Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumwer Services (FDACS) Commissioner Wilton Simpson applauded the Florida legislature for their work during the 2024 legislative session to provide significant victories for Florida agriculture, its related industries, and consumers. “When you look at agriculture’s $180 billion impact to the state of Florida, it’s clear that we rely upon agriculture as a major economic driver. …
Agriculture Future of America Hosts 2023 Leaders Conference
By Maegan Beatty In November, over 800 undergraduate students from across the nation gathered in Kansas City, Missouri, to attend the 2023 Agriculture Future of America (AFA) Leaders Conference. AFA is a nonprofit organization that works to provide professional development opportunities for students studying agriculture, life sciences and natural resources. Every November, AFA hosts a Leaders Conference to give students …
FFVA honors Sanjay Shukla as 2023 Researcher of the Year
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association presented Sanjay Shukla with its 2023 Researcher of the Year Award during FFVA’s 79th annual convention last month at The Ritz-Carlton in Naples. The Researcher of the Year Award is given to deserving individuals who have dedicated themselves and their work to improving Florida agriculture. Shukla is a professor in the Agricultural and Biological …
UF CALS Hosts 2023 Florida Youth Institute
By Maegan Beatty Every summer, the University of Florida College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) partners with the World Food Prize Foundation to develop a youth education program called the Florida Youth Institute (FYI). Students from across Florida, as well as other states, write a research paper about a developing country of their choice and one specific issue or …
National Ag Day Celebrates 50 Years
President Joe Biden has proclaimed March 21, 2023, National Ag Day. This year marks the seventh year that The White House has publicly recognized National Ag Day as a salute to the contributions of America’s farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses. And it marks the 50th year of observance of Ag Day and Ag Week. The proclamation highlights the spirit across America’s …
Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture Coming to GCREC
To protect crop yields and the environment, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is increasingly leveraging powerful tools such as technology driven by artificial intelligence (AI). In an effort to expedite such development, UF/IFAS will build a 19,000-square-foot AI hub at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) in Balm, about 25 miles southeast of Tampa. …