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 ...
Read More »
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 ...
Read More »
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 ...
Read More »
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 ...
Read More »
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 ...
Read More »
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 ...
Read More »
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 ...
Read More »
Saturday, October 15, 2016 Citizens interested in becoming poultry producers can attend an October 27 Poultry Production 101 class at the Okaloosa-University of Florida Extension. The class will be held from 6 until 8 p.m., and is $10 per person. Samples and recipes are included. Call 850-689-5850 for information or to register. Participants will learn proper egg handling, poultry processing ...
Read More »
Thursday, October 13, 2016 by Larry Williams Fall webworms are normally observed during late summer and fall when people notice the unsightly whitish or light gray webs in certain trees. Webworms enclose leaves and ends of branches with silken webbing. The worms (caterpillars) are found in this protective webbing consuming leaves. Although they can defoliate branches on which they are ...
Read More »
Sunday September 25, 2016 by Judy Biss By now you have probably heard about Zika Virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes. As a beekeeper, you may be concerned about the safety of your bees during pesticide treatments to control mosquitoes. As a rural landowner, you probably have more places where mosquitoes can live and lay their eggs than a homeowner who ...
Read More »