FloridAgriculture eNews | May 2020

By: Landon Hoffman, Legislative Affairs, Assistant Director

With the 2020 legislative session behind us, Florida Farm Bureau can now begin preparations for candidate interviews. As with every election cycle, Florida Farm Bureau, our members and our state’s strong agricultural community have the ability to make an impact in the Florida Legislature. Each election year provides new opportunities to support candidates we believe will advocate on behalf of Florida’s farmers and ranchers. With less than 2% of Floridians now directly involved with agriculture, it is essential that experts, producers and growers engage politically and stay involved with campaigns and the political and legislative processes.

It is important to realize that even though our nation is in a state of emergency due to COVID-19, we will still have elections in November. In the Florida House, there will be 23 open seats, while in the Florida Senate, there will be seven. Florida Farm Bureau’s State Legislative Affairs team will hold candidate interviews with the Florida Agricultural Coalition, as well as participate in a similar process with the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Supporting and promoting good, quality leaders that will help strengthen and grow Florida agriculture is a priority of Florida Farm Bureau’s members and leaders.

As the elections get closer, we look forward to keeping our members updated on the political landscape in Florida this year. If you have any policy or political questions, please contact our State Legislative Affairs office in Tallahassee.

[email protected]

@JackPayneIFAS

By Jack Payne

Late last year I called Kenneth Parker to ask a favor. I thought a lot about it before I dialed, because I knew his answer would be yes. It always is.

I needed a new Florida delegate to a national grassroots council that converges on Washington, D.C. to go to bat for land-grant universities. At first Kenneth said he did not know what I was talking about, but that the other two Florida delegates sounded like good company, so count him in.

That is typical Kenneth Parker for you. As Farm Bureau members, you may know him best as former president of the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau and a regular at the annual convention. But Kenneth transcends a single association or commodity. He basically does whatever he can for Florida agriculture.

He brings to that service an appreciation for the science that underpins your

success. For years, Kenneth has worked to strengthen the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and help us understand industry needs.

Just a month or two before he accepted my request to serve as a Council for Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching (CARET) delegate, he had agreed to lead one of our stakeholder advisory groups, the Florida Agricultural Council, as its new president. In 2018, he said yes when we asked him to join SHARE Council, which helps garner philanthropic support for UF/IFAS.

Kenneth established early in his tenure as the executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association his continuing support of the association’s commitment to covering the first few years’ salary for a UF/IFAS strawberry breeder with an expertise in genomics.

That allowed us to essentially have Dr. Seonghee Lee audition for the job. He is since become indispensable to Vance Whitaker’s strawberry breeding team.

Kenneth stood up for me at times when I had to make tough decisions. I have publicly acknowledged him in the past, like in 2014 when UF/IFAS honored FSGA as its industry partner of the year.

As I approach retirement, and I reflect on the contributions of our many supporters, Kenneth stands out. Because he did so much, and because he did it with such kindness and gentleness, Kenneth made me want to do my job better.

I will bet Judi Whitson in your Hillsborough County Farm Bureau office would say the same thing. So would the instructors in Plant City. So would the plant breeders in Wimauma. Soon enough, I expect, so will his peers at SHARE, CARET and the Florida Ag Council.

That means they will all do a better job for you.

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.

FloridAgriculture eNews | May 2020

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses deemed non-essential to shut down, disruptions in the food supply chain created a domino effect across agriculture. Florida farmers and ranchers faced severe challenges because key markets and distribution channels were closed.

The heart and determination of Florida Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers is unmatched to any young group of millennials. These qualities appeared in a response to the crisis. The instinct and passion of one Hardee County Young Farmer and Rancher, Kalan Royal, kicked in.

It all started after Royal received a phone call from fellow YF&R member Samantha Dailey of Marion County asking if he knew of any farms that were selling directly to the public. Wheels were set in motion to develop a grassroots direct to consumer product list.

“Knowing the struggles that American farmers and ranchers already faced pre-COVID-19 with trying to get their products sold and remain in business another year to keep the population fed as they compete against unfair competition from foreign producers, I knew I had to get as many farms on this list as possible,” said Royal. “The state’s farmers and ranchers now were in need of help more than ever in getting their products sold.”

“I kept researching and gathering as much information as I could get my hands on to help out those who give so much of themselves to provide food for this country,” added Royal. “As a result of Samantha prompting me to create a list and valuable input from FFB District 8 Field Representative Eva Webb, we were able to come up with an extensive list to help both consumers as well as farmers and ranchers.”

The grassroots farm to consumer list contains more than 250 farms and produce stands across the Sunshine State that are selling fresh produce and meats direct to consumers and is available on the FFB website.

Since the YF&R list has been created, a number of farm to consumer lists have been made available to the public, including the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Florida Farm to You initiative that connects consumers directly to farms. Producers are able to submit available products via the website and consumers can search by county for various commodities.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box program was also recently put into motion to assist agriculture and families in need.

