
The Phase I Emerging Agricultural Enterprises Summit was held on December 9-10, 2019 at the Straughn Center on UF's main campus. Following that event, the UF/IFAS Dean for Research Office and the UF/IFAS Dean for Extension Office, in partnership with the Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources, created a program called "Support for Emerging Enterprise Development Integration Teams (SEEDIT)."
The objectives of this program are to (1) create novel markets for agricultural products and services by identifying choke points and alleviating economic barriers to growth, (2) create significant public-private partnerships involving UF/IFAS faculty, and (3) support Florida's agricultural versatility.
$1.24 Million
was provided in Phase I by the UF/IFAS Research Dean, the UF/IFAS Extension Dean, and the UF/IFAS VP
19 Projects
were funded in plant-based agriculture, aquaculture, animal agriculture, and agricultural systems
175 Investigators
were involved including 98 academic faculty (47 assistant professors), 67 county or regional Extension agents, and 10 others (e.g. assistant scientist); 171 are UF/IFAS
22 Units
were involved including 14 academic units, eight RECs/off-campus units; also five major centers/programs, and three other UF colleges
Enterprise |
PI Name, PI Unit(s) | Other Involved Units |
Barley |
Zotarelli, Lincoln, Horticultural Sciences | AGR, FSHN, NFREC |
Blackberries |
Deng, Zhanao, Gulf Coast REC & Environmental Horticulture | HOS, ENY, PLP |
Craft beer and spirits |
Lai, John, Food and Resource Economics | FRE, GCREC, NFREC |
Fresh carrots |
Treadwell, Danielle, Horticultural Sciences | MREC, FYCS, ENY, SWS, NFREC, PLP |
Finger limes |
Dutt, Manjul, Citrus REC & Horticultural Sciences | TREC, FRE |
Ginger, tumeric, camellia tea |
Fisher, Paul, Environmental Horticulture | NFREC, MFREC, PLP, HOS, ENY, FYCS, ABE, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants |
Hemp |
Brym, Zachary, Tropical REC, Agronomy | AEC |
High-tunnel vegetables |
Zhao, Xin, Horticultural Sciences | EREC, ENY, PLP, EREC, FRE |
Sustainable landscaping |
Iannone, Basil, School of Forest Resources and Conservation | Program for Resource Efficient Communities, ENY, Center for Public Issues Education, FLREC |
Lettuce |
Sandoya Miranda, German, Everglades REC & Horticultural Sciences | NFREC, FYCS, GCREC |
Marine baitfish |
Ropicki, Andrew, Food and Resource Economics | SFRC, IRREC, TAL |
Oysters |
Asche, Frank, SFRC - Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences Program | FRE, Sea Grant, Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, UF College of Public Health and Health Professions, UF College of Veterinary Medicine |
Pongamia |
Guzman, Sandra, Indian River REC & Agricultural and Biological Engineering | HOS, PLP, SWS |
Scutellaria (anti-cancer) |
Nadakuduti, Satya, Environmental Horticulture | MREC, HOS, ABE, NFREC, Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, ENY, FYCS, UF College of Pharmacy |
Sheep and goats |
Wallau, Marcelo, Agronomy | WEC, FRE, ANS, UF College of Veterinary Medicine |
Specialty pumpkins |
Meru, Geoffrey, Tropical REC & Horticultural Sciences | AGR, SWS, FSHN, FYCS |
Sweet potato |
Grabau, Zane, Entomology and Nematology | IRREC, NFREC, HOS, PLP, ABE, Program for Resource Efficient Communities |
Urban agriculture |
Campbell, Catherine, Family Youth and Community Sciences | MFREC |
Vanilla |
Chambers, Alan, Tropical REC & Horticultural Sciences | FRED |
Materials from the Dec. 9-10 Summit:
Click here to view the full agenda.
Handouts from Event:
Indoor propagation of transplants handout
Medical and Beverage Crops handout
High tunnel vegetable production handout
Phase I Funding Call
If you'd like more information about the Phase I funding call (submission due February 2020) including eligibility, the scope and criteria, the submission process, the selection process, and the contacts for this program, please click here.