Category: SFYL Hot Topic

Invasive daisy fleabane (Erigeron annuus) growing out of cracks in the pavement in a highly urbanized area of Zagreb, Croatia. Photo by S. Luke Flory.

Cities worldwide may be the ultimate training grounds for invasive species

by Lourdes Mederos
September 21, 2026

With city growth and urban sprawl, could these changing landscapes be giving invasive species a competitive edge? Scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) say the answer may be yes, ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Climate Change, Environment, Invasive Species, Luke Flory, Top News, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida Invasion Science Institute, Urban Sprawl
Close up cart in super market department store shopping. Adobe photo credit by Jenwit.

Does a chronic disease diagnosis change what you put in your grocery cart?

by Lourdes Mederos
September 17, 2026

When someone is diagnosed with a chronic illness such as diabetes or heart disease, one of the recommendations is to often change what they eat. Changing what they add to their grocery cart will be a critical part of managing their health, ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Management, Money Matters, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Chronic Illness, Diabetes, Dietary Change, Food And Resource Economics, Food Is Medicine, Food Prices, News, UF/IFAS, Usda
Dr. Jorge E. Pena, professor of entomology and nematology and PhD. student Daniel Carrillo, UF's Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL evaluating infestations of the red palm mite. 2010 Annual Research Report Photo.

UF launches initiative to support rapid-response research when invasive pests threaten Florida agriculture

by Lourdes Mederos
September 14, 2026

When a new invasive pest or plant disease appears, scientists have a small window of opportunity to address the threat before it spreads and becomes a much larger problem, potentially devastating Florida's agriculture, nursery industries, natural ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Events, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS
Tags: Agriculture, Challenge 250, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Nursery, One Night In The Tropics, Rapid-response, Safeguard Ecosystems, Top News
Gloved hands labeling petri dishes. UF/IFAS photo by Tyler Jones

Are food recalls becoming more common? UF food expert puts recalls into perspective

by Lourdes Mederos
September 10, 2026

Recent recalls involving eggs and salmonella-linked jalapeños, along with investigations into cyclospora and other produce-related illnesses have fueled concerns by consumers that food recalls are becoming more frequent. While the steady ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Food Safety, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Cyclospora, Featured, Food Recalls, Food Safety, Food Supply, Foodborne Pathogens, Keith Schneider, News, Outbreak, Salmonella
11. The margined calligrapher (Toxomerus marginatus) did not shift its activity timing in relation to human modification. 12. Photo Credit – Corey T. Callaghan

Pollinators keep a later calendar in human-modified landscapes — A UF study explains the phenomenon

by Lourdes Mederos
September 9, 2026

Human development may be changing more than where pollinators live — it may also be changing when they are active. University of Florida researchers at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) found that pollinator ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Community Volunteers, Conservation, Forests, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Citizen Science, Conservation, Ecology, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Human Development, INaturalist, Nature, Pollinators, Special Topics, UF/IFAS
Dr. Lawrence Reeves, inspecting a bag of mosquitoes collected with an aspirator (essentially a vacuum for mosquitoes) from boulders at Cochise Stronghold, Dragoon Mountains, Cochise Co., Arizona. 15. Photo Credit: Photo: Dan Killingsworth

Mosquito species known only from Mexico recorded in U.S. for first time

by Lourdes Mederos
September 8, 2026

While most people may associate mosquitoes with Florida’s swamps, Arizona’s deserts and mountains are also home to a surprising variety of mosquito species. A University of Florida mosquito scientist has documented one of those species ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Florida, Florida Medical Entomology Lab, Invasive Species, Lawrence Reeves, Mosquito, Mosquito Diversity, Mosquito-borne Disease, Public Health, Top News
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
A broad view of a community garden and a perfect example of urban agriculture public support in South Florida. UF/IFAS Photos by Jiangxiao Qiu

What’s driving support for urban agriculture? Public surveys and AI-assisted analysis offer insights

by Lourdes Mederos
August 13, 2026

A University of Florida study provides evidence that public support for urban agriculture has deep roots. The findings show that public support is not one-dimensional. Instead, researchers at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Blog Community, Farm Management, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: #AI, Agriculture, Community Gardens, Food Security, Sustainability, UF/IFAS, Urban Agriculture
A monarch butterfly on a flower. UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones.

UF/IFAS invites Floridians of all ages to join the Great Southeast Pollinator Census Aug. 21-22

by Lourdes Mederos
August 10, 2026

What if protecting pollinators were as easy as spending 15 minutes watching a patch of flowers? On Aug. 21-22, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extensions invites Floridians of all ages to join ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Events, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Beneficial Insects, Citizen Science, Great Southeast Pollinator Census, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Master Gardener Volunteers, Pollinator, Special Topics, Top News, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
AdobeStock_255591644 School healthy lunch box with sandwich, cookies, nuts, fruits and avocado on a white background.

Beyond school supplies: UF/IFAS expert shares healthy, affordable meal plans you can prepare in minutes

by Lourdes Mederos
July 27, 2026

While summer is still in full swing, signs of the new school year are already here. Back-to-school commercials are filling the airwaves, and stores are stocked with backpacks, classroom supplies and clothing as parents begin checking items ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Blog Community, , Events, Health & Nutrition, Home Management, Relationships & Family, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Back To School, Extension De UF/IFAS De Miami-Dade, Food Is Medicine, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Meal Planning, News, Spanish, Top News, UF/IFAS

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