North Florida

North Florida flat, rural cattle pastures — longtime dumping grounds of South Florida’s sewage sludge — will close their gates to feces-filled trucks by 2028. That’s owing to a provision of Florida’s Farm Bill, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March.

Regulators have tried to fix algae problems in the region’s springs by focusing on nitrogen, but newly published testing results suggest successful restoration will need to consider snails, fish and other algae eaters, too.

Columbia County commissioners and residents heard a presentation on Thursday on the Suwannee River Water Management District's project called Water First North Florida.

Some water management practices in farming can reduce groundwater pollution and water use while maintaining farm profitability, while others may require financial incentives to be widely adopted, according to a recent UF study.