The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is a teaching, research and Extension scientific organization focused on
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
and
natural resources
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...
. It is a partnership of federal, state, and county governments that includes an Extension office in each of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
's 67 counties, 12 off-campus research and education centers, five demonstration units, the
(including the School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences and the School of Natural Resources and Environment), three 4-H camps, portions of the
UF College of Veterinary Medicine, the
Florida Sea Grant program, the Emerging Pathogens Institute, the UF Water Institute and the UF Genetics Institute.
UF/IFAS research and development covers
natural resource
Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...
industries that have a $101 billion annual impact. The program is ranked #1 in the nation in federally financed higher education R&D expenditures in agricultural sciences and natural resources conservation by the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
for FY 2019. Because of this mission and the diversity of Florida's climate and agricultural commodities, IFAS has facilities located throughout Florida. On July 13, 2020, Dr. J. Scott Angle became leader of UF/IFAS and UF's vice president for agriculture and natural resources.
History
Research
The mission of UF/IFAS is to develop knowledge in agricultural, human, and natural resources, and to make that knowledge accessible to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. Faculty members pursue fundamental and applied research that furthers understanding of natural and human systems. Research is supported by state and federally appropriated funds and supplemented by grants and contracts. UF/IFAS received $155.6 million in annual research expenditures in sponsored research for FY 2021.
The Florida Agricultural Experiment Station administers and supports research programs in UF/IFAS. The research program was created in 1887 by federal legislation known as the
Hatch Act
The Hatch Act of 1939, An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities, is a United States federal law. Its main provision prohibits civil service employees in the executive branch of the federal government, except the president and vice pre ...
, a follow-up to the 1862 Morrill Act that established U.S. land-grant universities. The research programs support approximately 350 full-time equivalent faculty members in 16 academic departments on UF's Gainesville campus and at 13 research and education centers around the state.
Most UF/IFAS research can be easily accessed via the searchable UF/IFAS Electronic Data Information Source (EDIS).
Food safety
UF/IFAS supports one of the nation's largest collections of food safety facilities and faculty in the country, and is integral in maintaining the National Food Safety Database.
Along with researchers specializing in controlling spread of pathogens such as
E. coli and
Salmonella, UF/IFAS also has uniquely specialized research programs dedicated to the science of food packaging and a Center for Food Distribution and Retailing.
Invasive species
Florida is the state most inundated with invasive plant and animal species. Nearly 85 percent of new plants entering the country travel through Miami. As such, much of the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology as well as a Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants have been dedicated to fighting this problem.
Emerging pathogens
IFAS is part of the University of Florida's
Emerging Pathogens Institute. UF/IFAS has been heavily involved in dealing with emerging food safety issues such the recent surge of
E. coli and
Salmonella infections due to bacteria on fresh produce served at restaurants and grocery stores.
Citrus research
Established in 1917, the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center is the largest citrus research institution in existence with more than 40 laboratories, 250 employees, and more than 600 acres of groves and greenhouses.
Avian flu
Dr. Gary Butcher is widely recognized as one of the foremost experts on poultry pathogens in the United States.
Extension
The 1914
Smith-Lever Act provided federal support for land-grant institutions to offer educational programs to enhance the application of useful and practical information beyond their campuses through cooperative extension efforts with states and local communities.
UF/IFAS Extension provides Floridians with lifelong learning programs in cooperation with county governments, the
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...
, and
Florida A&M
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the Un ...
. The wide breadth of educational programming offered in each county responds to the local needs of residents, schools, regulatory agencies, community organizations, and industry.
Facilities
UF/IFAS owns 1,299 buildings and has employees in 1,397 buildings. It has gross, and throughout the state. These facilities are used for teaching, research and demonstration:
*16 on-campus academic departments and schools
*12 off-campus Research & Education Centers (REC) located throughout the state
*A 27,000-acre preserve for teaching, research and Extension
*Florida Cooperative Extension Service offices in all 67 counties (counties operate and maintain)
*5 research sites and demonstration sites, including two biological stations, a research forest, and an 850-acre dairy farm
*4 locations with statewide undergraduate degree programs
The Meat Processing Center is also located within the UF/IFAS Department of Animal Sciences.
Inside the center is the UF Meat Retail Store, a
meat market
A meat market is, traditionally, a marketplace where meat is sold, often by a butcher. It is a specialized wet market. The term is sometimes used to refer to a meat retail store or butcher's shop, in particular in North America. During the mid ...
selling locally raised meat products.
Teaching
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) offers 23 undergraduate majors and more than 50 areas of specialization to address the world's critical challenges related to agriculture, food systems, human wellbeing, natural resources and sustainable communities. Master's and doctoral degrees are offered by every department and school.
The college has more than 6,900 students (Fall 2021), including more than 2,400 graduate students. A majority are women, 26% are underrepresented minorities and 8% are international students. In addition to the Gainesville campus programs, the college offers baccalaureate degrees online and at four UF/IFAS research and education centers. Graduate degrees and undergraduate and graduate certificates are also available online.
Statewide programs
Recognizing the specialized needs of nontraditional students, CALS offers Bachelor of Science degree programs at Fort Lauderdale
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, Milton, Ft. Pierce, Apopka
Apopka is a city in Orange County, Florida. The city's population was 55,000 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. ''Apopka'' comes from Seminole word ''Ahapopka'' for "Potato eating ...
, and Plant City
Plant City is an incorporated city in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 39,764 at the 2020 census.
Despite many thinking it was named for flora ...
. Degree programs include agricultural education and communication, geomatics, natural resource conservation
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are p ...
, and agribusiness management. Students must have an associate of arts degree to enter these statewide programs. These programs are in partnership with local/state/community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...
s.
Online programs
CALS offers two Bachelor of Science degree programs in UF Online: environmental management in agriculture and natural resources and microbiology and cell science. The college also has eight online master’s degree programs, seven online undergraduate certificates and more than 20 online graduate certificates.
Organic agriculture
The 2006 fall academic semester marked the official launch of a science-based organic agriculture
Organic farming, also known as ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and re ...
undergraduate degree program at UF, making it one of the first three U.S. institutions to offer this major. Colorado State University and Washington State University
Washington State University (Washington State, WSU, or informally Wazzu) is a public land-grant research university with its flagship, and oldest, campus in Pullman, Washington. Founded in 1890, WSU is also one of the oldest land-grant uni ...
began similar programs simultaneously.
College of Veterinary Medicine
The College of Veterinary Medicine is jointly administered through the university's Health Science Center and IFAS. Support from UF/IFAS includes resources for large animal disease research, undergraduate instruction and veterinary extension.
Total alumni
40,685 living alumni as of August 2021, including 1,219 overseas.
See also
* Agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
* Agricultural science
* Genomics of domestication
* University of Florida Leadership & Education Foundation, Inc.
References
External links
UF/IFAS News
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and University of Florida
{{DEFAULTSORT:Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences
Organizations based in Gainesville, Florida
University of Florida
Food safety organizations
Agricultural research institutes in the United States
1964 establishments in Florida
Research institutes in Florida