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Category: Fruits & Vegetables

First Fridays with Florida First Detector, Schedule available Sept 2025-2026!

by Morgan Pinkerton
May 8, 2026

What is Florida First Detector? Florida First Detector is a multiagency educational effort focused on enhancing the early detection of invasive pests that threaten agriculture, nursery industries, and natural areas. We offer in-person and ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, FFD25-26, Florida First Detector, FloridaFirstDetector, Invasive Species, Plant Protection, SeminoleCountyAg

May 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
May 4, 2026

Recap of May 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector In May, we dove into the basics of nematodes. While many nematodes are free-living and play beneficial roles in soil ecosystems, others are parasitic and can cause significant damage ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, Nematodes, SeminoleCountyAg

First Fridays with Florida First Detector, Coming again Sept 2024-2025!

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

What is Florida First Detector? Florida First Detector is a multiagency educational effort focused on enhancing the early detection of invasive pests that threaten agriculture, nursery industries, and natural areas. We offer in-person and ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Wildlife
Tags: Biosecurity, FFD24-25, Florida First Detector, Invasive Species, Plant Protection, SeminoleCountyAg

First Fridays with Florida First Detector, Back again Sept 2023-2024!

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

What is Florida First Detector? Florida First Detector is a multiagency educational effort focused on enhancing the early detection of invasive pests that threaten agriculture, nursery industries, and natural areas. We offer in-person and ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, AGRICULTURE, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching,
Tags: Biosecurity, FFD23-24, Florida First Detector, Invasive Species, Plant Protection, SeminoleCountyAg

March 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of March 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector This month, we took a closer look at thrips (Order: Thysanoptera), a group of tiny insects that can have outsized impacts on plants. Although there are more than 7,000 thrips species ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, Invasive Species, SeminoleCountyAg, Thrips

February 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of February 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector Fruit crops are a cornerstone of Florida’s agriculture industry, with the state ranking among the top producers of citrus, berries, melons, and other specialty fruits. Despite ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Citrus, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, Fruit Flies, Invasive Species, Lime Swallowtail, SeminoleCountyAg

January 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of January 2026 First Friday with Florida First Detector In this month, we explored the fascinating, and sometimes frustrating, world of plant pathogens. Simply put, a pathogen is any organism that causes disease. For plants, these culprits ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Bacteria, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, Fungi, Invasive Species, SeminoleCountyAg, Virus

December 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of December 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector This month, we dove into the topic of invasive mites, specifically focusing on the ones that can damage plants. These tiny arachnids are everywhere: on plants, animals, humans, ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, Mites, SeminoleCountyAg

September 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of September 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector This September, we continued our tradition of kicking off another year of First Fridays webinars with a refresher on the fundamentals of invasive species. Whether you're brand ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, AGRICULTURE, Conservation, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD25-26, FloridaFirstDetector, SeminoleCountyAg

August 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
April 7, 2026

Recap of August 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector Invasive Species Threatening Florida’s Palms In August, our monthly webinar took a deep dive into the world of invasive species affecting palms. From our neatly landscaped yards ... READ MORE

Category: AGRICULTURE, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, HOME LANDSCAPES, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension,
Tags: Biosecurity, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD24-25, FloridaFirstDetector, Palms, SeminoleCountyAg