UF / IFAS Suwannee County Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources

Congratulations to our Suwannee County Hay producers for competing and placing in the Southeastern Hay Contest! 1st place Perennial Peanut- Darling Farms and 1st place Legume/Grass mix- John Carter! We are excited to start gathering samples for next years contest! For questions of how to participate please call our office at 386-362-2771!

Recognizing our farmers on !‍ 👩‍🌾 👨‍🌾 🍊🍉🌽🥕🐷🐣🐑🐄🌲

Today is National Farmer’s Day and we want to thank all of our local farmers for everything they do for our community, and for keeping us fed! Stay tuned for details of our exciting Farm City Week activities beginning November 15th as we celebrate our local farming community.

Be sure to come by and see what resources are available to you. Thursday, October 5th.

If your farm or ranch has been impacted please be sure to take this survey! It is important that we capture the data to be able to provide an economical snapshot of the impacts Idalia has left on our community! If you need helping taking the survey or if you need a computer to complete the survey please stop by our office, we have computers set up for producers!

Producers this information is for you! If you are in need of assistance please take a look at the resources that are available. If you have any questions please call our office at 386-362-2771! We are happy to help!

Farmers and Ranchers, you are welcome to join us for a producer meeting with the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson at the Suwannee County Judicial Annex 218 Parshley St SW, Live Oak, Fl. 32064 at 11am Sunday, September 3rd.

For those that are need livestock recourses please reach out to the Department of Ag.

Producers if you need to report damages please do so to the following 1-877-508-8364 or [email protected] these are the best way to send information to the Farm Service Agency. Please ensure that you are doing the following to help with your report:

-Taking Pictures
-Tracking Man Hours
-Recording Equipment Used in Clean Up
-Livestock inventory if you have lost animals, I know several chicken houses have been impacted so inventory reports are going to be helpful.

As information becomes available I will do my best to share.

Please take a moment to fill out this survey! We had a call this morning that stated the information collected from the assessments would be used by Congress to evaluate needs and develop program assistance based on those affected. Producers please take a moment to fill out the assessment.

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Do we have any livestock producers in Suwannee County that need water hauled to their livestock? If yes please call (386) 243-5138.

Good morning producers, I hope everyone and their families are safe after the storm. I know there is a lot of cleaning up to do all over the county. If you are a livestock producer or have crop fields please know there are programs that will be available from Farm Service Agency to help. If you have livestock fields or crop fields document EVERYTHING you do. Hours worked cleaning up, dates, fence repairs, and what you use to cleanup with (tractor size, chainsaw, etc.) save all receipts. Also if you have pines damaged contact us before you clean them up. There are also programs for livestock killed as a result of the storm. This information will be needed to apply through FSA. Also if there are specific needs, please let me Erin Jones, Livestock Extension Agent know, I can be reached at (386) 243-5138. I have been in contact with the Florida Cattlemen’s and Florida Farm Bureau they are working to help bring in resources for you all.

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Are you a young cattlemen in Suwannee County under the age of 21? Would you like to be involved in the cattle industry? Please join us August 17th from 5pm-6pm for a Jr. Cattlemen's Meeting here at the UF/IFAS Extension Office.

💥Calling all Hay Farmers! 💥

If you are interested in proving your hay is the BEST call us today to enter the 2023 Southeastern Hay Contest! All entries must be submitted by September 1st, 2023. Winners will be notified October 1st and recognized at the 2023 Sunbelt Ag Expo. Call us today at 386-362-2771!

We are hiring apply here!

Check out this opportunity!!

A Huge Thank You to everyone that attended The Tractor Driving Safety Course on Friday and everyone that helped organize it! We had an awesome day with everyone. Our attendees had a full day of learning tractor safety from proper hand signals to safety tips when working with implements. Check out our group picture of everyone in their survival shirts and one of our very own Suwannee County Residence Mrs. Mary Jo Wheeler taking the tractor for a spin. Photos by: Tyler Jones, UF/IFAS Communications Photography.

If any producers are interested in entering the UF Ram Test please check out the information below!

We are 33 days away from the 2023 UF Ram Test Pre-registration deadline!
Please visit our website for full details and to obtain your registration form today for submission!

https://animal.ifas.ufl.edu/smallruminant/ramtest/

UF Animal Sciences Department
UF Small Ruminant Extension
University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

Phase 2 of the Emergency Relief Program is open for you to apply! Check out the link for more information for Livestock and Crop Programs covered through this program.

Emergency Relief Program Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

Mark your calendars! We are getting excited for our Suwannee CARES celebration, less than a month away. Check our Facebook event for updates, vendor information and more.

Mark your calendar for the Tractor Driving Course for beginners, May 19th. Register by April 14th to receive the early bird special. If you have any questions please call our office at 386-362-2771.

https://proxy.www.sba.gov/article/2023/mar/30/small-businesses-parts-florida-georgia-are-eligible-apply-sba-working-capital-disaster-loans-due
If you are a small farm related business in our area that has been impacted by the 2022 drought you are able to apply for a small
business loan to help with operating cost! Check out the link for information of how to apply!

Small Businesses in Parts of Florida and Georgia are Eligible to Apply for SBA Working Capital Disaster Loans Due to 2022 Drought | U.S. Small Business Administration ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) are available in parts of Florida and Georgia for small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture, and most private nonprofit organizations ...