West Florida Research & Education Center

summer newsletter 2026

From the Director

On June 30, we celebrated the opening of our new graduate student dormitories. The event was a great success that recognized the many people whose support and hard work made this project possible. Graduate students are an essential part of the WFREC's research and extension programs. They help conduct research, collect and analyze data, publish scientific discoveries, participate in field days, and work with our faculty to solve real-world challenges in agriculture and natural resource management. Their work strengthens our research and extension programs as they prepare to be the next generation of scientists, extension professionals, and industry leaders. The new dormitories are an important investment in the future of the WFREC. By providing affordable, convenient housing, they will help us attract and retain outstanding graduate students from Florida, across the United States, and around the world. Living on site makes it easier for students to carry out field research, collaborate with one another, and build a strong academic community. The benefits of this investment will extend beyond the WFREC. More graduate students mean more research to support Florida's farmers, foresters, and natural resource professionals. The new dormitories will strengthen our Center, advance practical solutions, and support the long-term success of Florida's agriculture, forests, and natural landscapes. Please take time to read below about what’s going on at the WFREC – we have many exciting things to share. Please also join us for our upcoming field days, the details for which are given below. I hope you can join us for these educational events, and I’ll look forward to seeing you there. Until then, Go Gators!

Events and Happenings

Graduate Dorm Open House and Ribbon Cutting Celebration Thank you Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors for your support!

WFREC Graduate Dorms Open House & Ribbon Cutting Photo Gallery https://universityoffloridaifasphotography.zenfolio.com/p318994925

Congratulations Greg Kimmons for 45 years of dedicated service to the WFREC. Enjoy your retirement with your family!

We are all going to miss Greg here at the WFREC!

Our students from Milton and Jay had a great time at the UF WFREC Graduate Student Gathering! It was a wonderful opportunity for students to connect, share ideas, and build camaraderie outside of the classroom and lab. Supporting student well-being and fostering a strong graduate student community are so important.

The WFREC welcomed students from East Milton Elementary School for an exciting field trip at the Research Facility. The students had a great time exploring agriculture, science, and nature through a variety of hands-on learning activities, including: “From Field to Yard” – Learning how turfgrass is grown for lawns and sports fields “Bugs, Wings & Wiggly Things” – Exploring the amazing world of insects “Poultry Life” – Discovering how chickens (hens) and quail are raised “Growing Crops Start to Finish” – Climbing aboard a tractor and learning about crop production “Why Pollinators Matter” – Understanding the important connection between insects and our food supply “What Are Weeds?” – Learning how weeds affect crops and agriculture “Meet the Plant Families” – Exploring different types of plants and how scientists classify them It was a fun and educational day filled with discovery, hands-on activities, and opportunities to learn more about agriculture and the environment.

On May 5, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences West Florida Research and Education Center proudly honored its Spring 2026 graduates. Dr. Wes Wood, WFREC Center Director, joined guest speakers Dr. Anne Mathews, UF/IFAS Associate Dean, and Karina Torres, former graduate and current master’s student, in encouraging graduates to pursue great things with their earned Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Florida. Congratulations to the following Plant Science and Natural Resource Conservation graduates: Plant Science Graduates Timathy “Jay” Bevis, Cum Laude Bachelor of Science — Plant Science Alexandra King Bachelor of Science — Plant Science Sara Voorhees, Cum Laude Bachelor of Science — Plant Science Lydia Wesley Bachelor of Science — Plant Forest Resources & Conservation Graduates Ethan T. Baxter Bachelor of Science — Forest Resources & Conservation Lucas T. Mathews Bachelor of Science — Forest Resources & Conservation Morgan R. Hinote Bachelor of Science — Forest Resources & Conservation Riley Hobden Bachelor of Science — Forest Resources & Conservation Minor in Entomology and Nematology Robert B. Neighbors, Cum Laude Bachelor of Science — Forest Resources & Conservation Ava V. Trail, Summa Cum Laude Bachelor of Science — Forest Resources & Conservation Francis I. Vose, Cum Laude Bachelor of Science — Forest Resources & Conservation

2026 Spring Graduation Ceremony

The WFREC was excited to host Wallace Lake K–8 5th graders for a tour of our extension programs at the research facility today! Students learned how weeds affect agricultural crops and how they can be managed by Dr. Ednaldo Borgato. Our plant science team, Megan Hammond and Jill Cumbia introduced them to different plant breeding families, plant-related careers, and even gave them a chance to plant marigold seeds and beans. They also toured the turfgrass plots and practiced weed identification with Dr. Bryan Unruh. Santa Rosa 4-H representatives Prudence Caskey and Max Schroth brought live hens and quail, giving students a hands-on introduction to raising poultry. A crowd favorite, the Santa Rosa Bee Association—along with Bill Blankenship and Frank Miller—set up an engaging display to teach students about bee pollination and its importance to agriculture.

