Wednesday, April 30, 2014

MEDIA ALERT: Tavares meeting addresses new Farm Bill conservation and cost share programs

Please contact Suzy Daubert for information at 352-343-2481, X3, suzy.daubert@fl.usda.gov.

 

 

Renee Bodine

NRCS

Public Affairs Florida

Desk 352.338.9565

Cell 352.514.8292

 

New Farm Bill Affects Conservation and Cost Share Programs

 

WHAT:  Learn about how new Farm Bill may affect conservation and cost share programs.

 

WHERE: UF/IFAS Extension Lake County, 195 Woodlea Rd., Tavares, Fl., 32778.

WHEN:  April 30, 9-11 a.m.

 

WHO:  For agricultural producers and interested public. Hosted by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and  U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service

CONTACT:  Suzy Daubert, 352-343-2481, X3, suzy.daubert@fl.usda.gov.

 





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SIFT News - Spring 2014

 

SIFT: Small-Scale Intensive Farm Training Program

Fence Lines for Future Chickens, Biochar, and Varmints Signs of Approaching Planting Season
Fence posts are sprouting around the SIFT farm. We'll be getting chickens this summer, and possibly goats down the road, so we're installing a livestock fence around the perimeter of the farm. Along with considerable help from NCAT Livestock Specialist Dave Scott, a big weekend volunteer day should see the task completed. Meanwhile, we're beginning to gear up for the growing season, making potting mix with an improved recipe over last year's and starting seeds in the greenhouses.>>more

Soil Temperature, Seed Germination, and Why Patience is a Virtue
If you are enthusiastic about growing things, you are probably already watching the weather report closely to see when you can start planting those seeds. Maybe you are even one of the lucky ones who live where the weather is already warm enough to start seriously digging in the dirt. While watching, waiting, and deciding when to plant, one of the most important factors, instead of just the weather report, is soil temperature. >>more

Preventing and Addressing Damping Off
You've bought the seeds for the vegetables that you want to harvest fresh all summer long. You've planted them in seed trays filled with soft potting mix for transplanting later, sprinkled them religiously with water, and laid them somewhere warm with lots of light. They've sprouted! Their bright green cotyledons open up and reach for the sun, first reaching one inch, then maybe two. Then, they stop reaching. Despite the moist soil, the seedlings wilt and flop over, and their stems are constricted and brownish at the soil surface.>>more

Keep It Light: When Life Gives You a Hot Tub
Some time back, my family moved into our house here in Butte. The house will be 100 years old next year. It was built by a mine superintendent named C.J. Stone in 1915, in what was then a suburb of Butte. Old C.J. was an engineer, and must have been way ahead of his time, because tucked away in one corner of this historic old house is a six-person fiberglass hot tub. Okay, I don’t really think C.J. installed the hot tub, and, in fact, I’m sure the room addition it is in was built sometime in the 1980s. I can tell because it has all the style and craftsmanship of an 1980s K car. (If you don’t remember K Cars, Google it.)>>more

 

 

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UF/IFAS in the news, 4/30

Good morning! Your mid-week UF/IFAS news roundup:

 

Thirty-three faculty named UF Research Foundation Professors for 2014

http://news.ufl.edu/2014/04/29/top-research-professors-uf/

Florida's booming blueberry crop: Sweet, lucrative, finicky

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-blueberry-industry-expands-florida-20140429,0,5264909.story

How do you grow blueberries at home?

