Tag: News

Cottage foods cookie baker Kathy Paiva preparing cookie dough at a communal kitchen. Photo taken 08-25-17.

Cottage Foodie Connections: A UF/IFAS Extension series for Florida’s Cottage Food Law community

by Lourdes Mederos
October 13, 2026

About this series: From baked goods to jams, Florida's Cottage Food Law has opened the door for thousands of Floridians to turn their recipes into home-based businesses. But the recipe for success requires more than a working kitchen and ... READ MORE

Category: Food Safety, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Family And Consumer Sciences, Florida Cottage Food Law, Food, News, Profits, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Lee County
A group of five adults stands in a sunlit grassy clearing surrounded by tall pine trees and other woodland vegetation. The wide-angle image is taken from a low viewpoint among long grasses. Several people are examining or holding small plant stems while gathered outdoors.

UF/IFAS, Florida Native Seed Partnership team up to offer seed harvesting certificate

by Suzette Cook
October 7, 2026

Two dozen Florida native plant and seed industry professionals attended the inaugural Wildland Seed Harvesting Best Management Practices Certificate Training Day on September 22, 2026, an effort that aims to help seed harvesters gain ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources
Tags: Florida Native Seed Partnership, Forest Resources And Conservation, Native Seed, Natural Resources, News, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Seed Harvesting, UF-IFAS
Alachua County Extension office

Biosecurity Research Forum to Address Emerging Threats Facing Agriculture and Natural Resources in the Southeast

by Karlibeth Leitheiser
September 29, 2026

Science, Impact, Preparedness NEWBERRY, FL – The Southeastern Coastal Center for Agricultural Health and Safety (SCCAHS) and UF/IFAS will host the Biosecurity Research Forum on November 16, 2026, bringing together researchers, industry ... READ MORE

Category: Events
Tags: Animal Sciences, Avian Flu, Avian Influenza, Biosecurity, Center For Public Issues Education, Center For Public Issues Education In Agriculture And Natural Resources, Event, Farm, Hazard, Health, Invasive Species, Learning Event, Lecture, Live Event, New World Screwworm, Newberry, News, NWS, Poster Presentation, Public Event, Research, Research Talk, Safety, SCCAHS, Science, Southeastern Coastal Center For Agricultural Health And Safety, Zoonotic Disease
Prescribed fire at the West Florida Research and Education Center forest, with a cogongrass patch embedded within a matrix of native habitat. Photo Credit – Photo by Alan Ivory UF/IFAS

What is helping some Florida wildfires burn hotter, spread faster?

by Lourdes Mederos
September 23, 2026

What is helping some Florida wildfires burn hotter and spread farther? A University of Florida study suggests cogongrass, an invasive grass that has spread across much of Florida and the Southeast United States, is adding more fuel to the ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Climate, Cogongrass, Florida Wildlifes, Invasive Species, News, Prescribed Fires, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatic Sciences, Wildfires

What is helping some Florida wildfires burn hotter, spread faster?

by Lourdes Mederos
September 23, 2026

What is helping some Florida wildfires burn hotter and spread farther? A University of Florida study suggests cogongrass, an invasive grass that has spread across much of Florida and the Southeast United States, is adding more fuel to the ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Climate, Cogongrass, Florida Wildlifes, Invasive Species, News, Prescribed Fires, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatic Sciences, Wildfires
Close up cart in super market department store shopping. Adobe photo credit by Jenwit.

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: 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
Gloved hands labeling petri dishes. UF/IFAS photo by Tyler Jones

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
Orange flowers with a butterfly pollinating them. Photo taken 09-12-25

New UF/IFAS App takes guesswork out of choosing the right plants, supporting pollinators and saving water for Floridians

by Jamie Groh
August 18, 2026

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program (FFL) has launched the FFL Plants & Pollinators App, a comprehensive new resource that brings together plant selection, ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, UF/IFAS
Tags: Bee Gardens, Butterfly Gardens, Environmental Stewardship, Extension Education, Featured, FFL, FFL Plants & Pollinators App, Florida Ecosystems, Florida Friendly Landscape, Florida Gardening, Florida Native Plants, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening App, Invasive Plants, Landscape Design, News, Plant Selection, Pollinator Gardening, Pollinator Habitat, Sustainable Landscaping, UF-IFAS, Water Conservation, Wildlife Gardening
close up of fruits and vegetables including kiwi, potatoes, beans and peppers

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

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