Category: Farm Management

Insectary room at the Mosquito Management Services Facility, with the Sarasota County Extension "ex•plore" program icon overlaying the image

ex•plore: Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services Facility Tour

by Erin Petersen and Jackie LebouitzAvatar photo
September 29, 2025

For over 80 years, Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services (MMS) has managed the surveillance and reduction of mosquito populations here in Sarasota County. To share more about their process, MMS generously offered a public tour of their ... READ MORE

Category: Farm Management, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: County, Explore, Integrated Pest Management, IPM, Management, Mms, Mosquito, Pgm_Chemicals, Sarasota, Services, Tour
Fallen oak leaves

Support Your Local Bugs: Leave the Leaves (Get a FREE Bumper Sticker!)

by Jackie Lebouitz
March 19, 2025

You may have heard the phrase "leave the leaves" before. It was first coined by the National Wildlife Federation, then popularized by the Xerces Society. After that, many other groups followed suit. Before we dive into what that phrase means, ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Arthropod, Bug, Drop, Entomology, Insect, Invertebrate, Leaf, Leave The Leaves, Leaves, Mulch, Pgm_Chemicals
Altica spp. flea beetle

Leap into Learning: Flea Beetles

by Jackie Lebouitz
February 27, 2024

The daytime call of birdsong heralds our gentle transition into the spring season. Light rainstorms ensure that our soils are saturated and that our plants are nourished. The sun's rays work in tandem to encourage the emergence of fresh, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
Tags: Beetle, Biocontrol, Control, Damage, Ecofriendly, Entomology, Flea, Insects, Pests, Pgm_Chemicals, Plant
closeup on hands of farmer using a weed cutter carefully around a newly sprouted plant. [credit: uf/ifas]

Becoming a Farmer (Part 7 of 7): Enough With the Questions! I (Think) I’m Ready to Roll!

by Rod Greder
February 6, 2024

“Your preparation for the real world is not in the answers you’ve learned, but in the questions you’ve learned how to ask.” -- Bill Watterson What’s With All the Questions!?! KEY QUESTIONS • Who? ✔ • What ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: Ag, Agriculture, BecomingAFarmer, Business, Farm, Farm School, Grower, Pgm_Ag, Ranch, Small Farm, Small Farming
a girl wearing black clothes looks an an oversized analog alarm click. [credit: pixabay.com, un-perfekt]

Becoming a Farmer (Part 6 of 7): “When” Do You Make the Dream Come True?

by Rod Greder
January 8, 2024

"If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four hours sharpening the axe." -- Abraham Lincoln As a kid, we sometimes couldn't wait for Christmas and we tore into the presents early. Finally, when the big day arrived, we ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: Ag, Agriculture, BecomingAFarmer, Business, Farm, Farm School, Grower, Pgm_Ag, Ranch, Small Farm, Small Farming
aerial view of rural town with an array of homes surrounded by multiple farms and farmland. [credit: unsplash.com, luca j]

Becoming a Farmer (Part 5 of 7): “Dude, Where’s My Farm?

by Rod Greder
December 7, 2023

"There is no there there." -- Gertrude Stein, Author "Where" your farm business is located is a very important question. It matters in many ways. Like the Ashton Kutcher movie, "Dude, Where's My Car?", you don't want the location of your farm ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: Ag, Agriculture, BecomingAFarmer, Business, Farm, Farm School, Grower, Pgm_Ag, Ranch, Small Farm, Small Farming
a woman walks through a corn field and scans growing crops. [credit: unsplash.com, gonzalo facello]

Becoming a Farmer (Part 4 of 7): “How” Will You Produce Your Crops and Raise Your Animals?

by Rod Greder
November 1, 2023

"It isn't what you do, but how you do it." —John Wooden, Hall of Fame basketball coach Last time we talked about some of the thousands of different products, the "what" you can produce on a farm, from livestock to bees and fish, from trees ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: Ag, Agriculture, BecomingAFarmer, Business, Farm, Farm School, Grower, Pgm_Ag, Ranch, Small Farm, Small Farming
Batch of new chicks in the brooder, won't be ready for pastures for weeks. [CREDIT: UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County, Rod Greder]

Becoming a Farmer (Part 3 of 7): “What” Do You Want to Produce? Can you? Should You?

by Rod Greder
September 14, 2023

There are as many microorganisms in a spoonful of healthy soil as stars in the sky and neurons in the brain. Astounding facts! I'm not sure which is more mind-bending. There are almost as many different ways to farm and things to produce. KEY ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Farm Management
Tags: Ag, Agriculture, BecomingAFarmer, Business, Farm, Farm School, Grower, Pgm_Ag, Ranch, Small Farm, Small Farming

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