For about the last year there has been a staff vacancy for the BMP field representative in the North Florida area. Rance Ellis has been hired by FDACS to fill this position. Rance comes from Central Florida where he worked as the field representative for FDACS through East Central Florida Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D).  He has ten years of experience working with the Container Nursery, Citrus, Row Crop and Cow/Calf industries. Rance is looking forward to re-introducing the Best Management Practices Plan program to the agriculture industry in the panhandle by working closely with UF/IFAS extension agents, Soil and Water Conservation Districts, NRCS and local producers.

He will reside in Marianna with his wife Lynn. His office is located in the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center on HWY 71 just north of Marianna. He can be reached at 850-394-9124 ext. 130 (office) or 850-557-5227 (mobile), email at rance.ellis@freshfromflorida.com.

Judy Biss