Farmers interested in getting their products listed on various websites can visit the Florida Farm Bureau COVID-19 Resource page for available links.

Friday, July 10, 2020

3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Registration

2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Discussion Meet

5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception (Palms/Garden Foyer)

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Awards Banquet (Palms Ballroom)

8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Social Dueling Pianos (Palms Pool Deck)

Saturday, July 11, 2020

8:15 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Breakfast Snacks & District Meetings

9:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

10:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Breakout Sessions

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Breakout Sessions

12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Lunch – Speaker (Palms Ballroom)

2:00 p.m.
Farm Tours Depart (registration required)

2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Volleyball & Corn Hole Tournaments

5:00 p.m.
Free evening to explore Sanibel

Sunday, July 12, 2020|

8:00 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
Breakfast Snacks

8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Devotional (Camella A)

9:00 a.m. –10:15 a.m.
General Session (Palms Ballroom )

Discussion Meet Final Four

10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Break

10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Closing Session (Palms Ballroom )

YF&R AA & EA Finalists Announced

April e-Newsletter

By Jack Payne
[email protected]
@JackPayneIFAS

The Coronavirus doesn’t stop the need to feed. In fact, the run on supermarkets as I wrote this in mid-March demonstrates how demand for food spikes during a crisis.

This is a moment (maybe a months-long “moment”) for agriculture and agricultural science to shine. We have a wealth of experience as few other sectors do in navigating a crisis — natural disasters, climate variability, market fluctuations, freezes, diseases, pests and other threats.

Just as the food supply you deliver is not interrupted by the Coronavirus, neither is the science you rely upon to inform your decisions.

The women and men of UF/IFAS showed extraordinary effort in taking early action to keep the Coronavirus from sidelining science. Their beat-the-clock hustle ensured the continuity of agricultural science before restrictions on travel, public gatherings or even showing up at the office could threaten to shut down their work to sustain Florida agriculture.

One of the most extraordinary responses was the darn-near-instant transformation of teaching. Our instructors, administration and instructional technology professionals took classes attended by 6,000 students in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and put them all completely online in days. This keeps students on track to graduate on time and prevents gaps in the education they’ll need to be productive 21st century citizens.

These are 6,000 potential future employees. At the very least, they’re 6,000 present and future customers who will be ag ambassadors who can tell friends, family, co-workers, fellow worshippers and strangers where their food comes from.

Lauren Diepenbrock feared that as the movement of people seemingly became more restricted by the hour that her research team would be locked out of an experimental grove by the emergency. So she summoned them to report to the Citrus Research and Education Center by 7 a.m. and got 600 Valencia trees planted in a single day.

She said, “This is work we’ve promised the federal government we’d do to help our growers.” Citrus growers were in crisis long before the Coronavirus, so her research on HLB is too important to face delays caused by Coronavirus. Even a public health emergency didn’t shake her commitment to her pledge to the federal government – or to you.

Vanessa Campoverde showed the same hustle in Extension. When infections began to impact air travel, she jumped in the car and drove six hours from Miami to Live Oak for an important training she needed to help Miami-area producers. She also rushed to squeeze in Spanish-language training for workers who needed to keep their pesticide licenses from expiring during a potential shutdown.

Like so many other things right now, the way we’re delivering agricultural science may look and feel different. Some things don’t change at all, like our commitment to you. We’re still working for you so you can work to feed an anxious world.

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.

April e-Newsletter Session Update

The Florida Legislature wrapped up the only remaining business for the 2020 Legislative Session: passing a budget.  Unanimous votes in each chamber sent the largest budget ever to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Some general highlights of the $93.2 billion budget include more than $600 million in funding to improve water quality and Everglades projects, $500 million toward teacher pay raises, $100 million for the Florida Forever conservation program and $300 million to respond to the impacts of COVID-19.

Obviously, the effects of COVID-19 will have dramatic impacts on the state’s economy, and could force the Legislature to revise the budget in a special session or dip into the $3.8 billion the state has in reserves.

Agriculture Budget Items Close Strong

UF/IFAS

At one point during session, it looked as if UF/IFAS would receive no funding for any of their budget requests as well as lose funding for several recurring projects that were funded in previous years.  But last-minute funding that was added when the Appropriations Chairs met over the weekend.

At the end of the day, the most important request for additional workload dollars was funded at $3.8 million, with $1.7 of that being recurring.  These funds allow UF/IFAS to carry out the essential research and Extension services that agriculture depends on.

The cuts to the existing programs were also restored, meaning that what began as a potential setback year became a significant step forward for UF/IFAS.

