Polk County grower and rancher named 2009 Sunbelt Expo Florida Farmer of the Year

Cary Lightsey, a Lake Wales man, has been named the Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Ag Expo’s 2009 Florida Farmer of the Year. The award recognizes Lightsey’s outstanding accomplishments in producing food and fiber, as well as his superior management of natural resources.
 
As the Florida winner, Lightsey will be eligible for selection as the Southeastern Farmer of the Year.  Nine other state finalists will compete with him for the coveted prize.
 
“The Lightsey family was nominated for this award by Ray Crawford, Florida Farm Bureau assistant director of Field Services,” said John Hoblick, Florida Farm Bureau President. “The Lightseys will do a great job representing our state.”
 
An announcement of the regional award will be made in October at the Sunbelt Ag Expo farm show in Moultrie, Ga.
 
Lightsey and his family produce beef cattle, horses, citrus, sod, grass seed and hay. They also offer commercial hunts for customers and eco-tours for visitors. Their management of the property has included preserving substantial acreage for wildlife habitat. The land now supports 28 endangered species, including gopher tortoises. Two decades ago the Lightseys routed water runoff from their citrus groves to a planted marshland. The water that eventually drains from the marsh into the headwaters of the Everglades is the cleanest water on the property. Both state agencies and water management districts have since adopted this system for several publicly owned lands in central Florida.
 
The family has been recognized many times for its stewardship. The Lightseys have received the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture’s Ag-Environmental Stewardship Award, the Florida Cattlemen’s Association’s Environmental Stewardship Award and a National Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, among a long list of additional honors.
 
Cary Lightsey, and his wife, Marcia, have served as volunteer leaders in their agricultural industries and in their local community for more than three decades. Examples of Cary’s volunteer work include service as an elder at Lake Wales Lutheran Church, chair of the Peace Creek Drainage Board and a member of the UF/IFAS Ona-Range Cattle Research and Education Center’s advisory board. Marcia is a member of the Lake Wales Lutheran Missionary League and volunteers to teach in the Florida Agriculture in the Classroom program. They operate their ranch along with their children, Lori, Clinton and Leigh Ann.
 
Each state Farmer of the Year will receive $2,500 from Swisher International, a custom jacket and a $200 gift certificate from the Williamson Dickie Co. and a $500 gift certificate from Southern States Cooperative. The regional winner will collect $15,000 from Swisher International, another $500 gift certificate, $500 in cash and a special jacket from Williamson Dickie, the year’s use of a Massey Ferguson tractor and a custom gun safe from Misty Morn Safe Co. valued at $3,600.