April 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter   

By J. Scott Angle 

[email protected] 

@IFAS_VP 

When Judi Whitson became the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau executive director in 1991, she was told, she remembers, “to get in touch with Jemy Hinton and make something happen.” 

Whitson and Hinton, the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County 4-H agent at the time, and others made Ag-Venture happen. Whitson lost count at about 200,000 on how many children have learned about Florida agriculture through the program. 

Judi worked with public school educators to write the curriculum for the Ag-Abilities program, designed to teach students with disabilities about agriculture and prepare them for careers in the industry.

Whitson retires on April 29, leaving a legacy as one of the state’s premier agriculture educators over the past three decades. I feel fortunate to have met Whitson on a couple of my many visits to Hillsborough County and gained an appreciation for what a giant in the industry she has been: Florida Ag Woman of the Year in 2016, the ag educator of the year award from the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce in 2021, a public service award from Florida Strawberry Growers Association, an honorary degree from the Hillsborough County FFA Federation. 

She has also supported agriculture by supporting UF/IFAS as a collaborator on education programs and a member of the advisory board for UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County. In a way, she helped launch the career of the county Extension director. 

It was on a road trip to a conference in the 1990s with her friend Belinda McQuillen, that Whitson mentioned that the county was looking for an agriculture economic development director. McQuillen quickly responded that she knew just the guy for the job, her then-boyfriend Stephen Gran. 

Gran got the job and served in it for 14 years. He became the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County director in 2012. Incidentally, he got the girl, too: Stephen and Belinda married in 1998. 

When you are connected to Whitson, you are connected to a vast community of Florida agriculturalists. She served all needs for the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau board, but she clearly had a passion for one area in particular. 

“I educate third-graders and legislators,” she says. I’ll let you fill in the punchline there. 

Third-graders she reached through Ag-Venture, a three-hour-long battery of educational stations set up at the Florida State Fairgrounds. The Florida Farm Bureau, UF/IFAS Extension, and the  Florida State Fair set up a total of 15 stations where students learned about soil, insects, plants and cows. 

More importantly, they learned about where their food comes from. Whitson tells a story about a moment when a tantrum taught her what happens when a child’s understanding of the food supply fails to go beyond the fridge or the school cafeteria. 

Whitson was in a grocery store, and an extended power outage had left the produce section depleted. When a boy realized that he would not be going home with his favorite fruit, he threw himself on the floor in a fit of frustration. 

That’s the hard way to learn about your food supply, Whitson thought, and it reminded her of how important her work in classrooms and the state fairgrounds was. 

As for legislators, she educated them through farm tours, visits to the Capitol and frequent phone calls. Hinton recalls looking over at Whitson during meetings and seeing her texting county commissioners and state legislators. 

Whitson says the job she bequeaths to Kaylee Poppell is even more challenging now. Each succeeding generation—and Whitson’s been through a couple—is further removed from a direct connection to a farm. Ag-Venture is more needed than ever, she said, but it’s not enough. 

That’s why for the past two years she’s tried to introduce agriculture into the classroom curriculum. Whitson at first pushed for legislation that would put a nine-week agriculture curriculum into all of the state’s fourth-grade classrooms that would explore the world of agriculture through math, art, English and even physical education. 

But even Whitson can’t make things happen in Tallahassee overnight. The legislators want to see it in action before they introduce a new curriculum statewide, so Whitson says a pilot project will soon start in select public schools. 

It’s the logical culmination of her profession and passion. It will, at least in a few schools, educate fourth-graders and legislators. 

J. Scott Angle is the University of Florida’s Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources and leader of the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).

April 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter   

The University of Florida is working on a USDA-funded Best Management Practices (BMP) labeling study to determine if a product labeling program would prompt growers to consider adopting BMPs in their production program. The research team has developed a draft survey and they wish to “test” this survey by having four to five specialty crop growers who have adopted BMPs to participate.  Participants will receive a $50 debit card as compensation for their time.  

If you qualify and are interested in participating, please contact Professor Zhifeng Gao at 352-294-7672 or [email protected]. 

April 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter   

Nominations for the 2022 CARES award are open until May 15, 2022.  Florida Farm Bureau has implemented a new nomination process for its County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) program. For more than two decades, the CARES program has recognized farmers and ranchers who demonstrate exemplary environmental stewardship to protect Florida’s natural resources.   

