Tag Archives: FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

2023 CARES Nominations Closing Soon

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June 2023 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

As the voice of agriculture, Florida Farm Bureau Federation strives to honor farming and ranching families throughout the state through public recognition and by also telling their stories of environmental stewardship.

Florida Farm Bureau’s County Alliance Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) program publicly recognizes Florida farmers and ranchers who demonstrate exemplary efforts to protect Florida’s natural resources by implementing Best Management Practices.

Recipients are awarded a This Farm CARES sign to demonstrate to all Floridians that agricultural producers are fully committed to protecting Florida’s environment.

Help us continue to formally recognize and share the stories of Florida farmers and ranchers and their efforts to be good environmental stewards by nominating your own farm/ ranch or that of a colleague.

To nominate a farmer or rancher for their commitment to conserving our state’s natural resources for future generations, click here. The nomination deadline for the 2023 year is June 16, 2023.

Email questions regarding the nomination process to [email protected].

2023 Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference

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June 2023 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Young Farmers & Ranchers are between the ages of 18-35 who have a desire to network, share ideas, participate in community projects and hone their leadership skills. The Florida Farm Bureau has an array of opportunities for this group of young agriculturists to become strong leaders for the future of agriculture.

One of those opportunities is the Annual Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference, which will be held July 7-9, 2023 in Orlando at the at the Orlando World Center Marriot.

The weekend conference, themed, Growing Forward, will guide attendees in ways to grow as individuals and on their farming operations. The agenda is slated with competitive events like the Achievement in Agriculture, Excellence in Agriculture and Discussion Meet, farm tours, networking opportunities and professional development sessions.

This year hear from keynote speakers Cody and Erika Archie of Bar 7 Ranch in Gatesville, Texas. Together, these first-generation ranchers raise beef cattle and dorper sheep while also utilizing various social media channels to serve as agriculture advocates.

Breakout sessions start Friday July 7 at noon where you can Grow Forward by hearing from speakers like Dr. Wendy-Lin Bartels, Research Assistant Scientist at the University of Florida’s School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatic Sciences and Tom Donnelly, Grassroots Program Development for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Saturday July 8 is full of farm and fun festivities with a various selection of farm tours to choose from including Showcase of Citrus, H&A Farms, Agristarts and Rafter 4R Ranch. The tours are from 11- 2:30 p.m. and includes a bagged lunch. Sign up here for a farm tour here and learn more about local Florida Agriculture. The evening will wrap up with cornhole and volleyball tournaments followed by live music.

Applications are now open for the Program Activity Award and Conference Scholarships. The deadline to apply for the Program Activity Award, Conference Scholarships, Excellence in Agriculture Award and Achievement in Agriculture Award is June 9 by 5 p.m. The deadline to apply for the Discussion Meet is June 16, by 5 p.m.

The room block is available for stays (insert dates) and closes (insert date). The last day to register for the 2023 Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference.

For more information on the conference and to register, click here.

AgWATCH Session Recap

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May 2023 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

AgWATCH is an update of legislative issues affecting agriculture.

Sine Die
On Friday, May 5th, at eleven o’clock in the morning, the Sergeants dropped the handkerchiefs and the 2023 Legislative Session celebrated sine die! While this year’s legislative session certainly saw its fair share of controversial and headline worthy legislation, the Florida House and Senate worked tirelessly to pass good bills and a robust budget that will positively impact our industry and the state as a whole.

 

The Budget
Weighing in at the largest in Florida’s history, this year’s budget boasts $117 billion, with a large portion of that aiding the agriculture industry. In an effort to make a positive impact on the environment and protect our industry for years to come, $100 million was allocated to the Rural and Family Lands Program, which supports the purchase of conservation easements to protect agricultural land from development. IFAS received $3.8 million for workload, $6.2 million for BMP research, and $10.9 million for the Center for Artificial Intelligence. Additionally, $30 million was allocated for citrus research.

 

Tax Package
The legislature spent the last several weeks of session negotiating a sweeping tax overhaul which included a sales tax exemption for materials used to construct or repair permanent or temporary fencing to contain, confine, or process cattle. Most notably, however, the package prohibits local municipalities from levying special assessments on agricultural land. This piece of legislation was a priority of FFBF this session. To view additional information on the bill, click here.

