Florida citrus grower Glenn Beck and Griffin Fertilizer’s Rob Watson are recognized for their efforts in nutrient stewardship.
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Award recipients have been announced, and among the five pairs of growers and fertilizer retailer recipients from around the U.S. are a local pair: Glenn Beck, a citrus grower located in Windermere Florida, and Griffin Fertilizer’s Rob Watson. Awarded by The Fertilizer Institute every year, the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Award recognizes farmers and partner fertilizer retailers who are utilizing the 4Rs in their operations. Explore the details, and meet the Florida citrus grower, below.
Details of the Florida Citrus Grower
Glenn Beck and Beck Brothers Citrus, Inc. has worked closely with Rob Watson, a sales team member at Griffin Fertilizer. The company comprises 7,500 acres of citrus in seven counties: Orange, Lake, Osceola, Polk, Hardee, Highlands, and Okeechobee. President Glenn Beck and Vice President Mark Beck are brothers who manage the family-owned citrus operation together. The company started with the brothers’ father, George Beck, who started planting citrus in the 1950s.
The brothers were well-versed in the importance of fertilizer in citrus from a young age as George Beck was the fertilizer operations manager at the former South Lake Apopka Citrus Growers Cooperative. “Beck Bros. has been a leader within the Florida Citrus Industry for many advancements and changes to the way fertilizer is applied and utilized by Florida citrus growers,” wrote Rob Watson in the nomination letter he wrote for Beck Brothers.
The company’s focus on the 4Rs is all-encompassing. Beck Brothers Citrus offers a full-service citrus management program for citrus grove owners including, fertilization, spraying, herbicide application, irrigation, mowing, scouting and crop marketing assistance, according to Watson. They take soil and leaf tissue samples to guide fertilizer formulations used in the six applications made in a year. Additionally, groves managed by Beck Brothers also participate in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Best Management Practices (BMP) program. Furthermore, at certain times the company utilizes a liquid fertilizer injected into a microsprinkler irrigation system to apply fertilizer right to the root zone.
In a citrus industry dealing with citrus greening, the ideal use of fertilizers is more important than ever.
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Award
The 4R Nutrient Stewardship Award is given to those farmers and fertilizer retailer recipients who are “implementing innovative and sustainable 4R fertilizer management practices on the farm to increase production and reduce their environmental impact.
Winning the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Award includes an awards banquet hosted by The Fertilizer Institute at the 2018 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California, representing the 4R program during the Commodity Classic tradeshow, being part of The Fertilizer Institute’s efforts to promote fertilizer management practices at farm field days and in conference panels, and speaking on behalf of 4Rs to other farmers.
Griffin Fertilizer is proud to work in conjunction with such a company so dedicated to the 4Rs, citrus, and the environment.
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.