The WFREC treated our graduate students to a a Blue Wahoo's baseball game for Graduate Student Appreciation Week.

Spring Festival of Flowers

Check out Dr. Bryan Unruh’s work on robotic mowers. It was highlighted in an article in the Morning Ag Clips.

Riley Hobden and Me'Keila Lightfoot are conducting pollinator research at the WFREC. They are both incredibly knowledgeable, always willing to share their expertise, and are doing outstanding work to advance pollinator research.

Farm to City Food Distribution We need the support of our community and local businesses to help feed families in Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties this Thanksgiving season. Your sponsorship will help provide Thanksgiving meals for more than 1,000 families in need, helping ease the financial stress of putting dinner on the table for their loved ones. Together, we can make Thanksgiving a time of gratitude, comfort, and community.

Please join these generous local business in sponsoring the Farm to City Food distribution!

Honors and Awards

Dr. Tori Donovan was selected to receive the 2026 Richard L. Jones Outstanding New Faculty Research Award. She will be presented this award at the 19th Annual Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Research Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 6:00 pm at Evans Champions Club, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the Gainesville campus.

Nkem Nwosu, PhD Candidate with Dr. Hardeep Singh’s Cropping Systems program was selected as a recipient of the 2026 Crop Science Society of America’s Gerald O. Mott Meritorious Graduate Student Award in Crop Science! This award is for excellence in academic achievement, research and teaching contributions, leadership, and service. The Gerald O. Mott Award honors CSSA's first president, Dr. Gerald O. Mott, who mentored 75 graduate students during his 45-year career at Purdue University and the University of Florida. This award celebrates his commitment to graduate education and a graduate student’s potential as a future leader in crop science.

Dr. Hardeep Singh received not one but two awards during the Extension Summit held this week in Clearwater Beach: FACAA Specialist of the Year Award: The FACAA Specialist of the Year Award recognizes outstanding Extension specialists for excellence in Extension programming, stakeholder engagement, and contributions to Florida agriculture and natural resources through impactful Extension activities. Dallas Townsend Extension Term Professorship Award: The Dallas Townsend Extension Term Professorship recognizes a County Extension Agent and a State Extension Specialist each with a one-year term professorship for demonstrating an outstanding ability to plan and implement Extension programs that address needs identified in consultation with their clientele. The award also includes a $5,700 salary supplement.

Sarah Kincy, Dr. Wonkka’s MS student, won 1st place for oral presentations in the Forestry Graduate Student Organization Graduate Research Symposium. She also received a CALS Dean’s Award (100% stipend and 100% tuition for 4 years) and will be starting her PhD with Dr. Wonkka this fall.

Noah Weidig has won an IFAS-wide award for his MS thesis: Best Thesis – Natural Resources: Awardee: Noah Weidig Title: "Patterns and Drivers of Large Wildfires within and surrounding the Wildland-Urban Interface of the Eastern United States" Program: Forest Resources and Conservation Chair: Victoria Donovan (West Florida REC / School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences)

Welcome to the WFREC Team!

