John Stickles of Florida Pacific Farms in Dover is one of the farmers trying out new industrial scale frost blankets that cover up entire fields.
DOVER, Florida -- They've been farming strawberries near Plant City for close to 100 years and when temperatures dip close to freezing, farmers use ground water to spray a protective igloo-like layer of ice over their plants. The technique has kept farmers in business for nearly a half century, but is increasingly putting stress on the Florida ground water supply, which in turn causes sinkholes.
During the record breaking 11-day freeze event of 2010, farmers in the area around Plant City and Dover used so much water and drew the ground water supply so low, local water officials blamed as many as 140 sinkholes on the event, promoting a new focus on the importance of water conservation during peak usage events.
The South West Florida Water Management District, after consulting with farmers and local residents, drew up a local freeze event plan for the area with the goal of reducing the amount of ground pumping by 20 percent over the next decade. They're encouraging farmers to try some new methods for protecting their crops other than coating them with water.
John Stickles of Florida Pacific Farms in Dover is one of the farmers trying out new industrial scale frost blankets that cover up entire fields. The massive blankets are just as effective as water, but are expensive to purchase and take lots of manpower to put on and take off.
"We're trying to figure out the economics of it all," said Stickles, who has the blankets covering about 20 percent of his 100-acre farm.
SWFWMD is helping to provide funding to farmers willing to try new techniques, which also include frost prevention fans and water reclamation pounds. They're also installing better real-time underground water level sensors to make sure farmers don't drain the aquifer too quickly.
The end goal is to prevent many of the costly sinkholes in the area while protecting the farming industry that's thrived in the area for so many years.
Stickles is confident farmers are making strides in the right direction to protect the environment, surrounding property, and their precious crops.