Africanized bees, conservation are subjects of RFD-TV reports in April

(Gainesville, Fla.) – Florida agriculture will be featured on “Farm Bureau Reports” on RFD-TV at 6:30 p.m. on April 23 and April 30, 2008. On April 23, the program will focus on Africanized bees and the challenges they continue to pose for Florida beekeepers, the agriculture industry and the general public. On April 30, the program will profile Butler Oaks Farm in Lorida and Tampa Wholesale Nursery in Dover.

The Africanized honey bee population has grown and will continue to grow in Florida due to its numerous pathways into the state and the lack of effective eradication products or techniques. The April 23 program shows how the Florida Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with other agricultural stakeholders, is developing the tools to protect the beekeeping industry and educate the public on how to live with this potentially dangerous insect. Although all honey bees will sting when their nest is threatened by invaders, African bees defend their nests with less provocation, in greater numbers and for longer distances than their cousins, the docile European honey bees that we have in the U.S.

The April 30 program will profile two winners of Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson’s Environmental Leadership Awards.

Robert L. “Bob” Butler’s dairy farm is located on the Kissimmee River, which feeds into Lake Okeechobee. By adopting extraordinary measures to reduce phosphorus runoff from his dairy, Butler has helped improve the quality of water entering the lake. Butler has reconfigured his water management system to capture and contain virtually all his surface water runoff for reuse on the farm.

Also profiled will be Tampa Wholesale Nursery, a family operation in Dover founded by Roy Davis. Currently, Tampa Wholesale Nursery raises over 120 different varieties of plants, from ground covers to shade trees, shipping more than 300,000 plants throughout the Southeast each year. The nursery re-uses treated wastewater piped from Tampa Bay Fisheries, one of the largest seafood packaging companies in the United States.

The 30-minute programs are produced by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the weekly series, “Farm Bureau Reports” on RFD-TV as part of an outreach campaign to increase public awareness of agriculture, the state’s second-largest industry. The campaign focuses on the message, “Safe, Affordable and Abundant: Food for Thought from Florida’s Farmers.” It is a joint effort of Florida Farm Bureau and the Florida Department of Agriculture.

The Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general-interest agricultural association with about 140,000 member-families statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, the Federation is an independent, nonprofit agricultural organization. More information about Florida Farm Bureau is available on the organization’s website, http://FloridaFarmBureau.org.