February 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Broward and Hillsborough County Farm Bureau were two of only eighteen county Farm Bureaus selected to receive national recognition by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF).  The AFBF County Activities of Excellence (CAE) Awards celebrate grassroots programming that is innovative and volunteer-centered.  Broward County Farm Bureau was recognized for their drive-thru COVID-19 Testing Center and Hillsborough County Farm Bureau was recognized for its Ag-Ventures in a Box.  As part of their award, each county Farm Bureau hosted an interactive booth to display their programs and encourage other state Farm Bureaus to adopt similar programs.

Broward County Farm Bureau Drive-Thru COVID-19 Testing Center
Broward County Farm Bureau (BCFB) set-up two COVID-19 drive-thru testing centers for its members to utilize during the pandemic. BCFB members could receive a free COVID-19 test on Tuesdays and Thursdays at their county office in Margate, and on Wednesdays and Saturdays at Bob Roth’s New River Groves in Davie.

Broward County Farm Bureau President, Fred Segal, recalls receiving numerous phone calls from Farm Bureau members needing COVID testing and he felt the need to set up a better resource for not only Farm Bureau members but also local residents.  “Members from the Broward community were able to see that Farm Bureau cares about its local citizens and the exposure positively impacted membership.”

By offering this service to the community, Broward County was able to reach non-members and help educate them about agriculture while providing a service to the community. Thousands of residents were tested through the duration of this innovative initiative.

Hillsborough County Farm Bureau Ag-Ventures in a Box
Hillsborough County Farm Bureau (HCFB) has hosted their local Ag-Ventures program for more than 27 years. The 8-day long event welcomes local elementary students to learn about Florida agriculture through interactive and hands-on demonstrations. Due to unforeseen circumstances with COVID-19, Hillsborough County Farm Bureau pivoted to create “Ag-Venture in a Box” and bring their popular Ag-Ventures directly to local students so that they didn’t miss out on the event.

Boxes were available to Hillsborough County teachers for a nominal fee of $25.00. The activity was widely popular and 93 boxes were distributed to teachers throughout the county.  Executive Director, Judi Whitson, shares, “Agriculture in our community could not afford to miss even a single school year.  It is critical that our students across the county maintain a familiarity and meaningful connection with agriculture.  I am so proud of our program and am excited to see if continue for the future.”

January 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Tickets are now on sale for the 43rd annual Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet, which will honor five inductees who have made invaluable contributions to Florida agriculture. 

Four of the inductees are members of Florida Farm Bureau: John Hundley (Western Palm Beach County); John Stitt (Hendry/Glades County); Reggie Brown (Alachua County); and Dr. Wayne Smith (Jackson County).

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Feb. 15, where this year’s inductees will be recognized along with the Class of 2021 inductees, as last year’s banquet was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The reception begins at 5 p.m., with the dinner and program following at 6 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online for $75 at https://floridaaghalloffame2022.eventbrite.com or by calling 813-230-1918. Online ticket sales close Feb. 8. View full release. 

January 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

By J. Scott Angle
[email protected]
@IFAS_VP

Longtime Washington County Farm Bureau board member Bruce Christmas doesn’t recall it being a hard sell. He simply suggested to Julie Pigott Dillard that she apply to become the UF/IFAS county Extension director.

Dillard remembers it a little differently. When the words come from your Sunday school teacher, it’s comes with extra high authority. At the very least, Dillard’s family was so intertwined with the Christmases that it was like getting advice from her grandfather.

Dillard, then Pigott, had grown up around Christmas. He was Mr. Agriculture, running the University of Florida’s Poultry Evaluation Center in Chipley and opening it up to 4-Hers and Chipley FFA. He brought Pigott and others to the center for practice as he built them into a state champion poultry judging team.

Pigott and Christmas family vacations included traveling to to regional or national FFA conventions. Her dad was the FFA adviser to all four of Christmas’s sons.

