|
 From
the Director: Our goal is to provide the faculty with the latest news
from the Center research projects and extension activities, and other
timely information items. Please feel free to use the contents of the
newsletter in your county newsletters and education activities as you
wish. If you'd like additional details on newsletter items, contact the
faculty member author or our editor, Cheryl Vergot.
Regards, Dr. George Hochmuth, NFREC Director
Dates
of Interest
(Call ahead to confirm date and
time on events.)
February
13: Agri-Tourism Discussion
NFREC-Live Oak 6:00
– 8:00 p.m.
February
13: Home Vegetable
Gardening
Demonstration 4:00 p.m.
Wakulla Extension Office
February
15: Agricultural
E-Marketing for
more information
Columbia
Co. Extension Office 6:30 p.m.
February
15: Panhandle (NW Florida)
Beef Conference & Trade Show
Marianna Ag Center
February
16: Winter Florida Bull Test Sale
NFREC Beef Unit
February
19-20: Fed Cattle Show, Jackson County
Ag Center
February
24: Wakulla Swine Show
Wakulla Extension Arena
March
1: Beef Cattle Management Course
Local Extension Office
March
6: Panhandle Peanut Short Course
Jackson Co. Agriculture Center
Hwy. 90 West, Marianna
March
7-8: West Florida Livestock
Show & Sale
William Inman Agricultural Center, Quincy
April
7: Small Farms Conference
Volusia
County Fairground, (Deland)
8:30
– 3:00 p.m.
April
17: Extension Agent
In-Service Training
Native Wildflowers for Central and
South Florida
April
18-20: Seeds for the
Future, Wildflower & Grass Seed
Production Conference
May
23: DDIS Inservice
Training
University of Florida, Plant Pathology Department,
Fifield Hall, Gainesville
June
19-21: Natural Resources
Forum
Watershed
Science, Policy, Planning and Management - Tampa Busch Gardens
More
Info on Dates
"Small
Farms Conference"
will be held at the Volusia County Fairground (Deland) on
Saturday, April 7, 20001 from 8:30-3:00PM.
There will be
educational programs on fruit trees, ornamental crop marketing, tractors,
green house design and management, fish farming, goats,chainsaws and
many more. It is a
family event with face painting, a petting zoo, pony rides, and a blue
grass band will be playing. If
anyone has any questions or would like to set up a display at the trade
show they can give me a call at 904-284-6355. (Kari
Dollar)
*******
FROM:
Shelby Tatlock, Conference Coordinator, University of Florida,
Office of Conferences and Institutes (OCI)
RE:
Natural Resources Forum: Watershed Science, Policy, Planning and
Management
- Can We Make it Work in Florida?
We
would like to request your assistance with publicizing Natural Resources
Forum: Watershed Science, Policy, Planning and Management -
Can
We Make it Work in Florida? scheduled June 19-21, 2001 in Tampa,
Florida
at the Embassy Suites - Tampa Busch Gardens.
We
would appreciate your assistance with bringing this conference to the
attention of your colleagues and association members by:
1)
Providing a complimentary listing announcing the conference in the
Calendar
of Events section in any newsletter publications you produce.
We
need assistance with getting the word out, and would be grateful if
you
would help us tell people of the conference.
2.)
We invite you to create a link from your web site to the Natural
Resources
Forum: Watershed Science, Policy, Planning and Management -
Can
We Make it Work in Florida? web site located at
<http://www.ifas.ufl.edu/~conferweb/nrf/>
Upon doing so, simply email methe website URL you want us to link to and
we will create a reciprocal link to generate mutually beneficial
exposure. My DIRECT EMAIL address is <mktatlock@mail.ifas.ufl.edu>.
3.)
Should you maintain an industry or topical list serve, we would also
appreciate you mentioning the Natural Resources Forum: Watershed
Science,
Policy, Planning and Management - Can We Make it Work in
Florida?
in future announcements, including a link to our conference web site for
individuals who want more information.
We
appreciate your help with publicizing this conference, and we will be
happy to reciprocate. We look forward to hearing back from you and hope
you will be joining us at the conference. In the meantime, should
additional
information be required, please don't hesitate to call on me
personally.
News from University of
Florida/IFAS
The University of Florida's IFAS
Communication Services has developed
RadioSource.NET, an Internet radio network, to help support the
land-grant mission of informing and educating the public about
agricultural and life science issues.
