Chemically Speaking Newsletter-Winter 2016

We hope you enjoy the Winter 2016 version of Chemically Speaking from the Pesticide Information Office.   Thank you. 

 

AQUAPHYTE newsletter from the UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic & Invasive Plants

Attached is the Winter 2016 newsletter from the UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic & Invasive Plants. The newsletter is also posted online on our website along with previous issues.

 

Karen

Karen Brown
University of Florida/IFAS Center for Aquatic & Invasive Plants
7922 NW 71st Street | Gainesville FL   32653
352-273-3667 | kpbrown@ufl.edu
APIRS Online database (temporarily offline but searches may be requested)

Plant Management in Florida Waters

Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative

 

Natural Resource Meeting Explains Farm Bill Programs, Seeks Recommendations

Natural Resource Meeting Explains Farm Bill Programs, Seeks Recommendations

 

Gainesville, FL., Feb. 25, 2016 – In an effort to assist agricultural producers in meeting their land management goals while protecting our natural resources,  the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will conduct a State Technical Advisory Committee meeting March 30, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Doyle Conner Agriculture Building Auditorium.  Located at 1911 SW 34th Street, Gainesville, Fla. 32608, the Doyle Conner Building is approximately two blocks north of Archer Road.

 

The meeting is open to the public and will give an overview of the 2014 Farm Bill programs and discuss the USDA selection of Florida as a Strikeforce state. NRCS will solicit recommendations for establishing technical guidelines, program criteria and priorities for conservation practices in Florida.

 

Chaired by NRCS Florida State Conservationist Russell Morgan, the committee is composed of individuals and groups who represent a diverse group with interests in a variety of natural resource sciences and occupations. Although the State Technical Advisory Committee has no implementation or enforcement authority, USDA gives strong consideration to the Committee's recommendations.

 

Individuals requiring special accommodations or materials in an alternative format or language or wanting to present information at the meeting should contact Jeffrey Woods, 352-338-9515. 

 

Additional information on NRCS and programs is available on our website at or at your local USDA NRCS office.

 

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

Florida State Technical Advisory Committee Meeting

Florida State Technical Advisory Committee Meeting

Public, ag producers, natural resource interest groups invited. Hosted by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. March 30, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Doyle Conner Building, 1911 SW 34^th ST, Gainesville, FL. Contact: Jeff Woods, 352-338-9515.

 

Renee Bodine

NRCS

Public Affairs Florida

Desk 352.338.9565

Cell 352.514.8292

 

Special Edition: We're Hiring Farm to School Regional Leads!

San Francisco, Denver, and Dallas are calling!

 

Volume 2, Issue 6, February 25, 2016   We're Hiring Three Farm to School Regional Leads! Must love local food, child nutrition, and regional travel Join a dynamic and effective team! We're looking for Farm to School Regional Leads in the following USDA Food and Nutrition Service locations: Southwest Regional Office: Dallas, TX Western Regional Office: San Francisco, CA Mountain Plains Regional Office: Denver, CO This is an opportunity to: Help implement the USDA Farm to School Program, including grants, training and technical assistance, and actively participate in driving the program's growth and evolution; Provide on the ground training, technical assistance, and support to a wide variety of farm to school stakeholders and be held accountable for increasing the availability of local foods in schools; Play a key role in identifying training and technical assistance gaps in the farm to school community and fill those gaps by fine tuning existing resource materials and/or creating new program offerings; and Be a resident expert on key local and regional procurement issues. Know someone who might be a great fit? Help us spread the word! Applications are due March 10. Learn more at http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool or contact us at farmtoschool@fns.usda.gov. Not yet subscribed to The Dirt? Join us by clicking here. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

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Florida Land Steward Update 2/26/16

Florida Land Steward Update February 26, 2016 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 and others that may be interested.

- Florida Land Steward Newsletter (Winter-Spring 2016 (Vol 5, No 1) and back issues -