Christmas taught Dillard how to candle an egg. He helped organize the outing that gave Dillard her first look at a cotton gin. She was in the audience numerous times as he gave speeches about how important agriculture is to Florida.

In fact, he’s made a parallel career of telling the story of agriculture. His Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame nomination reports that he drove 66,000 unreimbursed miles to get to whatever audience would have him—schools, civic clubs, county fairs, Farm-City events. The 16,000 volunteer hours don’t seem possible, as they’d equate to seven and a half years of full-time work.

Whether the numbers are right, the story they tell is true. Christmas barnstormed for agriculture for decades.

He also has a long record of supporting UF/IFAS off the clock. For example, he got a visit from Dillard after she had gone away to college, and she confided to Christmas that she was considering a career in Extension. He told her she’d never find a more rewarding career. The endorsement was hugely influential in her career path.

When she returned to Washington County with a degree, a couple of years’ experience in Georgia Extension, and a husband, Christmas pulled them both back into the Farm Bureau fold. He recruited them into Young Farmers & Ranchers. And he tapped Nick to serve on the Farm Bureau board in 2002. Though Nick no longer works in agriculture, he still serves on the board.

Dillard has been the Washington County Extension director for about eight years, which gives her opportunities to talk about the importance of agriculture. She structures her delivery from her recollections of watching Christmas.

Dillard did a little storytelling of her own, sharing her history with Christmas to help Farm Bureau field representative Allen Scheffer nominate Christmas and his wife Addie Ann for the Florida Farm Bureau Distinguished Service Award.

It was a highlight of the annual convention in Orlando to see a 32-year UF/IFAS Extension professional receive such an honor. And the cooperation on the nomination was fitting, because Christmas has always worn two hats when he puts on that trademark Stetson of his, representing both organizations.

His close friends still call him Bruce. On the plaques he’s accumulated over the decades he’s identified as Dr. Christmas: Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame, 4-H Hall of Fame, Kiwanian of the Year, and National Agricultural Alumni and Development Association volunteer of the year.

In some circles he’s even risen to the level of a monogram: RBC, short for his full name of Robert Bruce Christmas.

Christmas has been a part of UF/IFAS since there’s been a UF/IFAS. He worked as a graduate assistant in UF/IFAS founder E.T. York’s office and wrote the first brochure for SHARE Council, the volunteer group that supports the UF/IFAS fundraising office. He worked 32 years for Extension in Orange and Washington counties. He was a founding board member of the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Alumni Association. He served on the Florida Ag Council, an important advisory group to UF/IFAS administration.

Perhaps Christmas could move so seamlessly between UF/IFAS and Florida Farm Bureau because we are both service organizations. Christmas embodies that service, and I congratulate him on his recent recognition and the Farm Bureau on spotlighting service by an agriculture legend.

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).

January 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

The annual Peanut Butter Challenge is an initiative led by the UF/IFAS Cooperative Extension offices statewide and Florida A&M University (FAMU) in partnership with local organizations, like local county Farm Bureaus.

Levy County Farm Bureau members are no strangers to this critical efforts as students and their families continue to face hunger issues caused by food insecurity.  According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one in 10 Floridians has faced food insecurity consistently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participating offices rely on grassroots community support and in 2021 thanks to a generous donation from Levy County Farm Bureau, the Levy County Extension office collected more than 6,900 jars of the more than 35,000 jars collected.

With bragging rights on the line, Florida Farm Bureau is proud to recognize Levy County Farm Bureau for their willingness to serve their local community while highlighting a staple in their local economy.

January 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Kevin Lussier and his wife, Shelby, are young entrepreneurs who are creating their own niche for artesian cheese in Eastern Alachua County. Kevin was born and raised on his family’s dairy farm, Lussier Dairy, in Hawthorne, where hard work and a love for agriculture was instilled in him from a young age.

