University of Florida Agricultural Sciences extension names new head in Manatee County

Lisa Hickey brings decades of experience working with residential horticulturalists and the local agricultural community to a new role as director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension in Manatee County.

Hickey has worked for the extension service for 17 years, helping connect homeowners and commercial fruit and vegetable producers to advancements found through University of Florida research. She has held the director role on an interim basis over the past year and a half and is ready to help the extension service connect with new partners to address community needs.

"I am very excited," Hickey said. "I am one to always hit a challenge in its face rather than running away from it. The director position is more administrative work, but I do work on five big grants with the producers. We are doing everything from nutrient trials to researching if bamboo is viable as a new crop."

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The extension service is focused on several major projects that could have a major impact on the local agricultural community.

Those include efforts to better understand how potatoes, tomatoes and green beans absorb phosphorous in conditions that vary in different levels of the pH scale. Researching if bamboo can be a viable new crop for consumption in Florida. How to address pest issues in Manatee County's strawberry industry. As well as connecting agricultural growers to technology that measures soil moisture at the root level, to help curb the use of excess water and fertilizer.

Now that she has been named to the role permanently, Hickey is focused on community resource development and fostering new partnerships to address different needs throughout Manatee County.

"That is to understand the needs of our communities, how we can bring resources from the university level, how we connect the county government with those resources," she said. "That can be as broad as housing issues or busing or transportation issues in general.

Manatee County Director of Natural Resources Charlie Hunsicker said in a statement that he is excited to work directly with Hickey in her new leadership role.

“Lisa Hickey has shown outstanding leadership capabilities through her career," Hunsicker said.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Hickey named director of University of Florida IFAS in Manatee County