News & Info Brief FEDERAL TAX INCENTIVES FOR CONSERVATION EASEMENTS MADE PERMANENT Hailed as the most significant conservation legislation in 20 years by many private lands conservationists, the enhanced Federal tax incentives for conservation easement donations are now permanent. After bipartisan support in Congress, President Obama signed legislation in December that: ·         Raises the deduction a donor can take for donating a conservation easement from 30 percent of his or her income in any year to 50 percent; ·         Allows qualifying farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100 percent of their income; and ·         Extends the carry-forward period for a donor to take tax deductions for a voluntary conservation agreement from 5 to 15 years. Enacted as a temporary provision in 2006, the incentives are directly responsible for conserving more than 2 million acres of America's natural outdoor heritage. The incentive grants certain tax benefits to landowners who sign a conservation easement. These private, voluntary agreements with land trusts permanently limit use of the land in order to protect its conservation value. Lands placed into conservation easements can continue to be timbered, farmed, hunted and managed based on the objectives of the landowner. For more information about conservation easements, see our UF/IFAS Extension publication about them at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr149. For more about the incentive download the Land Trust Alliance's printer-friendly brochure (Using The Conservation Tax Incentive) for landowners, including frequently asked questions. Also, read a memo from the Internal Revenue Service (Internal Revenue Bulletin) offering guidance regarding deductions by individuals for qualified conservation contributions. FEBRUARY 2016 ISSUE OF FLORIDA FOREST SERVICE NEWSLETTER AVAILABLE FLForestry News Issue 05 FUNDING HELPS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS IMPROVE WORKING LANDS   Application Deadline March 31 for Conservation Stewardship Program Agricultural producers can now sign up for funding available through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), a conservation program that helps improve the health and productivity of private and tribal working lands. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) plans to add an estimated 10 million acres to the rolls of CSP during fiscal 2016. NRCS accepts applications for CSP throughout the year, but producers should submit applications by March 31 to USDA service centers to be considered for enrollment in 2016. Participants with existing CSP contracts that will expire on Dec.31, 2016, have the option to renew their contracts for an additional five years if they agree to adopt additional activities to achieve higher levels of conservation on their lands. Applications to renew are also due by March 31. In Florida, producers can participate through CSP in the regional landscape-level Longleaf Pine Initiative. Funding is available for more than 100 kinds of enhancements to help participants: ·         Improve soil quality through use of cover crops, conservation crop rotations and other activities that increase soil productivity. ·         Use water wisely and improve water quality through enhancements such as more efficient irrigation systems and weather monitoring. ·         Restore habitat for wildlife and pollinators such as the greater sage-grouse, lesser prairie-chicken and monarch butterfly through the use of better grazing systems and improved plant management. For more on technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted. Learn more at your local NRCS office. TAX TIPS FOR FOREST LANDOWNERS FOR THE 2015 TAX YEAR UPDATED Federal income tax laws can influence a private woodland owner's financial decisions about land management. Yet, special favorable tax provisions on timber that are intended to encourage private forest management and stewardship are commonly unknown. To help woodland owners in filing their 2015 tax returns, this publication, by Dr. Linda Wang, USDA Forest Service National Timber Tax Specialist, explains the federal income tax laws on timber. The information is not legal or accounting advice. This has been updated and includes recent tax law changes. This publication and other related resources are available at http://www.timbertax.org. Linda's recent Timber Tax Filing for the 2015 Tax Year webinar was recorded. The recorded presentation and materials are available at: http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/timber-tax-filing-for-the-2015-tax-year FOREST STEWARDSHIP VIDEOS  - VIEW AND SHARE! Enjoy and share these videos about a variety of stewardship topics: the Forest Stewardship Program, forests and water, thinning your pine stand, invasive species, greenbelt property tax assessment. All these videos are on the Florida Forest Stewardship Program home page – check them out:  http://sfrc.ufl.edu/forest_stewardship SOMETHING BUGGING YOUR TREES? Do you have pests or a disease in your trees? Leaves or needles wilting, and you don't know why? Sawdust falling out of your trees, and you don't know how to save them? There is help: ask your question at the free Forest Health Diagnostic Forum: http://sfrc.ufl.edu/treehealth/forum/. GOT AN INVASIVE SPECIES PROBLEM? Go to floridainvasives.org for information, assistance and partnership opportunities. LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON A PARTICULAR TOPIC? Check the vast array of extension publications available at the University of Florida IFAS on the EDIS publication site:  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/  Wow, there's a publication about that? HAVE AN EVENT OR RELATED NEWS TO SHARE? Drop a line to Chris Demers, cdemers@ufl.edu More news and info at the Florida Land Steward Blog   *** EAST FLORIDA (Madison County, east and south) March 4 Cover Crop Tour, 10 am -1 pm ET,  USDA NRCS Brooksville Plant Material Center, 14119 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL. Provided by NRCS. Learn how cover crops and no-till are improving soil health. Updates on a four-year research project on cover crop mixtures and seeding