FROM FARM TO CAPITOL: KEITH TRUENOW’S POLITICAL ROOTS RUN DEEP IN AGRICULTURE
By Cecilia Brown
Keith Truenow, TPI member and founder of Lake Jems Farms in Mount Dora, Florida, was elected to the Florida House of Representatives for District 31 in November 2020 and is currently up for re-election this November. Truenow now addresses agriculture issues from a seat at the state capital.
While Truenow has not been as involved in day-to-day operations of Lake Jems Farm since he became a state representative, he still oversees business development and things that are essential to the building blocks of the organization.
He had been engaged in politics for years prior to his election, working with state governmental agencies on issues impacting agriculture. In the early 2000s, a key area of focus was for the Best Management Practices (BMP) program for turfgrass.
He said taking the oath to uphold the Constitution was “really humbling” recognizing the honor of becoming “a representative of the people in your district and of the people of Florida.”
Truenow shared that the highlight of his first year in office was running a bill called the Florida Wildlife Act, which preserves land throughout the state noting, “It was an honor to do it and I understood the bill really well because I’m a farmer.”
Another piece of legislation passed during 2020 legislation was the Right to Farm Bill. “Tat was monumental. As a whole, or part, we perpetuated Florida agriculture better than most states. At the same time, we took monies we were receiving and put them to good use in trying to conserve what Florida is,” he said.
In March, Truenow helped in the passing of the Golf Course Best Management Practices Certification, also known as House Bill 967, which went into effect on July 1, 2022, to protect the industry by educating applicators on proper fertilizer and water usage.
“Like any BMP, the importance of science and technology in helping us form solutions to everyday problems is important. Tis is a working document that we can change but which also gives guidance to all parties,” he said. “Essentially this is a blueprint that all municipalities and governments will go by so they can understand how a golf course is maintained and works so they don’t end up having multiple layers of regulation, we’ll have one common blueprint.”
Truenow said the state has already created similar bills for many commodities, so adding golf courses was not an
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Truenow worked closely with other industry leaders, including those pictured, to ensure passage of the Golf Course Best Management Practices Certification bill. Pictured at the Florida capitol in March 2022 to acknowledge that achievement are (from left) Jonathan Germeroth, Lake Jem Farms; Dr. Bryan Unruh, the University of Florida; Florida State Representative Keith Truenow; Sod Solutions Executive Director of Business and Professional Development Erin Wilder, and Sod Solutions President Tobey Wagner.
anomaly, it was just the right thing to do. Now, they’re currently working on legislation similar to the BMP that would help municipalities with set rules and regulations for landscaping, irrigation, and fertilizer use.
As for the next steps, Truenow said he’s taking it one session at a time and seeing where things go. “Whatever I do, I want to be effective and work hard to promote agriculture and promote business and property rights and make Florida a better place all the way around.”
Truenow said there have been good insights for him as a representative looking into how the government regulates and performs. “Being a part of that is important and I think they need to understand that from a firsthand view.
“It just goes to show you that anyone can make a difference in the process. I think we, as an industry, have always been engaged. Tis is just a different level of engagement and I think it’s very important,” he said.
Truenow said it is vital for sod producers to participate a little more in science and technology. “We need to do what we can, even if it may be financially difficult. We face such difficulties every day anyway. But sometimes we take for granted someone who is going to take care of us, and I think we need to make sure that the next generation is set up in the right way .”
so that they too can enjoy agriculture into the future.”
Cecilia Brown is media & content manager for Sod Solutions, based in the Charleston, SC, area.
Photo courtesy of Sod Solutions TPI Turf News September/October 2022
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