Looking back/looking forward

By Jon Dain, NRLI Director

Each October the NRLI Project Team sits down to define the following year’s venues and issues. We look back at what we’ve done before, and forward to what makes sense in today’s Florida. We try to select a broad variety of options based on things like geographic location, level of contention, who is involved and what is at stake (note: these are but a few of the many criteria). The seven sessions we chose this year were quite different, but they had one thing in common - they offered important lessons about natural resources leadership. 

For the March session, we travelled to Live Oak to learn about the Suwanee River Partnership (SRP), a collaboration among farmers, scientists, environmentalists and government agencies that “leverages resource and relationships” to address challenging water quality and quantity issues in the Suwanee Basin. The SRP is something rare in Florida, a partnership that has endured for well over 20 years, through highs and lows, setbacks, and victories. How have they done this, how have they kept a complex partnership – complete with multiple and competing interests – together and moving forward all these years? 

During and after our Live Oak visit, a vague memory stirred in my mind - didn’t we discuss the Suwanee River Partnership when I went through NRLI back in 2004? The answer it turns out, was yes, we even stayed in Camp Weed! I recently located my old NRLI notebook, and in 2004 we did go to Live Oak, visiting the Shenandoah Dairy and a poultry farm, both members of the nascent SRP. Jerry Scarborough and Glenn Horvath, the Executive Director, and “Water Resources Projects Coordinator” respectively at the Suwanee River Water Management District, spoke to us about the partnership from their perspective. As did Darrell Smith, the SRP Coordinator at the time, and representatives from state agencies, the Florida Farm Bureau, and environmental groups. It was fascinating to read my 19-year-old notes and review the list of “keys to partnership success” that were collectively shared by the “stakeholders” we heard from. Their lessons-learned were prescient and, I think, timeless: Focus on building trust; find unifying issues; develop one-on-one relationships; involve stakeholders in decision-making; avoid pointing fingers; have a full-time coordinator; build on local pride and culture; accept that people are busy - participation will wax and wane; have a smaller, internal “working group” and a broader set of affiliated members who stay involved and participate when they can; take field trips… Among many other suggestions. I write “timeless” because much of this was echoed at our recent Live Oak session (two decades later) in comments made by those who spoke to us as they reflected on the keys to today’s SRP success. These strategies and practices work. The Suwanee River Partnership provides important lessons about collaboration and about natural resources leadership. Looking back/looking forward.

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Thanks to the UF IFAS Center for Public Issues Education for featuring NRLI's Director Jon Dain and exploring what leadership looks like in the agriculture and natural resource sectors!

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Partnerships for Problem Solving: A Lesson in Multi-Stakeholder Processes

By Michael Chase & Matt Posner, NRLI Class 22 Fellows

NRLI Class 22 is winding down, Session 7 – Agriculture, Conservation, and the Suwannee River Partnership in Live Oak was our last lesson in the field. The accommodations for this session, Camp Weed, took us back to the days of summer camp as youngsters. Bunking together in cabins, time spent by the fire pit, and sunsets over the lake. A peaceful finale to a long, rigorous curriculum of learning how to effectively collaborate to solve natural resource conflicts.

Our lesson this session focused on the multi-stakeholder process to pool resources and brainstorm ideas for problem solving, using the Suwannee River Partnership as an example. The Suwannee River Partnership is a collaboration of 23 individual groups working together to address nutrient reduction limits established in the Suwannee River Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP). The BMAP has established a target level for nitrogen reduction in the basin by 4,075,935 lb-N/yr within the next 10 years. Approximately 75% of the total nitrogen loading in the basin is from agricultural operations.

Fortunately, partners are working together like never before to adopt best management practices (BMPs) in order to meet the requirements of the Suwanee River BMAP. Initiatives include working with the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center to experiment, scale, and deploy new BMPs, and working with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Suwanee River Water Management District to fund “cost share” programs to advance BMP adoption by participating farmers.

The Fellows received a firsthand opportunity to experience some of the possibilities, and challenges, associated with traditional and organic farming during a trip to Grimmway Farms for an on-site visit with Logan, the farm manager. The discussion focused on the organic farming side of the Grimmway operation in north Florida. Her explanation of the differences between conventional and organic farming made the cost difference at the grocery store understandable. From the extra distance between rows to a careful balance of tilling, planting and crop rotation, to reduce pests and aesthetic flaws, organic farming is much more labor and time intensive.

It is important in a multi-stakeholder process to find partners with diverse backgrounds and views on the issues. As new members are introduced it is essential to establish an environment where everyone can participate and feel they are contributing. The Suwannee River Partnership accomplishes this with regularly scheduled field trips and social events to encourage active participation. One challenge identified early on is the fact that almost half of the Suwannee River basin is controlled by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, so Georgia DNR has a seat at the table. Nutrient loads in drainage basins are not a problem unique to the Suwannee River basin, so statewide agencies participate in the Partnership and are able to take the lessons learned through research and practice for and apply them throughout the state.

The Suwannee River Partnership has evolved from for a variety of reasons, but the goal of working together to solve a shared problem has been maintained. Perhaps the most impressive takeaway from our time with the Suwannee River Partnership was that, no matter who we talked to, everyone felt ownership in meeting the targets of the Suwannee River BMAP, and everyone has bought in to doing their part. Whether you chalk that up to just being a custom of working together in an agriculture community or whether that’s an outcome of the Partnership, it puts the vision of the Partnership in reach.

