Sellers Farms, Holmes County
Elbert Sr. and Agnes Sellers own and operate Sellers Farms in Holmes County, Florida. The farm originated in 1976 producing watermelon, hogs and cattle, but then exclusively raised cattle. Sellers Farms has implemented BMPs on his farm that are making a difference. BMPs are a set of guidelines that advise producers on how to manage the water, nutrient, and pesticides they are using to reduce agriculture’s impact on the state’s natural resources. Some of the BMPs are strip tilling, cross fencing, rotational grazing, installment of buffers, and GPS guided fertilizer application. Sellers has placed fences to protect wetlands around his farm. Practices such as cross fencing or fencing of sensitive areas, allows for animal rotation and protection of waterbodies Other methods similar to this include managing grazed pastures based on established forage heights to maintain plant vigor and prevent soil erosion and using fencing to subdivide larger pastures to ensure uniform grazing. These practices ensure that their land will remain productive and viable for future generations. Sellers is involved in his community as a member to the Red Hill Methodist Church. When asked what he enjoys most about farming, Sellers responded, “the solidarity of it”. Sellers is, like many other farmers and ranchers, a strong and firm believer in working towards leaving the land better than it was found for future farming and generations to come.
