Tag: UF/IFAS Extension

Back-to-School Nutrition: Fueling Students for Success

by Lori Wiggins
August 6, 2026

As summer comes to an end, families are busy checking off school supply lists, organizing backpacks, and settling back into school routines. While notebooks and pencils are essential for learning, one of the most valuable school supplies isn’t ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, Home Management, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, , Work & Life
Tags: Back To School, Children, Family, Florida, Health, Healthy, Healthy Eating, Nutrition, Taylor County, UF/IFAS Extension, Youth

Back-to-School Anxiety: Helping Your Child Start the School Year with Confidence

by Lori Wiggins
August 5, 2026

The beginning of a new school year brings excitement, new opportunities, and fresh starts. It also brings uncertainty. Whether your child is starting kindergarten, moving to a new school, entering middle or high school, or simply returning after ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, Home Management, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Back To School, Children, Family, Health, Nutrition, Physical Activity, Taylor County, UF/IFAS Extension, Youth

Many paths for Florida students to hunt hurricanes

by Wes Wolfe
July 24, 2026

There are a number of ways to go from the classroom to the eye of a hurricane, as more than a dozen area students and their parents learned on a recent excursion to the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Events, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: 4-H, Geomatics, Geomatics Extension, Hurricane Hunters, Hurricane Preparation, Hurricane Season, NOAA, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, SFFGS, UF/IFAS Extension

Wildlife Watch: Seeing more armadillos this summer? UF/IFAS experts explain in this Ask IFAS bilingual guide

by Lourdes Mederos
July 23, 2026

About this series This month’s Wildlife Watch installment spotlights the nine-banded armadillo. As residential and commercial development expands across Florida, wildlife is adapting to live closer to people and, in some cases, faces ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Ask IFAS, Beneficial Wildlife, Español, Hance Ellington, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, News, Nine-banded Armadillo, Spanish, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research And Education Center, UF/IFAS Wildlife Ecology And Conservation, University Of Florida, Wildlife Watch

Florida Heat Isn’t Just Hard on Your Plants—It’s Hard on You, Too

by Angelika Keene
July 21, 2026

As Florida Master Gardeners, we know summer gardening isn't for the faint of heart. We carefully watch our plants for signs of heat stress, adjust our watering schedules, and look for ways to help our gardens survive another hot, humid day. But ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Community Wellness, Fall Gardening, Florida Heat, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Gardening, Heat Illness Prevention, Heat Safety, Hydration, Master Gardener Volunteer, Mental Health, Mental Health First Aid, Mental Wellness, Outdoor Safety, Self Care, Spring Gardening Summer Gardening, Stay Cool, Summer Gardening, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetable Gardening, Winter Gardening

Vacation Doesn’t Mean Taking a Vacation from Your Health

by Lori Wiggins
July 20, 2026

Summer is the perfect time to pack your bags, spend time with family and friends, and explore new places. Whether you're heading to the beach, taking a road trip, or enjoying a weekend getaway, vacations provide an opportunity to relax and recharge. ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Exercise, Family, Florida, Health, Healthy, Physical Activity, Recreation, Summer, Taylor County, UF/IFAS Extension, Vacation

Healthy Eating with Diabetes: Small Changes That Make a Big Difference

by Lori Wiggins
July 20, 2026

Living with diabetes doesn’t mean giving up the foods you enjoy. Instead, it means learning how to make healthier choices that help keep blood sugar levels in a healthy range while supporting your overall well-being. A balanced diet is one ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Cooking, Diabetes, Florida, Health, Healthy, Healthy Eating, Managing Diabetes, Nutrition, Taylor County, UF/IFAS Extension

Boom! That thunder signals lightning is near. Be ready with these safety tips

by Brad Buck
July 15, 2026

We’re entering the heart of Florida’s summer thunderstorm season, and the daily rumble of storms heralds one of nature’s most dangerous hazards: lightning. The danger is far from theoretical. Of the 21 known fatalities reported nationwide ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Beach Safety, Florida Lightning Safety, Florida Summer Storms, Florida Weather, Fort Myers Beach Lightning, Lara Milligan, Lightning Awareness, Lightning Hazards, Lightning Injuries, Lightning Misconceptions, Lightning Prevention, Lightning Safety Florida, Lightning Safety Tips, Lightning Shelter, Lightning Strikes, Natural Resources Extension, Outdoor Recreation Safety, Outdoor Safety, Public Safety Education, Severe Weather Preparedness, Shannon Carnevale, Storm Safety, Summer Thunderstorms, Thunder And Lightning, Thunderstorm Preparedness, Thunderstorm Safety, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, University Of Florida, Weather Education, Weather Safety, When Thunder Roars Go Indoors, Wildfire Prevention

The Landscape Order of Operations: Water. Test. Fertilize—if needed.

by Lauren Spaduzzi
July 15, 2026

A simple guide to diagnosing landscape problems before reaching for fertilizer. When plants start looking unhealthy, it's tempting to reach for a bag of fertilizer. Yellowing leaves, stunted growth, or poor flowering often seem like obvious ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Water
Tags: Central Florida, Fertilizer, Fertilizer Ordinances, Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruit, Garden, Gardening, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Irrigation, Landscape, Master Gardener, Soil PH, Soil Test, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetable, Vegetable Gardening, Watering Efficiently

Media Alert: UF/IFAS Experts to Host Pasture Mealybug Webinar on July 17

by Jamie Groh
July 13, 2026

What: Experts from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) are hosting an informational webinar on the invasive pasture ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural Pest Management, Agricultural Webinar, Blog Community, Crop Protection, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Entomology, FDACS, Featured, Featured Hot Topic, Florida, Florida Agriculture, Florida Extension, Florida Farmers, Forage Grasses, Forages, Insecticide Options, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sceinces, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive Pasture Mealybug, Invasive Pests, Invasive Species, Livestock Production, Mealybug Identification, Pasture Management, Pasture Mealybug, Pasture Mealybug Webinar, Pasture Pest Control, Sugarcane Pests, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, University Of Florida

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