The Florida Raised Daily
Food For Thought
The ‘Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Livestock’ is applied research in action, and it is one of 20 global labs led by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) in partnership with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). The program is also funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
We think its kind of unfair that the Texas Longhorn gets all the attention, don’t you? After all, the first beef cattle in the United States originated right here in Florida, when the Spaniards imported them in the early 1500s. And why should we be humble about it, when virtually every strain and breed of cattle in the United States started in Florida?
Have you ever heard of St. Augustine grass? It was first evaluated by the Everglades Research and Education Center, and the findings were released in 1944. The study showed that the Roselawn variety of St. Augustine grass produces a greater forage mass than other varieties. It grows low to the ground, and then produces 90% leafy tissue per plant, no matter how mature each individual cluster is.
