Ten years ago, John Hoblick told an audience on campus recently, he helped find a new leader for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. He offered his humble assessment that he had done a great job.

It was his sly, humorous way of paying me a public compliment. He really has done a great job in the decade since, and that’s why he was on the podium at the UF/IFAS Dinner of Distinction in the first place.

John and I didn’t create the strong relationship between UF/IFAS and the Farm Bureau. It precedes us by decades. As John reminded us all at this year’s dinner, though, we didn’t take the relationship for granted either.

In some states, John said that night, the land-grant university and the Farm Bureau don’t get along. It hurts both entities.

By contrast, in Florida, when event organizers sought someone to offer a tribute at my last Dinner of Distinction as senior vice president, the choice was obvious. The guy who helped pick me, and the guy who’s going to help pick my successor, was the guy to bid me farewell.

As stewards of the state’s leading organizations for agricultural scientists and agricultural producers, John and I have become close friends as well as compatible colleagues. We’ve talked about fishing, family, travel and dogs. That has helped us get through the times we have disagreed.

We keep the interests of Florida farming first. We see the results in a $165-billion-a-year industry despite disease, extreme weather events, market volatility and unfair trade practices. We also see great examples of the relationship between farmers and scientists across the state.

In Okaloosa County, Farm Bureau President Keith Free watched Jennifer Bearden grow up and become a county Extension ag agent, and now he has her drive the other tractor in an annual two-vehicle parade through downtown Crestview. In Polk County, UF/IFAS Extension Director Nicole Walker and Polk County Farm Bureau Executive Director Carol McKenzie give 6,000 fourth-graders a close-up look at agriculture in their community.

Suwannee County Farm Bureau mainstay Randall Dasher and UF/IFAS Extension veteran Bob Hochmuth helped revive what had been the Suwannee Valley Agricultural Extension Center and make it a research station. UF/IFAS forage researcher and Extension specialist Jose Dubeux has a standing invitation to send his students for regular visits to Jackson County Farm Bureau board member Mack Glass’s ranch to monitor perennial peanut trials.

I could go on and on. The strong relationships with the Farm Bureau and other commodity associations helped fuel a decade of remarkable progress at UF/IFAS.

We have improved our research and education centers, earned record research funding, achieved record student enrollment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and grown our corps of agricultural Extension agents over what we employed a decade ago.

I don’t get to pick my successor, but I did get to suggest search committee members. Like the event organizers, I found my choice was obvious. President Fuchs accepted my recommendation to put John on the committee.

He’ll do a great job. So, with Farm Bureau support, will my successor.

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.

[email protected]

@JackPayneIFAS

We need two types of agricultural science – the science of now, and the science of the future. Researchers are working on what’s in your fields now as well as what might be in them in five, 10, even 20 years.

Most research done by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is on the “now” crops – citrus, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers, and many more. If you grow it, we probably study it.

We’d be doing you a disservice if we failed to prepare you for the future. Our work on alternative crops aims to identify what will make you money years from now as conditions, markets and consumers’ preferences change.

The highest-profile alternative crop is hemp. It’s new. It’s headline-grabbing. It played a prominent role in the campaign platform of our Commissioner of Agriculture. In a decade leading Florida agricultural research and development, I’ve never seen such interest in an alternative crop.

We’ve launched an eight-site trial to identify hemp varieties suitable for Florida, to develop practices most likely to produce a profit and to assess its risk as an invasive plant. We’re doing it in part because numerous Farm Bureau members have expressed an interest in it.

We’re also doing it because the Legislature has requested that we carry out hemp research. We’re happy to comply with the Legislature’s wishes and yours. We’ll share what we’ve learned so far through our hemp program website and outreach events such as the Florida Ag Expo at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma on Nov. 21.

Hemp may someday become a profitable Florida crop. So, too, could peaches, olives, pomegranates, tea, or vanilla. UF/IFAS researches them all.

The buzz around hemp does not translate into vast acreage nor wholesale redirection of UF/IFAS research. Even the coordinator of the hemp research, agronomist Zack Brym at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, studies many things besides hemp.

The modest hemp plots scattered across the state are dwarfed by the 582 acres of Citrus Research and Education Center groves, for example. We have another entire research center devoted to range cattle. Still another, in Suwannee Valley, focuses on crops important in that region – peanuts, watermelon, field corn, carrots and peppers. It doesn’t have a single hemp plant.

