EREC celebrates 100 years of agricultural research

Posted 2/14/23

The Everglades Research & Education Center (EREC) celebrated their centennial on Feb. 10.

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EREC celebrates 100 years of agricultural research

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BELLE GLADE – The Everglades Research & Education Center (EREC) celebrated their centennial on Feb. 10. For more than 100 years, EREC has worked with farmers to feed the nation.

EREC was established in 1921, but the official celebration was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 1921, the State of Florida enacted legislation to build an agricultural experiment station in the Everglades to study the unique issues of farming in the rich, muck soil. Construction of the station began in 1923.    In 1924, the first experimental plantings included grasses, forage crops, fruit trees, pineapples, corn, rice and sugar cane.

“The interaction between this center and the agriculture industry goes back 100 years,” said Scott Angle, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services (UF/IFAS) senior vice president.

“Once in a while agriculture gets targeted,” said Angle. “A number of years ago, there was a perception that agriculture was contributing to the degradation of water quality,” he explained.

“The scientists stepped up, understood what could be done and how to do it,” he said. Thanks to the partnership of UF/IFAS, the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and the farmers, best management practices (BMPs) were implemented and stormwater treatment areas built to reduce the phosphorus content in the runoff. While the original goal was a 25% percent reduction in phosphorus, the farmers were able to achieve an average annual reduction of 57% reduction in removing nutrients from water leaving the fields.

“Agriculture will always step up and do their part with the best science available,” he said.

In the early days of research, EREC found a copper deficiency was a problem for crops in the EAA. While the rich organic muck soil contains copper, it is bound to the organic material and is difficult for plants to access.

“If that had not been corrected, we would not see the yields we do today,” said Angle.

The discovery that micronutrients such as copper, manganese and zinc were needed to improve crop yields made the difference for food production in the EAA.

“Once in a while, we are attacked by those who don’t understand agriculture,” Angle said. “They don’t understand the risk we take to grow food for them.”

Jim Shine, EREC Advisory Committee Share, said in the 1920s, the economy of Florida was going through a real estate boom. Residential properties were being bought and sold – sometimes several times in one day.

When the Great Depression hit, the agriculture industries kept the Florida economy alive, he said. “Agriculture was the leading reason Florida survived the Depression.”

Over the years, improvements were made to develop varieties of corn and lettuce and other crops better suited to the muck.  Thanks to the research, corn yields doubled. Improvements were also made to the equipment used to plant and harvest crops, reducing the number of workers needed in the fields.

In 1956, Emil Wolf initiated a breeding program that developed a sweet corn hybrid that stayed sweet longer in shipping, which was more popular with consumers.

The 1970s brought the “dawn of modern environmentalism,” said Shine. “Integrated pest management (IPM) became a thing.”

In the 1970s, soil subsidence became a worrisome topic, he continued. If allowed to dry out, the muck soil in the EAA oxidizes. EREC developed water-tolerant rotation crops such as rice to reduce the risk of soil loss.

In the 1980s, following problems with freezes, the citrus industry moved south. Hendry County overtook Polk County for the highest number of citrus trees.

The 1980s also brought problems with algal blooms on Lake Okeechobee. Farmers were blamed as “the problem” he said. The Everglades Forever Act required BMPs focused on phosphorus.

“Farming generally was under attack by small group of activists – a small but very loud group of activists, some very wealthy,” he said.

“Clearly famers were misunderstood,” Shine continued.  EREC developed a program in which students shared their agriculture roots. For example, after farmers were accused of impacting wildlife, a study found diversity of wildlife in the EAA exceeded that of the Loxahatchee Refuge.

Over the years, the EREC has attracted international attention. Most recently, the barn owl program has bird lovers and researchers all over the world. Nest boxes for the barn owls are placed on poles in the sugar cane. The owls provide natural rodent control for the fields.

Shine said an economic impact study found that every $1 invested in agricultural research returns $10 to the economy of the state.

“UF/IFAS is committed to having the best research and applied science in the U.S.,” said Rob Gilbert, UF/IFAS dean of research. “Plant breeding is a major strength.

He said as the scientists develop new varieties of plants, the growers come and help them choose the selections that will go forward.

He said UF/IFAS is currently developing artificial intelligence (AI) applications for precision agriculture. For example, AI can be used for precision weed control to eliminate weeds before they spread.

Invasion Science is also important in Florida, he continued. “Florida stands out like a landing strip for all these invasive species,” he said. These invasive species may be agricultural pests and/or bring diseases with them.

“Invasion Science will help identify invasive species before they get here and target them.”

EREC, sugar, corn, UF/IFAS

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