UF Report: Florida Dairy Farmers Made More on Milk, Spent More on Feed in 2007

July 30, 2008
Topic(s): Livestock

• By:
  Tom Nordlie – (352) 273-3567
• Source:
  Albert De Vries – devries@ufl.edu, (352) 392-5594

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Wholesale prices for Florida milk hit an all-time high in 2007, but dairy farmers’ potential profits were reduced by skyrocketing feed costs, according to a University of Florida report issued this month.

“Times are changing,” said Albert De Vries, an associate professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and an author of the report. “The farmer’s putting an extra dollar in his pocket but spending it down the road.” (more…)

MyPyramid for Older Adults Poster Helps Increase Nutrition Knowledge

July 22, 2008
Topic(s): Nutrition

• By:
  Mickie Anderson – (352) 273-3566
• Sources:
  Nan Jensen – njensen@ifas.ufl.edu, (727) 582-2100 x28445
  Karla Shelnutt – kpagan@ufl.edu, (352) 392-1778 x240

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Eating well as you age can be tricky. You generally need fewer calories, but the foods you do eat must pack a nutritious punch.

With that in mind, faculty at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences adapted the federal government’s MyPyramid poster for older Americans in February 2007. (more…)

Research Shows Contraception Could Control Problem Parakeets

July 8, 2008
Topic(s): Biocontrols, Invasive Species

• By:
  Mickie Anderson – (352) 273-3566
• Sources:
  Michael Avery – michael.l.avery@aphis.usda.gov, (352) 375-2229
  Jim Lindsay – jim.lindsay@fpl.com, (561) 691-7032

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When monk parakeets began to infiltrate the United States in the 1960s, some feared they would ravage farm crops as they often had in their native South America.

That never happened, but the birds did cause a different kind of problem: They built huge, heavy nests atop power substations and utility equipment, causing power outages, fires and countless headaches for utility companies from Florida to Washington. (more…)

Aggressive Weed Becoming a Menace Worse Than Kudzu, UF Researcher Says

July 5, 2008
Topic(s): Agriculture, Invasive Species

• By:
  Mickie Anderson – (352) 392-0400
• Source(s):
  Shibu Jose – sjose@ufl.edu, (352) 846-0872
  Raghavan Charudattan – rcharu@ufl.edu, (352) 392-7240 x354

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — And you thought kudzu was bad.

A weed called cogongrass is rapidly spreading across the Southeast, and a University of Florida researcher says it’s already overtaken kudzu as Florida’s most obnoxious weed.

“Kudzu’s no longer the poster child. Cogongrass is a big deal,” said forestry researcher Shibu Jose. “It’s becoming a major, major problem.” (more…)