Tag: water

Two people in a field working with a device, surrounded by crops and wooden stakes, under a clear sky.

UF/IFAS Extension helps Southwest Florida by reducing water use on farm by 40%

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

Sakata Seed America Inc. shares the same water as urban residents in Southwest Florida. So, farm manager Cory Dombrowski wanted to see if he could irrigate more efficiently at the research farm east of Fort Myers. He did. With the help of ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation
Tags: App, Cory Dombrowski, Cost-share Program, Craig Frey, Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services, Fort Myers, Nutrient Savings, Research Farm, Sakata Seed Inc., Saving, Soil Moisture Sensor, Southwest Florida, Sowing Sustainability, Vegetable Extension Agent, Water, Water Savings
Two men talking among rows of tomato plants supported by poles.

Florida farms reduce water use by 25% with simple change in crop beds

by Brad Buck
March 9, 2026

Lipman Family Farms wanted to mitigate flood risk associated with heavy rain on their 2,000-acre farm in Naples. As general manager, Lucas Conran helps oversee seven farming operations for Lipman in Florida and other states along the East ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Compact-bed Geometry, Environmental Stewardship, Flood Mitigation, Flooding, Labor, Lipman Family Farms, Lucas Conran, Nutrients, Sanjay Shukla, Soil, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Sowing Sustainability, Tomatoes, Water, Water Savings
A person adjusting a garden sprinkler on a green lawn, with water spray visible.

UF study shows about 40% of residents don’t know they must follow irrigation restrictions

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

About 22 million people already live in Florida, and it’s expected to grow to 33 million by 2070. Those who irrigate lawns tap into the same water, much of it from the Floridan aquifer. Many cities and counties, and all water management ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources, Water
Tags: Agricultural Education And Communication, Behavior, Cities, Compliance, Counties, Floridan Aquifer, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Homeowners, Homeowners Associations, Irrigation, John Diaz, Laura Warner, Mandatory, Residential Irrigation, Restrictions, Utilities, Voluntary, Water, Water Management Districts
A partially flooded agricultural field with rows of green plants.

UF scientists to develop AI technology to help growers assess crop damage after hurricanes

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

Imagine using a generative AI platform similar to ChatGPT to get crop-damage information after a hurricane. That’s what University of Florida artificial intelligence (AI) scientist Nikolaos Tziolas plans to provide to farmers statewide. With ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Computers, Crop Damage, Damage Assessment, Generative AI, Hurricanes, Nifa, NIFA Grant, Nikolaos Tziolas, Prec-ag, Recovery, Satellite, Satellite Imagery, Smartphone, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Water
A satellite orbiting above the illuminated night side of Earth in space.

Thanks to NASA, farmers may ask, ‘Hey Alexa, what’s the best way to keep my soil healthy?’

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

Someday soon, farmers might use technology equivalent to Siri or Alexa to check the status of their soil’s quality. Anastasia Kritharoula, a doctoral student in the Soil Science Artificial Intelligence lab of the University of Florida, ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Anastasia Kritharoula, Artificial Intelligence, Farmers, Generative AI, Grant, NASA, Nikolaos Tziolas, Non-expert Users, Prec-ag, Soil, Soil Health, Soil Science Artificial Intelligence Lab, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Southwest Florida Research And Education Center, Water
Dense cluster of green and yellow bamboo stalks with glossy green leaves.

From citrus to bamboo? Some growers might move to this crop with a multibillion-dollar worldwide market

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

With a global market valued at nearly $67 billion, bamboo may offer an alternative crop for some Florida growers reeling from a devastated citrus crop, says a University of Florida expert. “Bamboo is a good alternative crop to diversify ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture
Tags: Alternative Crops, Bamboo, Citrus, Citrus Research And Education Center, Clumbing Bamboo, Construction, Davie Kadyampakeni, Food, Furniture, Low Invasion, Michael Rogers, Pests, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Water
Natural disaster on the farm. Flooded field with seedlings of eggplant and leek. Heavy rain and flooding. The risks of harvest loss. The flood. Agriculture. Ukraine, Kherson region. Selective focus. Español. Desastre natural en la granja. Campo inundado. Lluvias intensas e inundaciones. Los riesgos de pérdida de cosecha. La inundación. Agricultura. Enfoque selectivo.

With startup, researchers plan to help growers feed more people, preserve environment

by Brad Buck
March 6, 2026

By commercializing their research, two University of Florida scientists are trying to get practical artificial intelligence (AI) tools into the hands of our state’s farmers. The goal is to build their business by increasing farm profitability, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: #aiatuf, Arnold Schumann, Artificial Intelligence, Business, Citrus Research And Education Center, Commercialization, Environment, EZ Ag Innovations, Food, Gulf Coast Research And Education Center, Inputs, Labor, Nathan Boyd, Pesticides, Prec-ag, Precision Weed-spraying, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Startup, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Water
A field with tall reeds and clusters of large green trees under a pale blue sky.

UF research: Proper grazing-land management can increase soil carbon storage, but more research needed

by Brad Buck
March 17, 2026

Soil can store carbon, reducing greenhouse gas concentrations from the atmosphere, and managing grazing lands in the best ways can increase their ability to provide these important ecosystems services. But insufficient research into how to ... READ MORE

Category: Farm Management, Livestock
Tags: Carbon Market, Carbon Sequestration, Grazing Lands, Greenhouse Gas, Land Management, Maria Silveira, Range Cattle Research And Education Center, Soil, Soil Water And Ecosystem Sciences, Water
A sprinkler watering a lawn with a house in the background.

UF study: About half of Florida residents are not aware of local water restrictions

by Brad Buck
March 19, 2026

Half of Florida residents don’t know about their local water restrictions, but those who are aware can be persuaded to abide by them, new University of Florida research shows. Water restrictions can be set by cities, counties and the state’s ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Water
Tags: Agricultural Education And Communication, Intention, Irrigation, Knowledge, Laura Warner, Lawns, Restrictions, Water, Yards
Close-up of two cows with green ear tags in a grassy field.

Quantifying the Value of Benefits derived from Agricultural Lands

by Brad Buck
March 27, 2026

Hundreds of species of wildlife live on private, agricultural land. As a result, farmers and ranchers are environmental stewards, as maintaining their land to support agriculture also plays a key role in providing wildlife ecosystems in addition ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS
Tags: Agricultural Lands, Carbon Sequestration, Cattle, Easements, Ecosystem Services, Environment, Farmers, Florida Wildlife Corridor, Grazing Lands, Ranches, Water, Wildlife

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