Crop Farmers Implementing BMPs in the Chipola River Basin

by | May 24, 2024 | Best Management Practices (BMPs), Cost Share Program, Cost-Share Program, Feature Video, Field Crops

Shedrick McGriff (left) and Phillip Melvin (right) share their experiences about implementing BMPs on their operations in the Chipola River Basin. Images: FDACS

 

In the Florida Panhandle, dryland row crop farmers, Shedrick McGriff, Jackson County, and Phillip Melvin, Calhoun County, implement Best Management Practices or BMPs that improve their farming operations while also protecting water quality in the Chipola River Basin.  These practices include the use of winter cover crops, conservation tillage, GPS guidance systems, grid soil sampling and variable rate fertilizer applications for their row crop operations.

Watch the video to hear Phillip and Shedrick share their experiences implementing BMPs, as well as their strong commitment to sustainable farming practices and family so that they can pass their land down to future generations.

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Several agencies in our area offer technical and financial assistance to producers to implement Best Management Practice (BMPs) on their operations, these include:

  • The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service: There are nine NRCS Service Centers in the Florida Panhandle (NRCS Area 1). This map of NRCS Service Centers in Florida lists local numbers. You can also use their Find Your Local Service Center site.
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  • Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: The FDACS Office of Ag and Water Policy (OAWP) local field staff work with producers to enroll them in their BMP Program. For information and assistance, call (863) 467-3250 or email AgBmpHelp@FDACS.gov. More information can also be found on the FDACS BMP website.
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  • The Northwest Florida Water Management District: They offer cost share for producers in the Jackson Blue Springs Basin. Contact the NWFWMD Agriculture Team for more information.
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The video highlighted in this article was produced by FDACS as part of a project to promote BMP implementation in the Chipola River Basin. The project was funded through a US EPA Gulf of Mexico Division Farmer-to-Farmer grant, which was obtained by the Southeastern Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP).

Andrea Albertin
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