Florida Sod Best Management

Practices Kick-Off Event

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Kirkland Sod, New Smyrna Beach, Florida

   The Florida Sod Growers Cooperative, the FDACS Office of Agricultural Water Policy, the University of Florida / IFAS BMP Implementation Program, and the USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will host a Florida Sod BMP Kick-Off Event on Wednesday, December 3, 2008.

This is a great opportunity to see BMPs in action through on-farm demonstrations and presentations and to learn more about the program .  The event is open to farm owners and managers, compliance officers, production supervisors and others who work with agriculture and sod producers.

There is no cost to attend, but REGISTRATION is required by Friday, November 28.

Agenda

10:00 AM: Registration

10:30 AM: Welcome and Introduction

Betsy McGill, Executive Director, Florida Sod Growers Cooperative

James Clements, Environmental Specialist, FDACS Office of Ag Water Policy

10:35 AM: An Overview of the BMP Program

Bill Bartnick, Environmental Administrator, FDACS Office of Ag Water Policy

10:45 AM: BMP Success Stories

Dr. Brian Boman, BMP Coordinator, University of Florida / IFAS

11:00 AM: EQIP Cost-Share, Mobile Irrigation Lab, and Conservation Planning

George Johnson, District Conservationist, USDA / NRCS

11:15 AM: Lunch

12:00 PM: “In the Field” Demonstrations and Presentation Stations

Nutrient Management and Soil Test Comparisons - Dr. Tom Obreza, UF/IFAS

Soil Moisture Data for Irrigation Scheduling and Utilizing GPS for Fertilization and
Spraying - Mace Bauer, Senior Engineer, UF/IFAS Indian River Research & Education Center

Blue Dye Test and the Significance of Florida’s Sandy Soils

An In-Depth Look at the Mobile Irrigation Lab’s Function and the Importance
of Irrigation System Uniformity - Cheryl McCrory, Floridan Mobile Irrigation Lab

Information Resources to Aid in BMPs - James Clements, FDACS Office of Ag Water Policy

2:00 PM: Wrap-Up Session: Field Water Quality Data; Distribution of BMP Manuals; Appointment Scheduling; Questions and Answers

Registration

There is no cost to attend (and lunch is included), but participants MUST REGISTER by Friday, November 28.   Registration instructions and directions to the farm are included on the downloadable registration form.