UF/IFAS keeps local farmers such as Kevin Lussier of Hawthorne Creek Creamery in business

For you to have local food, it helps to have local food science. Farmers say it again and again — the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences keeps them in business.

Local dairy farmer Kevin Lussier gives credit for the local science to UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County Director Cindy Sanders. Because he operates the last commercial dairy in the county, he and Dr. Sanders are among the reasons you can buy cheese produced in Alachua County.

Cheese from Lussier’s Hawthorne Creek Creamery is on the menus at Spurrier’s and Cypress and Grove. You can even order cheese online from Lussier’s dairy and pick it up at Cypress and Grove.

And, for just over a year now, you’ve been able to get his Gouda at Publix.

The partnership between Lussier and Sanders is not just about profit but about protecting the environment.

Lussier asked Sanders to help him demonstrate for county regulators that he was taking proper steps to protect the creek from which his business draws its name. It keeps him from being regulated out of business yet held accountable for water quality.

A farm or dairy going out of business can in itself have a negative environmental impact. Failed farms ultimately convert to what’s called the “final crop:” rooftops. Fields get paved for subdivisions, parking lots and strip malls.

Lussier has also asked Sanders about how to kill weeds and how long after spraying he should wait to harvest hay.

More from J. Scott Angle:

UF/IFAS studying potential of small, urban farms to supplement local food supply

UF/IFAS uses high-tech methods to improve farming practices affecting springs

At UF/IFAS, we like to say that food is our middle name

Sanders has also helped Lussier understand how to comply with complex food safety rules he needs to follow to be a cheese maker.

Sanders and Lussier also work together as agricultural ambassadors, educating you on where your food comes from. Three years ago, they helped organize an agriculture day at the Cade Museum in downtown Gainesville. Their plan was to show off local food to 200 non-farmers. More than 1,500 people showed up. They plan to revive this event this year.

From the time Lussier was 6 years old, Sanders has been a presence on the family farm. As he took over daily operations from his father, Lussier had access to so much more information online than his dad ever did — and that was the problem. He didn’t know which source to trust. Sanders had established trust with Lussier over 15 years of calls, emails, referrals and farm visits with both father and son.

So it was a big day in August 2021 when Lussier loaded his first truck with Gouda to be shipped it off to the supermarket. It was a whole new business opportunity to keep the farm viable.

Sanders just happened to be there that day helping Lussier become a better farmer and better leader. She was asking him about how he intended to market his cheeses, would he expand into ice cream, has involvement in the Florida Farm Bureau helped him get established?

Their relationship is recognized statewide. Last October, the Florida Farm Bureau named Sanders its Extension Professional of the Year. Assisted by Sanders in preparing for the Farm Bureau’s competition to identify the state’s top young farmers and leaders, Lussier and his wife Shelby won the award.

If Sanders and Lussier continue to succeed, some day Lussier will be an old farmer, and you’ll still be able to enjoy cheese that only travels the distance you drive to work.

J. Scott Angle is UF’s senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of UF/IFAS.

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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: J. Scott Angle: UF/IFAS helping Hawthorne Creek Creamery's Kevin Lussier