 

Senate Bill 1184 / House Bill 1343
On day 60 of session, SB 1184 / HB 1343 died in Senate messages. This bill aimed to make positive changes for the construction of new farm worker housing, but unfortunately the legislature ran out of time while negotiating the nuances of the bill. We want to thank Representative Kaley Tuck and Senator Jay Collins for their hard work on the bill. The House passed the bill unanimously on the floor but fell short in the Senate. We anticipate continuing this good work next year. To view additional information on the bill, click here.

 

Senate Bill 1164 / House Bill 1279
The Department of Agriculture Package Bill passed on the House and Senate floors unanimously. This bill is a multi-faceted, department/industry wide package that includes the Farm TEAM Card. This card is meant to provide a more streamlined process for producers to receive the agricultural sales tax exemptions they are given in our state. This bill is on its way to the Governor’s desk, and we will be providing more information soon on how to apply for your own Farm TEAM Card. To view additional information on the bill, click here.

 

Senate Bill 1718 / House Bill 1617
Florida Farm Bureau was instrumental in ensuring that that the implementation of the federal E-verify system was prospective, applying only to new hires after July 1, 2023. Additionally, the bill exempted private employers with 24 or less employees from having to use the federal E-Verify system when hiring workers and we substantially lessened the punitive side of the original bill that was presented. To view additional information on the bill, click here.

Growing Forward: Stormie Bigham, Jackson County

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May 2023 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Stormie Bigham
Women’s Leadership Committee, District 1

Although she did not grow up on a farm, Stormie Bigham has been welcomed with open arms in the agricultural community. After marrying a rancher, Bigham worked as the bookkeeper for the family farm.  In 2006, they sold the farm in Sumter County, and over the span of three years, moved their beef cattle operation to Jackson County. After the move, Bigham worked as the bookkeeper for the Jackson County Cattlemen’s Association. In addition to cattle, the farm grew hay and seed.

Although Bigham and her family had been Farm Bureau members for years, they did not become as actively involved until their move to Jackson County. Bigham was approached by her Farm Bureau district field representative about joining the Women’s Leadership Committee and started her new role in January 2020. Due to COVID-19, Bigham was unable to meet her fellow committee members in person until December 2020. The committee met quarterly over virtual Zoom meetings and by the time they were able to meet face-to-face Bigham felt like she already knew everyone and felt connected with her fellow committee members. She relishes the opportunities Farm Bureau has provided her to grow her knowledge of agriculture and hone her leadership skills.

“I love the fellowship we have in Farm Bureau and the opportunity to work with other women and educate them about the importance of agriculture,” said Bigham.

One of Bigham’s favorite events that her county Farm Bureau participates in is the two-day Panhandle Watermelon Festival. Hosted in late June, the festival offers free entertainment for families, including a concert. Bigham’s county Farm Bureau has a booth every year to recruit new members and educate attendees about the benefits of being a Farn Bureau member.

“We set out FAMA products and a photo booth with a tractor and flowers,” said Bigham. “We had over 10,000 people attend last year, and a lot of traffic come through our booth.”

Bigham is continuously educating those around her about the many benefits of Farm Bureau and the importance of agriculture in their community through various outreach opportunities and events.

“I am growing forward by not only expanding my knowledge of agriculture in our state but educating others and helping them grow forward in their knowledge and understanding as well.”

 

Your Land Grant Partner

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May 2023 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

dr angleBy J. Scott Angle
[email protected]
@IFAS_VP

In a state where Farm Bureau members are so good at producing just about any kind of food, it’s bewildering that we import upwards of 80 percent of our seafood.

I believe we’re at a moment where we have the potential to change that. The latest USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans basically call on us to double our seafood consumption. How are we going to meet the demand if Americans actually act on this advice? The shutdown of wild harvesting of oysters in Apalachicola Bay makes this an even heavier lift.

