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Kyle Patterson represents counties in district 7 on the State Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Committee. Counties in his district include Orange, Brevard, Osceola, Indian River, Okeechobee, St. Lucie and Martin. Patterson grew up in Christmas, a small town in Orange County. He became involved in agriculture at a young age…

Of all the commodities we produce in Florida, the most important is leaders. People like John Hoblick, Brant Schirard, Adam Basford and Staci Sims are essential to the success of the other 300 commodities. The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences invests so much in leadership development…

[email protected] @JackPayneIFAS It’s often better to retain customers than to find new ones. It’s easier, and it gives you time to better understand what your customers need. Florida agriculture doesn’t have a bigger international customer than Canada. It buys more from Florida farms than does any other nation by far.

Ann Blount is more proud of making friends than making discoveries. She’s made a lot of both. The advances include a hand in the development of 76 forage cultivars and germplasms. A few friends, who know her as “Annie,” highlighted her discoveries to successfully make the case for Blount to…

It was one of those Publisher’s Clearing House winner’s moments. When Libbie Johnson got a visit from Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick to inform her she was a winner, she shouted, “Shut up!” in disbelief. John knew in advance that the force of Libbie’s personality is stronger than her…

Adam Cook, YF&R Leadership Class President 2018-2020 Adam Cook is a fifth-generation farmer from Gilchrist County and is the new president of Florida Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Class of 2018-2020. He and his wife, Ashley, operate Cook Farms which provides custom harvesting, fertilizer application services and produces…

Elite OviGen, Inc., a sheep breeding software solutions company, is one of four finalists in the 2019 Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge.   The Beverly Hills based entrepreneur will receive $15,000 to help them take their business to the next level. Elite OviGen is one final four teams advancing to…

JUDY BRONSON  District 6 Manatee, Hardee, Highlands, Sarasota, DeSoto/Charlotte and Lee Judy Bronson represents women in District 6 on the Florida Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee. She and her husband, Steve, live on her family’s 5,800-acre ranch in Highlands County. Judy and her husband, Steve,  share a unique trait in…

[email protected] @JackPayneIFAS Ethan Carter had the two huge pines lifted off his home, put what he could salvage into storage, and moved in with relatives. Then, he started visiting farms. The UF/IFAS Extension regional row crop agent based in Jackson County could not be accused of a lack of empathy.

Polk County Farm Bureau in cooperation with the Polk County Extension office hosted a farm tour featuring four This Farm CARES recipients. Representatives from various local offices were able to enjoy the tour and speak with local farmers about their operation and issue that they face. The tour included a…

Cindy Griffin District 8 Hendry, Glades, Palm Beach, Western Palm Beach, Collier, Broward, Dade, Monroe Cindy Griffin represents counties in District 8 for the Florida Farm Bureau State Women’s Committee. The South Florida native was born in Fort Lauderdale and was raised in Clewiston, part of Hendry County and dubbed…

[email protected] @JackPayneIFAS Twenty years ago, the Florida Automated Weather Network launched on the premise that weather information from the airport isn’t enough for those in distant rural areas whose livelihoods depend on dew points and wind speed. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension has long recognized…