Basford Farms, Jackson County
Steve Basford grew up working on his family farm near Grand Ridge, Florida. After receiving a degree in Agronomy from the University of Florida, Mr. Basford bought the family farm from his father and started farming full-time. Over time, Mr. Basford expanded his available acreage through rental agreements and produced peanuts, corn, soybeans, watermelon and pasture raised hogs. Today, with the help of his son and business partner Seth, Basford Farms produces perennial peanut crops for hay. As sixth and seventh generation Florida farmers, the Basford’s understand the importance of protecting their land. They have implemented Best Management Practices (BMPs) on the farm to help increase production, cut inputs, and preserve and protect the natural resources on their land. These practices include growing a drought tolerant crop that benefits the environment by reducing erosion and fertilizer rates, utilizing precision soil sampling with 2.5 acre grids and using variable rate fertilizer spreaders and GPS technology that transfers information from the precision sampling data to ensure the most efficient fertilizer usage. In the community, Steve and Seth are actively involved at Rivertown Community Church. Steve also serves as the President of the Perennial Peanut Producers Association, and he serves on the Jackson County Soil and Water Conservation District Board. When asked why he is a farmer that CARES, Mr. Basford replied, “We are blessed to be able to use the latest techniques and technology so we can pass our land down to the next generation.”
