UF/IFAS Extension
Charlotte County
Charlotte County Extension Service is a partnership between the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Charlotte County government, to provide scientific knowledge and expertise to the public.
Contact
charlotte@ifas.ufl.edu
941.764.4340
1120 Centennial Boulevard
Port Charlotte, FL 33953
Hours
Monday - Friday
8am - 5pm
The Importance of 4-H Youth Growing Citrus
By Kristie Popa – UF/IFAS Charlotte County 4-H Agent
Can you imagine the wonderful smell of the orange blossoms or the vivid orange fruit dangling off of the limbs of a citrus trees? As you drive through various parts of Charlotte County, you will see some of the 2,179,000 citrus trees in the county. On those trees which are found on 14,538 acres of Charlotte County land, you will find oranges, grapefruit and specialty citrus galore
05/04/2020
Corn Is A-Maize-Ing
By Kristie Popa
When you picture corn, what do you think of? Yellow corn on the cob or crunchy popcorn? Corn also called maize, provides us with many items including cornstarch, cooking oil, sweeteners, cereal, beverages and over 4,000 other products that we use each and every day.
On June 11th, we will celebrate National Corn on the Cob day
06/10/2020
What's Going on Near You
Gardening Camp 2.0
This Virtual Gardening Summer camp is open to youth ages 8-18 in the following counties: Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry and Miami-Dade. A different topic will be covered during each session including food preparation and food safety, seed identification, horticulture judging, soil testing, understanding fertilizer, pests in the garden, mindfulness, careers and more
06/29/2020
A New Twist on a Classic Game Offers A New Way to Teach & Learn at Home
By Kristie Popa
Do you have:
-Spare time
-Kids at home
-Kids tired of doing school work
-A love for letters and making words
-A need for a new way to quiz kids on different topics or practice spelling & sight words
If you have a scrabble board and answered yes to any of the questions above, it is time to CELEBRATE National Scrabble Day.
National Scrabble Day is celebrated on April 15th each year
04/13/2020
Feeling cooped up in quarantine? UF releases new guide to raising backyard chickens
In the early days of the pandemic, as bare grocery store shelves prompted concerns about the food supply, many became interested in producing more of their food at home. Some flocked to local agricultural feed stores in search of baby chicks that would grow up to produce eggs fresh from the backyard
07/09/2020
Stay Safe in the Sun
By Kristie Popa
Summer is almost here and the warmer weather is calling us outside! Being outside has a tremendous amount of benefits including the opportunity for Vitamin D and exercise, but it also brings a chance for sun damage in as little as 15 minutes of exposure. Sun protection methods are extremely important throughout the year but especially when you are spending your days outside enjoying the warm air, beach, outdoor games and
05/26/2020
Get Out and Get Active
By Kristie Popa
It is time to turn off the TV and get active! Are you physically active everyday? What exactly does physically active mean? Well, if you are using your body causing you to use energy then you can answer yes, you are physical active! You should engage in moderate or vigorous physical activity each day. So, what type of activities are considered moderate or vigorous? Moderate physical activities include things such as:
A
05/08/2020
A New Twist on a Classic Game Offers A New Way to Teach & Learn at Home
By Kristie Popa
Do you have:
-Spare time
-Kids at home
-Kids tired of doing school work
-A love for letters and making words
-A need for a new way to quiz kids on different topics or practice spelling & sight words
If you have a scrabble board and answered yes to any of the questions above, it is time to CELEBRATE National Scrabble Day.
National Scrabble Day is celebrated on April 15th each year
04/13/2020
Eggcelent Hard Boiled Eggs
By Kristie Popa
With Easter coming up in just a few days, many families will be hard boiling eggs to color and/or eat. Perfecting your egg boiling skills will lead to the perfect hard-boiled eggs! This is an easy activity that 4-H youth can complete with the help of their parents or another adult
04/07/2020
