Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick, left, and Florida Department of Agriculture Director of Federal Affairs Matt Joyner, right, present Virginia and Ken Weaver of Weaver Farms with the CARES award.

The Suwannee River Partnership and Florida Farm Bureau (FFB) presented five Suwannee County farms with the CARES award Thursday night, June 27, at the UF/IFAS Suwannee County Extension farm. The County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) award was given to a total of 19 Suwannee River Basin agriculturalists who have implemented Best Management Practices (BMPs) in their business.

“We are proud of our farmers and ranchers,” FFB President John Hoblick said. “This award demonstrates their passion to produce safe, abundant food while being excellent stewards of our land and water.”

The honored Suwannee County locals were George Wayne Ross of the George Ross Farm; Kevin and Stevie Dasher of K&S Farms; Don and Laura Cooper of Cooper Farms; and Ken Weaver of Weaver Farms. Also awarded but not in attendance at the event was James Reeves of the Jaime, Dylin, Patty, and James Reeves Farm.

Master of Ceremonies Dwight Stansel started the evening off by presenting Potash Corp. of White Springs with a special CARES sign in honor of their generous donations to the program. Potash Corp. then presented a check for $10,000. Afterwards, Hoblick began the presentation of awards to the gathered farmers and their families. Recipients received an official CARES designation and sign to place on their property, identifying their farms as examples of proper land and water stewardship.

Following the awards ceremony, a locally produced and cooked dinner was served while the Band of Brothers took the stage to play live country and southern music. Several stands surrounding the event’s pavilion showcased other locally grown foods, managed by Suwannee High and Suwannee Middle School FFA members and 4-H members. Products such as homemade grape milkshakes, boiled peanuts, corn on the cob, grilled veggies, and melons were free to sample.

After dinner, agriculturally involved dignitaries came to the stage to address the crowd of several hundred people. U.S. Representative Halsey Beshears, (R) Monitcello; Dean and Director for Extension, UF/IFAS, Dr. Nick Place; Chairman of Events and head chef Dan Buchanan; the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s State Conservationist of Florida, Russell Morgan; Suwannee River Water Management District Governing Board Chairman Don Quincey; and Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Herschel Vinyard were all present to offer their congratulations and support to the CARES program and the award recipients.

The CARES program was created by Florida Farm Bureau and the Suwannee River Partnership in 2001 to promote public recognition of state-of-the art agriculture production techniques. In partnership with more than 60 public agencies, CARES has become a model for the rest of the nation. More than 550 agriculturists statewide have received the CARES award.