A 2023 Hurricane Season Success Story: Cedar Key’s Living Shorelines Bolster Resilient Community
Living shorelines, made of organic materials, are being used to defend coastal communities threatened by the effects of hurricanes.
Keep an Eye on Carinata
University of Florida researchers have teamed up with company Nuseed to research the viability of carinata, a crop that reduces carbon output and helps mitigate climate change.
New Pest Management Hub Will Address Florida’s Buggiest Problems
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will create a new network focused on finding novel ways to manage bugs and pests in homes and businesses, known as the Innovation Hub for Urban Pest Management.
University of Florida Shows Advances in AI Farming
The UF Southwest Research and Education Center in Immokalee, part of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, is merging the powers of farming and AI. Researchers at the center are utilizing the latest technologies like drones and advanced AI systems to revolutionize the way we grow our food.
President’s Office Announces $5.4 Million for Strategic Funding Awardees
The President's Office at the University of Florida announced $5.4 million in awards for Strategic Funding. Various colleges and departments across campus received awards to fund their research projects and initiatives. The funding initiative is designed to advance the student experience and interdisciplinary scholarship.
UF Working To Expand Your Options for Decorative Holiday Plants
University of Florida scientists want to add caladiums, known for their beautiful foliage, as an option for seasonal occasions. Bob Hartman, who runs Classic Caladiums LLC, a nursery in Avon Park, is enlisting the help of UF/IFAS plant breeder Zhanao Deng to research caladium bulb storage.
UF Hopes To Speed Solutions to Citrus Greening, Other Crop Diseases With New Center
University of Florida scientists plan to utilize $2 million from an initiative by UF President Ben Sasse for a Crop Transformation Center to help Florida farmers improve production of citrus and specialty crops.
For now, front and center among goals for the center is to find citrus varieties that can tolerate or even resist citrus greening disease, also known as Huanlongbing (HLB).
Growers are looking for solutions to the disease, which has caused a 70 percent to 80 percent reduction in production to Florida’s signature crop.
UF Part of Multi-Institutional, $22M Cereal Crops Project Funded by USAID
The U.S. Agency for International Development announced the creation of the Feed the Future Climate Resilient Cereals Innovation Lab, or CRCIL, to improve lives around the world by making cereal crops more readily available to those most at risk for hunger and malnutrition.
University of Florida researchers involved will focus on sorghum. Charlie Messina, UF/IFAS horticultural sciences professor — who is a leading expert in applying artificial intelligence to crop modeling and simulation techniques — will head the efforts from the Gainesville campus while utilizing the supercomputing powers of the UF HiPerGator.
USAID With Feed the Future Funding Awards UF/IFAS $2 Million To Strengthen One Health Research in East Africa
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock Systems at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will lead a three-year, up to $2 million project to enhance understanding of the burden of brucellosis and main modes of disease transmission, as well as behavioral risk factors and gender dimensions in livestock and human populations in East Africa. Research results will help inform health policy options for disease prevention and control using a “One Health” approach. This initiative will target Rwanda and Kenya, with selected capacity to strengthen activities in Uganda.
‘Invisible Fence’ Keeps Cattle on Ranch, Helps Protect Environment
Jim Strickland, who manages Blackbeard’s Ranch in Myakka City, cares about cattle and believes in the value of science. Therefore, he's partnered with Joao Vendramini, an agronomy professor at the University of Florida Range Cattle Research and Education Center (REC), on an invisible fence for his ranch — a first-of-its-kind project in the Southeast.