Kevin was elected to serve as the 2021-2023 Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Group Class President in December 2021. He and Shelby are the recipients of Florida Farm Bureau’s 2021 Achievement in Agriculture Award and went on to earn top ten honors in the American Farm Bureau’s national completion this January.

Shelby and Kevin met while attending college at Jacksonville University where Kevin played football and majored in business and Shelby majored in marketing. Upon graduating in 2016, the couple decided to move back to Kevin’s hometown of Hawthorne, a far stretch from Shelby’s hometown of Peachtree City, Ga., a suburb of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area.

The couple married in 2018 and quickly became involved in the family business. In January of 2020, just two months prior to the Coronavirus pandemic outbreak in the United States, the Lussiers embarked on a new adventure when they became the owners of Hawthorne Creek Creamery, located just a few miles from Lussier Dairy. The creamery specializes in artesian cheese made from fresh, locally produced milk.

You can find Hawthorne Creek Creamery Gouda, Havarti and Tomme in 245 Publix stores and 28 Winn Dixie grocery stores throughout the state.

Hawthorne Creek Creamery is one of the only artesian creameries that is 100% made in Florida. Every part of the cheese making process is done right at their facility. “We are local, we want to support our local businesses and our community,” Kevin said. “Being local is a huge selling point for us.”

Kevin is also a member of Farm Bureau’s Dairy Advisory Committee and sits as a member of the Hawthorne Chamber of Commerce. “Farm Bureau is dedicated to helping farmers and ranchers operate successfully in our great country,” he said.

“Having the opportunity to serve our industry and help Farm Bureau succeed in its mission has become a passion of mine. I was able to work alongside my family in agriculture because of the hard work and dedication of leaders in Farm Bureau and I hope to give the same opportunity for generations to follow.”

Kevin said that it is important as a young farmer to be adaptable to changing markets. “When we began our cheese operation, I had a five-year plan that I was certain was going to make us successful,” he said. “That five-year plan changed drastically in month three when a pandemic shifted our markets. We had to adapt quickly and we are proud that we were able to navigate those waters.”

Florida farm Bureau’s annual theme for 2022 is “Rooted in Resilience”. As we celebrate 80 years as an organization, we honor our members who have been faithful to Florida agriculture and their calling. “I don’t believe there are too many other groups as resilient as farmers,” Kevin said.

“Growing up on my family dairy farm I have been “rooted” in Florida agriculture my entire life. It has been a great honor to be involved in agriculture and I look forward to many more years of helping to feed families across Florida.”

December 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Hillsborough County Farm Bureau (HCFB) President, Dennis Carlton Jr., has deep roots in Florida agriculture. Carlton is an 8th generation Floridian who grew up in Dover in Hillsborough County.

He and his wife, Sara Beth, have two young children, Anna Kate and Dennis Carlton, III. Carlton is part-owner in his family’s beef cattle operation, an extensive cattle operation that spans six central Florida counties. He is also involved in real estate and owns properties that he leases to farmers for strawberry production, a crop that has a local economic impact of $700 million. He and his family are active members of FFW Baptist Church in Seffner.

Carlton has served as HCFB president for three years. It is a role that he holds dear to his heart. “I enjoy advocating on behalf of farmers and ranchers and am very tuned into agricultural issues that affect my community and state,” he said.
Carlton explained that agriculture in Hillsborough County is very diverse, with more than 2,200 farms and a population of 1.5 million. He stressed the importance of having a strong, active board of directors making a difference in their community and he is proud to serve alongside them.

HCFB is committed to pouring into youth in the community through agricultural education. Each year, the county Farm Bureau hosts an Ag Abilities event and an Ag Ventures Day where elementary school students can learn about local agriculture through hands-on activities.