RadioSource.NET is a portal website posting audio
programming from
the nation’s top research institutions. Programming can be
downloaded
from the site for radio station rebroadcast or streamed for consumer
use. Topics include gardening, health and nutrition, environmental
news, agribusiness, agronomy, animal science, entomology, plant
pathology, and forestry, among others. A specialized search engine
helps users find information easily. Information can be sorted
by state, topic or date and new stories are added throughout the week.
Please log onto http://radiosource.net
to listen to the latest
land-grant radio news. If you think you might have an interesting
news
story for inclusion (for example breakthrough research in your field)
contact IFAS Communications Services reporter Linda Kubitz at
llk@ifas.ufl.edu.
For more information
about the RadioSource project please visit
http://radiosource.net, or contact
Kathy Sohar at ksfl@ifas.ufl.edu.
PROGRAM UPDATES
Food & Resource
Economics
Oyster Consumption Survey
In late 2000 a national telephone survey concerning
oyster consumption and consumers’ perception and buying habits related
to oysters (partially paid for by the Bureau of Seafood Marketing, FDACS).
Over 2800 telephone calls were made to obtain 1800 interviews. Based
upon survey results approximately 62.9% of the adult U.S. population
have eaten raw oysters and 41.9% like them. In other words, only about
2/3 of those who have eaten raw oysters continue to do so. Taste, not
food safety, is the single most important reason that people who have
eaten oysters do not continue to eat them; 24% of those who have eaten
them do not eat them because of taste. However, 71% of consumers are
aware of the dangers of eating raw oysters. About 15% of those who eat
raw oysters (or about 9.4% of the total adult U.S. population) consume
about 85% of all the oysters sold. The average oyster consumer is male,
between the ages of 18-49, lives in a coastal area and earns over $60K.
Frozen oysters similar in taste and texture to
fresh oysters have become available in restaurants relatively recently.
UF Food Scientists G. Rodrick and L. Garrido have worked on the new
product. According these food scientists no detectable levels Vibrio
vulnificus, the bacterium dangerous to at risk populations, are found in
the frozen product. Respondents between 18 and 49 years of age were more
likely than those 50 or more years old to believe that freezing oysters
in the proper way would make oysters virtually bacteria free.
The product
is generally not available at the retail level. Questions concerning
willingness to buy whole and half shell frozen oysters in supermarkets
were asked. About 15% of the U.S. adult population would be interested
in the whole shell frozen oyster. About 30% of them (4.5% of total) said
that they would pay at least $5.50 per dozen for frozen whole shell
oysters, while just over 21% of them (about 3.2% of total) said they
would pay at least $5.50 for the half shell product. In other words,
this is a promising product for a few processors, but unless
it can increase overall demand, it will not staunch the decline in
oyster consumption experienced over the past decade.
(Dr. David Zimet & John L. Smith)
(Zimet,
NFREC News, 3-4)
Entomology
Joe
Funderburk presented an invited paper “Flower Thrips-What They Are and
How They Live” in the blueberry program at the Fruit and Vegetable
Winter Conference on January 5, 2001 in Savannah, Georgia. Aspects of
thrips biology, population dynamics, natural enemies, damage, and
management were described. The content was published in the conference’s
proceedings. The industry decided to pursue a Section 18 label for
spinosad on blueberries which is now being processed by the Florida
Department of Agriculture. (Funderburk,
NFREC News, 3-4)
Plant Pathology
New On-Line Newsletter (Q&A) and
Web Site for Plant Diseases
New
on-line newsletter called "Ask Plant Doctornet" was initiated,
the first issue could be reached from the following URL
http://plantdoctor.ifas.ufl.edu/AskthePDN.htm
The
on-line newsletter is in form of Questions and Answers. Interested
parties could send plant disease related questions to Tim Momol
tmomol@mail.ifas.ufl.edu.
Questions will be replied within two weeks via E-mail. Selected
Questions and their Answers will be posted as a new issue of the
"Ask Plant Doctornet".
This newsletter is located in the new web site "Plant Doctornet"
that was created recently http://plantdoctor.ifas.ufl.edu/
In
the new web site county extension faculty, producers, consultants,
master gardeners and homeowners could find links to many Internet
resources of plant disease diagnosis and management.
"Plant Doctornet" web site is under construction, new
links will be added periodically.