rates. Contact Janet Grabowski at (352) 796-9600, ext. 101. March 4-5 2016 UF Bee College (link), UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab, St. Augustine, FL. See link above for details and registration. March 9-11 Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council 2016 Annual Conference (link), Crown Plaza Oceanfront, Melbourne, FL. Foresters, this event is approved for a total of 15 Cat 1 CFEs. See link for details and registration. March 13-15 Florida Chapter Wildlife Society Spring Meeting 2016 (link), Holiday Inn Gainesville, University Center, 1250 W. University Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601. See link above for details. March 14-15 or 18-19 Starting a Successful Hydroponic Business (link), Live Oak, FL. To register online click here or for more information contact Dilcia Toro at (386) 362-1725 ext.102 March 17 Forest Stewardship / Tree Farm Tour at the Arnold Tract (link), Levy County, FL. 9 am to 2 pm ET. Join us to learn about converting old agriculture fields and pasture to pine forest, controlling invasive exotic species, wildlife habitat improvements, Best Management Practices, available assistance and more. $10 fee covers lunch and materials. Register online at https://fsp-tour031716.eventbrite.com/ or contact Chris Demers, (352) 846-2375, cdemers@ufl.edu to register. More details to come. March 23 Urban Landscape Summit (link), UF/IFAS Straughn Extension Professional Development Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Provided by the UF Center for Landscape Conservation and Ecology, the event will feature presentations of applied research or extension projects pertaining to urban landscape issues in Florida. Topics include, but are not limited to, water, landscape management, urban pest issues, social issues, economics, and more.  See link for details and registration March 30 Florida State Technical Advisory Committee Meeting, 10 am - 2 pm ET, Doyle Conner Building, 1911 SW 34th St, Gainesville, FL. Public, ag producers, natural resource interest groups invited. Hosted by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service. For information contact: Jeff Woods, (352) 338-9515. April 28 Forest Stewardship Workshop: Use Prescribed Fire Safely and Effectively (link), 8:30 am to 4 pm, Austin Cary Forest Learning Center. This program will provide an overview of the uses of fire in natural resource management and the proper planning necessary for a successful prescribed burn. A burn demonstration will be planned and executed if conditions allow. $10 fee covers lunch and materials. Register on-line at https://fsp-workshop042816.eventbrite.com/, or reserve a space by contacting Chris Demers at (352) 846-2375, cdemers@ufl.edu. May 2-5 2016 Aquatic Weed Control Short Course, Coral Springs, FL. Join us for the largest and most inclusive training for Florida Pesticide Licensing and CEUs. Become a more qualified professional, engage with your industry, and network with your peers! See link above for details and registration. May 18-19 44th Annual Spring Symposium: Advances in Southern Pine Silviculture (link), UF Austin Cary Forest Learning Center. Sponsored by UF/IFAS School of Forest Resources and Conservation and Florida Society of American Foresters. Register online  WEST FLORIDA (Jefferson County and west) March 7, 14, 21 Beekeeping in the Panhandle Short Course (link), 6 to 8 pm at UF/IFAS County Extension Offices across the Northwest FL District. See link above or contact your UF/IFAS County Extension Office for details. March 31 Quail Management Workshop (link), 8 am to 3 pm CT, Gum Creek Lodge, Okaloosa County. Provided by Florida Forest Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Yellow River Conservation District. See flier linked above for details. Lunch will be provided. Pre-register by March 25, 2016 by contacting Billie Clayton at (850) 767‐3634. April 1-2 5th Annual Beekeeping in the Panhandle Trade Show and Workshop, 9 am. to 2 pm at the Washington County Extension Office, Chipley. Contact the Jackson County Extension Office at (850) 482-9620 for details. April 5 Forest Stewardship / Tree Farm Tour at the Gould Tree Farm (link), Washington County, FL. 9 am to 2 pm CT. Join us to learn about a variety of forest habitats, pine timber management, longleaf pine management, wildlife habitat improvements, Best Management Practices, available assistance and more. See link above for details. $10 fee covers lunch and materials. Register online at https://fsp-tour040516.eventbrite.com/ or call UF/IFAS Washington County Extension at (850) 638-6180 to register. WEBINARS Mar 24, Apr 28, May 26, June 23, July 28, Aug 25, Sep 22, Oct 27, Nov 17, Dec 15 Your Legacy, Your Land Monthly Webinar Series, provided by American Forest Foundation. See link for details. March 8 Webinar: Integrating Grazing into Cropping Systems (link), 2 pm ET, See link for details. March 17 Webinar: Natural Resources and Biodiversity Conservation in Organic Production (link), 3 pm ET, See link for details. March 23 Webinar: Landscapes for Butterfly Conservation (link), 2 pm ET, See link for details. April 7 Webinar: Green Leap: Conserving Biodiversity in Subdivision Development (link), 1 pm ET, See link for details. *** More events on these sites and web calendars: UF/IFAS Web Calendar Florida Forest Stewardship Calendar http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/events_calendar.html http://www.floridainvasives.org/ Florida Master Naturalist Program Florida Native Plant Society Chapters:  http://www.fnps.org/chapters/chapters Brooker Creek Preserve Events, Pinellas County Florida Forest Service Training Opportunities Forestry and Natural Resources Webinars Check with your UF/IFAS County Extension Office for more events and information relevant to your county: http://solutionsforyourlife.ufl.edu/map/ On Facebook? Visit and Like   Florida Land Steward on Facebook     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 ASSOCIATION / SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY INITIATIVE FLORIDA TREE FARM PROGRAM   http://floridalandsteward.org   To be added or removed from this service, simply email a request to cdemers@ufl.edu

