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Many turning to home gardening — minus the dirt

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Today’s economically spurred resurgence of the home vegetable grower can’t entirely be dubbed a “return to the earth.” Many burgeoning farmers aren’t breaking soil, they’re using hydroponics.

Filed under Agriculture, Florida, Research on Tuesday, March 17, 2009.

UF scientists: New genetic analysis method may unlock secrets of nematode populations

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Nematodes may be the most abundant creatures on Earth, but analyzing communities of the wormlike animals is difficult because they’re microscopic and many species look alike.

Filed under Agriculture, Environment, Florida, Research on Wednesday, March 11, 2009.

Study predicts when invasive species can travel more readily by air

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Global airlines be forewarned: June 2010 could be a busy month for invasive plants, insects and animals seeking free rides to distant lands.

Filed under Agriculture, Research, Sciences on Wednesday, February 25, 2009.

New Web sites make at-home learning convenient for Florida growers

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — One of the most enduring aspects of agriculture is going high-tech.
The field day has been around….well, pretty much forever. At a typical field day, farmers or other interested people have a chance to visit a farm and learn hands-on from extension agents what the latest scientific research has to say about [...]

Filed under Agriculture, Florida, Research on Tuesday, February 10, 2009.

New disease may cost Florida’s avocado industry millions, UF experts warn

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s avocado industry, the nation’s second-largest, could lose millions of dollars if a new disease reaches the state’s southern tip, according to University of Florida experts.

Filed under Agriculture, Environment, Florida, Research on Monday, January 26, 2009.

Florida’s Master Gardener program hits milestone: 5 million volunteer hours served

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — While hitting its 30th anniversary mark this year, Florida’s Master Gardener program has another reason to party: Its volunteers recently reached a milestone, logging more than 5 million hours since the program began.

Filed under Agriculture, Environment, Florida, Research on Thursday, January 22, 2009.

Holiday light technology could be the secret to growing better crops

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — It’s the time of year when festive lights outline rooftops and driveways, but University of Florida researchers have a different reason to celebrate the same technology that’s becoming popular Yule-time décor — better-growing crops.

Filed under Agriculture, Environment, Research, Sciences on Wednesday, December 17, 2008.

UF report: Florida dairy farmers made more on milk, spent more on feed in 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Wholesale prices for Florida milk hit an all-time high in 2007, but dairy farmers’ potential profits were reduced by skyrocketing feed costs, according to a University of Florida report issued this month.

Filed under Agriculture, Business, Florida, Research on Wednesday, July 30, 2008.

New study points to agriculture in frog sexual abnormalities

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A farm irrigation canal would seem a healthier place for toads than a ditch by a supermarket parking lot.

Filed under Agriculture, Environment, Research on Thursday, July 3, 2008.

Microgreens get Florida farmers thinking small

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Every year for nearly two decades, Florida farmers have gathered at the Suwannee Valley Twilight Field Day to hone their craft, often learning how to grow more luscious and larger fruits and vegetables. This year, however, there was a new lesson being offered: how to grow small.

Filed under Agriculture, Florida, Research on Wednesday, May 14, 2008.