$100 Million Allotted for Everglades May Help Agriculture to Remain on Land

$100 Million Allotted for Everglades May Help Agriculture to Remain on Land

Last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it will use $100 million to acquire permanent easements from farmers and ranchers in Hendry, Glades, Highlands and Okeechobee Counties to restore wetlands on nearly 24,000 acres.  These easements are not a panacea for ranchers but on specific parcels, they provide an alternative source of income by raising water levels on lands that were drained in the past.

Ditching depressions and sloughs was standard practice in the mid 1900’s on ranches when the mindset was to remove as much water as possible.  It was thought that lowering the water table will result in increased grazing land for cattle.

More recent range research indicates that the dried areas produced only marginal grazing and increasing ground water back towards historical levels does not depreciate grazing and enhances water management.  This is an extension of the ‘dispersed water storage’ concept being promoted by the South Florida Water Management District.

Dispersed water storage is a means of holding water back on private lands and compensating the landowner.  This storage is cost-effective due to little infrastructure being needed to contain the water.  Many times the water is held by simply adding a board or two to a culvert structure.  Instead of stacking water up by feet in reservoirs, dispersed water management looks at inches where much of this storage is actually just below the ground surface.

Florida Farm Bureau Federation supports these cost-effective measures of water storage on private lands when willing growers and ranchers are able to use this concept as part of their business plan to remain farming and ranching on the land.

Water Management District Continues to Scale Back Employees

The terminology “cutting to the bone” comes to mind when thinking of the process that the South Florida Water Management District is taking to reduce staff.  Last Friday, numerous pink-slips were issued to personnel as the District works on complying with a smaller budget.

The layoffs are after 123 employees voluntarily separated from the District last month by accepting an early retirement package.

Many Floridians believe that the District is much too large and has spent too much effort on programs that are not directly within the core mission of flood protection, water supply and restoration.

Bellwether of South Florida Water Continues to Inch Upward

Like watching a play in slow-motion, agriculturalists in South Florida are buoyed by the rising level of Lake Okeechobee but remain highly concerned about the increasing likelihood of water shortage restrictions remaining into our next dry season.

The lake level was 13.78 feet NGVD last year and 10.33 feet NGVD today.  The lowest level this year was 9.53 feet NGVD recorded on June 24th.  Since the summer rains started in mid-June, the lake has been slowing inching upward to the level it is today.  The rainfall for August thus far has been normal but at least one wet, slow-moving tropical event is needed to bring the lake up to the normal level of 14 – 15 feet NGVD before the end of the wet season.

There currently is a 75% chance that water restrictions will remain in place as we head into the next dry season which runs from November 2011 through May 2012.  If this occurs, it is likely that the lake will approach the historical low level of 8.82 feet NGVD which was set July 2, 2007.  This will certainly be devastating to agriculture as well as residents and the environment in South Florida.  We encourage the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restrain from making releases from the lake to allow it to rise as much as possible.

Farmers in the EAA and C-139 Basins Exceed Goals in Removing Nutrients

For the past 16 years, farmers in the Everglades Agricultural Area have been surpassing the goal of reducing phosphorus runoff by at least 25%.  This past year was a banner year with a reduction of 79% bringing the average reduction to 55%.

In the C-139 basin located west of the EAA, farmers achieved their water quality performance goal by maintaining historical levels.

Essential components of a successful agricultural source control program include a comprehensive Best Management Plan (BMP) that includes fertilizer management, water management, and sediment control.  The goal is to use the right amount of fertilizer to optimize crop growth and place the fertilizer where it is most effectively utilized by the crop.  Water management likewise targets the correct amount of water directly to the root zone while minimizing excess runoff.  These BMPs are well accepted by farmers as they lower costs of while helping the surrounding environment.

Some news reports give credit to the dry year that resulted in less runoff from farms. It is erroneous to say that the dry year gave the edge to agriculture when during wet years, the same reporters blame agriculture completely.  In Florida we must all consider the averages because our climate tends to go from one extreme to the other.