Florida ranchers and nurserymen featured on RFD-TV

CONTACT: Rod Hemphill, director, Public Relations 352-374-1545
Kathy Richardson, manager, Public Relations Programs, 352-374-1533

(Gainesville, Fla.) – The stories of a family of Florida ranchers who have been honored for their good environmental practices and a family nursery recognized for helping weekend landscapers grow Florida-friendly plants will be featured Nov. 21, 22 and 24, 2007 on “Farm Bureau Reports: The Florida Report” on RFD-TV.

The 30-minute program will air Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., EST, and repeats Thursday morning at 2:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. RFD-TV is the cable and satellite network devoted to rural issues and lifestyles.

The program, produced by the marketing division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in cooperation with Florida Farm Bureau Federation, will feature the Lightsey Cattle Company, which operates four separate ranches in Polk, Highlands and Osceola counties and Riverview Flower Farm, located in Hillsborough County and owned by brothers Rick and Dave Brown. Both operations are recipients of the Commission of Agriculture’s Environmental Leadership Award. More information about the Lightsey operation is available at: http://www.florida-agriculture.com/news/lightsey_cattle.htm.

Since the 1850s there have been six generations of Lightseys who have worked the land, each passing down to the next not only their property, but also their values and traditions. At a time when many ranchers are selling to developers, the Lightseys have been working to protect and preserve their piece of Florida. For them, the land, the family, and the ranching way of life are interwoven.

When Rick and Dave Brown founded Riverview Flower Farm, they set a goal: to make gardening in Florida easier. They took plants that people were successful with in Florida and combined them into a cohesive package they call “Florida Friendly Plants.” They have selected 30 perennials and 10 ornamental grasses which, under the label Florida Friendly PlantsTM, are stocked in more than 100 Home Depot stores from Gainesville to Key West. More information on the nursery operation is available at: http://www.florida-agriculture.com/news/riverview_farm.htm.

Since 2002, Florida Farm Bureau and FDACS Marketing Division have jointly sponsored an outreach campaign to increase public awareness of agriculture, the state’s second-largest industry. The campaign focuses on the message, “Safe, Affordable and Abundant: Food for Thought from Florida’s Farmers.” It reaches Florida’s urban residents through television and radio public service announcements and The Florida Report on RFD-TV.

The Florida Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest general-interest agricultural association with about 140,000 member-families statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, the Federation is an independent, non-profit agricultural organization. More information about Florida Farm Bureau is available on the organization’s website, http://FloridaFarmBureau.org.