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Jerry Davis Named Northwest Florida Agriculture Innovator of the Year

Jerry Davis of Escambia and Santa Rosa counties has been selected as the Northwest Florida Agriculture Innovator of the Year.

Davis has been at the forefront of agricultural success in Santa Rosa and Escambia counties for many years. He has been a very progressive leader in many movements to improve farming techniques throughout the state. He comes from a farming family, growing soybeans and wheat in his youth.

The family tradition of farming continues to this day as his wife Patty, and daughter Caitlynn have been very active in the farming operation that has included cotton, peanuts, wheat, corn, soybeans, vegetables, livestock and other crops.  Early on, Davis designed a seed conditioning plant (to clean and bag seed for planting) at age 20 for the family farm, and after that, he began farming in 1984. 

Davis has been on the cutting edge in adopting new technology for agriculture. In 1987, he became involved with the Extension service in testing a cotton crop simulation model and expert system developed by scientists in USDA-ARS and Mississippi State and Clemson Universities.

Davis attended several training sessions with the agent at Mississippi State University, and tested the model for many years on his farm. The computer model benefited program participants by allowing them to optimize inputs in relation to weather, nitrogen, moisture stress, crop maturity, growth resultants, and harvest aid materials. Data collected was provided to researchers for model improvement, and data showed that growers participating in the project increased net profits on test fields by more than $30 per acre.

The Davis Farm adopted no-till in 1985, ahead of the trend.  In no-till farming, farmers plant and fertilize directly into the soil without tilling it first. Undisturbed topsoil and organic matter, including the remains of the previous crop, composts naturally, acting as a built-in natural fertilizer. The organic matter also serves to hold moisture in the soil.

Over the years, he’s diversified into other row crops as well as livestock and vegetables, but his mainstay has always been row crops. 

Davis is widely considered an early adopter of innovations and is ready and willing to try new concepts on his farm. He has partnered with UF/IFAS on variety trials and projects over the years, but most recently, he has tried his hand at growing carinata, which can be processed into a ready-to-use biofuel.

Researchers are working to determine if carinata can be successfully grown in the Panhandle for use as oilseeds. The seeds would be crushed, and the resulting product would be refined for use as a renewable source of jet fuel.

Though Davis and his crew are busy farming multiple thousands of acres, he has always had time to work with Extension through committee work, as the leader of a tour, or as a sounding board. For the past several years, he has played a major role in the West Florida Research and Education Center’s Farm-City Week Celebration. His farm purchases and donates the sweet potatoes that are included in the box of Thanksgiving food that is given to pre-qualified needy recipients in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Much of the produce in the box is grown at the WFREC, but the sweet potatoes come from Baldwin County, courtesy of the Davis Family.

Davis is very civic minded and has worked diligently to advance the interests of the farming community. For many years he has been a spokesman for farmers at the local, state, and national levels. He has worked with policy makers to ensure disaster legislation and positive Federal Farm Bills.

by Libby Johnson, Escambia County Extension, and NorthEscambia.com

Pictured top: Jerry Davis harvests wheat. Pictured top inset: Northwest Florida Agriculture Innovator of the Year Jerry Davis. Pictured lower inset: Davis and his wife Patty. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.