FNGLA Tampa Chapter Fall Social

FNGLA Tampa Chapter will be having a Fall Social at Kelly Days Firehouse Tavern
1708 E 7th Ave. Tampa, FL 33605 at 6:00 pm on Thursday, October 26, 6-8 pm.  Admission is a $10 donation per person which includes food, drinks, entry for door prices and unlimited networking opportunities! 

When Lightning Strikes--Lightning Fact Sheet for Agriculture Producers

Florida agriculture has many challenges, some of which are managing our particular environmental conditions.  Managing these challenges successfully can advance our family's or business' interests.  One environmental challenge that producers face during the summer rainy season is the workplace danger of lightning.  Protecting employees and yourself from the dangers of lightning is extremely important living in the "Lightning Alley" corridor of Florida.  In fact, Florida leads as the number one state for lightning fatalities.
I have received questions like:  "When do I need to pull workers from the field?" "When can my employees return to work after a storm?" "What do I need to do for OSHA in terms of lightning?" and "Can my workers wait in a greenhouse until the storm passes?" A fact sheet was created for agricultural operations to answer these questions and other information on the dangers of lightning, types of lightning and how injury can occur, how to protect oneself from this danger, how agricultural operations are required to protect employees, and a lightning safety plan.  To read more about lightning related to agriculture here is a link to the fact sheet.   http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/pdf/ornamental_production/A-Z_pubs/17_Hillsborough_Lightning_Safety_FS_EMAIL.pdf

BMP Projects Wanted

Attention Growers:  UF/IFAS BMP Program is seeking growers with ideas for BMP implementation.  If you would like to implement a BMP project on your farm, UF/IFAS Extension can help.  You pick the project, we collaborate on implementation.  Extension will write the grant.  You get 100% of the cost covered up to $10,000 if it is funded.  Then we have a field day to demonstrate your project.  Please read the information below if you would like to participate.

Request for proposals – BMP Minigrant Program

October 17, 2017

Deadline: November 10, 2018

Introduction

As in past years we are requesting proposals for on-farm demonstrations related to BMP implementation. The deadline for these proposals is November 10, 2017 by reply email. There is no limit to the amount requested, however the target amount is $5,000 to $10,000 each. Grower evaluation of the BMP(s) are critical to this program. Therefore, the proposed project should be for a single year, involve a grower cooperator, conducted on their field and culminate in a grower attended field day. Any applicable BMP can be demonstrated on any crop or animal within a published BMP manual.

Format

The format of the proposal is the same as previous years and contain the following elements: 1) 2 to 4 pages in length, 2) provide the BMP and crop in the title; 3) a background section containing the reason for the proposed demonstration; 4) list of objectives, outcomes and projected impact of the demonstration; 5) complete list of materials and methods; 6) projected field day agenda; 7) description of potential audience (makeup and size) of the field day; and 8) complete budget including all personnel costs (salary and fringe), costs of materials and equipment, and 10% overhead.

Deliverables

The demonstration project should result in a grower field day at the demonstration site, and a final report (due no later than June 15, 2018). The agenda and announcement for the field day must be received at least two weeks prior to the event. In addition to grower invitations; FDACS, NRCS, water management district and other state agency personnel must be encouraged to participate in and attend the grower field day.  The final report must contain a summary of: the demonstration site; interactions with the cooperator; attendance list; final agenda; copies of presentations and handouts; and outcomes. The writing of EDIS documents, magazine articles and other publications are encouraged. The BMP program will assist in writing and publishing of these documents.

Suggested topics

1) Fertilizer rates, 2) irrigation scheduling, 3) use of soil moisture sensors, 4) soil and tissue testing, 5) variable rate fertilizer applications, 6) irrigation automation, 7) use of drone based technologies, 8) fertilizer management with soil electrical conductivity sensors, 9) on-site water retention/treatment, 10) any other applicable BMP

Private Applicator Exam Prep Class and CEUs

UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County is offering Private and Core Pesticide Applicator Licenses Preparatory Classes on October 19, 2017 at the Hillsborough County Extension Office in Seffner, FL.  These are review/training classes for those wishing to pass the Core and/or Private Pesticide Applicator License Exam (Restricted Use Pesticide License) from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.  You also may receive Pesticide CEUs if you already have a license.  We will offer 4 CEUs for the trainings.  You may register for either training alone or for both.  Core Exam Review will be from 8:30-10:30 and Private Applicator Review will be taught afterwards from 10:30 until 12:30 pm.  We will offer the Core and Private Exams after each training. Please contact Shawn Steed for any questions or special needs regarding this event 813-744-5519 ext. 54147.  Classes may be canceled due to low registration.  In this instance you will be notified.  Here is the link to register.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/private-and-core-pesticide-applicator-training-tickets-31072442512

Disaster Relief Funds Available

Family farmers in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands can now access much-needed relief following Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Farm Aid has partnered with Florida Organic Growers & Consumers, Inc. (FOG) to distribute emergency relief grants of $500 to help farmers meet household expenses. Families who rely on farming for their income, live in the declared disaster areas, and are experiencing hardship as a result of the storm are encouraged to complete an application, even if other relief such as crop insurance or FEMA funds have been made available.

There is no deadline to apply, although applications are reviewed as they are received and there is a finite amount of funding available. Applications will be reviewed by a team of community members and FOG staff. Approval is based on the applicant qualifying as a family farm and demonstrating economic loss. Please note: you do not have to be an organic farm to apply.

Applications are available online at www.foginfo.org and at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FLFARMAID 

Applications can also be completed by phone.  Email david@foginfo.org or call 352.377.6345 to set up a phone interview.

Digital applications can be downloaded here: http://www.foginfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/FOGApplication.pdf, and then emailed to david@foginfo.org or printed and mailed to:


Florida Organic Growers
ATTN: Hurricanes Irma and Maria Relief Project
P.O. Box 12311
Gainesville, FL 32604

Donations to support these efforts can be made to Farm Aid's Family Farm Disaster Fund (https://give.farmaid.org/checkout/donation?eid=54454). If one wishes to specifically support organic farmers in Florida, please donate at http://www.foginfo.org/get-involved/supportus/.