Florida Agriculture March 2013 | Page 11

1 ) FFB President John Hoblick welcomed the commodity groups to Gainesville and thanked them for their dedication and time .
2 ) Frankie Hall , Ag Policy director , reviews the conference agenda .
3 ) Jaime Jerrels , assistant director for Ag Policy , provides a state policy update to members .
4 ) Darrell Smith , assistant director , state Office of Ag Water Policy , highlights available resources to improve public awareness of agriculture ’ s successes .
5 ) Jeff Manley , manager of the Rock Ranch , shares his story of growing an agritourism business and described Chick-fil-A ’ s “ second mile ” service model .
6 ) Southern Farm Bureau Banner .
7-10 ) Commodity groups brainstorm priority issues .
11 ) Matt Erickson , AFBF economist , provided an outlook into the economy , focusing on the drought , the energy outlook and the federal budget .
12 ) Rod Land , FFB state board treasurer and Lafayette County Farm Bureau president , addresses the audience .
13 ) Janell Hendren , FFB national affairs coordinator , interacts with commodity members .
most important long-range issue facing Florida and agriculture is a key stakeholder in protecting the state ’ s water resources . He commended members that implement Best Management Practices ( BMPs ) and encouraged them to share their successes . He praised Florida Farm Bureau ’ s CARES program for recognizing farms that apply BMPs . More than 3.4 million acres of agricultural land are enrolled in BMPs statewide . “ We have a good story to tell and we must continue sharing these successes
to create a positive public perception ,” said Smith .
The day concluded with a presentation by Jeff Manley , general manager of The Rock Ranch in The Rock , Ga . Manley interjected humor as he shared anecdotes of turning a 1250-acre cattle ranch into an agritourism destination . The farm , owned by Chick-fil-A ® founder S . Truett Cathy , is grounded by a vision of “ uniting families with the land and each other .”
Manley motivated attendees as he shared Chick-fil-A ’ s
“ second mile ” service – a business model that encourages employees to always exceed expectations . “ When employees go the second mile , we are creating memories and stories for our customer to tell ,” said Manley .
Manley encouraged all property owners interested in pursuing agritourism to tell their story . “ If you have a farm , people want to
experience what you have and want to pay you for it ,” explained Manley .
In 2012 , nearly 89,000 visitors experienced The Rock Ranch . Popular attractions include zip lines , train rides , a themed corn maze , a petting zoo , a pumpkin cannon , cane pole fishing , pony rides , hay rides , hot air balloon rides and Conestoga wagons . For more information on The Rock Ranch , visit http :// therockranch . com /. •

March 2013 | FLORIDAGRICULTURE 11