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-blueberry-how-to-grow-20140429,0,3120478.story

 

Peach-growing family feels the fuzz (Highlands)

http://highlandstoday.com/list/highlands-agri-leader-news/peach-growing-family-feels-the-fuzz-20140430/

 

Financial institutions, schools teaching children to save (Okaloosa)

http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/lifestyle/financial-institutions-schools-teaching-children-to-save-1.312351

 

Other news:

 

Environmental group releases 2014 “dirty dozen” list

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2014/04/environmental-working-group-releases-its-2014-dirty-dozen-list/#.U2DoHPldW-g

Okla. killer dies after botched execution

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/29/oklahoma-executions-drugs-lethal-injection/8476389/

Amid Donald Sterling Scandal, the Clippers Unite

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/donald-sterling-banished-focus-returns-basketball/story?id=23526110

 

Graduate assistants rally outside alumni hall

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20140429/ARTICLES/140429554?Title=Graduate-assistants-rally-outside-alumni-hall

 

‘Farmland’ movie releases this week

http://www.morningagclips.com/index.php?cID=7019#.U2DpivldW-h

 

A Farm Grows in Brooklyn—on the Roof

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140429-farming-rooftop-gardening-brooklyn-grange-vegetables-science-food/?google_editors_picks=true

More may be victims of swim coach's abuse, police say

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20140429/ARTICLES/140429562?tc=cr

 

Weather likely to remain unsettled until weekend

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20140429/ARTICLES/140429547/1183?Title=Weather-likely-to-remain-unsettled-until-weekend

 

 

Monday, April 28, 2014

2014 Feathered Facts Newsletter - UF/IFAS Baker County Extension Service

Feathered Facts is now available to view at the following link:   http://baker.ifas.ufl.edu/FeatheredFacts.html

 

 

 

Cindy Tomas

Administrative Secretary

Uf/IFAS Baker County Extension Service

904-259-3520

 

 

 

 

This email is intended for official business purposes for University of Florida | IFAS | Baker County Extension faculty and/or staff.

 

 

 

Tree Health Diagnostics

Advice on tree pests and diseases from UF Extension specialists!

 

Do your extension clients have pests or diseases in their trees? Leaves or needles wilting, and you don’t know why? Sawdust falling out of the bark, and you don’t know what to do? There is help: ask your question at the new UF Forest Health Diagnostics Forum: http://sfrc.ufl.edu/treehealth/forum/. Run by five forest health specialists at the University of Florida and the Florida Forest Service, this is a fast and accurate forest pest and disease diagnostics for Florida and the South East. It’s free, logging in is easy, and answers are almost instant.

 

 

Tired of looking for the right specialist to identify your tree problem? The Forum has many advantages:

 

-          Get help fast, and from multiple experts – your question goes instantly to five specialists.

-          Someone has probably already asked your question – just look up our answers!

-          Your question and our answers will stay there for others to see.

-          Get answer notifications to your email inbox.

 

 

Bookmark the site now, and tell your clients and colleagues, too!

 

Florida Land Steward Update 4/25/14

Can’t read info below? See  http://floridalandsteward.org

Florida Land Steward Update
April 25, 2014

Have Land?  Get a Plan and Stay Connected.  Florida Land Steward is your source of assistance, information, events and resources.


News, information and upcoming events below.  
Please share this update with your neighbors, colleagues or others that may be interested.

- Florida Land Steward Newsletter (Winter-Spring 2014 (Vol 3, No 2) and back issues -

 

News & Info Brief

BEAR MANAGEMENT WORKSHOPS
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will hold six public workshops in April and May to discuss management of black bears in the eastern portion of the Florida Panhandle and how people can get involved in working with the FWC on local bear issues. Workshops will offer the public a chance to provide input on local bear issues and allow interested individuals to sign up to be active members of the East Panhandle Bear Stakeholder Group. The meetings will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. local time at the following locations:

·         April 30 – Bristol, Veterans Memorial Civic Center, 10405 NW Theo Jacobs Lane

·         May 6 – Tallahassee, Woodville Community Center, 8000 Old Woodville Highway

·         May 8 – Panama City, Bay County Public Library, 898 West 11th St.

·         May 13 – Perry, Forest Capital Hall, 204 Forest Park Dr.

·         May 15 – Carrabelle, city of Carrabelle Auditorium, 1001 Gray Ave.

·         May 20 – Port St. Joe. Gulf Coast State College, Gulf/Franklin Campus, 3800 Garrison Ave.

