WUFT News News and Public Media for North Central Florida from the University of Florida in Gainesville
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: East Gainesville residents clarify their needs for new urgent care center. “Chanae Jackson came to Lincoln Middle School ready to voice her dissatisfaction. ‘We don’t trust you, and we don’t …
Read More »Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary welcomes baby animals
Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary, the largest bovine farm sanctuary in the country, is a place where animal families find their forever homes. The Gainesville sanctuary was started by Erin and Chris Amerman and has 161 cows, 22 pigs, 10 donkeys, 10 horses, three water buffalo, two turkeys and one bison.
Read More »Retirement for one couple means running The Blackberry Pig Farm in Hawthorne
Alan and Linda Clayton moved to western Putnam County to retire more than 10 years ago. Then they got bored and bought a 5-acre farm in Hawthorne they named The Blackberry Pig Farm, where the couple raises chickens, turkeys, cows and pigs. Now they participate in three different farmers markets around North Florida where they sell beef and pork, among other things.
Read More »After Hurricane Ian, sowing hope
Editor’s note: Katie Delk is a 2022-2023 Florida Climate Institute Fellow reporting a series of articles about the impact of climate change on Florida’s farmers—and how they are adapting. Robert McMahon, in his faded denim jeans and straw hat, edged to the roof in a boom lift, three cows shuffling …
Read More »No monkey business in Levy County: Primate research lab plans get nixed
There apparently will not be any monkey business in Levy County. Plans for a primate research lab in this rural north central Florida county have been shelved. And many residents, still harboring anxieties about the idea, say good riddance. “It’s bad enough that it’s gonna be a monkey lab, and …
Read More »The Point, Dec. 1, 2022: Gators backup quarterback arrested on child porn charges
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Florida Gators backup quarterback faces child pornography charges, suspended from team indefinitely. “Gainesville police said Kitna, 19, of Burleson, Texas, shared two illegal images with other internet users over the …
Read More »Peacefield Farm Sanctuary spreads the value of plant-based diet
Emma and John Hoel, owners of Peacefield Farm Sanctuary, moved from Minnesota to Florida with the dream of starting a rescue farm to prevent animals from being used and abused in the food industry. Their ultimate goal is to save animals, while simultaneously encouraging others to eliminate animal products from their diets.
Read More »A Jonesville man’s story challenges the logic of Florida’s process to award a marijuana license to a Black farmer
It highlights a paradox: To win a license intended to remedy historic inequalities in wealth and access, you might need to be rich and well-connected.
Read More »Preparing livestock amid Hurricane Ian
Livestock owners preparing for Hurricane Ian have three major concerns: identification, sheltering and power. Livestock can be identified by using ear tags or by spraying numbers onto the cattle using a can of nontoxic spray. Because most barns are not built to withstand hurricane winds, many area farms will leave their cows to weather the storm in open fields. Another concern is keeping power on so well water can be pumped for the livestock to drink.
Read More »The Point, June 10, 2022: The tale of these two Florida cemeteries illustrates the problem of abandoned Black cemeteries
In Panama City, the histories of each are very different.
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