The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, UF/IFAS, is working to develop citrus trees that are resistant to huanglongbing (HLB) or citrus greening. Jose Chaparro, UF/IFAS associate professor, says, “In the future, you will not grow a variety that is not HLB tolerant or resistant. It’s not economically feasible long term. Production costs are too high.” Chaparro says that they are breeding cold-hardy fruit that...
According to Cornell University's Dr. Clinton Neill, more than 500 counties across the United States have shortages of food animal veterinarians. Less than 5% of veterinary school graduates pursue livestock or other food animal practice areas, compared to 40 years ago when about 40% of graduates specialized in these areas. Many factors have led to this shortage, but one of the main ones is education debt. This debt issue is causing many new...
The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Alabama Department of Agriculture (ADAI) have confirmed a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a small backyard non-poultry flock in Lawrence County, Alabama. Symptoms of HPAI include purple discoloration of wattles and legs, lethargic behavior, and watery and green diarrhea. Please report sick or dead WILD birds to your...
As we are preparing for the upcoming holiday season, keep in mind that raw flour can give you Salmonella and E. coli if consumed raw. Flour is made from processing raw grains that are grown in fields, but this process does not kill the bacteria found in the raw grains. Some tips to avoid getting sick include not eating or tasting raw dough products, keeping flour away from ready-to-eat foods, and refrigerating cookie and pastry dough according...
The New Varieties Development and Management Corporation (NVDMC) is ensuring that Florida citrus growers are staying competitive in the produce industry by providing new varieties of citrus. The NVDMC was created in 2005 to provide these new varieties for growers, but they still rely on Florida growers to search for naturally occurring varieties in local groves. Partnering with UF/IFAS has given the NVDMC an opportunity to provide growers with...
One common Best Management Practice (BMP) for cattle operations is rotational grazing. This is the act of moving cattle from pasture to pasture to avoid overgrazing of one area. A report was done by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service to find the adoption rate of rotational grazing practices in cow-calf operations. This report found that 40 percent of these operations are using rotational grazing, while...
Pinkeye in cattle is highly contagious and can lead to blindness and impair weight gain in calves, which can lead to negative economic impacts in the beef industry. Scientists at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) revealed that there are two different variants of the bacterium that is known to cause pinkeye in cattle. Scientists Working on Prevention...
With the vegetarian population and flexitarian diets becoming popular, the market for plant-based meat products has been rising. However, concern of the nutritional value and the long ingredient list for these products has been rising too. Compared to animal-based proteins, these plant-based options are highly processed and full of additives such as heme, which is an additive that makes the plant-based options look like they are bleeding when...
Over 47 million birds have died from infections and culling from avian influenza this year, according to a new report from Reuters. As Thanksgiving is rounding the corner, export bans and lowered egg and turkey production are causing supply issues and higher prices. Rosemary Sifford, chief veterinary officer for the Department of Agriculture, says, “Unfortunately, what we’ve done probably hasn’t been enough to protect us from this high...
The Mississippi River water level has reached the lowest it has ever been, -10.77 feet. This lack of water has made importing and exporting vital agricultural commodities a serious challenge as fewer barges are able to make their way down the river, and they are having to lighten their loads by 17-38% to keep from bottoming out. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have kept traffic flowing by dredging, but new challenging spots in the river can...
