Agricultural Assistance Team

The District’s Agriculture Team is available to help agricultural producers with permitting and compliance issues, best management practices (BMPs), and cost-share opportunities. The team consists of District staff from both the Regulatory Services and Resource Management divisions, with a variety of expertise, who are ready to partner with the agricultural community to manage and protect the water and natural resources of the Florida Panhandle.

Permitting Assistance

Since 1992, the District has offered a program where regulatory staff would meet with members of the agriculture industry–farmers, ranchers, and tree farmers–to help explain the regulatory programs that might affect their day-to-day operations, including Water Use, Well Construction, Environmental Resource, and other surface water project permits.

These meetings serve a dual purpose: to help the agricultural community understand the permits that might be required for their activities and how to obtain them, while also helping the District provide protection for nearby water and natural resources.  By proactively engaging the agricultural community and individual farmers and ranchers before they apply for permits, during the permit and permit modification processes, and in complying with permit requirements, the AgTeam will assist growers throughout all aspects of District permitting.

Best Management Practices and Cost-Shares

The Ag Team also helps farmers identify ways to improve practices to reduce water use and improve water quality through reduced fertilizer use, including through the services of the Mobile Irrigation Lab and implementing innovative programs such as Sod-Based Crop Rotation.

Ag Team Contacts

Gary Chew
Mobile Irrigation Laboratory, sod-based crop rotation, cost-share grant programs
Gary.Chew@nwfwater.com
(850) 509-7056

Case Pilcher
Mobile Irrigation Laboratory, sod-based crop rotation, cost-share grant programs
Case.Pilcher@nwfwater.com
(850) 510-9358

Cindy Fishler
Consumptive uses of water, crop water needs
Hari.Parasu@nwfwater.com
(850) 539-5999

Tom Brown
Well construction
Tom.Brown@nwfwater.com
(850) 539-5999

Dana Palermo
Silviculture Best Management Practices, Wetland identification, 40A-44 guidance
Dana.Palermo@nwfwater.com
(850) 951-4660