Leslie Sturmer of UF/IFAS Extension and the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station, who has a history of helping turn fishers into farmers, believes we can still be a great oyster-producing state, and we can do it through oyster farming.

Three years ago the UF/IFAS research office set up a starter fund to incentivize investigation into what it calls emerging enterprises, and Sturmer’s oyster work was one of the first projects it funded.

Sturmer built on that early funding and is currently seeking ways to reduce oyster mortality by working with oyster farmers in the Pensacola Bay, Indian River Lagoon, Alligator Harbor, Oyster Bay, and Mosquito Lagoon as well as Apalachicola Bay.

More recently, we launched another starter fund aimed at developing applications of artificial intelligence to help farmers, and again seafood made the list. Aquaculture scientist Huiping Yang has teamed up with two of our recent faculty hires with expertise in AI in hopes of accelerating the breeding of new improved hard clam varieties.

That kind of partnering of scientists is essential to finding solutions to complex challenges.

So is partnering with stakeholders. That’s why Sturmer serves as technical adviser to the Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s Aquaculture Advisory Committee.

Matt DiMaggio, the new director of the UF/IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Lab in Ruskin, does as well. DiMaggio has big plans to expand the Lab’s traditional portfolio focused on ornamental fish to include food fish. I like his plan and intend to support the additional scientists needed as I can find the resources to do so.

Aquaculture doesn’t always have to mean shooting for the center of the plate. We have scientists investigating how to grow coral as a way to restore ecosystems. We’ve looked at baitfish. We even have a biogeochemist working on the prospects for harvesting seaweed.

She sees potential for seaweed as an ingredient in cattle feed that would reduce the animals’ methane emissions.

But we have to do more than see whether it can be done. We need to know if can be done profitably. That’s why we economists Bachir Kassas, John Lai, and Andrew Ropicki of the Food and Resource Economics Department exploring whether consumers would pay more for milk and beef with a smaller carbon footprint, the kind you might get from seaweed-fed cows.

Among our existing fin fish aquaculture research is the work of Cortney Ohs at our Indian River Research and Education Center on how to raise hogfish in tanks as potential food fish. We also recently promoted Leonardo Ibarra-Castro at the UF Whitney Lab in St. Augustine to work on red snapper, snook and red drum.

Ropicki again is also our connection to an exciting company growing delicious, and environmentally friendly Atlantic salmon right here in Florida. As we continue to build on our expertise in fin fish as food, we’ve turned to Atlantic Sapphire.

Atlantic Sapphire showcasing its Florida farm-raised salmon at the UF/IFAS Flavors of Florida event in March 2023.

I can attest to the quality of the product. One of the notable foods at our recent Flavors of Florida showcase of locally produced products was Atlantic Sapphire’s Bluehouse Salmon grown in Homestead.

Company leaders have also come to campus to give a seminar on their experience on the frontier of fin fish farming in Florida. Florida Sea Grant and Ropicki are currently helping to arrange internships at the company. To grow fish in Florida, we’ll have to grow the talent to do it.

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).

 

Cultivating Tomorrow: Alachua County Farm Bureau President Richard Feagle

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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 in Alachua County, where he developed a love for agriculture.

Today, Feagle and his wife, Cecile, own and operate Simmons Cattle Company in Archer, a  farm they purchased from Cecile’s parents. They have two sons, Justin and Ryan, and five grandchildren.

Feagle’s main business is Archer Automotive, a vehicle repair shop in Archer that specializes in diesel, but is a general repair facility of all makes and models of automobiles.

In the fall of 2019, Alachua County Farm Bureau hosted the Inaugural Food and Agriculture Festival at the Cade Museum in Gainesville. Due to restrictions in place regarding the coronavirus, the 2020 festival was canceled. However, ACFB is excited to host the second annual event on November 20, 2021.

“There were roughly 1,500 people who attended the inaugural event and we had more than 20 vendors,” Feagle said. “The goal of the event is to bring awareness to people of where their food comes from and engaging them on the benefits of locally grown food.”

Every Tuesday morning on WCJB-TV 20, ACFB hosts an Ag Fact segment. “Our Board Secretary, Brittany Lee, does a really great job cultivating an interest to consumers about agriculture,” he mentioned. “There’s always something interesting and new to learn about.”