Let’s remember, peppers were once an alternative or “emerging” crop. I don’t think anyone would classify them as such today.

Good thing we got going decades ago on the scientific discoveries that have helped make Florida the nation’s second-leading bell pepper producer today. You’ve also seen a big payoff from decades of research that have provided the foundation for a blueberry industry in Florida.

We’re approaching hemp as a potential addition to a diversified rotation of crops – not as the next green gold rush. It’s a small, but important part of our research program.

We’ll provide the science so you can make your own judgment about whether hemp is worth a go. Again, we’d be doing you a disservice if we made that choice for you by not researching it thoroughly and leaving you in the dark about its potential or perils.

One of the advantages of having one of the nation’s leading land-grant universities at your service is that we can address so many needs. Attention to the new kid on the block – hemp – doesn’t detract from our work on crops that have been produced here for more than a century.

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.

The 78^th Annual Meeting took place at the Caribe Royale in Orlando Oct. 30-Nov. 1 recognized many volunteers for their outstanding achievements. Young Farmers and Ranchers Jake and Tiffany Sache of Levy County won the Achievement in Agriculture Award, while Kyle and Alisha Patterson of St. Lucie County received the Excellence in Agriculture Award and Pete Dola of Levy County placed first in the Discussion Meet. The young farmers will advance to the national competitions in Austin, Texas at the American Farm Bureau Annual Meeting Jan. 17-22, 2020.

The meeting included a Youth Speech Contest, member benefits showcase, breakout sessions, legislative awards for lawmakers Sen. George Gainer and Rep. James Grant, the Commissioner of Agriculture’s Ag-Environmental Leadership Awards Breakfast and the adoption of policies for the new year by Farm Bureau member delegates.

Next year’s annual meeting will be Oct. 21-23 at the Caribe Royale in Orlando. To view photos of the event, visit https://flic.kr/s/aHsmJaqv1Z.

Jake and Tiffany Sache, Sache Farms, JS Custom Harvesting, Levy County

Jake and Tiffany Sache were recognized as the 2019 Florida Farm Bureau Achievement in Agriculture Award winners at the FFB Annual Meeting in Orlando on Oct. 30.

This high honor recognizes Young Farmers and Ranchers for their skill at farm production, development of their agricultural enterprise and service to Farm Bureau as well as the local community.

The Saches raise beef cattle, grow hay and operate a custom grass seed harvesting business on land in Levy County and surrounding counties.

Now a fourth generation farmer, Jake carries on his family’s tradition with his wife, Tiffany, also a fourth generation farmer and Chiefland native.

The Saches are high school sweethearts who married in 2010. Prior to being a stay-at-home mom to their three children, Emily (7), Sadie (5) and Kade (3), Tiffany worked as a medical assistant and phlebotomist in a pediatric office in Gainesville.

The couple serve as members of the Levy-Gilchrist County Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee. In 2011, they earned Florida Farm Bureau’s CARES Award for their superior accomplishments in natural resource conservation.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Jake serves on Florida Farm Bureau’s Fruit and Vegetable Advisory Committee as well as the Levy County Farm Bureau State Board of Directors, while Tiffany serves on the Women’s Committee.

“We are just so thankful to have the opportunity to network with other farmers our age and learn about their operations and ideas.”

The couple will compete for the National Achievement in Agriculture Competition at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Convention in January in Austin, TX.

The week of Sept. 16 marked the first committee week of 2019, as state lawmakers gathered in Tallahassee to begin preparing for the upcoming legislative session. Although the official start of the session will not take place until after the New Year, many important issues were discussed by legislators during the first week.

One of the topics that is of great interest to Nikki Fried, our Commissioner of Agriculture, is hemp. Hollie Bell, Director of Cannabis for the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, (FDACS) discussed the interest in hemp that the department has received for months now.

FDACS has a team of three divisions working in this specific area:

1. Division of Agriculture Environmental Services: seeds, pesticides, fertilizer and animal feed.
2. Division of Plant Industry: cultivation
3. Division of Food Safety: processing, manufacturing and retailing.

