Polk Small Farms: Florida Land Steward Update 4/3/14

Florida Land Steward Update April 3, 2014 Have Land? Get a Plan and Stay Connected. Florida Land Steward is your source of assistance, information, events and resources.
News, information and upcoming events below. Please share this update with your neighbors, colleagues or others that may be interested.

- Florida Land Steward Newsletter (Winter-Spring 2014 (Vol 3, No 2) and back issues -

News & Info Brief

UF INTRODUCES NEW FARM WATER FOOTPRINT TOOL
A new University of Florida web-based tool measures the so-called “water footprint” of a farm. Water footprints account for the amount of water used to grow or create almost everything we eat, drink, wear or otherwise use. WaterFootprint is part of the AgroClimate system, developed by Clyde Fraisse, a UF associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. AgroClimate is a web resource, aimed primarily at agricultural producers, that includes interactive tools and data for reducing agricultural risks. The tool is available on line at
http://agroclimate.org/tools/Water-Footprint /

FWC SEEKS INPUT ON DEER MANAGEMENT IN NORTH AND CENTRAL FL
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission seeks input and invites the public to a series of meetings in April on deer management in north and central Florida, to discuss establishing deer management units, greater antler regulations, bag limits and antlerless deer days in hunting zones B and C. Click for details. All meetings are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the following locations and dates:

· Monticello – Thursday, April 3, at the Monticello Opera House, 185 W. Washington St.

· Sebring – Monday, April 7, at Chateau Elan, 150 Midway Drive.

· Lakeland – Tuesday, April 8, at the Ramada Lakeland Hotel and Conference Center, 3260 U.S. Highway 98 N.

· Tampa – Wednesday, April 9, at the Southwest Florida Water Management District, Tampa Governing Board Room, 7601 U.S. Hwy. 301 N.

· Lake City – Monday, April 21, at the Holiday Inn Lake City, 213 SW Commerce Drive.

· DeLand – Wednesday, April 23, at First Baptist Church of DeLand, 725 N. Woodland Blvd.

· Vero Beach – Thursday, April 24, at Bethel Creek House, 4405 Hwy. A1A.

TO CERTIFY OR NOT: FLORIDA TREE FARM PROGRAM NEEDS TO DECIDE
Something that sets the American Tree Farm System (ATFS) apart from all other private land stewardship programs is forest certification. ATFS Tree Farms are currently third party certified as sustainable (or “green”) and products can be sold as such at market. Florida, along with the other states are now being presented with a choice to make: to either stay in or opt out of ATFS Certification status depending on the importance we see in it. The Florida Tree Farm Committee will be required to make a formal declaration by December 31, 2015 of whether or not we want to continue as a state program of “third party certified” Tree Farms. The alternative is to revert to a “recognition” program that no longer has a “certification” status. As Tree Farmers, The Florida Tree Farm Committee would like your opinion of whether Florida should remain in a “certified” Tree Farm program, or drop the requirement for third party certification. Please reply with any comments you may have on this to Phil Gornicki, State Tree Farm Coordinator at 850-222-5646 or phil@forestfla.org.

2013 TIMBER TAX TIPS AVAILABLE
The tax deadline fast approaches. Tax Tips for Forest Landowners for the 2013 provides federal income tax reporting tips to assist forest landowners and their advisors in filing their 2013 income tax returns: http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/programs/loa/tax.shtml

HELP STILL NEEDED - COYOTES VS BOBCATS: WHAT ARE THEY EATING?
The University of Florida is conducting a study of coyote dietary habits in Florida and needs YOU to donate your catch! We are especially interested in how coyotes are affecting white-tailed deer, turkeys, bobwhite quail, livestock, and pets! YOUR help is needed to obtain legally acquired coyote carcasses, with or without pelts. We will also accept coyote stomachs and intestines if you cannot store the whole carcass. Carcasses or stomachs and intestines should be frozen in a suitable bag or container, and include the name of contributor, animal weight/sex, date harvested/obtained, and location harvested/obtained. Arrangements can be made to get carcasses from you at the University or combine your animals with others in your area for a pickup. We have obtained a permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for this project, and will keep information provided by you for this project anonymous to the extent possible by law. We greatly appreciate your help with this valuable study!