Meaningful Steps

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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.

David Hafner (L) and Dr. Angle

Martin County Farm Bureau President David Hafner offered an important endorsement of our service to stakeholders just by showing up when my road tripping took me to Stuart last month. Then he impressed me more when we got to talk.

He’s concerned about his own operation. Cattle wasn’t working for him, so he’s shifted exclusively to small livestock—poultry, pigs and goats. He talked a lot less about his own operation, though, than yours.

By his own reckoning, Hafner is more advocate than farmer.

Hafner came to meet me at the UF/IFAS Extension Martin County office, and he also made time to hear me via Zoom at the October meeting with the Council of Presidents, because he cares about Florida agriculture and because he cares about UF/IFAS support for it.

That support goes two ways. Like many county presidents, in most years he goes to Tallahassee many years to advocate on behalf of agriculture, and he told me that his elevator pitch when he gets a legislator’s ear is about support for the UF/IFAS budget. Again, he’s choosing service over self-interest.

It won’t put any more money in his pocket, but it could put more in yours. A strong UF/IFAS-Farm Bureau partnership is essential to the greater good of Florida agriculture. That’s not just me and President Hoblick. That’s 67 county Farm Bureau presidents and 67 county Extension directors. Just to see Hafner with UF/IFAS Extension Martin County Director Jennifer Pelham told me they understand this. Hafner’s only been president since October, so they’re still building a relationship. Small first steps are meaningful, like Hafner inviting Pelham to deliver a state of UF/IFAS message at his board meetings.

Hafner in turn serves on Pelham’s Sustainability and Commercial Horticulture Advisory Committee to give stakeholder input into Extension programming. And as if he didn’t do enough volunteering for the good of today’s Florida agriculture, he’s also hard at work on its future serving on the local 4-H Advisory Committee.

4-H is where we connected most deeply, for it is a subject dear to both of us. Hafner grew up in 4-H, so he knows firsthand its impact. It certainly succeeded in creating a Martin County leader.

What Hafner’s loyalty also demonstrates is that you reward us not just with political support, but with the relationships and trust that are essential to the dissemination of science that makes farming more profitable, efficient and sustainable.

I’m pleased to see that Pelham and her team are earning that trust. I want to earn it, too. Reach out to me, even if you’re far from Gainesville. I want to meet you, whether it’s at your farm, at the Florida Farm Bureau annual meeting in October, or at your local Extension office.

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).

 

 

 

Hire.Ag Job Board connects employers with a certified workforce

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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 board to directly connect with individuals seeking employment in the agriculture industry. Diana Padron, HR director at Everglades Equipment Group shares, “The AEST Hire.Ag job board provides an opportunity for Everglades to get in front of a state-wide certified agriculture audience. Hire.Ag is an important Florida Farm Bureau member benefit that we need and will continue to utilize.”

#Hire.Ag, social media campaign encourages the agriculture community to do what they do best, support one another. Each share, like, and comment on a #Hire.Ag post increases exposure to the position and will hopefully lead to fulfilling a need. Kelly Wooley, Business Resource Specialist at Suwannee River Water Management District states “Advertising our Project Manager position with Hire.Ag was so easy! The AEST staff was very helpful and even offered to highlight our position on their Facebook page. What a wonderful service to the community.” Keep the agriculture industry strong and follow AEST on Facebook @AESTCertify and Instagram  aest.ag_certify to promote agriculture opportunities.

Cultivating Tomorrow: Duval County President Greg Tison

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March 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Greg Tison

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 later relocated back to Jacksonville upon graduating from high school. He has been married to his wife, Joy, for 32 years.

Tison is the general manager at the Jacksonville Farmers Market, a Duval County landmark that has been in operation in the same location since 1938. “We’re the oldest and largest working farmers market in Florida,” Tison said.

The market offers everything from fresh produce and seafood to honey and gourmet dressings and jams and is open seven days a week. “There is a lot of competition in Duval County with grocery store chains, but the market remains a trusted and unique way for members of our community to purchase food.