The new nomination process is more inclusive of agricultural producers, such as timber growers and aquaculture farmers, as well as producers who operate outside of Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs).  The process has expanded to include additional conservation programs with guidelines under agencies, such as the Natural Resource Conservation Services, Florida’s Water Management Districts, and more.    

County Farm Bureaus are encouraged to submit a nomination for an outstanding agricultural steward. A farmer or rancher may also self-nominate or complete a nomination for a fellow caretaker. Nominations will be accepted using the online submission form until May 15, 2022.   

Recipients will be notified no later than July 1, 2022. Completed nominations are reviewed for effectiveness of natural resource protection as well as compliance with implemented environmental stewardship. Natural resource conservation practices to be considered include:

1. Water Quality and Water Conservation: Preserve or improve water quality, recharge and/or reduce overall use within or adjacent to an agricultural operation.
2. Land Conservation and Soil Health: Reduce and/or prevent soil erosion while protecting natural areas and local habitats.
3. Pesticide/Nutrient Management: Use pesticides/nutrients responsibly, maximizing benefits and minimizing potential adverse environmental effects.
4. Waste Management/Recycling: Reduce waste by recycling agricultural by-products and waste products on site.

To complete the nomination process, please provide the required contact information for both nominator and nominee as well as the online submission and its required attachments. The deadline for nominations is May 15, 2022. Recipients will be notified no later than July 1, 2022.  

Send questions regarding the nomination process to [email protected] or via phone, (352) 374-1542. 

  Nominate Now 2022 CARES Nomination Form and related resources. 

April 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter   

Florida Farm Bureau served as the leading voice for Florida agriculture during this year’s legislative session. The Florida Legislature passed the following top priorities this session:

Senate Bill 1000 – Nutrient Application Rates was sponsored by Rep. Lawrence McClure and Sen. Ben Albritton.  Senate Bill 1000 provides “Rate Tailoring” for the citrus industry wherein the farmer will depend on a Certified Professional to advise written nutrient rates that may be outside of the current Best Management Practices (BMPs) recommendations but in fact are site-specific BMPs that will provide for the nutrient needs of the crop while complying with state water quality standards.  If signed by the Governor, the bill becomes effective July 1, 2022. 

House Bill 909 – Pollution Control Standards and Liability was sponsored by Rep. Bobby Payne and Sen. Ben Albritton.  House Bill 909 prevents local governments from forcing unnecessary additional site assessments simply because agricultural chemicals have been applied on the property. The bill clarifies the role of the DEP Secretary to establish normal and customary standards for a site assessment, and does not preempt the enforcement of local government through a community pollution control program.  If signed by the Governor, the bill becomes effective July 1, 2022. 

Appropriations included funding for the following programming: FDACS received funding in the amounts of $19,098,850 to enhance the Fresh from Florida initiative and $300,000,000 for the Rural and Family Lands Program.  UF/IFAS received funding in the amounts of $8,763,753 for nutrient application research, $2,217,876 for quantifying ecosystems services with artificial intelligence and $3,615,000 for the general UF/IFAS workload. 

FFB’s watch list included two bills: Senate Bill 1078 – Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) provided legislation to revise the qualification standards for a SWCD board, and sets meeting standards which must be met, or the board will be dissolved. This legislation was passed and is now pending the Governor’s signature.  Senate Bill 1186 – Agritourism ensures buildings used in agritourism activities do not jeopardize the agricultural classification of a bonafide farm or ranch. This legislation was passed and is now pending the Governor’s signature. 

March 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

By J. Scott Angle

[email protected]

@IFAS_VP

UF/IFAS recently helped recruit a new Florida Farm Bureau member and nationally known agriculture messenger to Gainesville, and we’ve begun helping her add a distinctly Florida aspect to the American agriculture story.

Michelle Miller is popularly known on social media as “The Farm Babe,” and last year was looking for a new home—far away from ice and subzero temperatures, closer to a city and in a place with a greater variety of commodities.

UF/IFAS horticulture professor Kevin Folta had worked with Miller debunking misinformation about the food supply. Come to Gainesville, Folta told Miller. Your neighbors will include one of the nation’s best land-grant universities as well as the headquarters of one of the nation’s leading voices for agriculture, the Florida Farm Bureau.

