http://news.ifas.ufl.eduThe latest UF/IFAS news.Copyright 2006 University of Florida.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. http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=123707/05/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Some saltwater anglers are purists—they would fish with the simplest rod and reel. Others won’t leave dock without gear sophisticated enough for military operations.</p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=128205/01/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- The daily adventures of live termite and ant colonies are now available on two Web cameras at the University of Florida, giving viewers an inside look at what happens when these pests invade a home.</p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=128305/01/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Years of aggressive hydrilla control efforts have paid off for some Florida communities—unfortunately, their success against the invasive aquatic weed has had unintended benefits for a more troublesome plant, says a University of Florida expert who’s researching insects and diseases that might help control the upstart.</p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=128004/21/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, FLA. --- As more consumers struggle with record-breaking energy costs and rapid urban growth puts a strain on Florida’s natural resources, the University of Florida’s extension service is launching a public awareness campaign promoting effective energy use and discouraging all forms of energy waste.</p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=128104/21/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- In science, success is often measured by the amount of knowledge you can contribute toward the betterment of the world. Last year, the researchers at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences published nearly 1,200 peer reviewed journal articles—and that’s just the beginning. </p> <p>“Whether working on diabetes or deforestation, cellulosic energy or cellular growth, reproductive physiology or Reynolds Numbers—our researchers are true explorers and true discoverers,” said Mark McLellan, IFAS research dean and director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station, at the inaugural Florida Agricultural Experiment Station awards ceremony April 18 at the Harn Museum on UF’s Gainesville campus. </p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=127904/18/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- In certain parts of the Southern United States, it’s almost impossible to leave your house without running into what oil men have dubbed “nodding donkeys.” Growing in number, these fly-wheel-driven oil pumps are on a lonely mission to endlessly peck petroleum from the earth.</p> <p>But someday soon, nodding donkeys might become an endangered species—thanks, in part, to the work of University of Florida alternative fuels researcher Lonnie Ingram. On Monday, April 7, the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA) will present Ingram with the 2008 SURA Distinguished Scientist Award for his work developing ways to turn materials commonly considered trash into fuel that could cut the country’s dependence on oil. </p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=127804/07/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Tax season is one of the most stressful times of the year. And a University of Florida expert cautions against making common mistakes that can complicate matters as we go about accounting for our income with the federal government.</p>http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=127703/31/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, FLA. --- Termites aren’t just out to eat the wood in your home. A new University of Florida study shows the voracious insects like to feast on your home's insulation, too — making it nearly 75 percent less effective.</p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=127603/26/2008<p>In this photo released from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Lyndel Kerr of Lawtey, Fla., left, and Bobby Lines of Okeechobee, Fla., chase a steer at Ropin’ in the Swamp, an annual team roping competition at UF’s Horse Teaching Unit in Gainesville, Fla., Saturday, March 22, 2008.</p>http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=127503/25/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Calling it a silver lining may be a stretch, but the storm clouds wrought by the devastating 2004 hurricane season did bring the Sunshine State at least one ray of relief.</p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=127403/19/2008In this photo released from the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, ABC's Good Morning America weatherman Sam Champion, left, and UF's Jamie Ellis, an assistant professor of entomology, dump nearly 15,000 bees into a hive at the Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka -- Thursday, March 13, 2008. Champion, who was stung only once during the live broadcast, braved the bees as part of the show's "I Dare You" challenge. (AP photo/University of Florida/IFAS/Thomas Wright) http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=127303/13/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- As executive chef at one of Florida’s most popular resorts, Anthony Sicignano must know virtually every form of cooking to direct nearly 3,000 daily meals. This season, however, he also has to be part florist.</p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=127203/11/2008<p>A University of Florida study suggests that repeatedly using large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer can ignite a population explosion of Southern chinch bugs—the No. 1 insect pest of St. Augustinegrass, the state’s most popular turfgrass.</p>http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=127103/03/2008http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=127002/29/2008In this photo released from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, UF junior and Iraq veteran Lee Gladden, left, speaks to Randy Strode, owner of Agri-Starts, Inc., about job and internship opportunities with the Apopka-based company – Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008. Gladden, 26, of Pleasantville, N.J., was taking advantage of UF’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences’ career expo at UF’s Reitz Union. Strode said he has set up an expo booth for about the last 15 years and has always had good luck with the applicants there. (AP photo/University of Florida/IFAS/Thomas Wright)http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=126902/20/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Expect a call from your conscience next week, telling you it’s time to blow the dust off that piggy bank.</p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=126802/19/2008<p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- It wasn’t long after longtime commercial writer Sandra “Sam” Williams and husband Jerry left their full-time desk jobs to start a 200-acre farm in Starke that they realized they could use a little help.</p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=126702/18/2008 <p>GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- At January’s World Economic Forum, Bill Gates stood before a collection of the world’s foremost business and political leaders—all buzzing with concerns of global recession, energy shortages and terrorism—and told them that the world’s most dire economic priority is, simply put, food.</p> http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=126602/13/2008In this photo released from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, fruit crop genetics researcher Jose Chaparro, left, and doctoral student Omar Carrillo evaluate an ornamental peach tree at the UF/IFAS research grove at UF’s main campus in Gainesville – Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2008. Armed with an ordinary pencil eraser and a bag of pollen, they pollinate flowers and then test how many days of cool temperatures are needed for the trees to bear fruit. (AP photo/University of Florida/IFAS/Thomas Wright)http://news.ifas.ufl.edu/story.aspx?ID=126502/12/2008