South Florida farmers again beat benchmark, cut this year’s phosphorus levels 62% from baseline

Farmers in South Florida’s Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) have again cut phosphorus levels by more than double what’s required under federal law.

Farmers reduced those levels in the past year by 62% when compared to the baseline established under the Everglades Forever Act. That’s well above the 25% target set under the legislation.

Members of the South Florida Water Management District ( SFWMD ) announced the achievement for Water Year 2025 at a recent board meeting in West Palm Beach.

In the years since the federal government launched an incentive program in 1996 to encourage phosphorus reduction, farmers have seen an average 57% reduction against the federal baseline, which was set by measuring output from 1979 to 1988.

“Our farmers in the EAA have done an incredible job aga