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FARM RAISED | FARM PROUD

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Victoria Register
District 4
Alachua, Gilchrist, Flagler, Levy, Marion, Seminole, Volusia

Volusia County native, Victoria Register, represents District 4 on the Florida Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee. She and her fiancé, Brian, currently live in Holly Hill with their three pups, Malibu, Harley and Tucker. The couple plans to marry next fall.

Register is a sales and marketing specialist with FernTrust, Inc. in Volusia County, one of Florida’s major suppliers of cut foliage.

“I don’t think there is anything more rewarding than seeing finalized projects like garlands and wreaths being shipped to customers to use on some of the happiest days of their lives,” she said.

Register grew up on her family’s farm in Seville and some of her fondest childhood memories are fishing the lakes on her family’s farm and offshore with her dad.

She stated that shopping is another hobby she enjoys and joked that, “money seems to burn a hole in my wallet as soon as I get it.”

Her typical day is spent working in the office and her Saturdays are reserved for household chores. “I usually spend about an hour cooking dinner in the evenings,” she said.

“I do count myself extremely blessed to be engaged to Brian. He picks up a lot of slack with cooking and cleaning when it’s needed.”

In addition to her service on the State Women’s Committee, Register also serves as the Volusia County Young Farmers and Ranchers Chair which retains her a seat on the county board of directors. She is currently serving her last term on the State Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Group.

Every year in the spring, she looks forward to Ag in the Classroom, “My absolute favorite activity of the year”, she stated. “I visit at least two-to-three schools in Volusia County each year,” she said.

Register encourages women in her district to join their local county Farm Bureau Women’s Committee by expressing the opportunity of making connections with likeminded women who continually give back to their communities.

“People might not remember all of the things I did or accomplished during my life, but I hope they can remember how I made them laugh and smile or how I made their gloomy day just a little bit brighter”, she said.

Her favorite recipe is Paula Deen’s Baked Enchilada Pie.

Jack Payne, AG TALK

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Jack Payne

[email protected]
@JackPayneIFAS

Just by participating in one of our research projects, Farm Bureau members recently gave the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences the highest compliment I can think of.

You trust us.

That’s the takeaway from a recent survey done by the UF/IFAS Center for Public Issues Education in Agriculture and Natural Resources, or PIE Center. We’ve often described ourselves as trustworthy, but to my knowledge, we’d never actually measured it.

So in a way, the PIE Center’s work was our way of acting on the old Ronald Reagan dictum, “Trust but verify.” We apply it to our science, and we apply it ourselves.

The PIE Center’s Ricky Telg asked you to rate the trustworthiness of about 20 sources of information, and UF/IFAS came out on top. Not only that, but our strongest competition for trustworthiness is ourselves.

The local UF/IFAS Extension office, UF/IFAS and the PIE Center are three of the top four highest-rated sources. We didn’t specify the other one in the top four, “agricultural specialists,” as UF/IFAS faculty, but many could interpret that as a UF/IFAS function.

After UF/IFAS come federal and state agriculture and natural resource organizations and agencies. On the least trustworthy end of the spectrum were various sources of news media and social media.

Trust is the gold standard when your mission is to provide information. It’s also key to a strong relationship that helps UF/IFAS to help Florida’s production agriculture thrive.

We didn’t do this to produce a feel-good report. We did it because trust is an essential element of good science.

We need to repeatedly prove we’re trustworthy to get the access we need to do trials on your farms. We need it so you will be candid with our Extension agents and researchers. We need it so you’ll support the research agenda we devise to support you.

Our soaring university rankings aren’t in themselves what makes us an authority on solutions to your challenges. Trust is. The ratings and rankings are the result of your trust in us, not the cause of it.

Of course, the job of earning your trust is never done. Instead of just accepting it as a given that you hold us in high esteem, we used scientific surveying methods to quantify and challenge it.

We’ll never stop working to be worthy of the trust you place in us.

When you turn to UF/IFAS, what you’ll hear from us is going to be based on data, observation, experimentation, and science – the best tools we have to establish the truth as we know it. It’s been that way since UF/IFAS was established 54 years ago, and it’s not going to change.

Trust me.

Jack Payne is the University of Florida’s senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Rory Martin: Sarasota County Farm Bureau

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Rory Martin
Rory Martin

Rory Martin is buckled into his family’s tradition. The Florida native has served as president of Sarasota County Farm Bureau (SCFB) since 1993 and currently lives in his family’s old homestead just outside Sarasota with his wife and children.

Martin grew up in Highlands County and attended college at the University of South Florida. In the early 1980s, his grandparents needed help with the family citrus grove and Martin assisted in what he thought would be a temporary endeavor.

“I went to help my grandparents on the grove in 1983 and ended up staying. I’ve been involved in agriculture ever since,” he said. Today, oranges from the grove are used for juice.

Martin’s family homestead dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. One of the very first Valencia orange trees planted on the property back in 1904 still stands today. “It’s old but it’s still green,” Martin jokes. Martin has inherited the family farm along with his brother; the two brothers with their families operate it today.

Martin’s four children are the sixth generation to live in the old homestead. “I have journals that belonged to my great-grandfather that date back to 1902,” Martin said. “It’s like a little piece of history.”

Martin also serves as president of the Sarasota County Agricultural Fair and is responsible for many events held at the famous Robarts Arena—the largest entertainment venue in Sarasota County.

SCFB is an active participant in the Sarasota County Fair each spring. The local Farm Bureau holds a fair booth to support youth education for area FFA and 4-H students. “The food booth is probably my favorite event,” Martin stated. “We generate enough revenue to be able to give back to the kids.”

Area volunteers serve up a full barbecue dinner of chicken, pork, ribs and various sides and homemade desserts. More than 100 volunteers help make this annual fundraising event a success.

The SCFB Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Committee has recently taken off, according to Martin. “For the first time in several years we are sending eight young farmers and ranchers to the Statewide Florida Young Farmers and Ranchers Conference in Punta Gorda,” he said.

Martin shared his favorite old family recipe for Apple Cobbler. “We make this for any family gathering or event and everyone loves it!” Martin exclaimed. The recipe is as follows:

Apple Cobbler
INGREDIENTS:
2 #10 cans apple pie filling
1 box yellow cake mix
¼ stick butter, cut

DIRECTIONS:
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish. Pour apple pie filling on the bottom. Mix cake batter according to the package directions and pour on top of apple pie filing. For the crust, place cut up butter along the perimeter of the baking dish. Bake at 300 degrees for approximately one hour.

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County Action Partnership Program

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The Florida Farm Bureau is seeking partnerships with county Farm Bureaus that involve economic, legal or regulatory initiatives. The 2025-2026 County Action Partnership (CAP) Program will provide up to $5,000 funding for approved projects. Successful applicants will be selected by the CAP committee and must be approved by the Florida Farm Bureau Board of Directors. This innovative program has been created to provide financial assistance for County Farm Bureaus interested in implementing projects of significant importance to Florida agriculture. Florida Farm Bureau has moved to an electronic CAP Grant application format only.

Click Here to Apply

Florida Farm Bureau may issue additional requests for funding proposals as determined by the state board of directors. Information about this program may also be obtained by contacting your district field representative.

Florida Farm Bureau reserves the right to provide partial, total or no funding for any project submitted. Applications must be received by November 3, 2025.

The following resources have been developed to help you in your application planning process:

Request for funding proposal/specific program guidelines
Tip sheet for submitting a CAP grant
Sample of a properly submitted CAP grant

We look forward to learning about your project and the benefits it will bring to Florida agriculture.

For questions or to submit your CAP application please email
Jason Mathis | 352.384.2612.