Putting things into Perspective

Abstract

plots on the north side of Gainesville will be relocated there. However, the Envirotron and its attendant research green will remain on campus. The G.C. Horn name will move to the new location. Turf and Ornamentals were one of the first commodity groups to commit to the move, giving us a prime plot of 40 to 50 acres. The strategy is to consolidate UF/IFAS's many far-flung research facilities into a few manageable , efficient, and first-rate centers. The Gainesville campus continues to sprawl from increased enrollment , making it too crowded and impractical to continue the many small and diverse research areas. Furthermore, many of the smaller off-campus plots and stations have become "unsustainable" because of inadequate funding for maintenance. The operative words are "deferred maintenance," meaning the research and education centers are never given enough state funding to maintain their facilities, such as fix the roofs and air conditioners. While the events of Sept. 11 caused our governor to slash the IFAS budget about another $8 million this year, the truth is that IFAS has been squeezed by all the Legislatures since 1987. The bottom line is that Florida's politics are now controlled by urbanites elected by urbanites who have no understanding or appreciation for agriculture, the green industry, or natural resources. We have worked hard over the years to show our industry's support of UF/IFAS research, only to have state support continue to diminish, and many programs to erode instead of advance. Perhaps our main thrust should be political activism to educate the urbanites about the value of IFAS programs to the green industry and to the protection of our natural resources-the primary reason people move to or visit Florida. But I digress. The Pine Acres presentation was well received by those company representatives who attended. It was a soft sell approach meant to introduce the plans and put out feelers for support rather than to solicit a defined commitment. IFAS Vice Presid :nt Mike Martin gave a superb presentation, supported by Dr. Terril Nell and several of the UF turf faculty, using an excellent video developed just for this presentation, with a take-home folder of pertinent info about IFAS and the turf program. I give the effort an "A," but I've been at this long enough to be optimistically cautious when people are asked to reach for their wallets. I know that some in our industry are …