Plant City’s Fancy Farms Wins 4R Advocate Award

Web AdminBusiness, Environment, Top Posts

Fancy Farms, a strawberry farm in Plant City, Florida, is one of the five winners of the Fertilizer Institute’s 4R Advocate Award for 2019. The award is being presented this week during Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida. Dustin and Carl Grooms of Fancy Farms will be recognized, as well as Jerrod Parker of Chemical Dynamics as Fancy Farms’ fertilizer service …

desantis

Lake Okeechobee Levels Rising; Discharges to Increase

Web AdminEnvironment, Water

Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) Colonel Drew Kelly, commander of the Jacksonville District, held a media conference call on Feb. 22 to explain a change to the discharge schedules for Lake Okeechobee, as water levels are rising in the lake. Listen to the audio clip below to hear the entire press conference, including questions from South Florida media and Southeast …

benjamin butler

DeSantis Makes Appointments to SFWMD

Web AdminEnvironment, Industry News Release, Water

Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointments of Charlette Roman, Charlie Martinez and Cheryl Anne Meads to the board of the South Florida Water Management District in Naples. The governor was joined by all three appointees as well as Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection Noah Valenstein. “I’m pleased to announce the appointments of Charlie Martinez, Cheryl Anne Meads and …

desantis

Lake Okeechobee Brouhaha Heats Up

Web AdminEnvironment, Water

by Gary Cooper The series of public meetings about Lake Okeechobee water levels and related issues continues this week in South Florida, hosted by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. According to last-minute media announcements this morning, Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL 18th District), is expected to attend the first of two public meetings today at 1:00 p.m. at Indian …

benjamin butler

South Florida’s Water Politics Raising Questions

Web AdminEnvironment, Water

By Gary Cooper One of several bombshells dropping at last week’s South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) governing board meeting was the resignation of district executive director Ernie Marks.  In the audio clip below, Governing Board Member and Vice Chair Brandon Tucker echoed the feelings of several other board members about Marks’ resignation:  There was no quorum at last week’s …

desantis

Desantis Transition Panel Weighs Water Issues

Web AdminEnvironment, Industry News Release, Water

Money set aside annually for the restoration of the Everglades and other waterways should also help end the use of septic tanks, a former House speaker suggested Monday as a panel considered potential environmental policies for Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis. Former Speaker Steve Crisafulli said the incoming governor should tap the “Legacy Florida” funding to aid conversions from septic tanks to …

restore

RESTORE Council Approves Florida’s State Expenditure Plan

Web AdminEnvironment, Industry News Release

Plan providing $291M for 69 Projects across 23 Coastal Counties Last week, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler sent a letter to Mr. Noah Valenstein, Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Designated Alternate for the Governor of Florida to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council), approving the State of Florida’s State …

fdacs

FDACS Begins Efforts to Eradicate Exotic Fruit Fly

Web AdminEnvironment, Fruit, Industry News Release, Produce, Stone Fruit, Vegetables

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has positively identified the presence of three Oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis, in south Miami-Dade County. The initial fly was discovered during routine trapping, and additional flies were discovered during expanded trapping activities. The department, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, monitors more than 56,000 fruit fly traps statewide as an …

herbicide

New Herbicide Application Technology Available in Georgia and Alabama – But Not Yet in Florida

Web AdminAgri-business, Environment, Industry News Release

With spring and the rainy season just around the corner, many cattle producers look toward fertilization and weed control applications in the weeks and months ahead. As part of our coverage of this week’s National Cattlemen’s Beef Association convention in Phoenix, we learned from Dow AgroSciences range and pasture experts that a new herbicide application technology is available in Georgia …