Fast Facts - Vol. 16 No. 5

Vol. 16 No. 5 - Friday, April 25, 2008

MORE THAN 1,300 VOLUNTEERS READ ON AG LITERACY DAY

More than 1,300 farmers, ranchers, members of local FFA chapters, agriculture industry volunteers and educators read in more than 2,600 elementary classrooms around the state in honor of Florida Agriculture Literacy Day on April 10. Also reading were Commissioner of Agriculture Charles Bronson and the semi-prominent editor of this newsletter and FloridAgriculture Magazine. “Writing a children’s book with Florida commodities seemed a fitting way to celebrate the anniversary of Florida Agriculture Literacy Day,” said Cara Martin, chairman of Florida Ag in the Classroom and assistant director of government and community affairs for Florida Farm Bureau. “Children today are several generations removed from the farm so it’s important we use events like Florida Agriculture Literacy Day to teach them that their food, fiber and landscape materials come from farms and not from stores,” said Bronson.

FARM BUREAU CALENDAR AND BROCHURE WIN AWARDS

Staff from Florida Farm Bureau’s Public Relations Division last week were the recipients of two awards from the Gainesville chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association. Steve Tillman, Ed Albanesi, Joey Mazzaferro and Rod Hemphill received an “Award of Distinction” for their production of the 2008 Florida Farm Bureau calendar. Tillman and Hemphill also received a “Judges Award” for their effort in producing the FFB Greenbelt brochure. Judges Awards are given to those who produce quality materials on a limited budget.

WMDS PONDERING YEAR-ROUND RESTRICTIONS

FFB Assistant Director of Government and Community Affairs Cara Martin reports that water management districts are interested in seeking statewide consistency in year-round water conservation measures, especially in lawn and landscape measures. On-going discussions among the water management districts include: 1) Exactly which days to use for the twice-per-week lawn watering schedule; 2) Whether to include the proposed once-per-week watering schedule for winter. 3) How to improve the efficient use of reclaimed water in a manner that would minimize storage and disposal concerns. Public workshops to be conducted by the Southwest Florida Water Management District are scheduled for the following dates: • May 12, Brooksville Headquarters, 10 a.m. • May 14, Tampa Service Office, 1:30 p.m. • May 15, Bartow Service Office, 1:30 p.m. • May 16, Sarasota Service Office, 10 a.m. Florida Farm Bureau has been actively working with the South Florida Water Management District and many other organizations and municipalities to develop a year-round conservation document that will include regulatory, voluntary, incentive-based, education and marketing strategies to address water conservation and effect change toward a lasting conservation culture. FFB Assistant Director of Government and Community Affairs Charles Shinn reports the document being developed will be debated in a conservation summit setting at least one more time before being presented for final approval. Florida Farm Bureau is encouraging the inclusion of a paragraph denoting the aggressive stance that agriculture has taken during the past decade to conserve water through best management practices.

HALL “BUZZES” WITH SEN. BILL NELSON

FFB Associate Director of Agriculture Policy Frankie Hall met last week with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, beekeeper Larry Bryan and FDACS Apiary Inspector David Barnes with the goal of educating the public and media on the mysterious disappearance of honey bees and the possible impact this would have on Florida’s crops. Sen. Nelson and Rep. Alcee Hastings are both working in their respective chambers on securing funding to research the mysterious disappearance of honey bees.

GOV. CRIST MAKES WMD BOARD APPOINTMENTS

Gov. Crist recently named these men and women to serve on Water Management District governing boards: • Northwest Florida Water Management District – Peter Antonacci of Tallahassee, shareholder attorney with the firm of GrayRobinson; Jose Luis Rodriguez of Monticello, CEO, Trans Tech Agriculture Corporation. • St. Johns River Water Management District – Douglas C. Bournique of Vero Beach, executive vice president, Indian River Citrus League; Hans G. Tanzler III of Jacksonville, president, Marion Equities. • Southwest Florida Water Management District – Bryan K. Beswick of Arcadia, grove manager, Blue Goose Growers; Hugh M. Gramling of Plant City, executive director, Tampa Bay Wholesale Growers; Judith C. Whitehead of Brooksville, owner, Residential Appraisal Service; Albert Joerger of Sarasota, founder and president, Sarasota Conservation Foundation; Henry “Paul” Senft of Haines City, owner, Townsend-Senft Consulting and Insurance, Inc. • South Florida Water Management District – Paul C. Huck Jr. of Coral Gables, attorney, Colson Hicks Eidson; Robert “Jerry” Montgomery of Lake Buena Vista, senior vice president of conservation and environmental sustainability, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. All appointments must be confirmed by the Florida Senate.

