Tag: Highlands County

Palm trees blowing in strong wind with a blurred ocean background.

A Glimpse at Emergency Operations Center with UF/IFAS Extension Agent

by Lourdes Mederos
April 27, 2026

HIGHLANDS COUNTY, Fla. --- As weather experts reported of Hurricane Dorian’s forecasting challenges, emergency operation centers (EOC) in the path of the storm started assembling earlier than usual. While you may think all the action taking ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Fruits & Vegetables, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Agriculture, Archive, Citrus, Crisis, Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Operations Center, EOC, Extension, Highlands County, Hurricane Preparation, Laurie Hurner, Recovery, UF-IFAS

UF/IFAS Livestock Working Group Hosts Environmental Lands Program on Kissimmee River

by lbutler
October 29, 2025

On October 15th, members of South Florida Beef Forages Program (a working group of Livestock UF/IFAS Extension Agents) hosted an Environmental Lands Management Program on the shores of the Kissimmee River. The purpose of the program was to educate ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Livestock, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Conservation, Floridaranches, Highlands County, Kissmmeeriver, Landmanagement, Livestock, Okeechobee, SFBF
Close up of youth creating maps of a river from a series of aerial photographs.

4-H campers learn geospatial skills

by Katie Britt
July 21, 2025

Florida’s history and heritage was the theme of a joint 4-H camp hosted by Highlands and Okeechobee counties on July 9. The camp brought together youth ages 8 to 12 to learn about Florida’s history, cook traditional recipes, visit ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Camp, Conservation
Tags: 4-H, 4-H & Youth, 4-H Camp, Geomatics, Geomatics Extension, Highlands County, Okeechobee County, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences
Ashley Houpe_King Gill, a new agriculture agent in Central Florida.

New director takes lifetime work in Ag, 4-H to the next level at UF/IFAS Extension Highlands County

by Lourdes Mederos
March 27, 2025

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) welcomes Ashley Houpe-King Gill as its new director of UF/IFAS Extension Highlands County. With an extensive background in 4-H, agriculture, human services, ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: 4-H, Ashley Houpe-King Gill, Highlands County, National Association Of County Agricultural Agents, National Association Of Extension 4-H Youth Development Professionals, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Lee County
Four edible perennials you can plant in your yard

Cultivating a Food Forest in Your Yard

by David Austin
May 29, 2024

To grow your food is to know your food Step outside your door and gather the ingredients for a salad or pick some fruit for breakfast. It wasn't so long ago that people lived that way and grew much of what they ate. With the convenience of ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Agriculture, Classes, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food Forest, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, Permaculture, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetables

Navigating the Thistle Lifecycle: Strategies for Effective Thistle Management in Pastures

by Kalan Royal
December 13, 2023

Thistles are a common weed found in pastures throughout South Florida that can have an economic impact on your cattle operation through loss of grazing and reduced forage production which can lead to reduced weaning weights. Thistles are biennials, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Livestock
Tags: Highlands County, Livestock, Pasture Management, Pasture Weeds, Thistles, Weed Control
Bees on a hive frame

August 19th was National Honey Bee Day

by David Austin
August 22, 2023

  Celebrating honey bees Honey bees deserve their day in the sun. After all, they work most daylight hours and their jobs never seem to end. They are working from the moment they chew their way out of the cell they developed in, until ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Fruits & Vegetables, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Bees, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Honey, Master Gardener Volunteers, PolliNATION, UF/IFAS Extension
Two large Florida Alligators bask in the sun while faccing away from each other, tail to tail.

Convert your yard to a Florida-Friendly one

by David Austin
April 10, 2023

Don't kill yourself any longer Is taking care of your yard hard on your pocketbook and your back? Has it become something out of an Alfred Hitcok film?  Are you frustrated with your plants not doing well? Someone may have told you, “That’s ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteers, UF/IFAS Extension
tips from the Help Desk...Bats

Tips from the help desk…Bats in your belfry, October 2022

by David Austin
March 13, 2023

Tips from the Help Desk... Bats in your belfry by David Austin Residential Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator Bats are known for their scary Halloween personas. That is if bats can have personas. Nevertheless, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, , Wildlife
Tags: Bats, Conservation, Highlands County, Highlands Horticulture Digest, Hometown Gardener, Insects, Master Gardener Volunteers, Mosquito, PolliNATION, Tips From The Help Desk, Wildlife

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