October 2025
By J. Scott Angle
[email protected]
@IFAS_VP
Ron Rice has been a bridge for the two Florida Farm Bureaus in Palm Beach County to the county government. In fact, he is county government. Our Extension leaders are employees of the counties they work in as well as of UF/IFAS.
Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau President Keith Wedgworth and Palm Beach County Farm Bureau President Colin Friedrich, who nominated Ron for FFBF Extension Professional of the Year, say he has been agriculture’s most effective champion at the County Commission and across county departments.
Ron humbly suggests that there’s little competition. After all, his Extension office is still locally known as the Ag Center, so by default he’s the local “go-to” guy for agriculture.
His work educating regulators goes back decades to his days as a post-doctoral researcher. His academic papers made the case that innovative farm-level best management practices were more effective than regulations in reducing phosphorus levels in farm drainage waters.
But more often his audience has been the general public. Keith and Ron have teamed up to do bus tours of Palm Beach County agriculture. They routinely help FFBF legends Eva Webb and 2010 Woman of the Year in Agriculture Ann Holt to organize the annual Sweet Corn Fiesta, a highly successful family-friendly event that receives monetary support from Ron’s county government department.
Ron admits that his work with Farm Bureau has been easy because the assignment has always been clear.
“Whatever Eva told me to do, I did it,” Ron says.
Keith credits Ron with providing key helping hands in support of the South Florida Fair. He puts up signs, does promotions on the fairgrounds, rallies his Extension agents to deliver agriculture education and appreciation events, provides logistical assistance and staffs the local Farm Bureau fresh produce market.
Ron coordinates the Palm Beach County Agricultural Enhancement Council. It was a 9-member body for 30 years until his months-long efforts succeeded with a County Commission resolution that expanded the AEC to 11 seats. Ron’s objective was to include representation for agritourism and for farms smaller than 50 acres in size.
At the height of the COVID pandemic, Ron assisted in identifying local growers interested in selling produce directly to the public. Working alongside FFBF and Young Farmer & Rancher volunteers, he collected grower information and worked to have advertising signs designed and distributed to growers for use at roadside stands.
Ron’s nominators say he’s been an invaluable storyteller, whether through tours, ag-in-the-classroom, media interviews and county fairs at which he consistently messages that Palm Beach is one of the nation’s leading agricultural counties. It’s a story agriculture needs to keep telling the urbanized coastal population, not just through written reports but through fun family activities that celebrate local agriculture.
Ron has big plans to engage county government to promote horticulture through an expanded Mounts Botanical Garden, located at his Extension office campus. The master plan he’s working on with county and Friends of Mounts Botanical Garden leadership would add research facilities and open greenhouse space where visitors can see horticultural discoveries in action.
You can’t always see Ron in action because he does much of his work behind the scenes. So, I’m grateful that he’ll be in the spotlight at the annual meeting this month, and I look forward to seeing him honored as your Florida Farm Bureau Extension professional of the year.
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).