Dr. Elver Hodges is known for his pioneering research in the area of cattle forage.  During his 39 years as an agronomist at the University of Florida’s Range Cattle Research and Education Center in Ona, he helped develop new and improved forage plants for South Florida’s cattle industry. Hodges was born in 1912 on a...

For 39 years Dallas Townsend worked as an agent with the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service.  He spent his long career making sure that Southwest Florida farmers and ranchers reaped the benefits of the latest agricultural research. Townsend was born in Fort Myers in 1939.  He studied agriculture at the University of Florida, earning...

Dr. Paul Nicoletti is a veterinarian and epidemiologist who spent the bulk of his career with the USDA and the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Nicoletti made a lasting contribution to Florida agriculture by improving the procedures used to control bovine brucellosis, or Bang’s disease. He is an internationally recognized authority on bovine...

Dr. Eugene Trotter was a professor and the founder of the Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Florida. He served as director of the institute for 12 years, from 1992 to 2004, helping to train scores of young leaders. Graduates of the institute include a state senator, a deputy...

Dr. Joseph Orsenigo was a well-known research scientist and professor of plant physiology at the University of Florida’s Everglades Research and Education Center.  From 1957 to 1975, he headed up the center’s research program in weed science, developing environmentally safe herbicide programs for sugarcane and vegetable crops. Orsenigo was born in 1922 in Berryville, New...

Dr. J. Wayne Reitz The late Dr. J. Wayne Reitz was an agricultural economist, teacher, university administrator, and international consultant during his long and distinguished career. He was a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Florida for 10 years before working for the United Growers and Shippers Association in Orlando. While with the...

Dr. John Mortensen moved to Florida in 1960 to join the University of Florida’s Central Florida Research and Education Center. During a 30-year career at the center, he left an indelible mark on Florida agriculture through his grape-related research. As a geneticist, Mortensen’s research resulted in the development of grape varieties in Florida’s climate. His...