Tag: Lee County

Cottage Foodie Connections, Part 3: Know your products and safety standards

by Lourdes Mederos
November 5, 2026

Highlights: Florida's Cottage Food Law creates opportunities for home-based food businesses, and understanding the rules is essential. University of Florida Extension experts with the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Food Safety, Fruits & Vegetables, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Family, FDACS, Featured, Florida Cottage Food Law, Food Safety, Food Science, Home-based Food Business, Jenn Hagen, Lee County, Youth And Community Sciences

Introducing Florida’s Small Farm Livestock School

by David Campbell
October 30, 2026

Choosing or expanding a livestock enterprise requires more than an interest in animals. Producers should consider infrastructure, nutrition, threats (e.g. pests and diseases), animal health, labor, markets, natural-resource management, production ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Farm Management, Livestock, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Animal Sciences, BAERS, Brevard County, Budgeting, Cattle, CFLAG, Chickens, Columbia County, DeSoto County, Family Youth And Community Sciences, FAMU, Florida Farms, Food And Resource Economics, Forages, Goats, Hardee County, Hernando County, Honey Bees, Horses, Horticultural Sciences Department, Indian River County, Lee County, Marion County, Martin County, North Florida Research And Education Center-Suwannee Valley, Osceola County, Pasco County, Pasture, Pests And Disease, Polk County, Pond Management, Sarasota County, Sheep, Small Farms, UF-IFAS, UFHoneyBeeLab, Volusia County

Starting a Small Farm? Learn, Plan, and Connect Before You Invest

by David Campbell
October 30, 2026

For many people, farming is about more than producing crops. It is often a way to reconnect with their roots, spend more time outdoors, provide local food for their community, and pursue a lifelong dream. There has also been a renewed interest ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Food Safety, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Animal Sciences, BAERS, Collier County, DeSoto County, Duval County, Family Youth And Community Sciences, FAMU, Florida Farms, Food And Resource Economics, Gadsden County, Hernando County, Highlands County, Horticultural Sciences Department, Lee County, Martin County, Palm Beach County, Polk County, Sarasota County, Seminole County, Small Farms, Southwest Small Farmers Network, St. John's County, UF-IFAS, Volusia County

Ag-Cited Cottage Foodies

by Josey Keener
March 18, 2025

Cottage foodies showcased their skills at the inaugural cottage food competition at the Southwest Florida Ag Expo. Participants took a virtual course offered by UF/IFAS Extension’s Homemade Entrepreneur program, where they learned about cottage ... READ MORE

Category: Food Safety, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Coast To Coast With Jen And Jos, Cottage Food, Cottage Food Operations, Food Safety, Jennifer Hagen, Josey Pearce Keener, Lee County, Stephanie Brown

Hurricane Debby: Florida agricultural production losses top $93M, UF economists estimate

by Megan Winslow
September 19, 2024

The UF/IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program rapidly assesses the impacts to Florida agriculture following extreme weather events. The preliminary report for Hurricane Debby is newly released. The report estimates a credible range of ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management
Tags: Agricultural Products, Agriculture, Assessment Of Losses And Damages To Florida Agriculture From Hazard/Disaster Events Tool, Christa Court, Damage, Dixie County, Economic Impact Analysis Program, Economy, EIAP, Hurricane, Hurricane Debby, Hurricane Idalia, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Lafayette County, Lee County, Manatee County, Megan Winslow, Rain, Report, Sarasota County, Steinhatchee, Storm, Survey, Suwannee County, Taylor County, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida, Weather, Wind

Red Tide, Fisheries Modeling and Citizen Science: Casting a Line to Anglers and Gulf of Mexico Stakeholders for Better Data!

by Michael Sipos
June 19, 2024

In fisheries management, setting the acceptable biological catch (ABC) is vital to ensure sustainable harvest without overexploiting fish stocks. The ABC determines how much fish can be harvested each year, and is estimated using a stock ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Disaster Preparation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Recreation, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: #RedTide, Algae, Amberjack, Angling, Beach, Brevetoxin, Brevis, Charlotte County, Citizen Science, Collier County, Dinoflagellate, Ecosystem, Ffa, Fish, Fish Kill, Fisheries, Fishing, Florida, Florida Friendly, Florida Friendly Angler, Florida Sea Grant, GoM, Grouper, Grunt, Gulf Of Mexico, HAB, Harmful Algae Bloom, Hernando County, Hillsborough County, Hogfish, Inshore, K. Brevis, Karenia, Lee County, Marine Biology, Modeling, Offshore, Pasco County, Phytoplankton, Pinellas County, Plankton, Red Tide, Redfish, Reef Fish, Research, Seafood, Snapper, Snook, Tarpon

Recap: Summer SWFL Small Farmer Network Meeting on Pine Island

by Jessica M. Ryals
September 11, 2023

On July 19, 2023 the Southwest Small Farmer Network held the summer meeting at FruitScapes, LLC on Pine Island in Lee County, FL. The focus of the meeting was to highlight the resiliency of producers on Pine Island which was devastated by Hurricane ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Events, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Recovery, Lee County, Mango, SWFL, Tropical Fruit, UF/IFAS Extension

While volunteers keep an ‘Eye on Seagrass,’ Florida Sea Grant launches new website for the citizen science program

by Brad Buck
September 5, 2023

Citizen scientists help preserve seagrasses in the Panhandle and Southwest Florida through a program called Eyes on Seagrass, which now has a dedicated webpage where potential volunteers can learn more. The efforts of the people who give ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Algae, Charlotte County, Citizen Scientists, Escambia County, Eyes On Seagrass, Florida Sea Grant, Kate Rose, Laura Reynolds, Lee County, Rick O'Connor, Santa Rosa County, Sarasota County, Seaweed, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Volunteers, Water

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