Who: University of Florida officials, citrus scientists, growers and other stakeholders will gather at the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, Florida. Speakers will include:

• W. Kent Fuchs, UF president.
• Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources.
• Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus REC.
• Fred Gmitter, UF/IFAS professor of horticultural sciences.

What: Dignitaries, faculty, producers and others will celebrate a 100-year partnership between science and the citrus industry. The research center focuses on citrus, making it the only UF/IFAS research facility that focuses on one crop.

Gmitter, the keynote speaker, will trace the genetics of citrus breeding back millions of years.

In the afternoon, UF/IFAS researchers from soil and water sciences, horticultural sciences, microbiology, and cell science and entomology will show the public how they work together to help the citrus industry battle deadly diseases like greening. Researchers also help growers produce as much citrus as possible and great-tasting orange juice.

When:

9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 29.

Where:

UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, 700 Experiment Station Road, Lake Alfred, Florida. For more information, click here: https://crec100years.eventbrite.com.

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By: Brad Buck, 352-294-3303, bradbuck@ufl.edu

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS works to bring science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. Visit the UF/IFAS web site at ifas.ufl.edu and follow us on social media at @UF_IFAS.

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