by Daniel J. Leonard | Sep 3, 2021
Over the last decade or so, the Panhandle has been overrun, and I don’t just mean by the summer beach traffic. Rather, by an aggressive, exotic perennial grass that quickly displaces all native species. Cogongrass is not useful as a forage for wildlife or livestock,...
by Daniel J. Leonard | Mar 26, 2021
Perennial peanut production is on the rise throughout the Panhandle. In Calhoun County alone, we’ve ascended from a small specialty industry, with a farm here and there growing the legume, to around 1,000 acres in production. This increase in acreage is due to...
by Daniel J. Leonard | Oct 30, 2020
In recent years, thanks to the work of Forage Agronomy Specialists Dr. Jose Dubeux, Dr. Ann Blount and others at the NFREC Marianna, many Panhandle cattlemen have begun integrating perennial peanut (Arachis glabrata) into traditional bahiagrass and bermudagrass...
by Daniel J. Leonard | Oct 9, 2020
A few weeks ago, Hurricane Sally churned onshore and dumped an unrelenting amount of rain on the Florida Panhandle. Thankfully, Calhoun, Jackson and adjoining counties were spared the lashing winds, storm surge, and widespread power outages that our neighbors to the...
by Daniel J. Leonard | Sep 18, 2020
When one thinks of the Florida Panhandle, I’m guessing cotton isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but maybe it should be! With over 100,000 acres in cultivation annually (2017 USDA Census of Agriculture), a crop worth $52.5 million, cotton dominates cultivated...