February 2025 Meeting - Rod Greder - Soil

Speaker/Topic: Rod Greder - Soil

Meeting Date/Time: Monday, February 10, 2025 at 7pm.  

Location: Harlee Building/County Fairgrounds, 1303 17th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221

From the Program Committee 

Our February speaker will be Rod Greder, Ph.D., who recently retired as UF/IFAS Extension Agent at Sarasota County, specializing in Sustainable Agriculture. Raised on a 500-acre beef, corn and hay farm in Iowa, and he received his PhD in Plant Genetics from the University of Illinois. His work has varied from managing his 83-acre farm to conducting seed research. His current work focuses on designing products that make managing pasture-based livestock ranches more profitable, sustainable, and accessible. 

After living in Minnesota for 30 years, Dr Greder left his position at the University of Minnesota Extension program to work at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Extension in Sarasota. In his words: "Turning romance into reality is my mantra. I've worked with small farmers since 2015. I walked the talk for 14 years raising grass-fed beef and pastured poultry and produced 1 acre of fruits and vegetables on an 83-acre farm. We offer a Small Farm School, Beginning Farmer Incubator and an Apprenticeship program in Sarasota County. The classes give would-be farmers a chance to practice in the field, get advice on building a business plan, and have someone connect them with buyers and customers along the way.”

Dr. Greder will speak on Soil. 

January 2025 MRFC Meeting - Noris Ledesma - Growing the Perfect Mango in South Florida

What: MRFC Monthly Meeting - Noris Ledesma - What: Growing the Perfect Mango in South Florida

When: Monday January 13th, 2025 at 7pm

Where: Palma Sola Botanical Park, 9800 17th Ave NW, Bradenton, FL 34209

Please note that our January meeting will be held at Palma Sola Botanical Park, as our regular location is unavailable. Members are encouraged to bring a dish or a raffle plant if you can.

Our January Speaker

from the Program Committee

As happens every January, our regular meeting site at the Hardee Center will be unavailable due to preparations for the Manatee County Fair. So once again, we will meet at Palma Sola Botanical Park. We are told that starting in February, we will once again be able to meet at the Hardee Center.

Our January speaker will be distinguished mango and tropical fruit expert Noris Ledesma. She was Curator of Tropical Fruit at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden from 2000 to 2020, and since then has been Emeritus Curator. From 2020 to 2023, she served as President of the Florida State Horticultural Society. 

The author of many scientific and technical articles, Dr. Ledesma holds a Doctorate in Agricultural Economics from Humboldt University in Berlin, and a Masters Degree in Environmental Education from the University of Malaga in Spain. She has provided technical consultation to growers throughout the world.

Because of the considerable travel distance from Miami, her presentation will be via live interactive video stream. Her topic will be Growing The Perfect Mango In South Florida.

You can now pay 2025 dues (still only $12). Please click here for more information about dues and to pay online.  You may also pay with cash or check (made payable to MRFC) at this or a future meeting. If you are not sure whether you have paid yet, please check at the membership table at the meeting.