Lauren N. Watine & Bill Giuliano
E-mail: LNWATINE@UFL.EDU
Office: 352-846-0575

More news and info at the Florida Land Steward Blog

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EAST FLORIDA (Madison County, east and south)
April 5	Family Day at the UF-IFAS Dairy Farm, 9 am to 2 pm, 13515 NW CR 237, Alachua (Hague), FL 32615 . For details see: http://dairy.ifas.ufl.edu/familydayatthedairyfarm/index.shtml
April 15	Herd Health Management (link to brochure), 4:30 to 9 pm ET, Hendry County Extension Office, 1085 Pratt Blvd., LaBelle, FL 33935. $5 before 4/5; $15 after 4/4/14. See link for details.
April 24	Forest Stewardship Tour at Simons Tree Farm, property of Bob and Erika Simons (link to pdf flier), Alachua County. Longleaf pine forest restoration, conservation easement on Santa Fe River. Free, walking tour, lunch included. Details and registration online: http://fsp-tour042414.eventbrite.com/
April 24-25	Ag Module 2014, Southwest FL Water Management District: Innovation in the Water Space (link), Crystal Springs Preserve, 1601 Crystal Springs Preserve Rd., Crystal Springs, FL. Two-day forum on agriculture and water quality and quantity innovations. See link for details and registration.
April 28	North Florida Timber Disease and Pest Workshop, 10 am to 12 pm ET, UF/IFAS Madison County Extension Office, 184 College Loop, Madison, FL 32340. Presented by Jeff Eikwort, Florida Forest Service. For more information or to register contact Justin Kania, (850) 973-5115, justin.kania@freshfromflorida.com
April 28 - May 1	Florida Wildlife Society and Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Spring Conference: Breaking Bad in FL - Gaining Ground on Invasive Plants and Wildlife in the 21st Century, Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, Safety Harbor, FL. Details and registration at: http://www.fltws.org/2014springconference/
May 3-31	FL Master Naturalist Program – Uplands Module, Pine Jog Environmental Center and Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Palm Beach County, Details and Registration at http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/
May 5-8	Ignition Planning & Prescribed Fire Techniques for Wildlife, at the Cecil Commerce Center, 13561 Lake Newman Street, Jacksonville, FL. A full agenda and registration info is available on the chapter website: http://fltws.org/
May 5-8	2014 Aquatic Weed Short Course, Ft. Lauderdale Coral Springs Marriott Coral Springs, FL. Earn 20+ Florida Pesticide Applicator CEUs, Details and registration at http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aw/
May 6 - June 10	FL Master Naturalist Program – Freshwater Wetlands, Ichetucknee Springs State Park, Details and Registration at http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/
May 7-9	Florida Beef Cattle Short Course: "Manage Your Enterprise, Manage Your Herd" (link), Alto and Patricia Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center, Gainesville, FL. See link for details.
May 8	Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Mini-Course (link), Fort Lauderdale Coral Sprins Marriot. $60 before April 25. See link for details.
May 9	Earth Day Festival, 10 am - 2 pm at USDA Brooksville Plant Materials Center, 14119 Broad Street, Brooksville, FL 34601. Great opportunity to exhibit - exhibitor deadline is April 15.For more information contact Janet Grabowski, 352-796-9600, janet.grabowski@fl.usda.gov.
May 15-18	Florida Native Plant Society's 34th Annual Conference, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers, FL. Details at http://fnps.org/conference
May 16	Forest Stewardship Mill Tour: Gainesville Renewable Energy Center (link), meet at 1:30 pm, Alachua County . We have a unique opportunity to tour the GREC facility to learn more about the operations and fuel sourcing. However, attendance is very limited – only twelve (12) are allowed on the tour. Preference will be given to private forest landowners. To register, contact Chris Demers at cdemers@ufl.edu, (352) 846-2375.
June 8-10	Trees Florida 2014 Conference (link), Innsbrook Resort and Golf Club, Palm Harbor, FL. Presented by Florida Chapter International Society of Arboriculture. CFEs approved for the event. See link for details and registration.
August 1-2	2014 Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference (link), Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, FL. See link for details and registration.
August 13-30	FL Master Naturalist Program – Environmental Interpretation Special Topic Course, Palm Beach County, Details and Registration at http://www.masternaturalist.ifas.ufl.edu/
September 4	Forest Stewardship / Heartland CISMA Workshop: Invasive Exotic Species and Management, 8:30 am to 3 pm ET, UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Office, 458 Highway 98 North, Okeechobee, FL 34972. Pesticide applicator CEUs and SAF CFEs pending. More details to come.
WEST FLORIDA (Jefferson County and west)
April 15	Citrus Canker Workshop, 6 pm CT, Tiger Point Community Center, 1370 Tiger Park Lane, Gulf Breeze, FL. Free event. Citizens can register by contacting Jennifer Reeves at jennifer.reeves@myfloridahouse.gov or (850) 916-5436 by April 11.
April 24	Tomatoes at Twilight Field Day, 4 to 6 pm CT, West Florida Research and Education Center, 4253 Experiment Road, Hwy 182, Jay FL 32565. Register at http://twilight-tomatoes.eventbrite.com
May 12-16	Tall Timbers GIS Workshop: Applied Geospatial Solutions in Natural Resources (link), Tall Timbers Research Station. See link for details.
May 14	Longleaf Pine Forest Restoration & Management Workshop (link to pdf flier), 8:30 am to 3:30 pm CT, Turkey Pond Ranch, Washington County. Presented by Apalachicola Regional Stewardship Alliance and Forest Stewardship Program. $10 includes lunch and materials. Details to come. Register at https://fsp-workshop051414.eventbrite.com or call Washington County Extension at (850) 638-6180
June 23-26	Tall Timbers GIS Workshop: Python Scripting and GIS Programming (link). Tall Timbers Research Station. See link for details.
WEBINARS
April - May	USDA Forest Service Rocky Mtn Research Station presents an Invasive Plants Webinar Series (link), see link for dates and details.
April 8	Webinar: Managing for Soil Health on Dryland - A Farmer's Perspective (link), 2 pm ET. See link for details.
April 9	Biomass Harvesting Sustainability Webinar Series: Opinions of forest managers, loggers and landowners in NC regarding biomass harvesting guidelines (link) , 12 pm ET. See link for details.
April 15	Webinar: On-Farm Food Safety and Conservation (link) , 3 pm ET. See link for details.
April 30	Webinar: Preparing a Seeding Plan for Conservation Practices (link), 2 pm ET. See link for details.
May 13	Webinar: Biomass Market Access Standards (BMAS) (link), 2 pm ET. See link for details.