August 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Tell me about yourself-county and family-How did you get involved in agriculture? I am 34 years old, born and raised in Palatka, Florida. I am a 7th generation rancher and I have 2 daughters. My operations consist of cow/calf stocker operation, timber, and a commercial blueberry…
August 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter By J. Scott Angle [email protected] @IFAS_VP After 25 years, do you keep chasing a dream? Collier County Farm Bureau President Matt Stephenson-Smith does. Stephenson-Smith entered the University of Florida as a 24-year-old transfer in 1994. Decades later, he found himself still taking undergraduate courses, spending evenings…
July 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Hardee County Farm Bureau President Steve Johnson is a fourth generation farmer from Wauchula. He and his wife, Andrea, a fifth generation farmer, live in the same house that Steve grew up in. They have three children, B.J., Emma Jane and Laney. Steve and Andrea produce…
July 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Each year, Florida Farm Bureau recognizes state legislators who play a significant role in advancing bills that support Florida farms and ranches and advocate for Florida agriculture. In the 2021 legislative session, the Right to Farm Bill, Florida Farm Bureau’s top priority, passed by overwhelming margins…
October 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Elections have consequences. This is now readily apparent with the current political commentary – tax-and-spend proposals that will cripple family farms if implemented. That’s why Florida Farm Bureau Federation needs your help. Florida Farm Bureau is the custodian of your federal PAC, which financially backs our…
June 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Richard Terry is a Madison County, FL native who has spent his life devoted to agriculture. Terry grew up just outside of Madison, the county seat of Madison County, where he still lives today. He was the middle child of five siblings who were all raised…
May 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Richard Feagle was elected as president of Alachua County Farm Bureau in January of 2021 after nearly a decade of serving on the county’s board of directors. Feagle grew up in Crystal River and Archer with his parents. He spent summers working in the watermelon fields…
March 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter By J. Scott Angle [email protected] @IFAS_VP I’m nearly halfway through fulfilling a pledge to visit all 67 UF/IFAS county Extension offices. One way I gauge the effectiveness of an office’s outreach—which is, after all, its mission—is whether I get to meet the county Farm Bureau president.
March 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Hire.Ag is Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s way to connect agriculture employers with certified individuals. With more than 20,200 AEST certified individuals in Florida, AEST is preparing the next generation of knowledgeable and skilled agriculturists. Agriculture and related industry employers across the state utilize the free job…
March 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Duval County Farm Bureau (DCFB) President Greg Tison is a North Florida native. He was born in Jacksonville and later moved to Clay County with his family when he was 12 years old. “My family raised cattle, livestock and had a family garden,” he said. Tison…
FloridAgriculture eNewsletter 2021 Donna Blommel, Pasco County Farm Bureau President Fourth generation farmer and Pasco County native Donna Blommel grew up in St. Joe, a small community outside of Dade City. Her parents, and maternal grandparents before them, grew citrus and other crops. The devastating freezes in the 1980s struck…