Rooted in Resilience: Cady Smith June 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Cady Smith accepts the Young Farmers & Ranchers Activity Award during the 2021 Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference. Being the sixth generation to grow up on her family’s farm in St. Johns County, Cady Smith’s involvement in agriculture has always come as second nature to [...]

Soil & Water Conservation Districts Qualifying Period June 13-17 The Association of Florida Conservation Districts (AFCD) was formed in 1937 in conjunction with the Soil and Water Conservation Law.  According to AFCD, “Soil and water conservation districts were serve as a liaison between federal government and local landowners in order to address local conservation needs.” [...]

In The Community: District 3 Women Provide for Mothers in Need June 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Farm Bureau women from across district 3 gathered in Baker County at South Prong Plantation on May 21 for their annual district women’s conference. In addition to the plantation tour and guest speakers, attendees participated in a philanthropic event to [...]

Governor DeSantis Signs DERM Bill June 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter HB 909 clarifies that the Secretary of Environmental Protection has exclusive jurisdiction in setting standards for evaluating environmental conditions and assessing potential liability for the presence of contaminants on land that is classified as agricultural, and is being converted to a nonagricultural use. This legislation was [...]

Rising Fuel Costs Only Further America’s Economic Issues June 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter A question that is on the mind of many Florida farmers and ranchers is “How do I remain viable with the never-ending costs of inputs”?  Near the end of 2021, many conversations on and off the farm were centered on rising fertilizer costs [...]

ROOTED IN RESILIENCE: CODY AND COURTNEY DARLING May 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Cody and Courtney Darling YF&R State Leadership Group, District 2 First generation perennial peanut farmers Cody and Courtney Darling have had an unconventional path on their journey to building a farming business and legacy. The couple grew up with different backgrounds. One in farming, [...]

Frostproof Student Receives Full Scholarship to Attend Warner University May 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter The Florida Farm Bureau’s state board of directors approved a $24,500 scholarship a year (for two years) to provide a student the opportunity to pursue a Bachelor’s in Agricultural Studies at Warner University. This scholarship will help provide a student enrolled in [...]

In The Community: One Idea with a Great Impact May 2022 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Highlands County Farm Bureau is a highly respected organization throughout its local communities because of the exemplary efforts taken to care for those in need.  What started out as one simple idea has now made an enormous impact on local families in [...]