More Barn Owls Finding a Home on South Florida Farms
November 19, 2023 South Florida-based Florida Crystals Corp. gives a hoot about owls. In fact, barn owls continue to nest at a high rate on its farms after a major expansion to its barn owl box program, according the sugarcane company’s barn owl census.
Florida Crystals’ barn owl box network – the largest private network in the world – is part of its regenerative agriculture program to naturally protect crops on its South Florida farms and increase biodiversity. Florida Crystals inspects its barn owl boxes at the start of each nesting season, beginning in September. The census includes the number of adult owls, owlets, and eggs.
“We have twice as many boxes on our farms this year, and we still achieved the same high average nesting rate as last year, which is amazing,” says Dr. Moramay Naranjo, Florida Crystals’ Principal Research Scientist and expert in crop protection. “We want to attract even more owls to our farms to benefit from their tremendous hunting abilities, as part of our natural rodent control program.”
Florida Crystals grew its owl program from 850 boxes to 2,035 boxes last year. This year’s census includes all 350 boxes on Florida Crystals’ Regenerative Organic Certified farms and every other box on the rest of its farms. In the first month of nesting season, barn owls had already made homes in half of the 1,003 boxes inspected, the company confirms. The census recorded more than 1,280 adults, owlets and eggs, which is higher than last year’s results.
Click here to learn more about Florida Crystals’ regenerative ag practices and its unique barn owl program.
