As some examples of best management practices, longtime Hendry County extension agent Gene McAvoy says, “If I was a cattle rancher, maybe I would rotate my pastures, or I could fence off the canals so the cows don’t poop in the water – there’s a whole litany of practices – not every farmer could do everything, but you do what’s technologically and economically feasible for you.”
It used to be on the honor system, McAvoy says, but “Now, you must keep records and documents so they can verify it all.”
The ag department has been doing a series of educational workshop around the state outlining the changes.
The rules themselves are also being revised, Fried said, something that hasn’t happened for more than a decade. Developed in partnership with Florida’s universities, farmers, water management districts, stakeholders and the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, best management practices aim to conserve water and improve its quality by reducing the amount of pollutants like fertilizer, pesticide and manure getting into the state’s water.
“Mixed,” Fried told a gathering of reporters after the tour. “Some are already doing these things (and) it’s welcome. There are so many good actors out there … but there is definitely a hesitation from third- fourth- fifth-generation farmers who are used to putting in shoeboxes their receipts and other information, and now have to do it in an organized fashion and actually give it to the department of agriculture,” she said.