 

 

***** IMPORTANT NOTE about this e-mail distribution list: *****

This e-mail distribution list is intended for official business purposes for IFAS faculty and staff. Do not use this list for personal messages. If you are a current IFAS employee, you will NOT be removed from the list. If you are no longer employed by IFAS and wish to be removed contact the Helpdesk at (352) 392-4636 or mailto:help@ifas.ufl.edu.

February 2016 Central Florida Citruslines and Fruit Crops Update

Greetings,

 

I have placed a link to the latest issue of Central Florida Citruslines and Fruit Crops Update:

 

http://lake.ifas.ufl.edu/agriculture/citrus/documents/CFCitruslinesandFruitCropUpdateFebruary2016_000.pdf

 

Hope to see all our citrus growers at the Citrus Grower Round Table this Wednesday at 9:00 AM.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

 

Thank you,

 

Gary K. England

1951 Woodlea Rd.

Tavares, FL 32778

(352) 343-4101 Ext. 2729

(352) 343-2767 FAX

gke@ufl.edu

 

Pesticide training, WPS, and CEUs

Pesticide and WPS Train-the-Trainer programs will be offered next week on Wed. Feb. 10 at UF/IFAS Extension Manatee in Palmetto. Please see the attached flyer for other available locations and dates.

 

Registration available at: http://uf-ifas-extension-manatee.eventbrite.com/

 

 

Core Training and Exam

Core 8:30am-10:30am. The Core exam prep class will be held to help you prepare for the Core RUP license exam. The exam will be offered immediately following the class. However, you do not have to take the exam the same day.  You may schedule a time to take the exam at your convenience.  Please schedule exams with your local Extension office.

           

If you are already a license holder, 2 CEUs in Core are offered. Light snacks will be offered.  The class fee is $15 per class. Please bring cash or a check made out to “Manatee County Friends of Extension.”

 

 

WPS Train-The-Trainer: 10:45am-12:45pm

Need CEUs?

The WPS TTT workshop provides CEUs in several categories. Even if you don’t need to be WPS certified, don’t miss this opportunity for CEUs. CEUs available: 2 in the following categories: Aerial, Ag. Row, Ag. Tree, O&T, Private, Forest Pest Control, and Soil and Greenhouse Fumigation.

Need to become a WPS certified Trainer?

The Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is a federal program designed to protect agricultural farm workers in the production of agricultural plants. A person is qualified to teach WPS to farm workers if he/she holds a restricted use pesticide license or if he/she has completed the WPS Train the trainer course.

There is a $20 class fee. You may pay at the door with cash or check made out to “Manatee County Friends of Extension”

Please contact Veronica at veronica1303@ufl.edu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

___________________________

Crystal Snodgrass, M.S.

Extension Agent II, Manatee County

University of Florida IFAS Extension

Manatee County Government

1303 17^th Street West | Palmetto, FL 34221

Phone: (941) 722-4524 ext. 229

Fax: (941) 721-6796

Email: crys21@ufl.edu

Web: manatee.ifas.ufl.edu

 

Connect with us:

  

 

 

Funding Helps Ag Producers Improve Working Lands

Funding Helps Agricultural Producers Improve Working Lands  

Application Deadline March 31 for Conservation Stewardship Program

 

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Feb. 5, 2015 – Agricultural producers can now sign up for funding available through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), a conservation program that helps improve the health and productivity of private and tribal working lands. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) plans to add an estimated 10 million acres to the rolls of CSP during fiscal 2016.

 

NRCS accepts applications for CSP throughout the year, but producers should submit applications by March 31 to USDA service centers to be considered for enrollment in 2016. Participants with existing CSP contracts that will expire on Dec.31, 2016, have the option to renew their contracts for an additional five years if they agree to adopt additional activities to achieve higher levels of conservation on their lands. Applications to renew are also due by March 31. In Florida, producers can participate through CSP in the regional landscape-level Longleaf Pine Initiative.

 

Funding is available for more than 100 kinds of enhancements to help participants:

• Improve soil quality through use of cover crops, conservation crop rotations and other activities that increase soil productivity.
• Use water wisely and improve water quality through enhancements such as more efficient irrigation systems and weather monitoring.
• Restore habitat for wildlife and pollinators such as the greater sage-grouse, lesser prairie-chicken and monarch butterfly through the use of better grazing systems and improved plant management.

 

For more on technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted. Learn more at your local NRCS office.

 

 

Renee Bodine

NRCS

Public Affairs Florida

Desk 352.338.9565

Cell 352.514.8292