The East Panhandle Bear Management Unit includes Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Taylor, Wakulla and Washington Counties.

A PRIMER ON WOOD-BORING BEETLES AND FUNGI
As wood-boring beetles and fungi are increasingly impacting forests and industries in the U.S., the demand for research on these organisms is also increasing. Dr. Jiri Hulcr, the UF/IFAS Forest Entomologist, was invited on to present his lab’s research on ambrosia beetles and fungi at four Universities across the eastern U.S. On this three-week “tour,” he was hosted by entomology departments at Auburn University, University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee, and Virginia Tech. A snapshot from one stop at this can be seen on YouTube: a recorded presentation and questions session at the University of Tennessee Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. This is an excellent primer on the biology and ecology of ambrosia beetles and why we need to be concerned about their expanding populations.

TO CERTIFY OR NOT: FLORIDA TREE FARM PROGRAM NEEDS TO DECIDE
Something that sets the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) apart from all other private land stewardship programs is forest certification.  ATFS Tree Farms are currently third party certified as sustainable (or “green”) and products can be sold as such at market.  Florida, along with the other states are now being presented with a choice to make: to either stay in or opt out of ATFS Certification status depending on the importance we see in it.  The Florida Tree Farm Committee will be required to make a formal declaration by December 31, 2015 of whether or not we want to continue as a state program of “third party certified” Tree Farms.  The alternative is to revert to a “recognition” program that no longer has a “certification” status.  As Tree Farmers, The Florida Tree Farm Committee would like your opinion of whether Florida should remain in a “certified” Tree Farm program, or drop the requirement for third party certification.  More details on this in the next issue of the Florida Land Steward Newsletter.  Reply with any comments you may have on this to Phil Gornicki, State Tree Farm Coordinator, at 850-222-5646 or phil@forestfla.org.   

More at the Florida Land Steward Blog

 

***

EAST FLORIDA (Madison County, east and south)

April 28

North Florida Timber Disease and Pest Workshop, 10 am to 12 pm ET, UF/IFAS Madison County Extension Office, 184 College Loop, Madison, FL 32340. Presented by Jeff Eikwort, Florida Forest Service. For more information or to register contact Justin Kania, (850) 973-5115, justin.kania@freshfromflorida.com

April 28 -
May 1

Florida Wildlife Society and Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Spring Conference: Breaking Bad in FL - Gaining Ground on Invasive Plants and Wildlife in the 21st Century (link), Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, Safety Harbor, FL. Details and registration at link above.

May 3-31

FL Master Naturalist Program – Uplands Module, Pine Jog Environmental Center and Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Palm Beach County, Details and Registration at http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/

May 5-8

Ignition Planning & Prescribed Fire Techniques for Wildlife (link), Cecil Commerce Center, 13561 Lake Newman Street, Jacksonville, FL. Details and registration at link above.

May 5-8

2014 Aquatic Weed Short Course, Ft. Lauderdale Coral Springs Marriott Coral Springs, FL. Earn 20+ Florida Pesticide Applicator CEUs, Details and registration at  http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aw/

May 6 -
June 10

FL Master Naturalist Program – Freshwater Wetlands, Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Details and Registration at http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/

May 7-9

Florida Beef Cattle Short Course: "Manage Your Enterprise, Manage Your Herd" (link), Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center, Gainesville, FL.. See link for details.

May 8

Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Mini-Course (link), Fort Lauderdale Coral Springs Marriot. $60 before April 25. See link for details.

May 9

Earth Day Festival, 10 am - 2 pm at USDA Brooksville Plant Materials Center, 14119 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34601. For more information contact Janet Grabowski, 352-796-9600, janet.grabowski@fl.usda.gov.

May 15-18

Florida Native Plant Society's 34th Annual Conference, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers, FL. Details at http://fnps.org/conference

May 16

Forest Stewardship Mill Tour: Gainesville Renewable Energy Center (link), meet at 1:30 pm, Alachua County . We have a unique opportunity to tour the GREC facility to learn more about the operations and fuel sourcing.  However, attendance is very limited – only twelve (12) are allowed on the tour. Preference will be given to private forest landowners.  To register, contact Chris Demers at cdemers@ufl.edu, (352) 846-2375.

