Tag: pests

UF/IFAS helps Floridians launch food business dreams

Starting a food business might seem intimidating, but UF/IFAS Extension courses can help make big dreams a reality. That is exactly how Sharlay Smith of Jacksonville, Florida, turned a “lightbulb moment” into The Lentil House, a profitable business that sells a Smith family favorite in Whole Foods stores across the state. A new adventure After 10 years as an…

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Equine Myth Busters: Gut Health

Owning horses is like having potato chips, you can’t have just one. With each horse comes a labor of love in ensuring they are well managed, especially when it comes to overseeing their gut function and keeping them free of colic, ulcers, and other gastric distress. Depending on your farm’s location and overall farm management,…

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This Arbor Day, Plant an Investment in a Greener Future

January 20 is Arbor Day in Florida, and this Friday, Extension offices throughout the state will be hosting tree planting workshops and tree giveaways. Florida gets a jump on national arbor day, which isn’t until April, because this is the time of year when young trees are easiest to transplant in our warmer climate. As…

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Learn from our Edible Landscaping Series to Grow Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs the Florida Friendly Way

Food crops can demand substantial amounts of water, fertilizer, and care. Using Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) practices can reduce the inputs and still allow you to harvest food abundantly. There are many different terms for edible landscaping: foodscaping, food forest, permaculture, square-foot gardening, and urban agriculture. But the Florida-Friendly Landscaping (FFL) principles represent best management practices that can be applied to…

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Shopping for Health: Fruits and Vegetables

This year, my partner’s and my goal is to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. She’s been vegetarian more than half her life, so she has a lot of practice with this. I, on the other hand, still need some help figuring out what I want besides the standard apples and bananas. There are just…

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Portion Control Matters. Portion Size Matters.

Vultures as nature’s scavengers. Turkey vultures are commonly seen throughout the Florida Treasure Coast communities of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties.  They are fairly easy to distinguish from black vultures.  Turkey vultures have red heads; whereas, black vultures have black heads.  There are other distinguishing characteristics, but this is generally how I identify…

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Turkey Vultures on the Treasure Coast

Vultures as nature’s scavengers. Turkey vultures are commonly seen throughout the Florida Treasure Coast communities of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River Counties.  They are fairly easy to distinguish from black vultures.  Turkey vultures have red heads; whereas, black vultures have black heads.  There are other distinguishing characteristics, but this is generally how I identify…

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UF Scientists Try Novel Method of Detecting Biodiversity

Mosquitoes probably top the list of “most annoying wildlife” for people who enjoy the outdoors, but these creatures may soon become our allies in conserving biodiversity.  At the UF IFAS DeLuca Preserve scientists from the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and the Florida Medical Entomology Lab are simultaneously conducting detailed surveys of using…

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Pesticide Misuse: Should They be Doing That?

Have you ever witnessed a pesticide application and wondered, should they be doing that? According to the law (FIFRA) pesticide misuse is, “the use of a pesticide in a way that violates laws regulating their use or endangers humans or the environment”. This blog will further describe pesticide misuse, what kind of violations can be…

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Landscape Lessons from Recent Freezes

There are important landscape lessons to learn from recent, early and widespread freezes. First, know the average climate for the region you live in here in Florida. The work has already been done for you with the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Here is a link for the map: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov. Find your zone on the map.…

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