UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail:  opm@ifas.ufl.edu  

July 24, 2006

O. Patrick Miller,  Okeechobee County Extension Director

For Immediate Release

Okeechobee County Extension Agent Receives National Award

Pat Miller, Director of the Okeechobee County Extension Office announced today that Dan Culbert, Okeechobee’s Horticulture agent, is being awarded the highest honor bestowed by the National Association of County Agriculture Agents (NACAA) this week during their 91st annual conference in Cincinnati.

The Distinguished Service Award, or DSA, is awarded annually to only 2 percent of the nation’s Extension Agents.  This award is bestowed by the agent’s peers for outstanding programs and service to clientele, usually over decades of effort.  Dan has been an Extension Agent for over 17 years. He came to the program in Okeechobee three years ago to start a horticulture program in the county. 

While at the AMPIC Conference, Culbert met up with Ohio State 4-H Specialist Niki McNeely, a fellow 4-H Alumnus from NJ. Photo courtesy A&T Photos

Culbert attended several professional improvement workshops at this annual meeting and had a chance to explore several beautifully landscaped areas in Cincinnati. Photo: Dan Culbert, UF/IFAS

   Another tour was made to the national headquarters of Scotts, where new consumer horticulture products are developed and tested. Photo: Dan Culbert, UF/IFAS

Dan is a 4-H alumnus of the Garden State, and graduated from Rutgers University with a BS cum laude in 1977.  He earned his MS from UF in 1983, and was the UF Everglades REC Pesticide Safety Coordinator for 2 years.  He is an experienced educator, having been a Vocational Agriculture teacher for 8 years in NY and Florida, and a 4-H Agent for 4 years in NJ and Florida.  He served for 9 years as County Extension Director and Environmental Horticulture agent for Indian River County.  During that time, he supervised the Extension team that brought the Florida Yards & Neighborhood Program to the 6-county Indian River Lagoon.

In 2003, Dan initiated a new Extension Horticulture Program for Okeechobee County. He is now bringing FYN to Okeechobee, Glades and Highlands counties as part of the Lake Okeechobee Restoration Program.  Since joining the Okeechobee County staff, Dan has expanded the Master Gardener program, initiated the Florida Yards and Neighborhoods program, and established a website for the county office which receives 5 times the county population in visits annually. He has been instrumental in assisting nursery growers in recovering from the hurricanes and has consulted with hundreds of homeowners concerning lawns, trees, plants and pests. 

Over the years his Florida Yards & Neighborhood programs have reached over 1.3 million people in nine counties, with 32% percent adopting practices that reduce landscape pollution.  The Florida Association of County Agriculture Agents named him an Achievement Award winner in 2000.  The University of Florida awarded him Gold and Bronze Image Awards for his efforts with the BioControl Brain Bowl and a District Photo Contest.  He has produced over 300 different horticulture columns. 

Mr. Miller said of Dan, “We are extremely pleased with the program that Dan has been able to generate to this point.  Initiating new programs is difficult to say the least, but the contacts and programs Dan has developed have been outstanding.  We’re proud of Dan and his program.”

We would point out this award completes the “set.”  All four of Okeechobee County’s Extension Agents, Pat Miller, Pat Hogue, Debbie Clements and now Dan have received this prestigious award.  Mr. Miller says he doubts very much that you can find a multi agent Extension Office anywhere in the US, where all agents have been honored with a DSA.  Together the Okeechobee County Extension staff have over 100 years of service to their clientele. 

If you need additional information, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.   Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee.  

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Trade names, where used, are given for the purpose of providing specific information. They do not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of products named, nor does it imply criticism of products not named. The Florida Cooperative Extension Service - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information, and other services to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin.  Florida Cooperative Extension Service / IFAS / University of Florida.  Larry A.  Arrington, Dean Last update: 08/02/2006 .  This page is maintained by Dan Culbert 

 

REFERENCES

Cummings, M. et.al.  "2006 NACAA DSA winners." p.104.   In  Proceedings of 91st AMPIC.  Cincinnati: NACAA 7/06.    http://www.nacaa.com/ampic/2006/proceedings.pdf