Dr. Reed and I are some of the newest residents of Lake Placid. We moved here six months ago. We chose this town because of the location, size and all of the beautiful lakes. ...more

June 25, 2008

SEBRING —Two of Highlands County's early agricultural pioneers in the citrus industry will have their names names written posthumously on the outside and inside of the Agri-Civic Center on George Boulevard. The old Highlands County Agri-Civic Center will be renamed the Bert J. Harris, Jr. Agricultural Center, if county Commissioner Don Bates' motion is approved at today's county commission meeting. In the same motion, expected to pass unanimously with no opposition, the commissioners also will rename the auditorium inside the Bert J. Harris, Jr. Agricultural Center the Sam Poltson Memorial Museum. The auditorium is the main meeting ...more

June 16, 2008

LAKELAND – Florida's 2007-2008 orange crop estimate remained the same at 168.5 million boxes, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which released a revised citrus forecast. The 168.5 million boxes are made up of 80.5 million boxes of Early-Mids, 3 million boxes of Navels and 85 million boxes of Valencias. ...more

June 14, 2008

LAKELAND – During simultaneous meetings held last month at Agriculture Research Service in Fort Pierce and the National Academy of Sciences in West Palm Beach, researchers from institutions in Florida, other states and other countries urged all citrus growers and industry participants to continue to work diligently solve devastating citrus diseases, such as greening. "We brought together 23 scientists, including plant pathologists, botanists, entomologists, microbiologists and others to offer the industry new perspective beyond that of the citrus research establishment," stated Robin Schoen, director of the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Research Council, NAS. "Members of the NAS panel were astonished by the rapid spread and severe impact of greening in Florida to date. We realize that urgent and immediate attention is needed to address this situation so that it does not escalate out of control." "Our goal is to preserve the future of the citrus industry in Florida. We recognize the need for independent scientific experts to help Florida's citrus teams identify the most effective and efficient way to solve greening," said Bob Norberg, deputy executive director, research and operations, Florida Department of Citrus. "This joint meeting illustrates the willingness of the Florida scientific community to embrace new research directions as we move forward." ...more

May 10, 2008

Last month J. Bernard Machen, president of the University of Florida, sent shockwaves throughout Florida's agricultural community. ...more

February 13, 2008

AVON PARK — There's a mock bomb somewhere in the lobby of the Public Service Academy headquarters, as teams of police cadets assigned to find it and document the search carefully carry out their duty. To protect and serve is more than a motto on some wall. It is an oath that far too often puts law enforcement officers' lives on the line. Yet, as law enforcement officers retire, are injured, quit or otherwise leave service, along come new recruits. South Florida Community College's Criminal Justice Academy, located at its Avon Park campus, prepares them for a career in law enforcement. ...more

January 27, 2008

Plant City is the nation's winter strawberry capital, and local farmers depend on immigrant workers to bring in the crop, a growers group official said. ...more

January 12, 2008

The Big Apple has its ball, and Brooksville has its big tangerine. ...more

December 30, 2007

When the board met to reflect on 2007, we decided to create awards that celebrate the year's newsmakers and events, the highlights and the lowlights, the champs and the chumps. ...more

December 30, 2007

The Big Apple has its ball, and Brooksville has its big tangerine. ...more

December 27, 2007