Recent Posts

  • Here in Seminole county, cotton is king, second only to peanuts. We are fortunate enough to have a local cotton gin, farmers with multiple generations of experience and good ground for the crop. No doubt that it has helped our local economy and shaped the culture of Seminole County. In school we learn about the…

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  • At the extension office I get calls about bees pretty regularly. I have always enjoyed working with bees and never turn down an opportunity to talk to someone about bees. A lot of people are just curious about bees in general and how they work. One topic in particular peaks a lot of people’s interest,…

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  • The Truth About Organics

    It must have been a week or two ago, that I came home and saw my wife had purchased some organic bananas. I asked why she made the switch and she mentioned they were the only ones on sale that day. It looked and tasted like a regular banana. It did not seem so special…

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  • If you are a loyal reader of this paper then there is no doubt you saw the 18-foot, reticulated python that was euthanized here in Seminole County recently. Try explaining to a toddler what that was and why she doesn’t need to worry about seeing another one. Just knowing that prehistoric creature was out there…

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  • What Are Nematodes?

    Many of us can know of and can identify several agriculture pests. I’d venture to say that a majority of folks in this area know that a fall army worm is bad news for everyone. Or that stink bugs damage many different kinds of garden and commercial crops. And many farmers can identify thrips damage…

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  • Bee Hive Products

    One of the benefits of having your own beehives is that sweet honey after a good harvest. Opening up the hive and cutting off a chunk of fresh comb is just one of the few little things in life that beekeepers get to enjoy. Taking that honey and extracting it, bottling it and having others…

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  • Murder Hornets

    When we were all hiding out during the pandemic, it seemed like every other week we had a new disaster coming out. Do we not all remember when the clowns were coming out of the woods at night? As if we were not dealing with enough with Covid-19, here came another plague; Murder Hornets. And…

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  • In every good movie, there is always the good guy or gal who is supposed to be the hero. One person or team you’re always rooting for and hoping to win. But, also in every movie, there is a villain to stand in the hero’s way. For many of us, our yard is that movie,…

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  • Fall Garden Prep

    To me and my family, there are few things more satisfying than harvesting food from our own garden. My little girl loves to walk through the garden and tell me what plants are her favorite. Granted she gets them mixed up sometimes, I can’t bring myself to correct her yet. My wife and I enjoy…

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  • How to Harvest Honey

    I still get amazed when I go back home to visit my grandparents and visit the “honey house”. Over the years my grandpa has upgraded our equipment and made harvesting honey a much simpler task. We run a 72-frame extractor that unloads hundreds of pounds at once and is a huge time saver. Now that…

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