Do You Know What Green Industry Firms Are Paying Employees?

 

Industry benchmarking can be a very important source of information for any competitive firm. It gives organizations a clear, data-driven understanding of where they rank compared to their peers and competitors. The data gained from these insights can help firms strategically plan, prioritize investments, and validate assumptions regarding business decisions.  What matters most about industry benchmarking is that firms must input their information to have a framework to gauge their ranking.

The Floridian Nursery Growers and Landscape Association (FNGLA), in partnership with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (UF/IFAS) Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, is conducting the 2025 Florida Green Industry Wage and Benefit Survey.

This survey collects updated information on wages, benefits, and workforce practices across nursery, greenhouse, and landscape services firms statewide.  Your participation is essential for developing reliable industry benchmarks that help guide business planning, workforce retention, and competitiveness. All responses are strictly confidential and will be reported only in an aggregated form. Completing this survey should take approximately 20 to 25 minutes, and it can be saved and completed in multiple settings.

Here is a link to take the survey: www.tinyurl.com/FNGLASurvey

Ag Producers of Hillsborough and Polk Counties Hurricane Relief Information

 Ag Producers -- Please see the relevant resources that may be available to assist with hurricane damage and recovery.

Report farm damages or crop/livestock losses to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Farm Service Agency (FSA), even if you are not currently enrolled in an FSA program. Information reported to the USDA FSA is used to determine eligibility for agricultural disaster declarations.

FSA  SERVICE CENTER OFFICE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FARM SERVICE AGENCY 201 S COLLINS ST STE 201 PLANT CITY, FL 33563 (800) 243-9912 (813) 752-1474 ext 2 (855) 563-2113 Fax Mailing Address: 201 S COLLINS ST,SUITE 201 PLANT CITY, FL 33563-5567

FSA  SERVICE CENTER OFFICE POLK COUNTY FARM SERVICE AGENCY 1700 HWY 17 S BARTOW, FL 33830 (800) 243-9912 (863) 533-2051 ext 2 (855) 475-8047 Fax Mailing Address: 1700 HWY 17 S STE 1 BARTOW, FL 33830-6630 Marcinda Kester County Executive Director (863) 533-2051 (855) 475-8047 fax marcinda.kester@usda.gov BRONWYN D BETHEA-ROWLAND Farm Loan Manager (813) 752-1474 x 2 bronwyn.bethearowland@usda.gov

Hillsborough County Damage Assessment - Hillsborough County property owners can use the form to report property loss or storm damages to the County by visiting HCFL.gov/DamageAssessment.

UF/IFAS Disaster Assessment Survey. This survey is used to estimate the state- and later county-level production losses for agricultural operations in Florida and results are communicated to state and federal agencies to inform their decision-making processes. Please report for the appropriate Hurricane

Hurricane Helene - go.ufl.edu/heleneagimpacts

Hurricane Milton - http://go.ufl.edu/MiltonAgImpacts

Use this USDA Tool to determine which program might apply to you Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool | Farmers.gov

Investigate agricultural disaster assistance programs that might be available through agencies such as:

•      USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)

Farm Service Agency Emergency Loans Available – Click Here

•      USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS)

•      USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA)

•      Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS)

Emergency Livestock Assistance - To request critical assistance for your livestock and animals in urgent need, please access and complete the form then send to DAIOPSAssessment@FDACS.gov or call 863-993-5460 Form Link - https://forms.fdacs.gov/09027.pdf

FDACS Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program - Florida farmers, ranchers, and growers impacted by Hurricane Helene can now apply for interest-free loans through the Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program.

    Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program - Provides short-term, zero-interest working capital loans that are intended to “bridge the gap” between the time a disaster impacts a business and when a business has secured longer term recovery funding https://floridacommerce.my.site.com/RebuildFloridaBusinessLoanFund/s/

For more resources of Disaster Preparation, Response and Recovery, visit the following sources:

•      UF/IFAS Disaster Preparation & Recovery

•      Florida Extension Disaster Education Network

•      Florida Farm Bureau Helene Resources

•      Farm Bureau Hurricane Disaster Relief Fund - https://floridafarmbureau.org/hurricane-relief-fund-for- agriculture/

UF/IFAS Hurricane Helene Agriculture Damage Assesment

 Dear Nursery and Sod Producers,

UF/IFAS is seeking impacts incurred by Hurricane Helene.  There is an online survey tool that will collect your input.  Please take the time to record your responses even if you had no damage.  That will go a long way to getting the true impact of this storm on the agricultural community of Florida.  We appreciate your time and responses.  Here is a link to the survey   https://go.ufl.edu/heleneagimpacts

Using Compost as a Potting Media Replacement

UF/IFAS needs your expertise again.  Please take about 30 seconds of your time and help Dr. Mica McMillian gather information for a grant that will help growers utilize compost as a replacement for peat.  She would like to know what components you are currently using.  Super short and very helpful.  Thank you for your help!  Here is the link to the survey.  

Extension Needs Your Help; Calling all Plant Producers!

UF/IFAS Extension is a cooperative system, joining both the University of Florida and Hillsborough County in service to local residents.  It is cooperative in solving production problems through communication between producers, extension educators, and scientists.  Educational programs are created to meet the specific needs of the community.  Cooperation, feedback, and input are essential from those we serve to deliver impactful programs. 

