After years of research and public debate, the Levy County Commission has voted to add new ordinances to the land-use code and block commercial composting facilities that use farm animal waste from operating in the county.
Read More »The Point, May 31, 2023: Ocala Police hold town hall for deaf community
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • Florida Storms: Potential tropical disturbance will bring heavy rain and flash flood threat to Florida. “A system in the Gulf of Mexico will bring periods of heavy rain and gusty winds to …
Read More »Florida state cabinet signs off on land deals
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state cabinet on Tuesday approved spending nearly $100 million on land deals that will secure nearly 40,000 acres as part of a growing wildlife corridor. The 12 agreements are part of the Florida Forever program and the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. They involve …
Read More »Fundraiser seeks to aid farmers with limitations
Farming can be strenuous, and the Florida heat does not make conditions easier. The heat is not the only battle Florida farmers face. When farmers are disabled, they have no choice but continue working for food and income. The Amazing Give Charity Event seeks to help farmers like Mika Hardison-Carr who …
Read More »How women of the Gainesville Giving Garden nurture their community
WUFT · The Giving Garden In the lush pine forests of Maine, the seeds of the Gainesville Giving Garden were planted in the mind of a young girl. Meg Boria-Meyer, 28, is the founder of the Gainesville Giving Garden, 225 NW 12th Ave. She grew up in Maine with …
Read More »Volunteers on a Gainesville farm find joy in the harvest
It’s harvest day. Daniel Robleto and his wife, Aviva Asher, wake up at 7 a.m., brush their teeth, eat their breakfast and begin their morning harvest. Robleto and Asher, both 40, are co-owners of Nicoya Farm, a small vegetable farm in Gainesville. They devote their lives to providing organic food …
Read More »A goodbye letter from reporter Katie Hyson
Katie Hyson is finishing her time as a Report for America Corps Member for WUFT News. She is headed to San Diego to report on race and equity for the NPR/PBS station there, KPBS.
Read More »The Point, Dec. 22, 2022: Real estate broker sues Gainesville over SWAT raid
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • Gainesville Sun ($): Real estate broker involved in SWAT raid sues the City of Gainesville in federal court. “Though not named in the warrant, Hurst was held at gunpoint, frisked, and had …
Read More »Large-scale alligator farming affects Florida tanneries and small businesses
Alligator farming has become a critical source of skins for the leather industry. The skins are more pristine and can be raised in the most optimal conditions and many more of them can be supplied. Alligator farming has also played a role in conservation efforts for the species. But a consequence of the advent of farming has been an oversupply of skins that has made their value plummet. This oversupply has mainly come from large-scale industrial farms that can slaughter thousands of animals every week and have chomped smaller operations out of business.
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 …
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