May 20

Compost in Citrus Production Workshop, 8 am - 4 pm, UF/IFAS: Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, Florida 29, Immokalee, FL. Training will be based on composting principles which promote the improvement of soil. Call the Center at (239) 658-3400 for more information. 

May 29

Rural Energy Workshop, 6 - 8 pm, UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County Office, 2800 NE 39 Avenue, Gainesville, FL. Topics include solar power systems for agriculture and residential use, economics of solar power. FREE, supper included. Pre-register at 352-337-6209 (voice mail) by May 27th. For more information call 352-955-2402.

June 8-10

Trees Florida 2014 Conference (link), Innsbrook Resort and Golf Club, Palm Harbor, FL. Presented by Florida Chapter International Society of Arboriculture. CFEs approved for the event. See link for details and registration.

August 1-2

2014 Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference (link), Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL. See link for details and registration.

August 11-15

Natural Areas Training Academy S130/190 Basic Wildland Firefighter Training, Waccasassa Forestry Center, Gainesville FL& Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, Melrose FL. Tuition: $125 - General Registration; $100 - Student Registration. Registration closes July 25. Details and registration at
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-basic-wildland-firefighter-training-s130190-tickets-11331772637?ct=t%28S130_190_20144_16_2014%29

August 13-30

FL Master Naturalist Program – Environmental Interpretation Special Topic Course, Palm Beach County, Details and Registration at http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/

September 4

Forest Stewardship / Heartland CISMA Workshop: Invasive Exotic Species and Management, 8:30 am to 3 pm ET, UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Office, 458 Highway 98 North, Okeechobee, FL  34972. Pesticide applicator CEUs and SAF CFEs pending. More details to come.

WEST FLORIDA (Jefferson County and west)

April 26

Green Living Expo 2014 (link), 9 am to 2 pm, Crawfordville Hudson Park & TCC Wakulla Center. Activities include a Green Flea Market, bike rally & safety check, presentations on sustainable activities, and food vendors.

May 12-16

Tall Timbers GIS Workshop: Applied Geospatial Solutions in Natural Resources (link), Tall Timbers Research Station. See link for details.

May 14

Longleaf Pine Forest Restoration & Management Workshop (link to pdf flier), 8:30 am to 3:30 pm CT, Turkey Pond Ranch, Washington County. Presented by Apalachicola Regional Stewardship Alliance and Forest Stewardship Program. $10 includes lunch and materials. Details to come. Register at https://fsp-workshop051414.eventbrite.com
or call Washington County Extension at (850) 638-6180

June 23-26

Tall Timbers GIS Workshop: Python Scripting and GIS Programming (link). Tall Timbers Research Station. See link for details.

WEBINARS

April 30

Webinar: Preparing a Seeding Plan for Conservation Practices (link), 2 pm ET.  See link for details.

April 30

Webinar: Short Rotation Woody Crops for Phytoremediation Applications (link), 2 pm ET.  See link for details.

May 8

USDA Forest Service Rocky Mtn Research Station's Invasive Plants Webinar Series (link), see link for details.

May 7

Webinar: Forest Certification for Forest Owners in the Eastern U.S., 1 pm ET.  See link for details.

May 13

Webinar: Biomass Market Access Standards (BMAS) (link), 2 pm ET.  See link for details.

May 13

Webinar: Using RUSLE2 to Evaluate Soil Health Planning Principles (link), 2 pm ET.  See link for details.

May 14

Webinar: On-Farm Food Safety and Conservation (link), 3 pm ET.  See link for details.

May 21

Webinar: Development of an Acid Scrubber for Removal of Ammonia from Mechanically Ventilated Broiler Houses (link), 1 pm ET.  See link for details.

