Florida’s farmers rely on nutrient management guidelines and recommendations that ultimately come from the University of Florida institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). Those guidelines and recommendations haven’t been updated for a while, according to Florida Farm Bureau Interim Director of State Legislative Affairs, John Walt Boatright.
“In essence, many farmers and ranchers depend on best management practices which are under the purview of the Florida Department of Ag and consumer services. Over the past several years, they have been dependent upon University of Florida IFAS for nutrient management guidelines and recommendations. Those recommendations need to be, and have not been, updated in quite a while,” Boatright said. “In order for IFAS to move forward with those updates and conducting that research, they need to conduct studies that could take several years.”
That’s where Senate Bill 1000 and the similar House Bill 1291 come in. They would allow growers to work with certified crop advisors to find the nutrients that are right for their soil and their crop.
“Senate Bill 1000 will allow farmers and ranchers to work with a certified crop advisor to establish a site-specific nutrient management plan for their farm and the commodities that they grow in order to meet the yields and production requirements while IFAS is updating those recommendations under the best management practices program,” Boatright explained.
There are currently some differences between the Senate bill and the House bill. Boatright explained the House bill does not yet have the amendments the Senate bill has, because the House bill is in a different stage in the process.
Boatright said the bills would avoid a “one size fits all” approach and give each producer the opportunity to provide their crops what they need in an environmentally conscious way.
“Florida has a very diverse agriculture. We have over 300 different commodities in the state and many different soil profiles, from the clay soils in north and northwest Florida, to really sandy soils throughout the state,” Boatright said. “It’s quite a challenge to factor in commodity varieties, soil profiles, and nutrient needs of the commodity grown.”
Listen to the radio report below.