Sustainable Farming Fund Projects 2018-2021

Fall/Winter 2018

Ease Land Organic Farms
Establish processes and practices for converting manure to nitrogen-rich compost that will positively affect groundwater by allowing farmers to cut back on excessive fertilizer use while also cleaning up potentially polluting animal waste.

T&T Hay Farms
Purchase pasture drag and field renovator equipment to spread manure evenly over fields.

4-Star Farm
Utilize perennial peanut in a crop rotation system to reduce nitrogen leachate.

Future Farmers of America, Suwannee High School
Nitrogen leachate reduction pilot educational project.

Suwannee County Conservation District (SCCD)
Support a 5-year cover crop pilot project on 10 private farms.

3 Rivers Cattle
Purchase side dressing equipment and implementation of crop rotation system.

Summer/Fall 2019

Lonesome Meadow Dairy
Cost share for construction of a free-stall barn on a dairy farm to reduce concentration of nutrients by cows grazing in isolated shady areas on pastures. Waste will be used for field fertilization.

Collins Farms
Purchase a no-till planter for nitrogen-fixing cover crops.

IFAS Columbia & Suwannee County
Field trial to promote and demonstrate the use of sustainable nutrient management practices.

Sullivan Farms
Cost share to convert irrigated intensive row crops to rotational grazing for beef cows.

Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) - Monitoring
Since no travel was allowed for Stetson personnel during the COVID-19 crisis, SFF contracted with ACT to assist with farmer outreach, contract management and compliance, and reporting.

SCCD Cover Crop Cost Share
Cover Crop Cost share program to promote the use of cover crops for soil health along and nutrient reduction.

SCCD - Oversight
Contract with SCCD to help the SFF (1) attract additional applicants and (2) track the progress of nitrogen reduction by grant recipients.

Spring/Summer 2020

Sampson Family Farm
Purchase hay wagons to improve feeding efficiency, reduce manure concentration and avoid soil degradation.

Weaver Cattle Company
Purchase hay wagons and feeder to improve feeding efficiency, reduce manure concentration and avoid soil degradation.

W.E.T. Farms
Purchase a no-till drill to enable pasture planting that won’t damage protective sods and allows cattle to use more land, spreading out waste and preventing it from concentrating.

Arnett Eubanks
Utilize new spreader technology for precision fertilization and evaluate through soil testing.

J.Y. Wilson Trust Grassland
Cost share to fund a conservation easement for Florida’s first NRCS designated Grassland of Special Significance that will yield 100% nitrogen reduction on 500+ acres in two years’ time.

Jordan Family Beefmasters

Implement controlled release fertilizer and increase perennial forage planting; begin transition to all-organic fertilizing mainly through cover crops.

Garrison and Sons Farm
Install fencing system and water tanks (repurposed tires) to establish rotational grazing.

Fall 2020

Fouraker and Son
Implement no till planting to limit erosion, allow nitrogen building plants and reduce fertilizer use. Set up water troughs to prevent the erosion and other negative impacts cattle have on natural water sources.

Starling Family Farm
Enhance nitrogen use efficiency and water conservation by converting from commercial to organic fertilizers and by implementing cover crops and rotation feeding.

Caruthers Farm
Install fencing system and water lines to implement rotational grazing for improved pasture health.

Barbed Wire Farm
Reduce nutrient leaching by establishing vertical tillage practices and using mobile hay feeders.

Darling Farms
Using a no-till grain drill for targeted planting of crops to use nutrients leftover from earlier top dressing.

4-Star Farm
Develop a long-term regenerative approach to composting.

William McGehee Farms
Improve nutrient usage by utilizing a no-till drill for planting cover crops and a pasture drag for distributing manure in a more timely and more effective manner.

Ronald Norris Farm 

Implement no-till drill for more efficient fertilizer application and cover crops to increase organic matter and soil health.

Matthews Conservation Easement
Cost share to fund cattle fencing (2% of the total project) for a conservation easement that will result in a permanent prohibition on fertilizers being utilized on the property, preserve agricultural usage, and prevent future development.