Four Generations
In the heart of Suwannee County sits four generations of farmers, guided by tradition and dedicated to protecting the land that sustains us. Back in the 1940’s, Raymond Jackson and his son Billy Jackson started growing tobacco and corn. Now, fast-forward to today, Billy, his son Bill, and Billy’s grandson Wyatt Jackson are farming 3400 acres consisting of 1200 acres of peanuts, 1300 acres of grain corn, silage corn, 900 acres of iron clay peas, cover crops, 300 acres of soybeans and a couple of hundred heads of cattle. The Jacksons generational investment in farming offers a positive outlook for the future of agriculture.
The Jackson Family Farms operation is managed by the Jackson boys themselves, with inputs from all three, Billy, Bill, and Wyatt. The day-to-day tasks, for example, tilling, planting, spraying, harvesting, and irrigating, are done by Bill and Wyatt, with one extra hired hand. It also wouldn’t be strange to see Papa Billy around piddling on something or even on tractor somewhere. The Jackson ladies are an essential part of the farm’s success, helping keep operations running smoothly from behind the scenes. Faye Jackson (Papa’s wife), Nikki Jackson (Bill’s wife), and Mallory Jackson (Wyatt’s wife) play vital roles in the daily office operations, ensuring the farm stays organized, financially sound, and running efficiently. Their dedication and attention to detail help keep everything on track. The Jacksons take pride in their work and in their community, so much so that they were awarded the 2024 Farm Family of the Year from Suwannee County Farm Bureau.
Right Resources
The Jacksons value being good stewards of the land. Along with that comes learning, understanding, and adapting to how agriculture is evolving. They utilize as many resources as possible when it comes to agency funding, such as the Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD), Florida Department of Agriculture, Consumer Services (FDACS), and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). These agencies cost-share items that focus on Best Management Practices (BMPs). Along with these agencies, the Jacksons work closely with UF IFAS Extension in Suwannee County and the North Florida Research and Education Center of Suwannee Valley. Over the past six years, the Jacksons have participated in numerous on-farm trials and have attended plenty of field days to better understand how better management practices could, in-turn, better themselves as farmers.
In 2021, the Jacksons participated in the SRWMD and FDACS 4Rs principle of nutrient management project – Right time, Right rate, Right source, and Right placement of nitrogen in corn on their family farm. This project consisted of using a Miller Highboy sprayer and y-drops to side-dress nitrogen near the root zone of the corn, implemented by the NFREC-SV team. The goal is to improve nitrogen-use efficiency and reduce nitrate leaching risks in the sandy soil while implementing best management practices. The yield ended up being comparable to the way the Jacksons traditionally grow their corn. Normally they would side dress at planting, broadcast two dry applications then fertigate the rest. For the on-farm project, they ended up making four applications of liquid by row. At the time, this project still had four more years’ worth of research. The SRWMD has since decided it would be useful for growers to be able to cost-share on an applicator like the one used for the project due to the positive differences in nitrogen efficiency, yield, and cost as a whole.
What’s in store
Wyatt Jackson is a firm believer in the idea that what you put into your land is what you’ll get out of it. Because of the success with the 4Rs project in previous years in 2025, Wyatt, his dad, and Papa decided to purchase a Massey Ferguson 530RS self-propelled nitrogen applicator with the help of the Ag Cost Share program at the SRWMD. Along with the best management practices the Jacksons have already adopted, such as different tillage practices, soil moisture sensors, grid soil sampling, and cover cropping, having the sprayer adds to the goal of maximizing yields and minimizing cost. Before y-dropping, their nitrogen use efficiency was 1.05 units of nitrogen to one bushel of corn across the board. Wyatts’ goal is to get his Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) below 1.0 units of nitrogen to one bushel of corn by utilizing the sprayer. Wyatt hopes the use of the sprayer will allow him to decrease time spent on fertigation, freeing up time for more efficient irrigation events.
The Jacksons want to be able to succeed in all areas of farming. They are on the right track when it comes to BMPs and how agriculture is evolving. The end goal is to have healthy land for the next four generations to come. The Jacksons believe that farming is built on more than crops and equipment; it’s built on tradition and deep respect for the land. They represent tradition and innovation, working side by side, which ensures that agriculture remains strong and sustainable for years to come. Being open-minded and willing to learn is a strong trait the Jacksons carry, Suwannee County is proud to have them apart of the farming community.
Author: Kelsey Crain
University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences; North Florida Research and Education Center – Suwannee Valley
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