IFAS In Your Corner • November 6, 2024

by BRAD BUCK, UF/IFAS

photos by TYLER JONES, UF/IFAS 

For about 20 years, Colin Furness and his family have bred and raised miniature cattle and donkeys, and specialized in getting people started with their own herd of mini livestock. 

They raise registered Herefords, Florida Cracker cattle and a crossbreed they call “crackerfords.” They also run a herd of commercial cattle and sell pasture-raised beef directly to consumers throughout Central and Southwest Florida.

 About 10 years ago, Furness found the invasive tropical soda apple on their 75-acre farm, and he called Jonael Bosques, the director of UF/IFAS Extension Hardee County. Bosques got beetles for him as part of a plan to manage the noxious weed.

That was the beginning of a working relationship between the Furness family and UF/IFAS Extension that now includes preserving water quality and other environmental stewardship.

“Jona visited our farm and walked the pastures with us,” says Colin’s son, Dyllan, who co-owns the farm. “He introduced us to soil testing and shared ideas about ways to improve grazing practices. One of the ideas he suggested was to add cross fencing for rotational grazing of cattle.”

Then, with help from Bosques, the Furnesses worked with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to add fencing and solar wells through a cost-share program designed to improve water quality on farms like theirs. Fencing let them establish a rotational system and riparian buffer between their pastures and wetlands. 

“When we instituted rotational grazing, we were able to keep the cows out of the wetlands,” says Furness. 

That means the cattle’s waste doesn’t enter the water, so cleaner water is now coming from the farm and going down the Peace River to the Gulf of Mexico.

Recommendations from Bosques have given what Dyllan Furness calls a “holistic” feel to the farm – and resulted in numerous environmental improvements. One of those improvements is better water quality.

“Our family is concerned about conserving Florida’s environment,” Furness says. “That starts with being good stewards of the land and water. Seasonal and forested wetlands make up a good chunk of our property, where they provide habitat for wildlife and help recharge groundwater. They also improve water quality by slowing and filtering water as it flows off our farm. To promote the integrity of these wetlands, we wanted to exclude our livestock from these areas for most of the year.”

Every year or so, Bosques walks the ranch with Furness, who pays heed to Bosques’ science-based recommendations. By about his third visit – in the third year – Bosques started seeing improvements.

“Every time they call, we are ready to help. He and his family take ownership of our suggestions. Not everyone does that,” Bosques says. “I have seen a lot of improvements.”

It goes beyond better water. The Furness farm consists of a balanced ecosystem where wildlife and cattle thrive.

“You see the results of somebody that’s willing to implement what your recommendation is, and that’s been a pretty interesting process,” Bosques says.

He credits Dyllan Furness – and what he calls the “younger generation” — for taking responsibility for preserving the natural resources of his agricultural operation. 

“We want this farm to be here in production for 50 more years, at least, so that older generation has to have that mindset of sharing governance with the incoming generation,” Bosques says.

For a small, family farm, UF/IFAS Extension provides an invaluable service, Furness says.

“We have access to cutting-edge science,” says Furness, who, like many farmers these days, works at it part-time. During the week, he’s the director of communications for an ocean research institute.