Feb
07
2012
UF graduate students tour Florida farms
The PIE Center tagged along with the University of Florida’s Agricultural Education & Communication Graduate Students Association (AECGSA) on their annual farm tour. One of this year’s hosts were Michael Babb, president of Two Rivers Ranch near Tampa. The company does everything from raising cattle and developing real estate to producing timber and providing Crystal Springs water to Nestle to produce Zephyrhills bottled water. They recently launched Florida Energy Capital, a company that plans to break ground on a biomass power plant. Hank and Pamela Sindlinger, owners of Gateway Organic Farm in Clearwater, hosted the students in the afternoon. A former
Jan
27
2012
USDA official makes case for local produce at UF
USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan discusses the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative at the Straughn Extension Professional Development Center on the University of Florida campus on Jan. 26. (UF/IFAS Photo by Dawn McKinstry) Even the U.S. Department of Agriculture isn’t quite sure what the term “local food” means. “Local” has been described as everything from a 400-mile radius to within county limits. It has even been described as a “four-hour leisurely drive” to USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, who spoke Thursday night at the University of Florida. However, the lack of a concrete definition doesn’t bother Merrigan,
Nov
18
2011
PIE Center welcomes media coordinator
administrator Press Releases 0
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Center for Public Issues Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (PIE Center) welcomes Laura Bernheim as its newest team member. As the new Media Coordinator, she will work alongside PIE Center staff to publish industry research as well as improve the Center’s website and social media programs. Laura, originally from Dayton, Ohio, joins the PIE Center after a year of freelancing for the Gainesville Sun, where she helped produce the website, wrote sports and feature articles as well as shot and edited videos. She says her wide variety of experience in the newspaper industry has prepared
Sep
30
2011
PIE Center Welcomes Rachel Divine
goodwin.4 Press Releases 0
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Center for Public Issues Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources (PIE Center) is pleased to welcome Rachel Divine as its newest team member! Rachel is serving as the new Research Coordinator for the PIE Center where she will be working alongside PIE Center staff in the planning, conducting, and analyzing of industry research. Rachel comes to the PIE Center from Tallahassee where she served as an Environmental Specialist with the Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services (FDACS). Working out of the Office of Agricultural Water Policy, she was responsible for communication and outreach planning. Rachel
Aug
29
2011
Our New Strategic Plan
We are very excited to release our new strategic plan for 2011-12. A steering committee of various industry and academic stakeholders met this summer to help craft the new road map for the center based on previous and current projects. The new strategic plan narrows the efforts of the center to two main goals: public opinion research and educational outreach. Take a look at the plan and expect many, exciting things to come for the PIE Center in the next two years! 2011-12 Strategic Plan
Jul
21
2011
The PIE Center is moving!
The PIE Center is currently in the process of relocating to a new building on campus and should be operational again Monday, July 25. Thank you for your patience.
Apr
29
2011
Tallahassee Visit with Florida Farm Bureau and Wedgworth Leadership Institute
On March 21, the PIE Center worked to help bridge the green divide with industry stakeholders and state legislators in Tallahassee during session. At the annual Florida Farm Bureau briefing dinner, members were informed about UF/IFAS legislative budgets requests, which include support for the PIE Center. Special guests at the event included Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Adam Putnam and House Agriculture Committee Chairman Steve Crisafulli. On Tuesday, Florida Farm Bureau members and other industry stakeholders met with their senators and representatives to discuss the importance of agriculture and their views on specific issues. The PIE Center also had the privilege of presenting new research to
Apr
29
2011
Spring/Summer Conference Presentations
The PIE people love sharing their research findings and tools of the trade to help you and your organization become more effective and efficient. The Center has put together the following professional development presentations and staff are available to make presentations to commodity groups and other agricultural entities on the following topics: “Contentious Communications” “Improving Public Perceptions of Agriculture and Natural Resources” “Social Product Marketing” “Measuring the Effectiveness of Social Media” “Managing the Communication of ANR Issues to the Public” “Developing a Crisis Communications Plan” “Creating Communications on a Shoestring Budget” “Top 10 Newest and Coolest Gadgets, Apps and Technologies” For more information or
Apr
29
2011
FNGLA Research Update
The Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA) recently partnered with the PIE Center to conduct focus group research surrounding the Florida Garden Select brand and its slogan “Florida Grown, Nationally Known.” Specifically, FNGLA was interested in determining if the Florida Garden Select brand and its slogan were messages that resonated with gardening consumers. This research also measured responses to the Florida Garden Select logo as well as a website targeted towards consumers. Six focus groups were held throughout March in Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami. Focus group participants were all individuals who were interested in gardening but were diverse across gender, age and ethnicity.
Apr
29
2011
New Issues in Agricultural and Life Sciences Undergraduate Class
Undergraduate students in the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences now have a new course option listed on the Department of Agricultural Education and Communication’scourse schedule. “Issues in Agricultural and Life Sciences” is the title of the new course created and co-taught by the PIE Center team of Irani, Raulerson, and Chiarelli. This course covers methods used to effectively communicate, inform, and influence policy decisions about agricultural and life sciences issues. After taking the course, students will be able to: • Recognize and analyze current issues in agricultural and life sciences (ALS). • Recognize and separate facts, fiction, and opinion. •