Jeff Reed, Chairman 

District 1

Jeffery Reed is the operator of his family’s generational one-thousand-acre cattle operation in Gilchrist County. In addition to cattle, the land also grows watermelon and grass seed, making the business diverse and sustainable. Mr. Reed is no stranger to being a steward of the land, as he has implementing practices such as variable rate fertilizing, soil moisture probes, and wetland conservation for years. He correlates proper rotational grazing practices with the health of his cattle. He knows that this notion starts from the ground up; rotational grazing has a positive impact on his grass seed operation as well.

In addition to being a full-time farmer and rancher, he serves on the Gilchrist County Soil and Water Board.

He is also a Florida Farm Bureau CARES recipient.

• Contact: GSWCDSupervisorReed@gmail.com

BJ Wilkerson, Co-Chairman

District 2

BJ owns and operates Wilkerson Farms in Gilchrist County. They produce a variety of different agricultural products, including watermelons, peanuts, green beans, and beef cattle.

He, along with his family work together to ensure that the soil on their property remains fertile, allowing them to provide healthy and safe food for their community.

On their family farm, the Wilkerson’s implement a full cover crop program followed by strip till planting to protect soil health. They use rotational grazing for their cattle to help with soil quality and fertilizer usage. They also use variable rate controllers and GPS guidance to carefully apply pesticides to reduce usage and avoid overapplication.

In terms of leadership, BJ Wilkerson is a member of the Florida Peanut Federation and Gilchrist County Farm Bureau. He also serves on the Florida Farm Bureau Fruit and Vegetable advisory committee.

He is also a Florida Farm Bureau CARES recipient.

• Contact: GSWCDSupervisorWilkerson@gmail.com

Brett Crawford

District 3

Brett was born and raised in Gilchrist County, Florida. He is the fifth generation of his family to live and work on the family farm outside of Trenton. Brett graduated from Trenton High School and attended Lake City Community College.
He worked summers in hay and peanuts while in high school and then transitioned into working for the family GPS/Remote Asset Management business, while also working in a local watermelon broker’s office during the summer months.
He is currently our longest standing board member, being elected in  2012. The Board takes available technical, financial and educational resources, whatever their source and focus to coordinate them so they meet the needs of the local land user for conservation of soil, water, and related natural resources.
Brett has been employed with BMP Logic since it was established in 2014. Today, he is in charge of the operations aspects of the company. He works closely in the field with the producers and growers across the BMP territory.

• Contact: GSWCDSupervisorCrawford@gmail.com

Steven Borek

District 4

Steven Borek and his family own and operate GTO Farms in High Springs, Florida. Mr. Borek has been farming for many decades and started GTO Farms in the early 2000s. They proudly produce snap beans, soybeans and sweet corn. Mr. Borek has been implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs) on the farm since 2009. 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. GTO Farms uses a nutrient and irrigation management program to protect water quality and minimize the loss of nutrients to the environment. Crop rotation is used to reduce soil erosion, improve the soils organic matter and minimize crop disease build-up. Cover crops are also used to reduce soil erosion and trap excess nutrients left in the soil after the crop is harvested. Mr. Borek also uses an Integrated Pest Management system throughout the farm to reduce farm expenses, conserve energy and protect the environment. Mr. Borek is a Florida Farm Bureau member and spends most of his time on the farm. When asked why he is a farmer who CARES, Borek responded, “to allow future generations the opportunity to enjoy the farming life.”

He is also a Florida Farm Bureau CARES recipient.

• Contact: GSWCDSupervisorBorek@gmail.com

Myles Langford

District 5

Myles Langford has been a producer of fresh watermelons since he was only fifteen years old. This plot of land has been in his family since his grandfather began the operation in the 1940’s, making his son, Rowels, a fourth generation Langford on the property.

Myles takes pride in the Best Management Practices implemented within his fields. He uses a drip system to fertilize the crops, which is more efficient than a broadcast application. This system can be easily altered to cut down on unnecessary fertilizer output. The GreenStar System on his tractors and combine has also been a sustainable addition to his operation. This technology presents precision agriculture solutions to in-field application needs. It provides farmers like Langford more accurate estimations of field requirements that save time, money, and energy. Rather than planting into the raw topsoil, he places greenhouse raised seedlings into plastic rows to reduce plant waste. All of these practices aid in preventing soil erosion, which typically results from overwatering and overfertilizing. Fruit produced from his 100 acres of watermelon fields is sold to retailers such as Walmart and Costco. When he is not busy with the duties of producing watermelons, he is tending to his fields of sorghum and sweet corn to sell directly to the public.

In addition to growing his own crops, Langford spends time doing work for others in the agricultural community. Baling hay, using his combine to custom harvest commodities, and working cattle are a few of the favors that he does for other farmers.

He is also a Florida Farm Bureau CARES recipient.

• Contact: GSWCDSupervisorLangford@gmail.com