May 22

Webinar: Lighting Systems: Analysis, Performance, and Energy Conservation Opportunities (link), 2 pm ET.  See link for details.


***

Visit   Florida Land Steward on Facebook

 

 

More events at these calendars:

 

UF/IFAS Web Calendar
Florida Forest Stewardship Program Calendar

http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/events_calendar.html

http://floridainvasives.org
Florida Master Naturalist Program

Brooker Creek Preserve Events, Pinellas County

Florida Forest Service Training Opportunities

Forestry Webinars

Check with your UF/IFAS County Extension Office for more events
and information related to your county:
http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/map/

 

 

Florida Land Steward Partnership:

 

UF/IFAS SCHOOL OF FOREST RESOURCES & CONSERVATION
UF/IFAS DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION

FLORIDA FOREST SERVICE

FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION

USDA NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE
US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE PARTNERS PROGRAM
PENINSULAR FLORIDA LANDSCAPE COOPERATIVE

FLORIDA FORESTRY ASSOICATION / SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE

 

 

http://floridalandsteward.org

 

 

To be added or removed from this service, simply email a request to cdemers@ufl.edu

 

 

 

April Newsletter

The April edition of Chemically Speaking is available at:

http://pested.ifas.ufl.edu/

 

UF/IFAS in the news, 4/28

Good morning! Here is the week’s first UF/IFAS news installment:

 

UF/IFAS Team Wins National Horse-Judging Contest

http://tinyurl.com/k38mzz9

Farm to table rising

http://www.dailycommercial.com/money/article_6a3a2eab-7be7-5ea4-8df8-5198216f37cc.html

 

New Farmer Incubator Meeting on May 15 (Gadsden)

http://growingfl.com/news/2014/04/new-farmer-incubator-meeting-may-15/?utm_source=Growing+Florida&utm_campaign=26a67814e0-growingfl-daily_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a00cf5c16f-26a67814e0-296612469

 

4th annual Avon Park Blueberry Festival

http://highlandstoday.com/hi/local-news/4th-annual-avon-park-blueberry-festival-20140428/

 

Polk Training Center Rents Community Garden Plots (end of page 2)

http://www.theledger.com/article/20140428/NEWS/404285000/1134?p=1&tc=pg

Letter: Welcome center design should be revamped (Brevard/opinion)

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/opinion/readers/letters/2014/04/28/letter-welcome-center-design-revamped/8169479/

 

Florida Sea Grant Accepting Applications for New Fellowship

http://www.thefishingwire.com/story/317546

 

News for area gardeners

http://www.ocala.com/article/20140426/COLUMNISTS/140429828/-1/news300

 

Enter your vegetables in contest (St. Johns)

http://staugustine.com/living/garden/2014-04-25/enter-your-vegetables-contest#.U15G4_ldW-g

Mondays in the Gardens program offered at PSC in Milton

http://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/environment/2014/04/26/mondays-gardens-psc-milton/8216553/

 

Cool, wet spring favors azalea, camellia leaf gall (Okaloosa)

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/lifestyle/columns/larry-williams/cool-wet-spring-favors-azalea-camellia-leaf-gall-1.310159

 

Florida Land Steward …..(Washington)

http://fosterfollynews.com/2014/04/25/florida-land-steward/

Other news:

 

Facing Budget Cuts, Extension Worked to Find Local Priorities

http://growingfl.com/features/2014/04/facing-budget-cuts-extension-worked-find-local-priorities/?utm_source=Growing+Florida&utm_campaign=26a67814e0-growingfl-daily_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a00cf5c16f-26a67814e0-296612469

 

Congress takes up food-labeling fight

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2014/04/27/Congress-takes-up-food-labeling-fight/stories/201404270080

 

Sanofi Dengue Vaccine Succeeds in Reducing Disease, Study Shows

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-04-28/sanofi-dengue-vaccine-succeeds-in-reducing-disease-study-shows

Twisters kill at least 18, including 16 in Arkansas

http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/04/28/midwest-storms/8353073/