By:
Chuck Woods (352) 392-1773 x 281Source(s):
Ken Tefertiller (352) 332-1407
Reggie Brown reggie@floridatomatoes.org, (407) 894-3071
GAINESVILLE, Fla.— Kenneth R. Tefertiller, professor emeritus in the University of Florida’s food and resource economics department and former UF vice president for agriculture and natural resources, was inducted Feb. 11 into the 2003 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in Tampa.
Considered the industry’s premier award, the honor is reserved for those who have made outstanding contributions to Florida’s $64 billion agriculture and natural resource industries. It includes a plaque in the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame building at the Florida State Fair in Tampa. More than 100 prominent leaders have been inducted into the hall of fame during its 25-year history.
Tefertiller’s professional accomplishments include leadership of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences from 1975 to 1988.
“He served as UF vice president for agriculture and natural resources at a time when Florida agriculture was faced with pressure from expanding urban areas and was distrusted by environmentalists,” said Reggie Brown, president of the hall of fame and manager of the Florida Tomato Committee in Orlando. “In addition, the energy crisis was reducing crop yields and making some commodities unprofitable.”
To address these and other problems, Tefertiller and his administrative team developed a long-range plan called Agricultural Growth in an Urban Age (AQUA). The plan included new programs in biotechnology, integrated pest management, energy efficiency, water conservation and other areas. Tefertiller’s low-energy technology program was the first of its kind in the nation.
“Ken Tefertiller worked closely with industry leaders in the Florida Agricultural Council as well as other state and national organizations to address important industry issues,” Brown said. “His emphasis on combining state and national leadership continued when he was named chair of the Division of Agriculture for the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) in 1979 and 1980. He also helped establish the Council of Agricultural Research, Extension and Teaching, or CARET, as a national support group for agricultural programs in higher education.”
Prior to serving as UF vice president, Tefertiller was chair of UF’s food and resource economics department from 1965 to 1973. As chair, he initiated new programs in emerging areas such as natural resources, fisheries and consumer economics. He also was active in regional and national professional organizations, serving as president of the Southern Agricultural Economics Association in 1971 and president of the American Agricultural Economics Association in 1973.
His other professional honors include serving as a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business in 1995. He received the White Hat award from the Florida Agribusiness Institute in 1990, the Distinguished Service Award from the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) in 1988 and the Distinguished Alumni Award from Oklahoma State University in 1987. He received the Man of the Year award from Progressive Farmer magazine in 1979 and an honorary degree of state farmer from Future Farmers of America (FFA) in 1973.
Born and raised on a farm in Noble, Okla., Tefertiller earned his bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences from Oklahoma State University in 1952 and his master’s degree in agricultural economics from the same institution in 1957. He completed his doctorate in agricultural economics at the University of Illinois in 1959, and then joined the faculty at Texas A&M University.
Tefertiller retired from UF in 2000. He and his wife, Waynell, have three children.
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