Message From Dean McLellan
Welcome to Florida’s Agricultural Experiment Station. With almost 1000 faculty across 17 disciplines, 13 Research and Education Centers and 67 counties, we offer an extraordinary breadth of science for agricultural, natural resources and human systems. Our faculty is at the core of this science—together, they define our capacity, our vision and our direction. This Web site is a collection of articles reflecting some of the groundbreaking accomplishments of our faculty’s programs.
With strong programs in the core agricultural sciences, we are working with the private sector to implement discoveries for floriculture, grains and forages, cattle, aquaculture, fruit and vegetables, and landscaping—all supported by a team of over 20 breeders pushing the limits on new cultivars and germplasm to feed Florida, the United States and the world.
We are discovering answers in support of Florida’s natural resources and with our research we endeavor to support the best partnership between agriculture, natural resources and society. Whether it be with forests, panthers, fisheries, soil or water—IFAS faculty are involved. We put our discoveries, our innovations and our applications to work preserving and enhancing Florida’s natural resources and our environment.
As a relative newcomer to Florida, I can attest that it doesn’t take long to become acquainted with the issues of pests and invasives. Whether they are the six legged kind, the microbial kind or the growing vine—Florida is the U.S. capital for invasives. For IFAS scientists, this means their work is a constant battle requiring vast resources and continued awareness and scrutiny of our environment.
Among the issues that IFAS faculty conduct research on, some focus on our diet and health, others on our food system and still others on our society from family to community. These are subjects near to our hearts, close to our homes, and critical to our future. We are committed to pushing our research to unveil new levels of understanding, incorporating the social science along with the laboratory science.
As we build teams to solve problems, we often need to bring unique and disparate disciplines together. This requires innovative science and creative leaps in technology. This year, the State of Florida committed to UF an unprecedented allocation of $50 million for a new Emerging Pathogens Center. Bringing together plants, animals, microbes and man—this center will be a magnet for disease research, challenging some of UF’s best researchers on critical issues concerning food, agriculture, natural resources and our environment.
The faculty and staff of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station are proud to serve our state, and we believe the quality of our science delivers solutions for our lives. Through discovery, innovation and application, we can make a difference. We hope you enjoy this brief glimpse into our world of research.
Mark R. McLellan
Dean and Director
Florida Agricultural Experiment Station
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
