Nineteen agricultural producers in the Suwannee River Basin will receive special recognition for

their outstanding natural resource management on June 30. Each of the agriculturists will receive

a County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) award during a dinner

meeting at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center near Live Oak.

CARES – the County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship – was founded by

Florida Farm Bureau in 2001 and the Suwannee River Partnership to recognize superior natural

resource conservation by agricultural producers. The program has now honored more than 450

agriculturists throughout the state.

The fundamental component of the program is the voluntary action by farmers and ranchers to

implement state-of-the-art natural resource management systems on their properties. The

effectiveness of these systems has been confirmed by outside experts.

According to scientific evaluation, Best Management Practices (BMPs) adopted by CARES

award recipients and other farm producers have substantially enhanced water quality and

conserved water in various areas of the state. The Florida Department of Environmental

Protection has determined, for example, that BMP implementation in the citrus ridge region of

south-central Florida reduced nitrogen levels by nearly 33 percent in three years. University of

Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers have found that BMP systems in

the Everglades Agricultural Area slashed phosphorous levels up to 35 percent for a range of crop

production within four years.

According to Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services data, 90 percent of all

dairy operators and 99 percent of all poultry producers in the Suwannee River Basin have

implemented Best Management Practices.

In partnership with more than 60 public agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s

Natural Resource and Conservation Service, the Florida Department of Agriculture and

Consumer Services, the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the

Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Florida’s water management districts,

agricultural organizations, businesses and local government, CARES has become a model for the

rest of the nation.

Most Florida farmers and ranchers practice natural resource conservation as part of their daily

calling. Their livelihoods depend upon the life-sustaining capacity of natural resources they

manage. Nearly 500 agriculturists statewide have received the CARES award in the past decade.

Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick will join Florida Commissioner of Agriculture

Adam Putnam to congratulate the recipients. The awards event will begin with a dinner at 6 p.m.

The site of the UF/IFAS facility is located approximately six miles east of Live Oak on Highway

136 in Suwannee County.

Florida Farm Bureau is the Sunshine State’s largest general agricultural organization with more than 140,000 member-families representing Farm Bureaus in 60 counties. Membership provides a multitude of benefits and you don’t have to be a farmer to be a member of Florida Farm Bureau.

Those local farmers being recognized are:

Columbia County: Rodney Dicks, for beef cattle, hay and forages.

Hamilton County: Yovany Perez, for poultry; Keith Morgan, hay; Kevin Morgan, cattle and forestry; Edward Carter for vegetables; David Sr., David Jr., Clay Goolsby for hay; Bryan Stormant for hay.

Lafayette County: Louis E. Larson, dairy and Chris & Kelly Lyons, Sarah Helen Lyons & Dale Lyons, poultry.

Madison County: Esmildo Perez, poultry and Jimmy  Hunter Jr. cattle and hay.

Suwannee County: James Austin, Cannon Farms – for cattle.