by Monica Starr The state of Florida has described the high number of manatee deaths an “unusual mortality event.” These herbivorous marine mammals can often be found in the central and south Atlantic coast of Florida. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission or the FWC has reported nearly 650 manatee deaths from January 2021 […]

by Monica Starr Transitions to cleaner energy sources are the future of corporations everywhere. Indiantown Florida is a village in Martin County, located just north of West Palm Beach. Last week, the Florida Power and Light plant in Indiantown demolished the last coal chimney in the entire state. The chimney stood nearly 500 feet tall […]

Florida Loquat News The Newsletter of The Florida Loquat Festival Celebrating Florida’s Urban Fruit No. 41 June 25, 2021 Published by Ecology Florida and Friendship Farms & Fare https://www.ecologyflorida.org/   Here is Your Summer issue of the Florida Loquat News Big Success for 2021 Loquat Beer Ecology Florida and New Port Richey FarmNet received a generous […]

by Monica Starr  June 2021  With summer comes hurricane season in states like Florida where there is over 1,300 miles of coastline. That being said, it is being predicted that this year might be threatening to people living in this area, particularly in some of the larger metropolitan areas. It was recently predicted by Colorado […]

by Monica Starr The south Florida organization MANG recently partnered with the Brevard Zoo in order to begin coastal restoration work. MANG began in Fort Myers by brothers that work to restore ecosystems by planting mangrove trees across the state of Florida. They are currently working with the Brevard Zoo team and their efforts to […]

2021 Florida Loquat Festival “Back to the Future” A Mini-Festival Maintaining A New Port Richey Tradition Good news for loquat fans in the Tampa Bay Region.  The Florida Loquat Festival will return in March, 2021. This year, the celebration of our distinctive local fruit will occur over a two week period at a variety of […]

My Food Journey Jesse Haskins Whether my parents intended or not (probably not), I built my cultural identity around food. I grew up loving my maternal grandmother’s rice dishes. She recognized this as fundamental to her Jewish-Afghanistan heritage. I remember being particularly fond of her “oshi shola” recipe, a recipe of which I still have […]

Ecology Florida has elected Jesse Haskins to serve as vice president.  Jesse Haskins is an attorney who dedicated his law practice to strengthening our local food systems. He offers legal services to small scale agricultural enterprises. Jesse Haskins is excited about serving as vice president of Ecology Florida because of the organization’s emphasis on local food systems. Ecology […]

BY JESSE HASKINS • AGRICULTURE LAW Photo: American Phytopathological Society, Rye infected with ergot In 6th century B.C.E., the Assyrians, in modern day Iraq, poisoned enemy wells with rye ergot, a fungus disease. Imagine seeing a person suffering ergotism. The first victim of bioterrorism in recorded history may have felt a violent burning. “Holy fire” became the nickname […]

COVID-19 Pandemic Reveals Frailty of America’s Food System Dell deChant By now most Americans have seen images of long lines at food banks around the nation – thousands of cars bumper to bumper in Cleveland, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Pittsburg, and many other cities.  The images are devastating.  How could this happen? The question echoes across […]