It’s not uncommon for agriculture to get negative headlines in the media. In fact, it’s not hard for it to happen to anyone, specifically in the field of science communication.
Science is hard. It’s complicated, and there are many gray areas. And as someone who’s new to Florida, I wanted to dig into just how much of the fearmongering media headlines hold merit in this region, especially when those headlines point the fingers at farmers. Red tide? Lake Okeechobee? Is “big sugar” or “big dairy” really to blame? What are the facts vs. the myths? And is the water quality really as bad as they claim in South Florida?
Luckily, there is some really great research coming out of the region in regards to soil health, water quality, best management practices, and environmental protection overall.