Florida became the third most populous state in the country near the end of 2014, with an estimated population of 19.9 million. Growth is expected to continue; a University of Florida publication projected the state’s population growth will average 278,000 per year by the end of this decade. New residents need housing provided by developers…

Forest covers right at half of Florida’s 34.23 million acres of land, and 71 percent of that timberland is privately owned, according to the Florida Forestry Association. Most Florida timberland in Florida is north of Orlando, and most counties in the northern half of the state are at least 50 percent forested. The Forestry Association…

Millions of acres in Florida are privately owned recreation lands where owners or lessees hunt, fish, ride four-wheelers – whatever they want to do for fun out in the woods. Recreation land is usually partially pastureland; having pasture on the property lets the owners obtain an agricultural tax classification because cattle are raised on the…

Crops have been produced in Florida for thousands of years. Squashes and gourds were probably grown in the late Archaic period (3,000 to 1,000 B.C.), according to “The New History of Florida.” The book by the University Press of Florida adds that it was probably 750 A.D. or later before corn began to be cultivated…

Land conservation is a priority for a majority of Floridians, as evidenced in November 2014 by voter passage of the “Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative.” The initiative, also known as Amendment 1, provides funds to acquire and manage conservation lands. Landowners are also concerned about land conservation. A growing number of them are considering…

Two bright oranges and three orange blossoms are boldly displayed on the center of most Florida vehicle license plates. That’s fitting; it’s unlikely that anything is more associated with Florida than citrus, except possibly sunshine. Citrus is a major contributor to Florida’s economy. A December 2014 study by the University of Florida indicated the citrus…

Tourists visiting only Florida’s coast or the Orlando area often assume the state is all beaches and theme parks. But if they ventured into more rural areas, especially in the Panhandle or the southern interior Heartland counties, they’d learn that cattle roam much of the state’s acreage. Four million acres of pastureland and another million…