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BMP Chairman’s Letter
Fellow Growers,
From the humble beginnings of our Florida citrus industry many
decades ago, the Florida citrus grower has been particularly
adept at many things but there are two that, in my opinion,
define us. The first of these is that we have been survivors.
Surviving hurricanes, droughts, freezes, diseases and financial
downturns has reshaped our industry and created a stronger sense
of purpose. The second factor has been the commitment to care
for our natural resources. Early in our history, this behavior
of protecting our resources was simply defined as being good
farmers. Today, our society has used terminology such as
environmentalists and conservationists to define our actions.
The terminology may have changed, but the purpose of our
well-thought-out, time-honored practices of caring for the
natural resources has remained, and will continue to be, of the
highest priority.
As the population of our beautiful state continues to swell, it
seems only logical that our industry can expect increasing
pressures to practice more ecologically aware conservation
measures. Not too long ago, the notion that a gallon of drinking
water, sold in any retail store, would ever cost more than a
gallon of gasoline was considered ludicrous. Today this is a
reality that has and will continue to shape our public policies
and farming practices.
These factors have granted our industry an unprecedented
opportunity to take actions with an even greater level of
environmental leadership. Our actions focus, and common sense
coupled with the guidelines contained within this manual will
reap rewards. These rewards can include cost savings, better
horticultural management, and higher productivity. The greatest
of these rewards, in my opinion, is the ability to stand
confident in the fact that we, as farmers, have been the leaders
in natural resources protection and enhancement because it is
simply the right thing to do.
We encourage citrus growers to increase their familiarity with
all water policies that are applicable to them and to fully
utilize all available water management resources. We also
encourage each citrus grower to build and/or foster positive
relationships with each entity charged with managing our state’s
water resources. These partnerships are priceless as well as
crucial.
A great deal of hard work and sacrifice was given by those
involved in the creation of this manual. The result is a manual
that is comprehensive, well thought out and informative. Many
sincere thanks to everyone who participated in the BMP manual
development process. Your devotion to this project permitted my
Chairmanship to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my
career. We can all look to the future recognizing we are being
proactive.
Thank you,
Ben Albritton Jr.
PRVMSB BMP Committee Chair
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BMP
Happenings
Holly Chamberlain
We welcome Holly Chamberlain as the area’s new BMP support
staff. This position is being provided by IFAS to aid growers in
implementing BMPs. Holly can be reached at the DeSoto County
Extension Service office at 863-993-4846.
Some growers may recognize Holly from the Citrus Canker
Decontamination Workshops held throughout 2004. Holly will be a
great asset to our growers and the BMP process. We are thrilled
to have her working with us.
IFAS has already begun holding BMP Workshops where growers can
learn how they can use BMPs in their grove operations. Workshops
will be held on a regular basis by IFAS in conjunction with the
BMP implementation process. The next program in the series is an
integrated pest management program to be conducted at the DeSoto
County Extension Service office Wednesday, May 11 beginning at
10 a.m. The program will cover Citrus psyllid, leafminer and
Diaprepes control. A sponsored lunch will be provided by the
Florida Grower in conjunction with Dow Chemical Company.
The program will offer two continuing education units (CEUs) for
both the restricted use pesticide and certified crop advisors
licenses. The restricted use pesticide license CEUs are two in
the ‘private’ or in the ‘ag tree crop’ categories. The CCA CEUs
are two in the plant management category.
If you wish to attend the training, please call the DeSoto
County Extension Service office at 863-993-4846 prior to May
9th.
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The first BMP Workshop in the series
was held last month covering precision agriculture. It
was standing room only at the workshop, which also ended
with a sponsored lunch.
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| PRVCGA is pleased to have
Chelsa Drake & Jennifer Ali as a part of our staff.
Chelsa is a UF intern completing her Ag Communications
degree as a member of our staff. Jennifer is a Desoto
High School student helping part time. |
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