2026 Refereed Publications

Borgato EA, Carter E, Singh H, Devkota P. (2026) Using 2,4-D choline herbicide products on 2,4-D-tolerant crops, EDIS, SS-AGR-465, doi.org/10.32473/EDIS-ag464-2022. Ludwig TD, Borgato EA, Avila LA, Roncaglia LM, Zucchi MI. Climate change-driven expansion of goosegrass highlights risks to global food production. Pest management Science, https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70731 Shah A, Nwosu N, Singh K, Singh S, Dar E, Sharma LK, Borgato EA, Singh H. (2026) Biochar as a sustainable strategy for improving nutrient use efficiency and crop performance. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-026-03141-8 Sidhu SS, Wright DL, Tillman B, Dufault N, Small IM, Esquivel IL, Gabrau Z, Singh H, Matcham E, Borgato EA, Capasso J, Kumar S, Carter E. (2026) Management and cultural practices for peanuts. EDIS, SS-AGR-501, https://doi.org/10.32473/edis-ag497-2026 White, J.W., Holland, K., Porter, C.H., Brym, Z.T., Ferreira, T.B., Gupta, R., Pothapragada, S.K., Serrano, T., Shah, A., Singh, H. and Williams, A. (2026) Using a Structured Template to Improve the “FAIRness” of Datasets from Agricultural Research. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2026.111920 Daramola, O.S., MacD onald, G.E., Kanissery, R.G., Tillman, B.L., Singh, H., Ajani, O., and Devkota, P. (2026) “Integrating cereal rye cover crop and herbicides for weed management in peanut.” Crop Protection https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2026.107645 Singh R., Dar E.A., Dereje A.B., Singh H., Sharma L. (2026) “Nitrogen management in potato: Integrating conventional and precision approaches” European Potato Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s11540-026-10069-0 Daramola, O.S., MacDonald, G.E., Kanissery, R.G., Tillman, B.L., Singh, H., Ajani, O., and Devkota, P. (2026) “Implications of tillage system and planting date on weed management in peanut.” Weed Technology https://doi.org/10.1017/wet.2026.10100

Nwosu, N. J., Upadhyaya, Y. R., Ajani, O., Dar, E. A., Brym, Z., Sharma, L., Singh, H.* (2026) Growth and biomass response of industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivars to nitrogen rates for fiber production. Crop Science, e70258. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.70258 Shah A., Nwosu N., Singh K., Singh S., Dar E.A., Sharma L., Borgato E., Singh H*. (2026) Biochar as a Sustainable Strategy for Improving Nutrient Use Efficiency and Crop Performance. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, pp.1-25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-026-03141-8 Dar E.A., Omara P., Iboyi J., Sharma L.,Singh H*. (2026) Physiological, Vegetation, and Biochemical indicators for biomass, nitrogen uptake and lint yield forecast in cotton. Industrial Crops and Products https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2026.122788 Dereje A. B., Singh H., Dar E.A., Sharma V., Dukes M., Sharma L. (2026) Modeling nitrogen management to balance yield and nitrate leaching in maize in Florida. Agronomy Journal https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70279 Dar, E.A., Iboyi, J., Birhan, D. A., Sharma, L.K., Singh, H*. (2026) Long-term effects of planting date, irrigation and nitrogen on yield, nitrogen use efficiency and nitrate leaching in Florida cotton production systems. Journal of Environmental Quality https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.70131 Extension Articles- Singh, H., Dar, E.A., Carter, E., Dukes, M.D. and Sharma, L., 2026. Nitrogen Fertilizer Recommendation for Florida Cotton: SS-AGR-499/AG495, 1/2026. EDIS, 2026(1). Katoch, K., Dukes, M., Kumar, S., Capasso, J., Leitão, D., Singh, H. and Sharma, L., 2026. Nitrogen Fertilizer Guidelines for Corn Production in Florida: SL541/SS757, 3/2026. EDIS, 2026(2). Sidhu, S.S., Wright, D., Tillman, B., Dufault, N., Small, I.M., Esquivel, I., Grabau, Z., Singh, H., Matcham, E., Borgato, E. and Capasso, J., 2026. Peanut Production Guide: Management and Cultural Practices for Peanuts: SS-AGR-501/AG497, 1/2026. EDIS, 2026(1).

2026 Grant Funding

Dr. Carissa Wonkka, Assessing the interactive impacts of cogongrass and invasive woody plants on fire regimes of the southeastern USA" Joint Fire Sciences Program $488,155 Dr. Carissa Wonkka, Resolving Fine-Scale Fire Behavior to Improve Fire Effects Modeling in Southeastern Pine Forests. UF/IFAS Archer Early Career Seed Grant proposal $49,792 (Rita Thrasher, Dr. Mack Thetford, Dr. Tori Donovan and Dr. Carissa WonkkaI) Burnable Garden Beds for Experiential Learning in Fire Ecology. CALS Instructional Award Improvement Mini Grant $5,000