Commissioner Wilton Simpson Awards $25M in Funding to Support Agricultural Water Resource Projects

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced awards for $25 million in grant funding through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' (FDACS) Agricultural Regional Projects Program, a key initiative to support regional, collaborative agricultural water resource solutions that improve water quality and quantity. Beyond nutrient reductions and water conservation, the funded projects will also enhance wetlands, improve wildlife habitat, and strengthen agricultural sustainability in the Middle and Lower Suwannee River Basin and the Lake Okeechobee Basin.

"Protecting Florida's water resources is essential to our state's future, and Florida's farmers, ranchers, and growers are central to that mission," said Commissioner Wilton Simpson. "By funding large-scale, regional projects that are rooted in sound science and real-world practices, we're proving that environmental stewardship and agricultural productivity go hand in hand."

Championed by Commissioner Wilton Simpson and led by FDACS's Office of Agricultural Water Policy, the Agricultural Regional Projects Program supports collaborative water resource solutions that address nonpoint source pollution from agriculture. By partnering with agricultural producers, water management districts, local governments, educational institutions, and conservation groups, the program helps implement innovative, large-scale projects that protect and restore Florida's water resources.

The following projects have been approved for funding:

Middle and Lower Suwannee River Basin BMAP:

Full Circle Dairy
The Full Circle Dairy project is designed to reduce nutrient loading and conserve groundwater through a series of infrastructure improvements. These include the construction of a large waste storage pond, partial lane coverings at the dairy, and a pipeline extension to Lee Peanut Farms for wastewater reuse on existing irrigation pivots. The project is expected to reduce nitrogen loading by at least 16,245 pounds annually and conserve approximately 23.6 million gallons of groundwater each year.

North Florida Dairies
This project, located near Bell, FL, in the Middle Suwannee River watershed, focuses on reducing nutrient loading and conserving groundwater through infrastructure improvements. The project will confine heifers and young stock currently on pasture, relocate animals from outdoor paddocks to new barns, convert freshwater irrigation pivots to wastewater application areas, and transform pastures into spray fields. These changes are estimated to reduce nitrogen loading by approximately 16,496 pounds annually and conserve about 11.3 million gallons of groundwater per year.

Shenandoah Dairy
The Shenandoah Dairy Project in Gilchrist County aims to reduce nitrogen loading to regional groundwater through a series of infrastructure upgrades. These include construction of a 17-million-gallon wastewater storage pond, a new freestall barn to house 600-900 heifers currently on pasture and upgraded wastewater pumps and solids separation screens. The project will convert 187 acres of pasture to low-intensity hay fields, optimize wastewater application timing, and improve nutrient management. The upgrades are estimated to reduce nitrogen loading by approximately 13,907 pounds annually and enhance water conservation and solids handling efficiency across the facility.

Southern Cross Organics and Energy, LLC
The Southern Cross Organics & Energy, LLC Dairy Project, located near O'Brien, FL, involves infrastructure upgrades to expand wastewater storage and land application capacity. These improvements will enhance nutrient and water management by aligning wastewater application with crop needs, significantly reducing nitrogen leaching and water use. The project is expected to reduce nitrogen loads by 1,593 lbs per year while saving an estimated 37 million gallons of groundwater per year.

Suwannee River Water Management District
This project targets improved water and fertilizer efficiency by removing end guns from existing center pivot systems within the Santa Fe River Basin and the Middle and Lower Suwannee River Basin, both priority watersheds with interconnected groundwater and surface water resources. Eliminating end guns reduces overspray and evaporation, leading to more uniform irrigation and fertilizer application, lower water use, and improved water quality by reducing nitrogen loads by 205,955 lbs per year. The project also promotes conservation by demonstrating precision irrigation practices and encouraging broader adoption among local producers.

Lake Okeechobee Basin BMAP:

Evans Properties
This project will convert 342 acres in the S-191 Basin (Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough, Northern Everglades) into six interconnected storage and treatment basins that capture, store, and treat excess flows from Taylor Creek before controlled return. Integrating existing pumps and new control structures and berms, the system will provide about 1,600 acre-feet of annual storage and reduce nutrients by an estimated 830 lbs of total phosphorus and 3,450 lbs of total nitrogen per year. Operating over a 10-year term, the project stabilizes hydrology, improves downstream water quality, supports BMAP targets, and delivers cost-effective, adaptive restoration benefits for the Lake Okeechobee Watershed.

Lykes Brothers Inc. - Harney Pond
Harney Pond is a proposed water storage and treatment project on Lykes Ranch in Glades and Highlands Counties. Located eight miles north of Lakeport, FL, the project proposes to pump water into the project from the adjacent Harney Pond Canal (also known as the C-41 Canal) upstream of Water Control Structure S-70. The pumped water will be routed through multiple treatment cells, and then the treated water will be returned to the canal downstream of S-70. Harney Pond would add a fifth project to the Lykes Ranch's other successful and proven Dispersed Water Management projects. This project estimates annual reductions in nitrogen of 126,159 lbs and 28,693 lbs of phosphorus.

Cypress Chapter Inc of the Izaak Walton League of America
This project employs innovative, precision methods to remove legacy phosphorus and nitrogen from Lake Okeechobee by extracting unconsolidated muck and invasive water hyacinths without disturbing the natural lake bottom. On-barge processing creates a nutrient-rich slurry that is pumped to upland hay fields and applied at agronomic rates, with hay bales barcoded to quantify nutrient extraction. A closed-loop water polishing system captures and measures return flows before discharge back to the lake. Together, these actions improve lake water quality, recycle nutrients to enhance soil health and forage quality, reduce irrigation demand, and expand regional impact. Estimates project total nitrogen reduction at 373,467 lbs per year and total phosphorus reduction at 18,673 lbs per year.

South Florida Water Management District
The Taylor Creek/Nubbin Slough 214 Storage and Treatment Project is a 77-acre Hybrid Wetland Treatment Technology (HWTT) facility planned for the S-191 Basin in the Lake Okeechobee Watershed, a Priority 1 Targeted Restoration Area. Originally designed as a stormwater diversion project, it was re-envisioned to incorporate HWTT for greater nutrient removal efficiency. The facility will treat nutrient-impaired waters from Williamson Ditch and Taylor Creek using a combination of pump stations, contact and settling ponds, and aquatic vegetation systems. Once operational, it is expected to remove approximately 13,956 pounds of total phosphorus and 34,413 pounds of total nitrogen annually.

For more information about Commissioner Simpson and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FDACS.gov.

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