FDACS

As we reported last week, budget items for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) ended up much better than where they started. The Fresh From Florida program will be fully funded at $5.9 million.  The initial House proposal included a $3.7 million cut. The Rural and Family Lands Program will receive $8.7 million this year after being zeroed out in 2019.  The Office of Ag Water Policy also received funding for eight additional staff that will be integral to implementing provisions of SB 712 requiring BMP verifications.

Other areas of the FDACS budget were sufficiently funded.  Throughout session, there were several proposals to modify the department significantly and how it was funded, but in the end, they were not adopted.

Ask Gov. DeSantis to Sign SB 712: The Clean Waterways Act

This week, we sent out a “Call to Action” urging Gov. DeSantis to sign SB 712, the Clean Waterways Act. This legislation, as mentioned before, was a priority for Farm Bureau this year because it implements a comprehensive, science-based approach to restoring and protecting Florida’s water resources. If you have not done so already, please participate in sending Gov. DeSantis a letter urging him to sign this legislation into law. You can do so at the link below:

https://www.votervoice.net/BroadcastLinks/4jg4clJtSqNOj45I6Yf3MQ

COVID-19 Response

Leadership in the State of Florida is laser-focused on preventing the spread of and mitigating the impacts of Coronavirus, or COVID-19.

Gov. DeSantis has declared a state of emergency, urging all Floridians to avoid gatherings and practice social distancing. As a result, many businesses are closed or working remotely.

Among the many actions taken to mitigate this crisis and assist Floridians in navigating the new normal, Gov. DeSantis issued Executive Order 20-52, which authorized the Florida Department of Transportation to relieve hours of service requirements and the size and weight restrictions for divisible loads on any vehicles transporting emergency equipment, services, supplies and necessary agricultural commodities.

President Designate Releases Video

On Tuesday, March 17, Senate President-Designate Wilton Simpson released a message to Floridians on the importance of Florida agriculture during the COVID-19 pandemic. President-Designate Simpson commended the farmers, ranchers and growers who have remained focused on feeding Floridians and Americans during this time.

Please take a moment to view and share the video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/1aPoLAriLLA

Wrap-up

At the close of the 2020 session it’s clear that it has been a successful one for Florida Farm Bureau and our partners in the agricultural community.  Protecting the BMP program through additional credibility and additional research was a big victory in SB 712. That bill also effectively stopped a “Rights of Nature” movement that could have significantly increased frivolous lawsuits filed against Florida farms. We also worked to ensure that ag employers could verify employment eligibility through the I-9 process as well as the E-Verify system, helping to relieve additional burdens on our employers.

Successful outcomes in these areas were essential, and we appreciate the Legislature and our members for their hard work to make it happen.

We will continue to keep you updated over the coming weeks as the Governor takes action on bills and the budget and as we look forward to the election cycle.

Tom Rieder
Dade County Farm Bureau President

Born and raised in Miami, Dade County Farm Bureau President Tom Rieder has made a name for himself in South Florida agriculture realty.

In 1971, he began his career in vacant land sales and by 1974 he was operating his own business. Today, Rieder Realty sells vacant agricultural and environmentally sensitive properties to the USDA, Water Management Districts and other Florida counties, primarily from Orlando, south.

A forty-nine-year veteran in the ag real estate world, Rieder has developed a love for Florida lands. “At one time I had an office in Polk County where we sold mainly citrus and cattle lands,” he said.

“One of my favorite things about Farm Bureau is the people,” he said. “I like working with people who are close to the land.” As a commercial multi-engine instrument pilot, Rieder has the ability to transport himself all over the state to meet property owners and he also uses his skills for aerial photography.

An avid fisherman and outdoorsman, Rieder enjoys hunting, camping and hiking.

Rieder lives in Pinecrest, an area in between Miami and Homestead, with his wife of nearly 50 years, Susie. Together the Rieders have three children and four grandchildren.

A Farm Bureau member for 20 years, Rieder has spent the last eight serving on the Dade County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and his currently in his first year as president.

He explained that the biggest event of the year is the Dade County Farm Bureau BBQ. Held each spring, the event attracts members of the community who dine on a homemade meal while recognizing outstanding volunteers and the Farm Family of the Year.

“The farmers do the cooking with vegetables from our fields. It’s a great time for people to come together,” Rieder stated.

Unfortunately, this year’s BBQ has been postponed due to the public health emergency.

Rieder enjoys Susie’s Italian cooking and said that “her sweet and sour meatballs are my favorite! It’s also hard to beat a good steak.”

