UF/IFAS-Southwest Florida Research & Education Center

03/23/2026

We are pleased to announce "Facilitating the Next Generation of Digital Twin in Agriculture" a BARD workshop advancing collaborative innovations between the US and Isreal to be held at the Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center, April 13, 2026.



As agriculture evolves in response to rapid technological change, Digital Twin—high-fidelity virtual models of crops, animals, equipment, and entire farming systems—are emerging as a transformative tool for teaching, research, and industry partnerships. This workshop will highlight how the next generation of AI-powered Digital Twins can accelerate innovation across disciplines.



Event Information: https://swfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/DigitalTwins2026/

Event Registration: https://DigitalTwins2026.eventbrite.com

Advancing Collaborative Innovations between the US and Israel.

03/18/2026

Lauren Mathews and Amanda McVay participated in the 2026 APS Southern Division Meeting held March 9–11 in Athens, Georgia. Both presented their research as part of the Graduate Student Research Competition, highlighting work conducted through the University of Florida on important plant disease management challenges in the region. Amanda was awarded a Travel Award and presented, "Field evaluation of conventional fungicides for managing cucurbit anthracnose (Colletotrichum orbiculare) on watermelon and cucumber in Florida" while Lauren delivered a talk titled, "Identification of copper-resistance and copper-tolerance in citrus canker in Florida groves". In addition to presenting their research, they took part in a CV workshop, attended scientific sessions, and engaged with researchers and professionals from across the southern U.S. to discuss advances in plant pathology.

03/18/2026

Congratulations Brittney Monus!

Brittney Monus was presented with her Superior Accomplishment Award in Gainesville on March 11th. She was one of 15 individuals or groups honored for the IFAS division. This award recognizes faculty and staff for their outstanding service, and Brittney was nominated in the Employee Performance category under Health Care and Physical Science.

11/05/2025

Two SWFREC faculty members made presentations at the Florida Watermelon Association Convention last Friday in Punta Gorda: w**d scientist Dr. Ramdas Kanissery ("Herbicide Safety in Watermelon: Finding the Right Balance") and ag and biological engineer Dr. Sanjay Shukla ("Modifying Watermelon Bed Geometry for Increased Efficiency and Profitability")!

10/31/2025

SWFREC hosted the Collier County Farm Bureau Annual Dinner and Meeting last night! Director Dr. Mike Burton welcomed the group and gave a brief overview about the center's ag research.

10/30/2025

SWFREC staff and students are participating in a Worker Protection Standard Training for Ag Workers that's being led by facilities mechanic Roger McGill, a certified pesticide applicator.

10/27/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Nina Charissa Aguilar Infantado, who successfully defended her Ph.D. last Friday! Her seminar was titled “Multi-omics and Biogeochemical Characterization of Microbial Soil Organic Carbon Degradation in Subtropical Peat Soils.” Dr. Infantado’s advisors were Dr. Willm Martens-Habbena at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale REC and SWFREC soil microbiologist Dr. Sarah Strauss.

10/22/2025

Staff members from RCMA (Redlands Christian Migrant Association) in Immokalee enjoyed a trolley tour of the SWFREC farm this morning! Thanks to guide Tad Trimarco (postdoctoral associate) and tractor driver Roger McGill (facilities)!

10/16/2025

SWFREC citrus horticulturist Dr. Fernando Alferez is presenting this month’s UF/IFAS Citrus Seminar via Zoom: “Combining IPCs and Brassinosteroids to Prolong Young Citrus Tree Health!”

10/10/2025

Meet SWFREC student Nithin Batthula!!! Check out his video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBjPC172MWc

10/03/2025

Students enrolled in an environmental science course at Ave Maria University have been visiting SWFREC recently! On the agenda: narrated trolley tours of our citrus grove and vegetable fields, followed by an overview of research being conducted in our Soils Artificial Intelligence Lab.

10/02/2025

Congratulations to Dr. Kelvin Amon! He earned his Ph.D. in the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics Department and participated in graduation ceremonies in Gainesville over the summer. His research: “Economic and Behavioral Dynamics in Pest Management Technology Adoption.” He’s pictured with his committee co-chairs, SWFREC ag and natural resource economist Dr. Tara Wade and Florida Ag Market Research Center director Dr. Zhifeng Gao.