe McQueen
August 4, 2026

Cassidy Dalton, an undergraduate student at the University of Florida studying environmental management, natural resources and agriculture, has spent her summer as an intern at the Hayslip Biological Control Research and Containment Laboratory, ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Biological Control, Intern, Invasive Species, Pasture Mealybug

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