Women’s Committee Handbook

• Good grammar is key! You are an editor now. Watch spelling and punctuations. You are posting to the world and will be called out on it.
• Try not to use CAPS LOCK. It is obnoxious!
• Keep content brief. One to two sentences with a link, photo or video at max.
• Know your audience and your tone. Students/younger audiences are more casual, light and fun. Business leaders are more serious. They go to your page to get useful information.
• Think before you post. Don’t say it if you have a doubt. Never post anything that could be misconstrued. Once something is posted, it is a viral grapevine. Make sure what you post is appropriate and is ok to be shared with millions.
• Retweet or share other posts from organizations in your community and look for Farm Bureau posts to share.
• Pick your ideal post time according to your Page’s engagement. 6-9 a.m. / 12-3 p.m. / 4-9 p.m. (these vary; check your metrics unique to your own page)
• Have a strategy. Schedule out your posts and tie into any community or agriculture events.
• Post photos of people to boost engagement. Photos of a Youth Speech Contest or a charitable event humanize your post.
• Be sure to respond to any comments, positive or negative. If you are unsure of an answer contact the state office. We are here to help.
• Link to stories related to your community that are of interest to your membership.
• Share food articles/recipes. Ask members to submit favorite recipes around holiday.
• Use and post videos when possible. Videos are an engaging and authentic way to tell your story.
• Post regularly. Use Facebook Scheduler or tools such as Buffer or Hootsuite to help schedule posts ahead if you are short on time.
• Have fun with it!

Women’s Committee Handbook

Speaking in public is the #1 fear of all fears. The fear of dying is #7! Over 41% of people have some fear or anxiety dealing with speaking in front of groups. People who have this fear can experience all kinds of symptoms: Sweaty palms, accelerated heart rate, memory loss and even difficulty in breathing.

Some of the world’s most famous presenters have freely admitted to nervousness and stage fright. Mark Twain said it best, “There are two types of speakers: those that are nervous and those that are liars”.

Everyone, even experienced speakers, has some anxiety when speaking in front of a group of people. The best way to deal with this anxiety is to first acknowledge that this fear is perfectly normal and you are not alone. To reduce your fear, you need to make sure you properly and thoroughly prepare yourself before you speak. Proper preparation and rehearsal can help to reduce this fear by about 75%. Proper breathing techniques can further reduce this fear by another 15%. Your mental state accounts for the remaining 10%.

Below are just a few suggestions you should use to overcome your speaking anxiety. The first and most important of all is preparation. Think of it as the 9 P’s:

Prior Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance of the Person Putting on the Presentation.

Nothing will relax you more than to know you are properly prepared. Below are 10 steps you can take to reduce your speech anxiety.

1. Know the room – Become familiar with the place in which you will speak. Arrive early and walk around the room including the speaking area. Stand at the podium and speak into the microphone. Walk around where the audience will be seated. Walk from where you will be seated to the place where you will be speaking.
2. Know the Audience – If possible, greet some of the audience as they arrive and chat with them. It is easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.
3. Know Your Material – If you are not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech or presentation and revise it until you can present it with ease.
4. Learn How to Relax – You can ease tension by doing exercises. Sit comfortable with your back straight. Breathe in slowly, hold your breath for 4 to 5 seconds, and then slowly exhale. To relax your facial muscles, open your mouth and eyes wide, then close them tightly.
5. Visualize Yourself Speaking – Imagine yourself walking confidently to the lectern as the audience applauds. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and assured. When you visualize yourself as successful, you will be successful.
6. Realize People Want You To Succeed – All audiences want speakers to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They want you to succeed – not fail.
7. Don’t apologize For Being Nervous – Most of the time your nervousness does not show at all. If you don’t say anything about it, nobody will notice. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you’ll only be calling attention to it.
8. Concentrate on Your Message (not the medium) – Your nervous feelings will dissipate if you focus your attention away from your anxieties and concentrate on your message and your audience, not yourself.
9. Turn Nervousness into Positive Energy – The same nervous energy that causes stage fright can be an asset to you. Harness it, and transform it into vitality and enthusiasm.
10. Gain Experience – Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. Most beginning speakers find their anxieties decrease after each speech they give. 

    Remember, “He who fails to prepare is preparing for failure – so Prepare, Prepare, Prepare!”

    The more you know about your speaking environment and your audience, the more relaxed you will be when delivering your speech. Many speakers; however, often overlook the need to include any kind of audience analysis as part of their speech preparation. Proper audience analysis will assure that you give the right speech to the right audience. Using the word “A-U-D-I-E-N-C-E” as an acronym, we have defined some general audience analysis categories that these surveys should include.

     Analysis – Who are they? How many will be there?

    Understanding – What is their knowledge of the subject?

    Demographics – What is their age, sex, educational background?

    Interest – Why are they there? Who asked them to be there?

    Environment – Where will I stand? Can they all see & hear me?

    Needs – What are their needs? What are your needs as the speaker?

    Customized – What specific needs do you need to address?

    Expectations – What do they expect to learn or hear from you?

    Develop specific questions that fit into each of these eight categories and ask the client or audience to tell you what they want. Essentially, ask them what they need and give it to them.