Madeline Mellinger is an innovator in the field of integrated pest management and sustainable systems production who has dedicated more than 50 years to Florida agriculture. As a business owner, scientist and mentor, she has contributed greatly to the agricultural industry and to the development of its next generation of growers.
Madeline Mellinger founded Glades Crop Care Inc. in 1972. She remains its CEO today. Through her business, Madeline has changed the way farmers in Florida approach pest and disease control. Among other achievements, her work showed producers that they could shift from calendar-based to need-based pesticide application, saving farmers money and reducing negative environmental impact while assuring high quality harvests. As a result, Glades Crop Care Inc. was selected as a founding supporter of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program.
Madeline’s expertise benefitted several organizations. She has served as an advisor to the U.S. Congress, National Academy of Sciences, the Environmental Protection Agency, the federal and state Extension Service and various universities. Beginning in 1992, she was appointed by three U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture to the National Sustainable Agriculture Advisory Council. She is a Farm Foundation Fellow and Past President of the National Alliance of Crop Consultants and the Florida Ag Council.
Madeline has also contributed to our state’s agricultural industry by tirelessly advocating for the land-grant system. Since 1997, she has served as a University of Florida delegate to the Council for Agriculture Research, Extension and Teaching (CARET) of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. She also served as the liaison to the Extension Committee on Policy and the National Association of Counties.
Madeline is also well known for her passion and support for the development of young professionals within the agricultural industry. She is recognized among her peers for her work as a mentor to women seeking to become agricultural leaders and for the establishment of the Foundation of Environmental Agriculture Education, which funds scholarships for students who major in crop production or related fields. She is called the Godmother of the University of Florida Doctor of Plant Medicine program for her efforts in starting and supporting that unique program.
Repeatedly recognized for her service, Madeline has been named Florida’s Woman of the Year in Agriculture, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Outstanding Extension Volunteer, UF/IFAS Friend of IFAS, the National Association of County Agricultural Agents’ Outstanding Agriculturalist, and one of Florida Trend’s Florida 500: Florida’s Most Influential Business Leaders. She has also been inducted into the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative Research and Extension Services Hall of Fame.