She did two things when she arrived: She became a Farm Bureau member, and she called the UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County. There she connected with horticulture agent Tatiana Sanchez, and Dr. Sanchez brought her to a watermelon farm. The result: A story in agdaily.com, where Miller is a columnist.

What really sets The Farm Babe apart as a communicator is her reach of 2 to 3 million people a month through Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. She delivers the story of agriculture in visual, bite-sized chunks to draw attention and engagement. She has more than 206,000 regular followers.

When she shares our stories, our voices get amplified before new audiences. I invited her to campus recently to thank her for reaching people that I’m not reaching.

I will tell the story of Florida agriculture to anyone anytime. But I also recognize that some folks, even if they’re interested in the story, won’t be interested in hearing it from me because of my vested interest in the institution I work for. The Farm Babe works for herself. And she understands people who buy into myths about our food because she used to be one of them.

Then she met a farmer, took the time to learn about how food is really produced, and experienced a conversion. She now travels the nation as a keynote speaker, social media influencer and self-described “myth buster.”

In January, she made the first of what I hope will be regular visits to campus. We’re great at show and tell at UF/IFAS, and in just a few hours here, The Farm Babe saw and heard from an economist who is developing a “Turbo Tax” for labor and hiring decisions, a master’s student using a 3-D printer to create food with custom recipes in novel shapes, an engineer investigating whether biogas from an anaerobic digester might be used to produce food packaging, and an animal scientist who gave her a tour of our goat unit for an up-close look at her favorite farm animal.

We like to believe that she was drawn here by one of the most exciting places in the world to work in agriculture. She can help us reflect that in a broader way.

J.Scott Angle is the University of Florida’s Senior Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources and leader of the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS).

March 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Florida Farm Bureau and other agricultural leaders joined forces to express opposition in removing Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources from a revamped National Career Clusters® Framework.

Through an initiative called “Advancing the National Career Clusters Framework,” Advance CTE, a non-profit agency that works with the U.S. Department of Education recently proposed a new draft of the National Career Clusters® aimed to modernize the 16 National Career Clusters Framework to better bridge education and work.

The proposal reduced the 16 clusters to 12, removing Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources as one of the Pathways to College & Career Readiness CareerClusters® and nesting it under two different clusters, Energy and Food & Natural Resources.

Eliminating the word “Agriculture” from the Framework, theoretically eliminates the need for specialized ‘agriculture-based’ programming and has the potential to have far-reaching negative consequences to the industry.

After receiving thousands of comments, Advance CTE opted to suspend the initiative to drop agriculture as its own career cluster.

Florida’s agriculture and food system supports more than 2 million jobs throughout the state’s economy. There were 77,619 students enrolled in middle and high school agriculture, food & natural resources programs in the 2019-20 school year.

Florida Farm Bureau’s AEST program directly prepares students for agricultural careers by providing them verifiable industry certifications that prepare them for agricultural careers nationwide. Students can receive industry certifications in 11 agricultural areas across Florida and Louisiana.

Florida Farm Bureau is an advocate for agricultural education and has policy that supports agricultural education at the secondary level.

March 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Florida women representing 16 county Farm Bureaus will receive the Women’s Activity Award Thursday, March 24, at the Florida Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Conference Awards Banquet from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Melbourne.

Recipients of the award will be recognized for their contributions to local communities and improving awareness of agriculture through educational programming, leadership service and public outreach.

In addition to recognizing women for their public outreach, the three-day conference, themed “Rooted in Resilience,” will support building knowledge and connections to become a more resilient leader. The conference will host more than 100 women and include opportunities to network and engage in conversations with other farm women leaders from across the state.

“We are excited to celebrate fellow farm women who are dedicated to telling the story of agriculture,” said Women’s Leadership Chair Danielle Daum. “Resilience is rooted in relationships. Through this conference, we will provide likeminded women an opportunity to network, gain knowledge and make friends, helping them to become more resilient leaders.”

Keynote speakers include national speaker, Betty Wolanyk, who will address how to communicate effectively on controversial agricultural issues. Past Florida Women of the Year Veronique Sallin will share her passion and vision for agriculture and NASA scientist Gioia Massa will share unique challenges of space-grown crops.

The deadline to register is March 11, 2022. To view registration and schedule, visit https://floridafarmbureau.org/2022-florida-farm-bureau-womens-leadership-conference/.

