Here is the latest update on inflows into Lake Okeechobee for the calendar year to date. This data is provided by SFWMD’s DBHYDRO database. There has been no back-pumping into Lake Okeechobee from the Everglades Agricultural Area this year. Sponsored ContentTriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024SECURE FUNDING NOW | USDA-Sponsored Farming Project Underway in the Southern PiedmontFebruary 1, …
Ranch Rim Ditches Debated at South Florida Water Management Meeting
Thanks to south Florida ag news colleague Katrina Elskin at Lake Okeechobee News for this recap of this week’s South Florida Water Management District Governing Board meeting in West Palm Beach. WEST PALM BEACH — The South Florida Water Management District Governing Board once again turned their attention on the nutrient load from agricultural properties at their July 10 workshop …
Solutions Sought for Algae Woes
TALLAHASSEE (NSF) — Experts looking into toxic algae outbreaks that have exploded in state waterways want to know if anyone has a proven, innovative cleanup strategy that can be used. And they want to know quickly. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is formally accepting information through July 15 on ways to prevent, combat or clean up harmful algal blooms …
FFBF Sends Letter to Gov. DeSantis About Final SFWMD Board Seat
The Honorable Ron DeSantisGovernor of FloridaPlaza Level 05, The Capitol400 S. Monroe StreetTallahassee, FL 32399-0001 Dear Governor DeSantis, On behalf of Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) and our 147,000 member families, we respectfully request that you consider filling the final South Florida Water Management Governing Board seat with someone who can represent agricultures interests. Agriculture is a primary consumptive user …
Meetings on Algae, Citrus and Water Management Ring Alarms for Florida Agriculture
Three meetings this week in three different areas of the state brought more discussion that should wake up producers and others in agriculture who have remained mostly silent for decades. As the state’s population continues to swell by a 1,000 new residents each day, Florida’s population will likely exceed 22-million next year. As the nation’s third most populous state, there’s …
Facts of the Flow: Lake Okeechobee, 2019 Year-to-Date
Here is the latest update on inflows into Lake Okeechobee for the calendar year to date. This data is provided by SFWMD’s DBHYDRO database. Source: SFWMD Sponsored ContentTriEst Ag Group: Partners in ProfitabilityApril 1, 2024SECURE FUNDING NOW | USDA-Sponsored Farming Project Underway in the Southern PiedmontFebruary 1, 2024Celebrating 50 Years of GrowthDecember 1, 2023
South Florida Water Managers Debate BMPs, Discuss New Regulations
by Gary Cooper In this new atmosphere of starting over from scratch with South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) leadership, a growing number of people in agriculture are asking more often and more loudly, “What’s going on?” Agriculture appears to be under the microscope, some say more like under attack, as a fast-growing urban sector reacts to what they don’t …
Nikki Fried Announces New Water Policy Director
Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried announced her appointment of Christopher Pettit as director of agricultural water policy for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Speaking outside the South Florida Water Management District, Fried highlighted Pettit’s background in water resources management in Florida and beyond. A livestream of the press conference may be viewed here. “Addressing our state’s water issues …
Ag’s Past Water Quality Successes Not in Today’s SFWMD “Discussion”
Areas north of Lake Okeechobee can expect increased attention as debates about water-quality issues and who should do what about them continue in South Florida. At a gathering about the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Protection Plan (LOWPP) Thursday in Okeechobee, it became apparent that the vast investments the area’s farmers, ranchers and dairy producers have been making in water-quality projects for …
Florida Ag Commissioner Fried Meets with South Florida Farmers
Florida Agriculture Commissioner “Nikki” Fried joined a modest but representative group of south Florida farmers at Bedner Farms Wednesday near Boynton Beach, for an informal lunch and informational exchange about issues of concern to agriculture in the region. Water, weed, trade and the Department’s Fresh From Florida marketing campaign were among topics mentioned in her remarks after lunch, and she …