Category: UF/IFAS Research

Does a chronic disease diagnosis change what you put in your grocery cart?

by Lourdes Mederos
September 17, 2026

When someone is diagnosed with a chronic illness such as diabetes or heart disease, one of the recommendations is to often change what they eat. Changing what they add to their grocery cart will be a critical part of managing their health, ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Management, Money Matters, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Chronic Illness, Diabetes, Dietary Change, Food And Resource Economics, Food Is Medicine, Food Prices, News, UF-IFAS, USDA

Florida Lawn Insect Control

by Lake County Master Gardener Volunteer
September 15, 2026

Written by MGV Clayton Yuen Florida’s Five Most Destructive Lawn Insect Pests: What Homeowners Need to Know A lush green lawn is a source of pride for many homeowners, but beneath the surface, insect pests may be quietly causing extensive ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Armyworms, Chinch Bugs, Florida Lawns, Lawn Insect Pests, Mole Crickets, Sod Webworms, White Grubs

It May Be a Little Pushy – But It Only Wants to Help

by Lake County Master Gardener Volunteer
September 12, 2026

Written by MGV Linda Knight While visiting the Discovery Gardens Rose Garden, I noticed a Corky-Stemmed Passionflower (Passiflora suberosa) had pushed its tiny, pale yellow-green flower to the top of the perfectly trimmed Dwarf Yaupon ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Corky-Stemmed Passiflower, Florida Host Plant, Gulf Frittilary Butterfly, Julia Butterfly, Passiflora Suberosa, Zebra Longwing Butterfly

A Bluebird on Your Shoulder

by Lake County Master Gardener Volunteer
September 11, 2026

Written by MGV Paula Bleakley The phrase “bluebird on your shoulder” symbolizes happiness or good fortune. Who doesn’t smile when they see a picture of a chubby little bluebird in its pretty orange vest? But having one in your own backyard ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agriculture, Clubs & Volunteers, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Attracting Bluebirds, Bird Baths, Eastern Bluebirds, Nest Building

Could AI Help Find Diesel Contamination in Soil After a Hurricane?

by Mike Loizzo
September 10, 2026

The aftermath of a hurricane or major storm is easy to see in an agricultural or coastal region. The physical damage includes flooded roads and buildings, downed trees and disrupted infrastructure. However, some of the biggest environmental ... READ MORE

Category: Disaster Preparation, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Brierra Mack, Diesel Contamination, Disaster Recovery, Environmental Emergency Response, Hurricane, Nikos Tziolas, Soil Science, Soil Science Artificial Intelligence, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences

Are food recalls becoming more common? UF food expert puts recalls into perspective

by Lourdes Mederos
September 10, 2026

Recent recalls involving eggs and salmonella-linked jalapeños, along with investigations into cyclospora and other produce-related illnesses have fueled concerns by consumers that food recalls are becoming more frequent. While the steady ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Food Safety, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Cyclospora, Featured, Food Recalls, Food Safety, Food Supply, Foodborne Pathogens, Keith Schneider, News, Outbreak, Salmonella

Pollinators keep a later calendar in human-modified landscapes — A UF study explains the phenomenon

by Lourdes Mederos
September 9, 2026

Human development may be changing more than where pollinators live — it may also be changing when they are active. University of Florida researchers at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) found that pollinator ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Community Volunteers, Conservation, Forests, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Citizen Science, Conservation, Ecology, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Human Development, Inaturalist, Nature, Pollinators, Special Topics, UF-IFAS

2025–2026 Cool-Season Forage Variety Trial Results

by Marcelo Wallau
September 9, 2026

UF/IFAS Agronomy Department Forage Team Authored by: Maria Elena Mailhos, Marcelo Wallau, Cheryl Mackowiak, and Diwakar Vyas As fall approaches, many producers are making decisions on what cool-season forages to plant for grazing, silage ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Livestock, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Forages, Panhandle Agriculture, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research

Mosquito species known only from Mexico recorded in U.S. for first time

by Lourdes Mederos
September 8, 2026

While most people may associate mosquitoes with Florida’s swamps, Arizona’s deserts and mountains are also home to a surprising variety of mosquito species. A University of Florida mosquito scientist has documented one of those species ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Florida, Florida Medical Entomology Lab, Invasive Species, Lawrence Reeves, Mosquito, Mosquito Diversity, Mosquito-borne Disease, Public Health, Top News

Taking the Next STEPS: Renewed Funding Advances Phosphorus Sustainability

by Mike Loizzo
September 1, 2026

The Science and Technologies for Phosphorus Sustainability (STEPS) Center has received nearly $22.5 million in renewed funding from the National Science Foundation. The NSF support will continue research and collaboration focused on phosphorus ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Farm Management, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Everglades Agricultural Area, Everglades Research And Education Center, Jango Bhadha, Jehangir Bhadha, National Science Foundation-Science And Technology Center, NSF, Nutrient Management, Phosphorus, Science And Technologies For Phosphorus Sustainability, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, STEPS Center

Subscribe For More Great Content