Geomatics students working with surveying equipment at the Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC). Photo taken 12-03-25

Media Alert: UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center to Host Landscape, Nursery, and Controlled Plant Production Field Day

by Jamie Groh
September 1, 2026

What: The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC) will host its Landscape, Nursery, and Controlled Plant Production Field Day to provide visitors with ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS
Tags: Agricultural Research, Apopka Florida, Community Outreach, Controlled Environment Agriculture, Extension Education, Featured, Field Day, Florida Agriculture, FNGLA, Geomatics, Green Industry, Landscape Horticulture, Mid-Florida Research And Education Center, MREC, Nursery Industry, Ornamental Horticulture, Plant Production, Plant Science, Space Biology, UF Research, UF/IFAS
Photo of interns while capturing tegus, surveying alligator nests and capturing pythons.

Fighting Florida’s invasive species, UF/IFAS interns are on the front lines gaining hands-on experience

by Lourdes Mederos
August 27, 2026

From tracking pythons in Big Cypress National Preserve to trapping invasive tegus in South Florida, University of Florida students are stepping out of the classroom to gain hands-on experience in some of the state's most vulnerable ecosystems ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Invasive Species, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Argentine Black And White Tegu, Coservation, Ecosystems, Everglades National Park, Invasive Species, Pythons, Wildlife
En la imagen aparece un grupo de jóvenes con camisetas verdes posando detrás de un vehículo solar de carreras. El vehículo lleva el número 20 y está situado frente al Texas Motor Speedway. También se observan estructuras de una zona de competición y el logotipo de Victory Lane.

Jóvenes de 4-H en el sur de Florida construyen un vehículo solar y ganan el campeonato nacional

by Luz Bahder
August 26, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Un equipo de 14 adolescentes del sur de Florida está llevando el aprendizaje de habilidades laborales a un nuevo ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Blog Community, Clubs & Volunteers, Events, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: 4-H, Agente De Extensión 4-H, Allan Phipps, Kenan Bridges, STEM, TechGarage
The South Florida 4-H TechGarage Solar Car Team celebrates together in Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway before setting out across Texas. o Pictured from left: Gavin Vilarchao, Oliver Collins, Lars Erik Wiik, Saakshar Patel, Caiden Douglas-Jacques, Zayn Zyoud, Tomas Negron, Sam Merlin, Aiden Phipps, Emily Herman, Jose Moncada, Emily Boudreaux, Harley Duarte, and Makayla Derival. o Photo by Allan Phipps

4-H goes solar: South Florida teens build a national championship-winning solar car earning a national title

by Lourdes Mederos
August 26, 2026

A 14-member team of South Florida teenagers is redefining what workforce development looks like through 4-H at UF/IFAS Extension Broward and Palm Beach counties. Instead of raising livestock or growing vegetables, these students are designing, ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Professional Development, UF/IFAS, Work & Life
Tags: Engineering, Florida 4-H, STEM, TechGarage Solar Car Club, Top News, UF/IFAS Extension, Workforce Development, Youth
Natural Area Teaching Laboratory boardwalk covered in high water. Photo taken 06-25-21.

NSF awards UF $1.79M grant to harness AI-powered environmental forecasting with help from HiPerGator

by Lourdes Mederos
August 25, 2026

Water and carbon are key resources people rely on every day, from the availability of drinking water and preventing floods to storing carbon in forests and wetlands. The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.79 million grant to ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Conservation, Flood, HiPerGator, Jiangxiao Qiu, National Science Foundation, Research, The Water Institute
Gator head peeking out of the surface of water.

UF/IFAS names Mathews Paret interim Center director of Mid-Florida Research and Education Center

by Chris Vivian
August 25, 2026

Highlights: UF/IFAS appoints plant pathology leader Mathews Paret as interim director of the Mid-Florida Research and Education Center (MREC). Paret brings expertise in plant pathology, diagnostics and crop protection. Former directory ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Department Of Plant Pathology, Horticultural Sciences, Mathews Paret, MREC
Jacksonville skyline with tall buildings and a stormy sky.

Learn with Extension: How a Duval County grandmother learned to heal 

by Aaron Alexander
August 20, 2026

 In 2008, a devastating car accident left Princie Mikel, a retired nurse and grandmother in Duval County, “tore up from the floor up,” as she put it. After the crash, she had two broken hands, seven broken ribs, a crushed sternum, ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Duval County, Family, Family And Consumer Sciences, Youth And Community Sciences
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
Un agricultor agachado en un campo de cultivo sostiene varias papas recién cosechadas entre sus manos. Viste una camisa de cuadros rojos y blancos, jeans y botas. Al fondo se observan más plantas, un paisaje rural y un cielo azul con nubes.

Agricultores y ganaderos: el taller gratuito del 26 de agosto ofrece planificación financiera, desde balances hasta préstamos del USDA

by Luz Bahder
August 18, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Ya sea para ampliar una operación agrícola o ganadera, prepararse para la temporada de impuestos o solicitar un préstamo, ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, Livestock, Professional Development, UF/IFAS
Tags: Derek Farnsworth, Espanol, FSA-USDA, Operación Agrícola O Ganadera, Spanish, Taller Sobre Planificacion Y Gestion Fiscal

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