UF/IFAS workshop to help timber owners protect their land from theft, other crimes

January 25, 2013

Topic(s): Agriculture, Announcements, Extension, Forestry, IFAS, Safety

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — To the owner, a tract of timberland may be a wise investment or a family legacy. Unfortunately, to others that same acreage may look like a great place to cook methamphetamine, poach deer or steal a few truckloads of logs.

To help North Florida residents prevent illegal activity on their land, the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has joined forces with Florida’s Forest Stewardship Program and state agencies to present a one-day workshop, called Timberland Security for Owners.

It happens 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 at the UF/IFAS Columbia County Extension Office in Lake City.

“We have a great program that’s dynamic and interesting, and covers material that every forest landowner should know for their own protection and protection of the community,” said Chris Demers, Forest Stewardship Program coordinator in Gainesville.

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Researchers pinpoint culprits in grapefruit/drug interactions, UF/IFAS citrus breeder says

December 19, 2012

Topic(s): Agriculture, Citrus, Cultivars, Safety

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The quest to develop a grapefruit hybrid that will not interact with medication has taken a step forward, as researchers pinpoint compounds most responsible for the problem, a University of Florida citrus breeder says.

The data were published in the December 2012 issue of the journal Xenobiotica.

Scientists have been aware of the so-called “grapefruit juice effect” since 1989. Compounds in the fruit called furanocoumarins inhibit the action of an enzyme that breaks down certain medications in the human digestive system.

The phenomenon poses a health risk because it can produce unexpectedly high levels of these medications in a patient’s bloodstream. Doctors, pharmacists and prescription drug labels warn patients to avoid grapefruit and related products under these circumstances.

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Color is key in controlling flies, UF researchers find

February 15, 2012

Topic(s): Entomology and Nematology, Environment, Household Pests, IFAS, Pests, Research, Safety

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Downloadable video is available at: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10837916/20120215_FlyTrap.zip

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As a carrier of as many as 100 types of germs, the common house fly is hardly as innocuous as its name might suggest.

Military personnel know this firsthand, and their need for effective fly control has helped University of Florida researchers create an innovative new fly control device.

Known as the Florida Fly-Baiter, the device is blue — in contrast to the yellow fly control devices on the market — and is far more effective, said Phil Koehler, a professor of urban entomology with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

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Mosquito threat emerges as season peaks, UF researchers report

August 30, 2011

Topic(s): Entomology and Nematology, Environment, Household Pests, IFAS, Pests, RECs, Safety

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mosquitoes aren’t just a nuisance, they’re also an economic and health concern, say University of Florida researchers.

July, August, and September are peak months for mosquito activity in Florida, and the state spends about $151 million each year trying to control the biting insects.

Controlling mosquitoes is important for economic development and tourism, said Jonathan Day, a University of Florida medical entomology professor at UF’s Florida Medical Entomology Lab in Vero Beach.

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UF researchers find bacterial imbalances linked to deadly disease that strikes infants

June 30, 2011

Topic(s): IFAS, New Technology, Research, Safety

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — New findings by the University of Florida may help lead to a cure for a deadly disease that primarily afflicts premature newborns.

Necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, is the death of tissue in the bowels that causes inflammation, abdominal distention, bleeding, and in about 25 percent of the cases, mortality. It most often occurs in newborns during the first weeks of life.

Current treatments for NEC depend on the severity and include surgical and non-surgical techniques. Medical care for infants with NEC is estimated to cost up to $1 billion each year in the United States.

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UF research finds salmonella responds differently to tomato varieties, ripeness

September 23, 2010

Topic(s): Agriculture, Cultivars, Food Safety, Safety, Vegetables

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Multimedia available: http://news.ufl.edu/2010/09/21/salmonella-multimedia/

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida researchers have discovered that tomato variety and maturity influence the ways salmonella bacteria respond to the fruit.

The findings, published Aug. 31 by the online, open-access journal Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE, suggest researchers may be able to develop tomato cultivars more resistant to salmonella contamination.

