FORT PIERCE, Fla.—On Saturday, Oct. 19– buy native plants, embark on a garden tour, or visit an aquaculture lab to glimpse at sparkling fish. Meet scientists in their research laboratories—or watch your kids enjoy a scavenger hunt and petting zoo.
Add the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Treasure Coast Agri-Science Showcase & Fall Fest, with presenting sponsor Mike’s Organic Topsoil,” to your calendar and enjoy an exciting day solo or with your friends and family, Oct. 19, 9 a.m. until 2 p.m., in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The festival showcases three attractions: the UF/IFAS Extension, St. Lucie County, 8400 Picos Road; the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center, 2199 South Rock Road; and the UF/IFAS Aquaculture Demonstration Facility, at 5800 Picos Road, each within a mile loop on Rock and Picos roads. Attendees may park and ride in an American with Disabilities Act-certified shuttle between the three locations, which will operate for the duration of the event, and a half hour after the event closes. Attendees will park their personal vehicles and ride to separate locations.
“Join us at the Treasure Coast Agri-Science & Fall Fest on Oct. 19,” said Mark Kistler, who recently joined the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) as director. “I look forward to meeting the community we serve with research, extension and education for our local agricultural and natural resource community.” Kistler was raised in Florida and is dedicated to a lifelong commitment of leadership in agricultural production and natural resources.
Kistler said he and his team are honored to join their partners, the UF/IFAS Extension, St. Lucie County, for a field day of educational activities and fun.
“Your UF/IFAS Extension, St. Lucie County, offers a day of fun and learning,” said Grantly Ricketts, director for the Extension office. “We provide our traditional native plant sale and many activities for families and all of our neighbors to enjoy and learn about agriculture and natural resources protection.”
Ricketts said the event is an opportunity to share the county Extension service’s outreach to the community. The Extension service plans activities for all ages to engage. Many residents attend the annual event to purchase Florida-friendly plants from the Master Gardener Volunteers. Ricketts and his team have kids’ activities planned, including a petting zoo, crafts, and a scavenger hunt.
Attendees may visit the Pollinator, Salt-Tolerant and Fern Gardens, the nursery, and a stroll through the Nature Trail.
Kistler will lead indoor tours at IRREC, presenting overviews of each research topic and introducing participants to the researchers in their laboratories. Kistler said presentations will include laboratory greenhouse visits and interactions with research teams who work with water resources, crop production and new disease-tolerant citrus varieties, biological control for crop pests and invasive species. Participants will visit the IRREC Aquaculture Facility to learn from Cortney Ohs and his team of researchers about the steps involved in aquaculture production of marine food and ornamental fishes. Trolley tours to IRREC research fields will afford attendees an opportunity to view active research experiments.
Other focus areas that attendees may visit include:
• Smart irrigation and hydrology
• Citrus horticulture
• Plant pathology and transcriptomics
• Soil and water science
• Entomopathogenic fungi that protects crops
• Postharvest technology
The University of Florida is a land-grant institution. As part of that designation, the university fulfills its commitment to provide research, Extension, and education statewide. At the Extension service, Grantly Ricketts leads a team of agents who transfer scientific findings to regional food producers, natural resources employees and nursery operators. Other services include expert gardening consulting, local 4-H leadership, plant diagnostics and consumer education. At IRREC, faculty members conduct research and translate their findings to improve local agricultural production for growers and natural resources for the community. The findings and advancements are presented to stakeholders by extension faculty in collaboration with research faculty. The IRREC faculty members teach graduate courses online and provide in-person training and mentoring of interns, graduate and undergraduate students, along with visiting scientists.
For more information about the UF/IFAS IRREC, visit the IRREC website at irrec.ifas.ufl.edu. To learn more about your local UF/IFAS Extension, visit sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu
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