Rural Recharge

Our guest joining us today are Mrs. Staci Sims and Mrs. Liza Bradford. Mrs. Sims serves as the COO of Florida Farm Bureau, and Mrs. Liza Bradford serves as the CFO of Florida Farm Bureau. Our conversation today will detail how they advance the Voice Of Ag in their roles at Florida Farm Bureau Federation.

Visit FloridaFarmBureau.org to learn how you can get involved in Florida Agriculture.

Our guest today is Mr. Zippy Duvall, a farmer from Georgia, a family man and has served as president of the American Farm Bureau Federation since 2016. He is a third-generation farmer. Prior to being elected AFBF president, he was president of the Georgia Farm Bureau and served on the AFBF board of directors. In 1987, he also served on the AFBF board as Young Farmer Committee chair. He has helped defeat misguided regulations, shepherd new trade agreements, and make certain farmers and ranchers are supported through natural disasters and the ongoing impacts of supply chain disruptions and inflationary pressures.

Visit FloridaFarmBureau.org to learn how you can get involved in Florida Agriculture.

Our guest joining us today is Mr. Scott Kirouac, a longtime friend of Florida Farm Bureau and a strong advocate for agriculture. Mr. Kirouac serves on the Highlands County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and received a Distinguished Service Award in 2023. Scott Kirouac successfully founded and runs a non-profit organization called "Ag Angels".

Visit FloridaFarmBureau.org to learn how you can get involved in Florida Agriculture.

Our guest joining us today is Mr. Jim Alderman, an organic vegetable farmer in South Florida. Mr. Alderman is unique in that most of his farm is certified organic and most of the produce stays local within the state of Florida. Mr. Alderman is a long-time friend of Farm Bureau and our 2025 Florida Farm Bureau Farmer of the Year.

Visit FloridaFarmBureau.org to learn how you can get involved in Florida Agriculture.

Our guest joining us today is Mr. Ryan Jenkins, a 4th generation row crop farmer from the edge of Florida in Santa Rosa County. If you've run across any of Jenkins' Farm social media you can see how important this industry and way of life is to Mr. Jenkins. In 2020 he won the Florida Farm Bureau Federation Volunteer Communicator Award, and he is still going strong being a Voice of Ag. Ryan, thank you for being with us today.

Visit FloridaFarmBureau.org to learn how you can get involved in Florida Agriculture.

Our guest joining us today is Ms. Carrie Baker, a Ph. D. Candidate at the University of Florida Department of Agricultural Education and Communication. Ms. Baker is part of a fourth generation farming family, specializing in cattle and row crops. The topic of mental health in the farming community is personal to Carrie and she hopes to see her family and Florida Agriculture thrive for years to come.

Visit FloridaFarmBureau.org to learn how you can get involved in Florida Agriculture.

Kelly Aue, Suwannee River Partnerships Outreach Coordinator, joins President Jeb Smith on the newest episode of Rural Recharge. The Suwannee River Partnership works to address water quantity and quality issues in the Suwannee and Santa Fe river basin. Kelly's role in accomplishing that goal includes managing funding partners, stakeholder groups, and comunicating through various means to the public about the partnership. Ms. Aue works out of the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Live Oak and is a huge part in planning our annual Suwannee CARES event.

Visit FloridaFarmBureau.org to learn how you can get involved in Florida Agriculture.

Kevin Lussier, AFBF Young Farmers & Ranchers Chair, joins President Jeb S. Smith on the newest episode of Rural Recharge. Lussier owns and operates Hawthorne Dairy in Alachua County. In 2021, Lussier and his wife, Shelby, were the Florida Farm Bureau Achievement in Agriculture state winners. In this episode, Lussier shares his journey to becoming a dairy farmer, his involvement with the Florida Farm Bureau YF&R leadership group, his national involvement with American Farm Bureau and current issies he sees young farmers facing.

Visit FloridaFarmBureau.org to learn how you can get involved in Florida agriculture.

Our guests for today are a father-son duo, Mr. Woody and Mr. Jacob Larson, owners of Larson Dairy Inc. in Okeechobee, Florida. The farm has a rich story of sustainability, recently partnering with Brightmark Energy Inc. on a renewable natural gas project. The Larsons are innovators in the Florida dairy industry, embracing technology and cutting-edge management practices.

Visit FloridaFarmBureau.org to learn how you can get involved in Florida agriculture.

We are excited to have another dual-guest episode this month. May is Beef Month and resident Florida Beef expert Deanne Maples joins us as well as the 2023-2024 Florida Cattlemen's Association Sweet heart, Whitnie Yoder. We hope you enjoy this great episode on the importance of beef marketing.

Visit FloridaFarmBureau.org to learn how you can get involved in Florida agriculture.