December 05, 2016 by Jennifer Bearden Coyotes can be a nuisance to pet and livestock owners as well as vegetable farmers. Coyotes are true scavengers and will eat just about anything – sheep, calves, poultry, deer, watermelons, snakes, foxes, cats, rabbits, grass, carrion, garbage, pet food… Coyotes are mainly active at night but can be seen during daylight hours close ...
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December 04, 2016 by Larry Williams Billions of leaves blanket the fall landscape and are bagged by hundreds of homeowners to be placed curbside for local trash pick-up. Many of these leaves could be easily turned into valuable mulch or compost. Why do all those fall leaves end up in bags to be discarded? It’s probably because the homeowner is ...
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November 28, 2016 by Jennifer Bearden Soil fertility and plant nutrient management is an important part of agroecosystems. Agroecological approaches to soil fertility and nutrient management begin with soil testing. A soil test will tell you soil pH. Soil pH affects the availability of nutrients to the plant. Soil pH should be adjusted to the optimal level for each crop before ...
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November 20, 2016 by Jennifer Bearden There are over sixty plant species with the potential to poison livestock. However, only a few species cause most of the problems. Toxic plants can be both native and exotic and most are broadleaved plants. Florida’s climate is ideal for dozens of species of poisonous plants. Livestock generally only eat poisonous plants under extreme ...
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November 14, 2016 by Jennifer Bearden Blackberry and dewberry control in pastures is difficult to achieve. The first step is identification of the plant. Blackberries grow upright while dewberries have a low vine-like growth habit. Dewberries also have slender thorns and red hairs on the stem while blackberries have hard, tough thorns and no hairs. Blackberries grow up to 3-6 ...
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November 13, 2016 by Jennifer Bearden You probably can’t go a day without touching cotton or a cotton byproduct. In 2007, according to USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, 7,099 bales of cotton were produced in our county. Each bale weighs about 480 pounds. That’s enough cotton to make more than 1.5 million pairs of jeans or more than two billion ...
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by Jennifer Bearden Chinese Tallow, also known as the Popcorn Tree, was introduced in the US over 200 years ago. Ben Franklin sent seeds over in 1772. Although Franklin was blamed for the invasion of popcorn trees in the US Gulf Coast, scientists performed genetic testing and have concluded that the blame actually lies with federal biologists who imported some ...
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October 30, 2016 The reality of what happens deep down in the darkness of a fire ant mound hidden to human eyes or in the tunnels of a mole cricket where only creepy crawly things dare to enter may be too scary to believe. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences along with USDA introduced a tiny South ...
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October 30, 2016 Baker, FL – The Baker Feed and Country Store and Mid-South Feeds will be hosting a Equine Nutrition Seminar this Thursday, November 3rd, at 6:30 pm at the Baker Area Recreation Association. The “Back to Basics” seminar will feature Jennifer Bearden, AG Agent for Okaloosa County Extension Agent for University of Florida and Steve Ward of Mid-South ...
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October 30, 2016 Join us on Thursday, November 17th at the West Florida Research and Education Center (4253 Experiment Drive, Jay) for the Fall Gulf Coast Small Farms Field Day. Registration starts at 7:45, with informational sessions and tours starting at 8:00 am. The following topics will be covered include: Using Protected Agriculture and Hydroponics to Meet Demand for High Value Specialty ...
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