Twenty-six local farmers who help protect the environment were recognized for their efforts as part of the County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) program on June 25. Coggins Farms of Hamilton County was among those recognized.

The Florida Farm Bureau and the Suwannee River Partnership created CARES to highlight efforts by farm owners to improve natural resource management in the Suwannee and Santa Fe river basins.

At the event, held at the Dwight Stansel Farm and Nursery in Suwannee County, CARES farmers were recognized and congratulated by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson and Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick.

The event drew hundreds of folks, including farmers, local officials and others from both the Suwannee and Santa Fe river basins.

Before supper was served, some participants sat on bales of hay and listened to a local band, while others enjoyed tasty appetizers, including boiled peanuts, corn on the cob and fried gator tail. Members of the partnership manned the dinner line, serving up steak, brisket, pulled pork and barbecued chicken, all donated by local growers and producers.

Kelly Philman, a farmer who was recognized this year, spoke in favor of the program.

“We need to not only protect our water resources, but need to let people know outside the farm that we are doing our best,” said Philman, of Gilchrist County. “We want to let the public know that we are taking care of the land and we are protecting our resources.”

CARES farmers are committed to improving the environment by implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs). BMPs help conserve water and reduce nitrate pollution in groundwater that can result from animal wastes and from fertilizers that aren’t applied properly.

The following were recognized at the 9th Annual CARES dinner : Timmy and Mickey Tuten, Madison; Coggins Farms, Hamilton; Michael Dukes, Union; David Echeverria, Levy; Gary Jones, Dixie; Jack Meeks, Levy; John Parrish, Levy; Roland Parrish, Union; Kelly Philman, Gilchrist; Don Spradley, Columbia; James Tallman, Bradford; Big Trees Plantation, Inc., Alachua; Bud and Judy O’Quinn, Columbia; Ross, James and William Terry, Columbia; Bryan and Wendi Jennings, Columbia; John and Donna Risoli, Madison; Corrence Fields, Madison; Jerry and Vicki Fletcher, Madison; Jesse and Beulah Cone, Madison; Paul and Almera Blount, Madison; Mike and Debra Knowles, Madison; W.H. and Emogene Fletcher, Madison; Henry and Tanya Terry, Madison; Irma and Fidenacio Torres, Madison; Harold and Troy Platt, Madison; and Howard Mobley, Suwannee.

For more information about the CARES program, call the Suwannee River Partnership at 386-362-0431. You may also call your county Farm Bureau office or Scot Eubanks, Florida Farm Bureau Federation, at 352-384-2633.