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Carroll Brothers and Brock family receive Ag Environmental Leadership awards
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson presented awards to two agricultural operations in recognition of their leadership in promoting progressive environmental practices. The 2008 Commissioner’s Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Awards were presented during the Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s annual meeting in Orlando on Friday, October 10. The awards program is now in its 15th year and has recognized a total of 47 winners.
“The Ag-Environmental Leadership Award program spotlights the environmentally innovative farming practices of our state’s growers and ranchers,” Bronson said. “Nominees for the awards come from different parts of Florida’s agricultural industry, but they all share a commitment to protect and preserve Florida’s resources while continuing to provide agricultural products for our people.”
This year’s winners are:
Carroll Brothers Nursery, Clearwater
Started in 1950 by Harmon Carroll on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, the nursery is now run by his sons, Richard and Bob Carroll and grows 10 varieties of gardenias. The 10-acre wholesale nursery, which is now located in Clearwater, grows about 200,000 gardenia plants each year. Operating a nursery business in the rapidly growing and densely populated Tampa Bay Area was a challenge. Wells suffered from saltwater intrusion, and using municipal water was cost-prohibitive. So, in addition to adopting state BMPs for container nurseries, they sought new ways to conserve water through a research partnership. This partnership resulted in adoption of a capillary mat system, or “cap mats,” which drastically reduced water usage and yielded other environmental benefits.
Brock Family Farm, Monticello
Gene Brock and his son, Kirk, farm just over a thousand acres where they grow corn, soybeans, peanuts and cotton. While Jefferson County’s rolling hills are quite scenic, these hills makes crop farming a challenge due to the erosion they cause. To help prevent this erosion, the Brocks have adopted methods of using cover crops in conjunction with no-till farming with minimum soil disturbance. This drastically cuts down on erosion, increases the retention of nutrients and water, and decreases the need for insecticides and herbicides.
Nominations for the awards were received earlier this year by a screening committee composed of scientific and technical experts with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which selected the finalists. The two winners were then selected from the group of finalists by a selection committee made up of representatives from The Nature Conservancy, the state’s Water Management Districts, the Florida Farm Bureau, the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, the Florida Dairy Association, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts, Florida Citrus Mutual, the Florida Forestry Association, and the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association.
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