Meet the 2018 Florida Woman of the Year in Agriculture

Dr. Ann Blount

Dr. Ann Blount, 2018 Florida Woman of the Year in Agriculture

For more than three decades, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has made a point to recognize the women who’ve made an impact on the state’s farming sector by presenting the Woman of the Year in Agriculture award. For 2018, Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam has announced Dr. Ann Blount as the latest honoree.

Blount has dedicated her career to researching and implementing innovative techniques to improve fall forage production in Florida’s southern coastal areas. She also spearheaded research of breeding efforts on physiological aspects of fall forage, specifically developing improved bahiagrass, evaluating new perennial peanut varieties, and enhancing small grains and ryegrasses.

Advertisement

She joined UF/IFAS in 1988, and currently serves as an Extension Specialist and Professor of forage breeding and genetics for the North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy.

Among other significant contributions Blount has made to the agriculture industry include six plant patents and plant variety protections, as well as 76 cultivars and germplasm releases plus forages.

Top Articles
Have a Plan For Climate Change? Why Fruit Growers Need To Act Now

The Woman of the Year in Agriculture award, now in its 34th year, is sponsored by FDACS and the Florida State Fair Authority. The award will be presented to the recipient during the 2019 Florida State Fair in Tampa.

0