Archbold’s Buck Island Ranch held its second annual Environmental Stewardship Field Day this past November. The goal of Environmental Stewardship Field Day is to share the research findings from Archbold’s Buck Island Ranch with the community to promote stewardship practices, while also gaining insight into the type of information and knowledge the community wants to receive from Archbold. The field day was co-sponsored by Alltech and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

More than 70 people attended the event, as Archbold researchers, staff and interns hosted more than 40 attendees from a range of backgrounds, including local ranches, agroindustry, non-profits, and government agencies. The Field Day started at the Learning Center at Archbold Biological Station. Information booths with posters, handouts and interactive displays allowed participants to meet informally to discover mutual interests and share ideas.

Topics included using drones to map woody encroachment, challenges to improving soil health in ranchlands, wildlife conservation on ranchlands, and techniques to improve water quality flowing from ranches. One participant shared that they learned “environmental stewardship comes in many forms, and it takes all avenues to make a ranch sustainable.”

Four presentations finished off the morning session. Participants heard from Archbold scientists and collaborators about using cover crops to improve soil water quality, management actions to remove nutrients from water runoff, and a guide for ranchers to be involved in carbon markets.

David Royal, an Archbold research collaborator from The Nature Conservancy, remarked, “Ranchers want to be the best stewards of the land, as they know the land is what takes care of them. Research on cover crops equips growers with another tool in the toolbox to help Best Management Practices. Allowing ranchers to visit these research sites builds interests and leads to good discussions.”

After a steak lunch, provided by Buckhead Meat, the Field Day finished up with a swamp buggy tour of the different experimental pastures at Buck Island Ranch. Participants saw examples of structures that help control water flow to aid in nutrient retention. Later in the tour, the group got out of the buggies to walk around a pasture planted with Sunn hemp, a cover crop that was still blooming with bright yellow flowers and covered the pasture. The swamp buggies drove past different pasture types, allowing the group to visually compare a mostly Bahia grass planted pasture with a semi-native pasture.

Agroecology Director Dr Betsey Boughton shared, “We had a great day sharing information and showing the research taking place at Buck Island Ranch. I am thankful to the participants for their thoughtful questions and their contagious enthusiasm for environmental stewardship.”