Along with FDACS, UF/IFAS also announced their Industrial Hemp Pilot Project. The goal of this project is to support the future viability and sustainability of an industrial hemp industry in Florida.

UF/IFAS’s plan is to have industry funded research facilities with a multidisciplinary team to:

• Identify hemp varieties suitable for planting in Florida’s various environments.
• Develop hemp management practices and cropping systems economically viable for Florida.
• Assess the hemp invasion risk in Florida’s natural and built environments.

UF/IFAS is staying involved by having program activities, advisory groups and qualified project partners as well as project sponsors. These consist of:

• Program activities: workshops & field days.
• Advisory Groups: Oversee program execution and aid in program decisions.
• Qualified Project Partners: formal volunteer opportunities & future on-farm research.

Hemp will be a hot topic throughout committee weeks and the 2020 legislative session. From what was discussed the first committee week, if everything goes as planned, the hemp program could be up and running after the New Year.

These committee meetings will continue throughout December and the 2020 legislative session will begin in January.

Florida Farm Bureau Federation will continue to host our annual legislative event in Tallahassee this year. The event will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, during the final committee week prior to the 2020 session.

Florida Farm Bureau is looking forward to welcoming hundreds of farmers and ranchers in the Capitol City to be the “Voice of Agriculture” at the State Capitol.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is conducting a study to learn more about how Florida landowners manage land and wildlife. Landowners are encouraged to take part in the survey to provide the FWC insights into landowner preferences and priorities. We are asking landowners to complete a brief voluntary survey, the results of which will help FWC to improve educational services and programs that benefit landowners across the state.

FWC recognizes the critical role that private lands play in providing sustainable fish and wildlife populations and habitat. The FWC’s Landowner Assistance Program works with private landowners who are interested in enhancing wildlife and habitat on their properties. Landowner Assistance Program biologists provide landowners with advice on land management, species management, habitat restoration, forest practices and agriculture land uses to help meet landowner objectives. Biologists also assist landowners in navigating the many financial assistance programs that help private landowners enhance and protect native habitats.

To learn more about the FWC’s Landowner Assistance Program or to see the results of these past surveys, please visit MyFWC.com/LAP.

To participate in the Florida Landowner Survey, click the link below to access the Florida Farm Bureau’s version of our Landowner Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QVVHQH9.

FWC requests surveys be submitted by December 13^, 2019 to be included in the analysis and report.

A silent auction will accompany the Annual Meeting festivities this year to benefit the Florida Farm Bureau FedPAC. This auction will contain some premier items and opportunities, including a two-day fishing trip with President John L. Hoblick. Keep an eye out for future emails, and be sure to stop by while in Orlando.

The Florida Farm Bureau FedPAC exists to support congressional candidates who value and understand agriculture’s role in our state. Over the years, these candidates have included Adam Putnam, Charles Canady, Bill Nelson, Ted Yoho, Darren Soto, and Mario Diaz-Balart. FedPAC relies on the patronage of our active members.

Ben and Katie Morris have been active members of Florida Farm Bureau since they first set foot in the Sunshine State. They have taken every opportunity to grow, learn and network with other agricultural producers.

Ben spent his adolescence on his family’s beef cattle and chicken farm in north Georgia. His passion for agriculture led him to study agribusiness at the University of Georgia. Katie dug up her Central Illinois roots to pursue a career with AgSouth Farm Credit in Georgia. During her time there, she was introduced to the agriculture in that state and everything it had to offer.

After accepting jobs with the University of Florida, the two moved to Gainesville, Florida, where they were introduced to FFBF President John Hoblick. President Hoblick welcomed the couple with open arms and encouraged them to participate in every aspect of Florida agriculture and Florida Farm Bureau.

During their time as Florida residents, the couple has relocated to Wellington, Florida with their two kids James, 4 years-old, and Virginia Ruth, 1.5 years-old. Ben is completing his PhD in Agricultural Leadership through the University of Florida’s online program and Katie is working for Wedgworth’s Inc., the state’s largest fertilizer distributor. In addition, Katie also works with the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. Although they don’t farm themselves, their professional roles allow the two to work closely with growers across the state.

“As parents, we consider ourselves lucky and honored to work alongside the hardworking farmers who provide healthy, fresh food both for our family and our nation,” Katie said.