Ag Abilities has been a remarkable success since 2001 thanks to Hillsborough County Farm Bureau Executive Director Judi Whitson. The event attracts young Exceptional Education Students (ESE) from schools throughout the county and is held at the state fairgrounds in Tampa. The half day competition allows volunteers to interact with students while they learn about agriculture. Sample categories include the foods we eat, tractor driving and animal breed identification. Students are served lunch and participate in an awards ceremony. It is a heartwarming day for the students as well as the volunteers who make the day such a great success.

Farm-City Week, held annually the week before Thanksgiving, is another opportunity in which Carlton uses to connect to consumers in his community. The week-long event is a celebration of the partnerships between urban and rural residents. This year, Carlton was invited to speak at an event hosted by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners on the importance of local agriculture and the benefits it provides.

“Hillsborough County Farm Bureau is dedicated to its members and upholding it’s strength as an organization within our community,” he said.

December 2021 FloridAgriculture E-Newsletter

Hundreds of Florida Farm Bureau members from across the state convened at the state Capitol on Nov. 30 to meet with legislators during Florida Farm Bureau’s annual Farm Bureau Day.

The state’s largest general agricultural organization and its members spent a full day in Tallahassee visiting with lawmakers to discuss key policy issues that affect agriculture.

Top issues included support for a nutrient efficiency bill for farmers and ranchers so that they can continue to implement Best Management Practices.

Additional funding for the University of Florida Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences’ research projects and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Fresh from Florida and Rural and Family Lands Program were also a top priority.

The day-long legislative event kicked off with a briefing breakfast at the Donald L.Tucker Civic Center. The day followed with meetings with elected officials and a group session in the Senate Chamber where Senate President Wilton Simpson detailed the importance of keeping agriculture strong in Florida. Other lawmakers also took time to speak to Florida Farm Bureau members on the importance of advocacy.

The annual “Taste of Florida Agriculture” public event at the Capitol Courtyard concluded the day where more than 1,000 guests attended.  Visitors were able to sample locally grown Florida fruits and vegetables, meet farmers and ranchers and learn more about the importance of an economic sector that contributes $149 billion to the state’s economy.

Keynote speakers at the reception included Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried and Florida Farm Bureau President Jeb S. Smith.

The reception is a partnership between Florida Farm Bureau and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

December FloridAgriculture E-Newsletter

On October 27, 2021, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published two proposed Rules in the Federal Register to rescind critical habitat regulations.  The agency action removes the definition of “habitat” established by the rule titled “Regulations for Listing Endangered and Threatened Species and Designating Critical Habitat” that was published on December 16, 2020.

Critical habitat is defined as an area essential to the conservation of a species that may require special management or protection.

The rescind will give the agency more preference in determining critical habitat and will likely lead to private property rights infringements that will need to be litigated.

In November 2018, the U.S. Supreme court handed a victory to timber company Weyerhaeuser Co and other landowners seeking to limit the federal government’s power to designate private land as protected habitat for endangered species in a property rights case involving the Dusky Gopher frog.

Pacific Legal Foundation litigated this case for the defendants who claimed that the frog was never recorded on the private lands deemed critical habitat.  The agency argued that landowner activities (tree planting) made the land favorable to habitation for the frog to flourish.

Though the Supreme Court was unanimous, the ruling does have limitations and may not be entirely protective of agency overreach.  Florida Farm Bureau staff daily tracks federal agency action and is in regular contact with Pacific Legal Foundation.

December 2021 FloridAgriculture E-Newsletter

A Farm-City Celebration has been held annually in Jackson County for the past 48 years.  Last year the recognition was virtual via a social media video, but this year’s celebration was a public breakfast once again.  The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, Farm Credit of Northwest Florida, Jackson County Farm Bureau, and UF/IFAS Extension Jackson County recognized 10 farm families with awards in 2021.  The following highlights were compiled from contributions from the farm families being honored, and the cooperating agency personnel that selected this year’s slate of award winners at the annual Farm City Breakfast, that was held November 19, 2021.

