PALATKA, Fla. — The St. Johns River water management district approved seven contracts that will provide seven local growers with over $866,000 in cost-share money. The purpose of the awarded funds is to reduce water use by an estimated 44 million gallons per year.
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By reducing water consumption, less harmful nutrients will enter nearby waterways, including the St. Johns River and Crescent Lake. This can help minimize toxic algae blooms and pollution to the ecosystem.
“Implementing projects like these not only benefit the environment, but also the growers by saving them money and allowing them to maintain the long-term sustainability of their operations,” said St. Johns River water management district Executive Director Mike Register. “The continuing commitment by the district’s governing board and our funding partners is a testament to the importance of continuing to reduce the amount of nutrients flowing into our waterways.”
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More than half of this year’s funded projects from the Tri-County Agricultural Area Management Partnership Cost-Share Program has gone to limiting fertilizers into the environment. This includes the installation of precision fertilizer equipment and GPS controllers to more accurately apply fertilizers to crops.
Projects receiving the funds include:
- L & M Farms (Putnam County) – Installation of precision fertilizer equipment
- Jeff Parker Farms (St. Johns County) – Irrigation conversion
- John M. Seay Farms (Flagler County) – Installation of precision land leveling
- Smith and Johns, Inc. (St. Johns County) – Irrigation conversion
- Tater Farms (St. Johns County) – Installation of precision fertilizer equipment
- Wesley Smith (St. Johns County) – Installation of precision fertilizer equipment
- YuAn Farms (St. Johns County) – Irrigation conversion
Multiple agencies partner to contribute cost-share funding to growers in the area, including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. A fourth partner, the Natural Resource and Conservation Service, also provides cost-share opportunities to TCAA growers through federal dollars. To date, more than 158 projects have received funding from the combined efforts of the four partners.
