Agricultural cost-share projects
(with partners)
The district assists farmers in protecting water resources through its cost-share funding program and by providing technical assistance through its Ag Assistance Team. The Ag Team centralizes help in gathering water use data needed for permits, reducing duplication in the permitting process, thus saving farmers time and money. Through the Tri-County Agricultural Area Water Management Partnership, cost-share projects largely focus on implementing improved fertilizer and irrigation practices on farms to reduce fertilizer-laden farm runoff from reaching the St. Johns River and other waterways in Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns counties.
Jeff Parker Farms
Jeff Parker Farms in Elkton, St. Johns County, grows 600 acres of potatoes, corn and green beans each year. They completed a project in 2023 to purchase and implement side-dress liquid nitrogen application equipment. This equipment uses fertilizer knives to penetrate the soil and place the liquid fertilizer next to the growing plant. Liquid fertilizer is more readily available to the plant and the precision placement guarantees the nutrients are where the roots can use them. In addition, liquid fertilizer is less susceptible to nutrient loss than granular fertilizer placed on top of the ground. The estimated nutrient load reduction water quality benefit to the lower St. Johns River is 17,321 pounds per year of total nitrogen. Jeff Parker Farms is also working to convert their fields to more efficient irrigation systems to conserve water.
Quality Trees and Shrubs
Quality Trees and Shrubs in Umatilla, Lake County, grows containerized ornamental landscape materials and has historically used groundwater for all of its irrigation needs. The farm recently completed a project to collect rainwater off of their greenhouse roof along with sheet flow from their propagation area. that water is diverted to a newly constructed pond, allowing them to replace some of their groundwater use with surface water. It is estimated that the improvements will make available 0.116 million gallons per day (mgd) of surface water and reduce offsite annual nutrient loading of total nitrogen (TN) by 39 pounds and total phosphorus (TP) by 4 pounds. This project benefits the Upper Ocklawaha River.
Brown Farm
Roy Brown has been managing a 250-acre generational family farm in Alachua County for more than 30 years with a focus on sustainability. Brown’s Farm operates a roadside stand off State Road 26 in Orange Heights, growing pecans and a variety of fruits and vegetables. In six projects using cost-share funding assistance from the District between 2016 and 2020, Brown has been actively converting his vegetable production from less-efficient irrigation systems such as self-propelled volume guns to center pivots with drop nozzles and low-pressure spray nozzles. He has also added soil moisture sensors and weather stations. It is estimated that he is now conserving almost 10 million gallons per year (9.85 mgy) with the new systems. In addition, he has been converting to precision fertilizer application equipment, which allows him to not only reduce the amount of fertilizer he uses, but also place the fertilizer more precisely so that the roots are better able to make use of the nutrients. These changes will result in an estimated annual offsite nutrient loading reduction of 6,325 pounds of TN and 3,173 pounds of TP. The latest cost-share project was completed in 2020.
Estes Groves Inc.
Citrus greening disease is spread by an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid and has been wreaking havoc on the state’s citrus industry. While researchers work to find a cure, growers are learning to manage their groves by optimizing tree root health. Cody Estes with Estes Groves Inc. manages 120 acres of citrus south of State Road 60 in Vero Beach. He has partnered with the district to fine-tune his irrigation system by installing soil moisture sensors, weather stations and pump automation. With pump automation, the grower develops a general control strategy outlining the conditions under which irrigation should start and stop. The controllers receive feedback from the sensors, make decisions based on settings and start and stop the pump accordingly. Mr. Estes can check on his system from his phone even if he is miles away. District staff estimate a 19 percent reduction in water use over his already efficient micro-irrigation system.
Cherrylake
Cherrylake, a tree farm in Lake County, recently completed a project to change out sprinklers on 694 acres of containerized trees and shrubs. Cherrylake continually evaluates how their work affects the quality of our air, land and water and was awarded the Commissioner of Agriculture’s Environmental Leadership award in 2016. Even with improvements, they recognized that their irrigation system didn’t account for harvesting of individual trees within an irrigation zone because there was no way to shut off individual emitters. This would result in irrigation water being applied to the ground after the tree was removed. In addition, the emitters would sometimes spray outside of the container. With the assistance of the districtwide Agricultural Cost-Share Program, Cherrylake retrofit the system with a “spot spitter” stake and emitter combination assembly that provides a shutoff position. Based on a Mobile Irrigation Lab evaluation performed in January 2018, conservation is expected to be almost 25 million gallons of water per year.
C.P. and Wesley Smith Inc. Farms
C.P. and Wesley Smith Inc. Farms in Hastings grows potatoes, broccoli and corn on approximately 1,500 acres. The farm, along with most other farms in the area, had historically been irrigated with seepage. Wesley and his sons have been converting their farm from the less-efficient seepage to more-efficient irrigation methods such as center pivot and sub-irrigation drain tile. They have seen reductions in irrigation of roughly 50 percent and increases in crop yields. They have received assistance from the Tri-County Agricultural Area Water Management Partnership as well as USDA/NRCS and are taking advantage of every opportunity to become more efficient. They have also purchased banding equipment, which dramatically reduces the amount of fertilizer being applied to the land.