For additional information on Farm Bureau Women’s Programs, contact your local county Farm Bureau or visit Farm Bureau Women | Florida Farm Bureau. 

March 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Florida Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers received top honors for donating 30.5 million pounds of fresh produce and other foods to assist hungry Floridians as part of American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) “Harvest for All” program in 2021. 

Now in its 20th year, Harvest for All is spearheaded by members of Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers (YF&R) program to put food on the table for those in need.

“Farmers contribute to their communities in many ways,” said Kevin Lussier, president of Florida Farm Bureau’s YF&R Leadership Group. “I am pleased that our members have won an award for their food donation and volunteerism. I am even more proud of them for their commitment to helping other Floridians facing food insecurity to put food on their tables.” 

In addition to donating the most pounds of food, Florida YF&R members tallied the most volunteer hours, 4,510. Service hours included members participating in food drives, meal-packing projects and donations to food banks and a Produce Box Program, which donates produce left in the fields after harvest to community members in need.  

A “Farming for Hope” event, in partnership with Meals for Hope, also earned the Florida members a $250 grant from Nationwide for “most innovative” program for its collaboration with county Farm Bureaus, YF&R programs and community volunteers.  

Harvest for All is one of the most important community service efforts undertaken by Farm Bureau members. Although the U.S. economy is stronger overall compared to several years ago, many Americans still need help securing adequate food for their families.  

The awards were presented during AFBF’s Young Farmers & Ranchers Conference in Louisville, Ky., Feb. 25-28, 2022.  

Since Harvest for All was launched, Farm Bureau families have gathered more than 412 million pounds of food, logged more than 224,000 volunteer hours and raised $10 million in donations.  

 Florida Farm Bureau, the state’s largest general agricultural organization, represents more than 135,000 member-families. We serve to enhance farm enterprise and improve rural communities. 

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March 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Young farmers and ranchers from District 3 gathered at Promised Land Ministries Farm in Lake Butler on Feb. 12 to network and fellowship. Attendees heard from state Farm Bureau leaders about the importance and value of the Florida Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Program (YF&R).  They also spent time discussing how to strengthen existing YF&R programs in the surrounding area.   

The YF&R program is a shining example of what it means to belong to a community of young leaders in agriculture. The YF&R State Leadership Committee Class President Kevin Lussier and the District 3 YF&R State Leadership Committee Representative Caytlyn Smith shared personal stories on the program. As the area representative, Smith led attendees through multiple conversational exercises to help familiarize new and existing members with the resources available to them.  

Past YF&R members also attended the event and took time to share their involvement in Farm Bureau and their family farms or ranches. Katrina Moseley, a cattle and hay producer from Columbia County recalled, “My leadership group started out as strangers but ended as family.  We grew close and we are now a community that leans on one another in times of need.” 

Also in attendance was the 2022 North Florida Ms. United States Agriculture Queen, Kaitlin Van Huesen.  The queen shared  how her involvement in programs like YF&R helped lead to advanced service opportunities like the Ms. United State Agriculture pageant.      

 View more photos from this event.

March 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

National Ag Day is being celebrated on March 22, 2022 during National Ag Week. It is a day to recognize and celebrate the abundant food supply provided by our nation’s farmers and ranchers. Every year, producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across America join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture.

The National Ag Day program encourages Americans to understand how their food and fiber is produced, appreciate the essential role agriculture plays in the economy and value the role of farmers and ranchers providing a safe and abundant food supply.

Agriculture provides everything we eat, but too few people understand how important it is. One American farmer feeds more than 165 people – a substantial increase from 25 people in the 1960s. As the global population rises, there is a greater need for the food and fiber produced by American farmers and ranchers.

There are many ways to participate in National Ag Day. Hosting an event to educate your community about agriculture, writing a letter to your local newspaper about the importance of agriculture or sharing information about agriculture to kids in your community are just a few ways to get involved.

The Agriculture Council of America has provided an Ag Day Planning Guide to assist communities and organizations planning to host their own Ag Day event.

Florida Farm Bureau will be recognizing Florida farmers and ranchers throughout the month of March across its social media platforms in recognition of Ag Day.

For more information on National Ag Day as well as tools and resources to promote Ag Day, visit: https://www.agday.org/promote