UF/IFAS

Nearly 20 years after citrus greening appeared in Florida, exhausted farmers and researchers struggle to survive a disease destroying the state’s quintessential crop.

The university is working with counties across the state to research solutions and educate the public about sustainable practices.

Farmers and food researchers plan for more severe storms and higher temperatures.

We discuss the future of technology in Florida’s ag industry with a national leader in developing the science that supports food production and management of natural resources.

Vance Whitaker, with the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, discusses the science behind breeding the berries and offers insight into the … umm … field.

It's the latest blow to Florida's citrus industry, which has struggled for two decades with deadly citrus-greening disease.

One Florida grower reported saving about $30,000 over three years by using the FAWN weather stations. Another reported saving $1,000 per year since 2010, and a third said tens of thousands of dollars were saved between 2010 and 2018.

“We're trying to understand, to really look at the movement of the of these strains throughout the production system so we can find where ... is the best place to manage them,” Gary Vallad of UF said.

The initial reports aren’t good for an industry that during the 2021-2022 season had its lowest production in eight decades.

University of Florida scientists are breeding better-tasting, Florida-grown blueberries with the help of consumers through taste-testing in the University’s Sensory Lab.

A warming climate could bring more rain in the winter months, making berries more vulnerable to fungal diseases and pests.

Thomas Mantz of Feeding Tampa Bay says he expects the economic effects of the pandemic on food security to last for years.