This Farm CARES Recognition – McArthur Farms

In 2001, the County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship, or CARES program, was created.  Two decades later Farm Bureau continues to publicly recognize farmers and ranchers who demonstrate exemplary environmental stewardship by implementing Best Management Practices, or BMPs, on their farms and ranches.  Through the implementation of BMPs, Florida farmers and ranchers have shown a sincere commitment to protecting our state’s natural resources and Farm Bureau is proud to recognize them for their efforts.

Farm Bureau is fortunate to partner with both the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the University of Florida/ IFAS for the CARES program.  We are appreciative for the trusted relationships they build with producers to help advance their conservation efforts.

As part of the CARES program, recipients are awarded a customized “This Farm CARES” sign to display at their farm gate or headquarters.  This sign communicates to the general public that Florida farmers and ranchers are committed to protecting local natural resources.  To date, more than 900 Florida farm families proudly display a CARES sign on their property.

This year’s recipient produces cotton, corn, peanuts and small grains on more than 1,000 acres near Malone.  To accomplish their goals of reducing water and nutrient use as well as protecting water quality, Best Management Practices have been implanted for more than a decade now.  Some of the most effective practices implemented include enhanced irrigation systems, precision application systems and GPS guided equipment.  The nominator for this year’s recipient was Garrett Williams from the Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District.  Garret described the McArthur family as a shining example of farmers who love the land continuously desire to be good environmental stewards of the land under their care.

Florida Farm Bureau is proud to award exemplary environmental stewards and this year’s CARES award is being presented to Jim and Larry McArthur and family, because McArthur Farms cares about protecting natural resources. 

Read more….

December 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

By J. Scott Angle
[email protected]
@IFAS_VP

You know that as a farmer, you’re a steward of the environment you depend on for your livelihood. Maybe you don’t think much about carbon sequestration yet, but the way you farm can make you a climate hero.

Farm Bureau member and former Miami-Dade board member Sandy Stein has been quietly leading the way at his Jungle Nursery in Homestead, where he grows interior foliage. I was glad he received public recognition at the annual meeting in late October.

UF/IFAS nominated Sandy for the commissioner’s Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award in part because he’s an important leader in the movement to have policy makers – and farmers themselves – recognize farms, forests and ranches as sources of climate solutions. Without this leadership and this movement, you can expect more blame for climate change to be heaped on you.

One of the more important alliances between UF/IFAS and Florida producers is the Florida Climate Smart Agriculture Work Group, of which Sandy has been an active member. This producer-led discussion has evolved into a movement to incentivize farmers to do more of what helps the planet—sequestering carbon, protecting wildlife, hosting pollinators, filtering water, and preventing floods.

Few of you get paid for any of this. If policy makers and the public want more of it, then we need policies that allow you to “sell” these things just like you sell vegetables, beef, timber, flowers and fish.

Sandy has not only been an important voice in this movement, which UF/IFAS supports by hosting the group meetings and providing technical expertise, but he has been vocal about raising awareness of existing incentives.

Yes, there are some. It’s a disjointed patchwork of cost-share programs, easements and pilot projects among federal, state, regional and local agencies. Stein advocates for a central clearinghouse you could consult to identify the full range of opportunities to do more of what you already do to provide the public goods we call ecosystems services.

Sandy applies beneficial bugs instead of pesticides to his plants, uses controlled release fertilizers and engages in other environmentally friendly practices. He does this without government incentives in pursuit of his own vision of environmental stewardship.

You’ve been taking care of the land for generations, and UF/IFAS has been helping you do it with the science behind reducing inputs, developing Florida-friendly crop varieties, managing nutrients for less runoff and leaching, and maintaining soil health. Now there’s a need for the science of sequestering carbon.

UF/IFAS long ago recognized Sandy’s leadership potential when we accepted him into our Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The Farm Bureau’s recognition of leaders like Sandy is an important signal that you’re part of climate solutions. Sandy is among those leading the way for farmers to protect both profit and planet. The future of farming—and Florida—depends on it.

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