To start out the 2024 season, I would like to get input from ornamental plant growers in our community. In my commitment to fostering growth and excellence in ornamental horticulture, I invite all ornamental plant producers to participate in our Educational Needs Assessment Survey. Your insights are invaluable in shaping tailored educational resources that address the challenges and opportunities specific to our industry. By sharing your experiences and preferences, you contribute to a collective effort aimed at enhancing knowledge, promoting sustainable practices, empowering employees, and ensuring the continued success of Hillsborough and Polk County Environmental Horticulture Production Extension.

The survey will take less than three minutes.  Please help out with your valuable feedback.  Here is the link for the survey. 

RESPONSE REQUESTED: How is COVID-19 Impacting Your Business?

UF/IFAS Extension continues to hear from agriculture and aquaculture producers throughout the state about ways the pandemic is affecting your daily work and livelihoods. In this unprecedented and challenging time, the value of your work has never been more evident.

It is with this in mind that we at UF/IFAS now ask for your assistance. My colleagues in the UF/IFAS Food and Resource Economics department have launched the second round surveys to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 on the agriculture and marine industries in Florida. The survey specific to agriculture and aquaculture is to be completed by you as an agriculture and/or aquaculture professional involved in production.

 The surveys are designed to encompass all key facets of agricultural and/or aquaculture production operations.

 Click here (link: https://tinyurl.com/uflsurvey-round2-agaquaculture) for the survey on agriculture and aquaculture production. This includes crop production, forestry/timber production, nursery and greenhouse operations, agritourism, beekeeping, etc.

We strongly encourage your participation in the survey. The information you provide will help assess the larger impact of COVID-19 to the agriculture and aquaculture industries. This information will be vital to informing decisions made by policymakers and establishing a roadmap for moving forward.

To encourage broad participation from your fellow Florida producers/industry groups, we would welcome your forwarding of this message. 

Waste Disposal Survey

A senior at UF is looking for some help with her research project on waste disposal in agriculture.  If you could take a brief survey it would greatly help her out.

Waste disposal is an area of growing concern in the US. Please take the to complete a short survey that is attached. It's purpose is to explore waste disposal practices and attitudes towards waste disposal in agriculture across Florida. This survey is part of a research project being conducted by a senior at the University of Florida. It will be used to help solve environmental quality issues and help promote the presence of agriculture in the state for future generations.  Thank you.
https://ufl.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6ih3BTglmHi7hs1

Polk County Irrigated Land Report

Here is an interesting report from the USGS on irrigated land in Polk County.  It is a map based delineation of the crops that were growing in 2016 along with a detailed summary.  It is interesting to look at the total consumption of ground water along with other industries and it is also interesting to note that total usage has been declining for the county among all sources of withdrawls listed.
The results of this inventory in 2016 shows, an estimated 88,652 acres were irrigated within Polk County;83,995 acres were in citrus; 2,893 acres were in other non-citrus fruit crops (blueberries, grapes, peaches, and strawberries); 621 acres were in row crops (primarily beans and watermelons); 1,117 acres were in nursery (container and tree farms) and sod production; and 26 acres were in field crops including hay and pasture.
If you would like to take a look at this report, here is a link to the USGS document set.  https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/ofr20171082

Health Insurance and Farming

How does health insurance affect farmers and ranchers? Help influence rural health policy in upcoming survey

Farmers and ranchers: How does health insurance affect you? Help influence rural health policy by participating in an upcoming USDA funded survey. Your responses will help researchers understand how health-insurance policy affects farmers’ and ranchers’ decisions to invest, expand, and grow their enterprises.

Selected participants received a letter about the survey in February.

If you did not receive a letter and survey but would like to participate follow this link:  https://survey.uvm.edu/index.php/132344?lang=en

This survey is a chance for farmers and ranchers to make their voices heard about their experiences with health insurance and how that affects both their economic development and family’s quality of life.

"We’re interested in hearing from multi-generation, beginning, and first generation farm and ranch families across all ages and  sectors of agriculture. We want to understand what parts of health insurance are working well for farmers and ranchers and what types of policy and program modifications need to be made. Results will be shared with agriculture and health policy makers,” said lead researcher, Shoshanah Inwood, rural sociologist and professor at the University of Vermont. All responses will be confidential and only summary statistics will be reported.

"We know from our prior research that farmers identify the cost of health insurance as a key barrier to growing their farms or farming full-time,” said Inwood. This study is a joint effort with the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Policy, and the four USDA Rural Development Centers. Findings will be used to guide the development of training materials for professionals who work with farmers and ranchers—such as Extension Educators, farm consultants, and tax accountants—so that they can support farmers’ and ranchers' ability to make well-informed decisions regarding health insurance.

The survey questions are based on interviews conducted in 2016 with smaller groups of farmers and ranchers in the 10 states being researched. This study is a four-year national project exploring how health insurance options impact the farm and ranch population in the U.S. The project, titled “Health Insurance, Rural Economic Development and Agriculture” (HIREDnAG), is funded by a $500,000 USDA Rural Communities and Regional Development grant. States included in the study are California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, and Washington.

Project partners include the Northeastern, North Central, Southern and Western Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs); University of Vermont Center for Rural Studies; University of Vermont Extension; Center for Rural Affairs; University of Maryland Extension; and, the Farm Foundation.

For more information, visit the HIREDnAG website: http://www.hirednag.net/
Or contact Katlyn Morris, HIREDnAG Project Coordinator at katlyn.morris@uvm.edu or by phone at 802-656-0257.