Tison has served as DCFB president for 4 years. His involvement in his community expands to serving on other local organizations such as the Duval County Agriculture Council Committee and a previous member of the Duval County Cattleman’s Board.

“It’s an exciting time for DCFB, we have an active Women’s Program that I am very proud of and the county is building a YF&R Program that has really taken off,” he said.

DCFB is known for hosting their annual Food Check-Out Week event each February. A mystery shopper event is held at a local grocery store where three lucky shoppers are chosen at random to have their entire grocery cart items paid for, by the Duval County Farm Bureau.

This year’s event took place on February 18 and the Women’s Committee donated $1,500 to the Ronald McDonald House as well as donated more than $6,000 worth of food.

Another well-known event in Duval County is the DCFB Farm-City Week Luncheon, held annually during Farm-City Week in November. Historically, the event takes place at the Duval County Extension Office in west Jacksonville.

“The luncheon is intended to bring urban and rural residents together to display the contributions of the agricultural community in our county,” he said. Due to the pandemic, last year’s luncheon was canceled, however, plans to host an event this year are underway.  “It’s important that we share the impact agriculture has on our urban community.”

Tison is proud to be part of an organization like Farm Bureau that strives to instill core values and advocates for those who make a living producing our food and fiber. “We need to continue to instill these values into the next generation,” he said. “With everything going on in our world right now, it’s now more important than ever to ensure that we never take for granted our abundant food supply.”

Cultivating Tomorrow

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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 her family’s operation and they were forced to diversify. “My parents and brother started a foliage nursery in 1986 which my brother Mark and I run today,” she said.

The tropical foliage nursery, Jessamine Foliage, is a wholesale operation that grows six types of plants. “We would rather grow a few quality plant types than a lot of different plants with a lower quality,” she mentioned. The farm ships plants to the Apopka area 3-4 times per week.

“The initial plan was to supplement the citrus groves with the nursery,” she explained. “Today, we have no more citrus groves, however, we are thankful for the success we’ve had with the nursery business.”

Donna and her husband Paul have four children, three boys and one girl, and have one granddaughter. The couple is currently renovating Donna’s childhood home and plans to move back into the house that she was raised in, sometime this year.

They also run a small-scale cattle operation with their daughter and grow hay to supplement the cattle.

Donna was elected to serve as Pasco County Farm Bureau (PCFB) President in 2018 and is preceded by Senator Wilton Simpson, the current President of the Florida Senate. She was an active member of the Pasco County Farm Bureau Board of Directors prior to serving in her current role.

She explained that every February, PCFB sponsors the Pasco County Fair. “It’s a special event,” she mentioned. “We sponsor the youth shirts and different aspects of agriculture associated with the fair like plants, cattle, hogs, rabbits, chicken, goats and dairy.”

The week-long event brings the FFA and 4-H kids, urban and senior residents as well as members of the business community together.

“We have had several remarkable kids from Pasco County that grew up showing livestock in the fair who have gone on to do great things for Florida agriculture,” she said. State Representative Josie Tomkow is one of them. Rep. Tomkow is currently serving as a state legislature advocating for Florida agriculture in Tallahassee.”

Donna is an active advocate for agricultural youth education and serves as a 4-H Club Leader. Her club, Progressive 4-H, includes 60 kids ranging in ages from five to 18.

Donna shared with us her favorite family recipe for Chicken Tarragon:

“Here is my Chicken Tarragon recipe.  Hope you try it and enjoy it as much as my family has for years!”

1 Whole chicken, cut up
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Tabasco
4 tbsp. Lemon or lime juice
2 tbsp. Vegetable oil
2 tsp. dried tarragon
1 tsp. paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut up chicken (two breasts, two thighs, two drumsticks, two wings), place chicken skin side down in a foil-lined 9×13 baking dish/pan. Combine remaining ingredients and brush over chicken.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes, turning after first 25 minutes and brushing occasionally with sauce.

Pasco County Economic Impacts
Agriculture and related industries generate:
36,960 jobs (20.7% of total) in Pasco County
$1.86 billion in Gross Regional Product

Source: UF/IFAS