Also, by monitoring tomato ripeness, it may be possible to reduce fruit’s susceptibility to contamination during and after harvest, said Max Teplitski, an associate professor in soil microbiology. (more …)

UF Food Summit to showcase Florida food issues, sustainability

April 1, 2010

Topic(s): Agriculture, Food Safety, Green Living, Safety

The University of Florida Office of Sustainability will host the first Florida Food Summit April 12-13. The event at UF’s Reitz Student Union will facilitate networking, dialogue and visioning among members of the Florida food system. The summit will help develop the connections needed for robust farm-to-institution programs and is part of the Office of Sustainability’s “40 Days of Change” campaign – a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

The event will begin with a welcome reception, followed by discussion panels focusing on local food systems at the local and state level. Other events include film screenings, multimedia presentations, a “Food on the Lawn” fair and farmers market.

“Food on the Lawn” will take place on UF’s Plaza of the Americas from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 12, featuring food demonstrations, educational displays and local produce for sale. A photography exhibition, “Range, Furrow, and Grove: Images of Florida Agriculture,” will also be on display April 5-17 in the Reitz Student Union Gallery. (more …)

New UF-housed wildfire ‘strike team’ teaches safe burning techniques

August 12, 2009

Topic(s): Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Safety

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When it comes to fighting fires, it’s usually the guy with the hose that gets all the hero worship. But as ever-increasing temperatures and droughts bring a greater threat from wildfires, sometimes it’s the guy with a torch who can do the most good.

“Fire is an art,” said Parker Titus, a specialist with more than 400 controlled burns on his resume. “It’s one of the most powerful influences on our natural systems. Knowing how to use it — and not let it get out of control — is an essential part of the conservation effort.”

This week, Titus and his crew, the newly formed Northeast Florida Resource Management Support Team, will be sharing that knowledge with 40 students and public agency employees.

The team will help teach how to stay safe while practicing controlled burns as part of a weeklong basic wildland firefighter training program conducted by the University of Florida, The Nature Conservancy and the Natural Areas Training Academy.

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UF researchers turn up the heat on bedbugs with new low-tech treatment method

July 7, 2009

Topic(s): Agriculture, Entomology and Nematology, Household Pests, New Technology, Pests, Safety

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Multimedia available: http://news.ufl.edu/2009/07/07/bed-bugs-multimedia/

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Bedbug infestations are notoriously hard to eliminate, but University of Florida researchers have developed a low-cost, low-tech method to kill the bloodsucking insects in furniture and bedding, using heat.

With less than $400 in equipment they created a portable chamber big enough for a bed or dresser. Heaters inside the chamber gently raise its air temperature to a minimum of 113 degrees Fahrenheit – enough to destroy the insects but not damage the items.

Treatment takes from two to seven hours, said urban entomologist Phil Koehler, a professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. In a study, the method killed 100 percent of bedbugs in nine out of 11 trials conducted in dormitories and apartments.

The study appears in the current issue of Journal of Economic Entomology.

“You’re very limited in what you can do to fight bedbugs,” said Koehler, an author of the study. “This is a good way to relieve infestations in bedding and other items people have close contact with, and it controls all life stages of bedbugs.” (more …)

Mosquitoes aplenty this July Fourth bring disease concerns for North Florida

July 1, 2009

Topic(s): Entomology and Nematology, Environment, Household Pests, Lawn & Garden, Pests, Safety, Weather

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Recent weeks of heavy rain have left conditions statewide ripe for a Fourth of July rife with mosquitoes. For some North Florida areas, however, the pests are more than a holiday annoyance — they bring the threat of the eastern equine encephalitis virus, known as EEEV.

“This year doesn’t look like it’s going to be tremendously unusual in terms of overall cases of mosquito-borne diseases,” said Jonathan Day, a professor of medical entomology with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “But transmission of [EEEV] tends to be very focal, and there are some areas that are looking risky.”

EEEV is best known for being deadly in horses, but humans can contract the virus as well.

According to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus can cause a severe infection of the central nervous system in humans, and is fatal for nearly a third of those afflicted.

So far this year, 26 horses have been found to be infected in North Florida, with five more in the state’s Panhandle.

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