All good things must come to an end, and we are excited to join our Fellows and alumni in Gainesville later in the month to report out on our respective practicums and celebrate our last eight months together at the graduation. One thing is for sure, we are going to have a difficult time attending meetings without holding up the process to the light of what we have learned at NRLI.

Liza Bradford

Interim Chief Financial Officer, Florida Farm Bureau Federation

Liza has worked for Florida Farm Bureau Federation for over ten years. She is currently the Interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) where she manages the finances and investments for FFBF and affiliated companies and oversees FFBF’s for-profit entities: Florida Agricultural Marketing Association (FAMA) and Agriculture Education Services and Technology (AEST).



She and her husband Greg enjoy living on a property situated in Archer. They enjoy watching and listening to the various wildlife species who visit their property on a regular basis. When she is not working, she enjoys mowing her yard, spending time with her husband restoring cars, painting ceramics, and reading. 

Emily Ducker

Water Supply Office Chief, Suwannee River Water Management District

Emily Ducker joined the District as a Water Supply Planner in June 2018 and was promoted to her current role as a Water Supply Office Chief in August 2022. In this role, she manages the Water Supply Program and serves as the technical expert for the water supply planning and water use estimation process. She provides support for the maintenance and review of water use, population, projected demand growth, water conservation, and reuse estimates, engages with local and regional stakeholders to develop regional water supply plans, assists with the development of recovery and prevention strategy documents, and conveys water use information to the public.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in Environmental Sustainability with a focus on Science and Natural Resources and a minor in Meteorology. She then went on to attend Florida State University where she earned her master’s degree in Geography while studying tornadoes in Florida.

In her free time, Emily enjoys spending time with friends and family, being outside, traveling, and baking macarons and other tasty sweets.   

Vincent Encomio

Extension Agent, Florida Sea Grant, UF/IFAS

As a Florida Sea Grant Extension Agent Dr. Encomio develops educational programming related to coastal health, water quality, and environmental stewardship. He provides guidance to the community on “living shorelines,” shoreline restorations that use natural materials such as oysters, mangroves, marsh grasses, and seagrasses. He is involved in stormwater education efforts to encourage residents to adopt “estuary-friendly” practices to reduce the impacts of stormwater runoff and coordinates local community science programs to monitor and improve the health of the Indian River Lagoon. Vincent received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. from UC San Diego, San Francisco State University, and the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William and Mary, respectively.

In his spare time, Vincent enjoys spending time with his family at the beach and on annual family scalloping trips. He is an avid surfer and enjoys snorkeling, gardening, and walking his dogs when the waves are flat. 

Stephen Fulford

Farmer and Environmental Consultant with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Office of Agricultural Water Policy

Stephen operates Fulford 6 Farming Company LLC in Jefferson County with his wife Tracie. They produce peanuts, corn, soybeans, and cotton while also raising their 4 children on their multi-generational farm.

Stephen is a graduate of the University of Florida with a BS in Ag Operations Management and MS in Agronomy. He has been a consistent early adopter of conservation farming practices and received several recognitions to that affect. 

In 2020 Stephen also joined the FDACS-Office of Agricultural Water Policy implementing the Florida Ag-Best Management Practices Program where he works to help lead other farmers in the adoption of conservation practices. He has filled multiple rolls in his short time with the agency and is currently working as an Environmental Consultant for large scale agronomic crop producers in the Wacissa and Suwannee BMAP areas as well as advancing the development of the Field Staff training program for the Office.

When Stephen is not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and kids, either outdoors on their farm, travelling to new places, or backpacking in the mountains of Wyoming and North Carolina.

Eliana Bardi Senior Planner, Alachua County Environmental Protection Department

Liza Bradford Director of Finance, Florida Farm Bureau Federation 

Michael Chase Program Administrator, Florida Department of Environmental Protection 

Emily Ducker Water Supply Office Chief, Suwannee River Water Management District

Vincent Encomio Florida Sea Grant Agent, UF/IFAS Extension 

Stephen Fulford Environmental Manager, Florida Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services

Erika Henderson President, Tangelo Farms

Shelly Johnson State Specialized Agent, UF/IFAS Extension 

Amanda Kahn Lead Environmental Project Manager, South FL Water Management District 

Tiffany Lane Wildlife Biologist & Coastal Program Coordinator, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 

Brooke Langston Stormwater Projects Manager, Sarasota County

Jennifer Mitchell Environmental Scientist IV, St. Johns River Water Management District

Daniel Nelson Biologist IV, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

Joni Petry Environmental Administrator, Florida Department of Environmental Protection 

Matthew Posner Executive Director, Pensacola & Perdido Bays Estuary Program

Mark Rachal Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries Manager, Audubon Florida

India Riedel Finance Director, City of Okeechobee 

Daniel Roberts Environmental Specialist III, Peace River Manasota Regional Water Supply Authority 

Ashford Rosenberg Policy Director, Gulf of Mexico Reef Fish Shareholders' Alliance

Linda Sapp Extension Agent, College of Ag & Food Sciences, Florida A&M University

Brian Seymour Archaeologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Jared Smith Smith & Johns, Inc. 

Tommy Van Trees Captain Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission

Jay Vogel Operations & Environmental Services Manager, Natural Resource Planning Services, Inc.