Being active Farm Bureau members, they look forward to the various district and statewide events where they have the opportunity to network with other young professionals from around the state. They always leave events with a fresh perspective and a new appreciation for Florida agriculture.

One of their favorite agricultural events in West Palm Beach is the Sweet Corn Fiesta. Celebrating its 20^th year in April 2020, this event is a celebration of the hardworking farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area and an opportunity to educate area consumers about the production of sweet corn.

For years Gene McAvoy kept a dark blue suit jacket on a hook behind the door in his Extension office. He wore it to farmers’ funerals.

He considered attending funerals a gesture of respect. It was also yet another place to talk to other farmers.

Gene called his job as University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Hendry County Extension director a “lifestyle.” Home is a Farm Bureau-insured 40-acre ranch. Nights and weekends are at county board meetings where he serves as treasurer, District 8 meetings, Young Farmer and Rancher events, state Vegetable Advisory Committee meetings and special events such as the Sweet Corn Fiesta at which he represents Farm Bureau.

In a sense, the Farm Bureau honors one of its own in recognizing Gene as Extension professional of the year at the annual convention in Orlando this month. It’s hard to think of an Extension agent for whom this would be more meaningful.

The award ceremony and convention are yet another chance for him to talk with farmers from all over the state. Not only that, but Gene usually attends the convention anyway at this own expense, and the award comes with a free night’s hotel stay!

When he’s not with farmers and ranchers, he’s communicating to them or for them. For more than two decades, Gene has run the South Florida Veg Hotline, which started as a printed newsletter and evolved into an electronic message that gets sent out almost daily. It’s got regulatory information, label changes, industry trends, new technology and more.

Then there’s his Pest-of-the-Month column. Unfortunately, he’s never had a shortage of subjects to write about.

Equally important is his work speaking to people other than you – people who don’t live or work on farms. He tells the story of agriculture one small group at a time.

Sometimes he’s telling nursing students to put away their preconceived notion of farm workers being poisoned by pesticides and instead to look out for heat exhaustion, back strains or branches poking them in the eyes as they reach for fruit on branches. Other times, he’s showing legislators how what they do in Tallahassee affects the fields and groves of LaBelle.

He has shown Audubon groups farmland that doubles as valuable habitat to birds. He reads agriculture-related stories aloud in elementary school classrooms. He takes winter visitors on all-day tours of farm country, with stops at citrus groves, sugarcane fields, vegetable farms and packing houses.

Gene knows the value of showing up. It expresses solidarity with the business. It’s a way to learn what’s important to farmers. It’s a way to make sure what you’re doing is relevant.

That was certainly the case when he was among the first to show up at wind- and rain-ravaged farms in the wake of Hurricane Irma. His firsthand accounts of what he saw helped farmers make the case for disaster relief.

The respect he has shown farmers was reflected back on him when he retired from his Extension job in August. More than 200 people came to the LaBelle Civic Center for his retirement party.

He didn’t stay retired long. I’ve appointed him associate director for stakeholder relations at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. This summer he became president of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents.

In retirement Gene’s job title has changed. His lifestyle is unlikely to change much at all. He’ll continue to serve as treasurer for the Hendry County Farm Bureau. You’ll still see him in Orlando, LaBelle and Immokalee. Please congratulate him when you do.

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.
[email protected]
@JackPayneIFAS

The USDA’s Economic Research Service has released a report profiling the beginning farmer and rancher in the United States, and the information reflects what many have considered evolving trends over the past few decades.

What is a beginning farm? In 2017, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) redefined a beginning farm as “an operation where any producer or principal producer has fewer than 10 years’ experience. That broadens the category from the previous definitions, which confined that determination only to the principal producer.

Among its findings, the ERS study found most beginning farms to specialize in beef cattle and row crops. Producers tend to be younger and generally operate on a small scale. The households supported by beginning farms have a greater debt-to-asset ratio (29%) versus established farms (18%).

One point underscored in the data show that households supporting beginning farms generate more off-farm income than farm income. Off-farm income comprises 77 percent of the overall income for beginning farms. Established farms rely on 56 percent of their income for off-farm income.

Increasingly so, diversification of income is helping production agriculture stay afloat. For beginning farmers and ranchers, it certainly helps them enter  a career with often insurmountable barriers that are only getting harder to climb.