CALL FOR BLOGGERS ISSUED

FFB Public Relations Program Manager Kathy Richardson is encouraging Farm Bureau members to read the President’s Blog at http://FloridaFarmBureau.org. This blog allows FFB President John Hoblick to post weekly comments on various matters. The term “blog” is short for “web log” and is an online written commentary featuring short articles that are updated on a regular basis. Readers of the blog can even post comments. The President’s Blog can be found on the right side of the home page. Past posts can be found under the News and Newsletters section of the site.

IN MEMORIAM – TOM KIRBY

A sixth-generation Floridian, Thomas Vaughn Kirby died Tuesday, April 15. Kirby served as executive director of the Dade County Farm Bureau in the 1990s. He served as a key point person at ground zero following the wrath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. He was a co-founder of Farm Share – an organization that provides millions of pounds of food to the homeless. He also was instrumental in urging the county to create an agricultural liaison position to better serve the needs of South Florida’s farming and nursery owners. Kirby’s presence will be sorely missed.

FARM-TO-FUEL SUMMIT COMING IN JULY

Plans are moving along for the third Farm-to-Fuel Summit scheduled for July 30-Aug. 1 at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando. According to Deputy Commissioner of Agriculture Jay Levenstein, hotel rooms are $129 per night and you may book your reservation now. Registration for the summit is also open. Space is limited, so persons wishing to attend are urged to complete the registration form and return it by June 30. There is still time for submitting abstracts if you wish to present at the summit. There is also time to sign on as a sponsor or reserve exhibit space. Links to information and forms for all of this can be found by clicking to http://www.floridafarmtofuel.com/summit_2008.htm. Levenstein also noted that the Farm Credit Associations of Florida are assisting with this year’s summit.

SCHOLARSHIP MONEY AVAILABLE

The Florida Peanut Producers Association has announced that two $1,200 scholarships will be awarded to deserving high school seniors and/or college students. The applicant, or someone in the applicant’s family, must be an actively producing Florida peanut grower. For more information or an application, visit the FPPAWeb site at http://www.flpeanuts.com or call (850) 526-2590. FPPA scholarship applications must be postmarked by July 1, 2008.

BITS AND PIECES FROM ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES

Labor Advisory Committee – The committee discussed the lack of congressional action on immigration reform. Walter Kates with the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association said that Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California is working on a deal to re-introduce AgJobs without an adjustment of status section. This should take the amnesty argument out of the debate.

Sod Advisory Committee – Erica Santella (TruGreen) told the committee that Sarasota County has passed an ordinance that capped the amount of turf (50 percent) allowed on all new building sites and other counties are following suit. She also reported on the recommendations of the Consumer Fertilizer Task Force.

Peanut/Cotton Advisory Committee – Chris Butts (National Peanut Laboratory) reported on the research findings at the USDA National Peanut Research Laboratory in Georgia. Peanuts may produce more than 100 gallons of fuel per acre as opposed to 65 gallons per acre from soybeans The best potential for peanuts to be used as fuel would be in the Southeast.

Sugar Advisory Committee – Ryan Weston (Sugar Cane League, Washington, D.C.) expressed concerns with the farm bill. He said the “pay-go” rules have created havoc for funding the bill. Ryan reported the farm bill includes a loan rate increase for sugar. This would be the first time in 25 years sugar could receive an increase.

Dairy Advisory Committee – FFB’s Frankie Hall reported that Florida Farm Bureau has applied for a USDA 2008 Value-Added Producer Grant to look at a feasibility study that will serve as a model for a Florida farm-based renewable energy cooperative using new scalable anaerobic digester technology to add value to a variety of waste streams with significant environmental benefits.

Equine Advisory Committee – Marion County Farm Bureau member, Jorja Greig, briefed the committee on the issue of fireworks around horse farms and the potential risk to horses. Mrs. Greig requested that Farm Bureau work with the Florida equine industry to strengthen Florida Statute 791 that deals with the use of consumer fireworks. (For more information on any of these Advisory Committee meetings, contact the Ag Policy Division at (352) 374-1544.)