(Tim
Momol, NFREC, Plant Pathology, January 15, 2001)
(Momol,
NFREC News, 3-4)
Horticultural Sciences
Impact
of 2000/2001 on Fruit Crops in North Florida
This past winter brought
an icy chill to the eastern United States with snow storms and record
high utility bills. Fortunately,
we in north Florida were at least able to avoid the former. This winter has been characterized by sustained winter cold
and not an extreme cold spell. For
example, NOAA records obtained for the Tallahassee Regional Airport
indicate that between 15 Nov. and 1 Feb. we experienced 30 days with a
minimum temperature in the 29 or below.
Nevertheless, only 4 days occurred in the teens with the coldest
temperature of 18 F recorded on 31 Jan.
Although utility bills for this winter were much higher than
normal, the average temperature during this 2 ˝
month period was only 2 F below normal.
The effect of this winter cold on deciduous crops was to provide
an abundance of winter chilling. Most
deciduous fruit trees require a certain amount of winter cold
before they will bloom and fruit naturally, or, in other words
they have a chilling requirement. For
example, the peaches and nectarines that are best adapted to our region
may a chilling requirement of 400 to 550 hours of cumulative
temperatures below 45 F, although we grow between 300 to 650 hour
genotypes as a backup for warm or cold winters, respectively.
We have recorded well in excess of
750 hours as of the Feb 1 reporting date which means that
virtually all peach and nectarine trees
have had their chilling requirement met and they will bloom when they
receive a sufficient amount of warm temperatures.
It, of course, is desirable that fruit trees receive their
chilling requirement so that they can bloom normally; however, when it
is far exceeded by 1 Feb. there is a good chance that a warm period will
be followed by a cold period, the effect could be freeze injury of
flower buds and elimination of the crop for 2001.
Normally the bloom period is about10 to 14 days in the spring and
all it takes is about 26 to 28 F to cause freeze or frost injury.
(Once all the flower buds are destroyed there are no compensatory
mechanisms to produce new ones). Thus,
it is too early to forecast the crop potentials of many deciduous fruit
trees such as peach, nectarine, apple, plum, pear and blueberries for
2001. Pecan trees are less
likely to bloom prematurely and are thus less likely to incur frost
injury.
The fate of Citrus planted in response to the cold temperatures
in north Florida was dependent on variety, location, physiological
condition and plant age. For
the ease of discussion only the Citrus planted at the NFREC-Quincy and
Monticello will be discussed.
At both locations the only Citrus to survive were kumquats and
satsuma mandarins. They are
the most cold hardy citrus and can survive 16 to 22 F.
Navels and Meyer lemons, which have a normal limit of cold
hardiness about 24 to 26 F,
did not survive. Of the
satsumas and kumquats old trees faired better than young trees and trees
planted next to buildings performed better than those in an open field.
For example, at the NFREC-Quincy all first year trees perished
where established trees at least three years old and located next to
buildings survived. A few 1
year old satsuma and kumquat may have survived where a pyramid of soil
surrounding the trunk was used for freeze protection.
At the NFREC-Monticello 8 year old trees survived better than 3
year old trees. The 3
year old trees were stressed with a heavy crop load and the centers of
the tree lay exposed because the branched were laid over, whereas the 8
year old trees had a significant amount of tree mass and sustained less
freeze injury. Due to
the fact that the minimum temperatures recorded for this winter were
close to the threshold temperatures for winter injury for satsuma and
kumquat the actual damage sustained will be location, physiological
condition and plant age dependent. (Dr. Peter C. Andersen)
(Andersen, NFREC News, 3-4)
Thought
for the Day:
All
glory comes from daring to begin.
Cheryl
Vergot, Public Relations
NFREC - Quincy, U/F IFAS
E-Mail: cvergot@ifas.ufl.edu
Phone: (850) 875-7112
The
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an Equal Employment
Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research,
educational information and other services only to individuals and
institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age
handicap or national origin.
COOPERATIVE
EXTENSION WORK IN AGRICULTURE, FAMILY & CONSUMER SERVICES, STATE OF
FLORIDA, IFAS, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
AND BOARDS OF COUNTY COMMISSIONER COOPERATING
An
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution
Cheryl
Vergot, Public Relations
NFREC - Quincy, U/F IFAS
E-Mail: cvergot@ifas.ufl.edu
Phone: (850) 875-7112
The
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an Equal Employment
Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research,
educational information and other services only to individuals and
institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age
handicap or national origin.
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION WORK IN
AGRICULTURE, FAMILY & CONSUMER SERVICES, STATE OF FLORIDA, IFAS,
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, AND BOARDS OF
COUNTY COMMISSIONER COOPERATING
An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative
Action Institution
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