Extension Has Always Been a Two-Way Street Jack Payne By Jack Payne @JackPayneIFAS I met Jackson County Farm Bureau board member Mack Glass almost as soon as I started my job at the University of Florida. He welcomed me to the Sunshine State by asking me when I would get an Extension expert in forage [...]
Irrigation Efficiency Workshops Update The St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD) held a series of workshops for farmers and ranchers across the District this year. The objective of the workshops was to define a strategy for agriculture to improve irrigation efficiency. Due to increased population and water demand projections, there is urgency for producers [...]
AEST: Meeting the Employment Demands for the Agriculture Community The Florida Farm Bureau Agricultural Certification program, or AEST, prepares students and employees for both careers and advancement in agricultural disciplines. The certification program offers two levels of certification–an associate level and a specialist level. The associate level one demonstrates basic knowledge of agriculture and requires [...]
Dade County Farm Bureau Spotlight Dade County Farm Bureau (DCFB) President, Ivonne F Alexander, has a storied agricultural past that has led her to where she is today. Alexander was born in Cuba and spent most of her childhood living in the suburbs of Havana. Her family had a business in the city and a [...]
Florida Producers Weigh In on 2018 Farm Bill Florida agriculture took advantage of a unique opportunity to list their concerns and priorities for the 2018 Farm Bill last Saturday before a contingent of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture. Eleven members of the Committee, along with staff, traveled to Gainesville to kick off the first [...]
Federal Program Protects Public Safety The 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season is underway and will last through Nov. 30. Forecasters are predicting an active hurricane season while many residents are still recovering from Hurricane Mathew. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, (NRCS) has provided $1,487,887 for Putnam, Volusia and Seminole counties to remove debris in canals, ditches [...]
Activism By Local Farm Bureau Members A group of north Florida Farm Bureau members showed their ability to work together during this past winter. They acted to protect sustainable food production in Columbia County. Their success typifies the cooperative effort that is legendary among Farm Bureau families. The issue in question arose with the announcement [...]
Lake County Farm Bureau Gives 100 Percent Lake County Farm Bureau’s Board of Directors is the first county Farm Bureau leadership group with 100 percent participation in the FedPAC Fundraising drive. “This achievement demonstrates Lake County’s commitment to our federal advocacy efforts,” said John Walt Boatright. “We are thankful for their leadership in this effort.” [...]
Agriculture Holds Steady in 2017 With new House rules and a House Speaker set on slashing the state budget, the 2017 legislative session was definitely bumpy at times, but Florida agriculture and Florida Farm Bureau did not take a step back, securing key tax cuts and reductions in regulations while maintaining funding for programs important [...]
Homegrown Partnerships Jack Payne It’s a call that Jennifer Bearden loves to get. It’s the “can-you-make-this-happen?” call. It means a lot to Bearden because it’s from the president of the Okaloosa County Farm Bureau. As the county’s Extension ag agent, having the farming community’s leader ask her for a favor is validation of her work. [...]
