Each September, the fall equinox marks a turning point in the agricultural calendar. It signals the official beginning of autumn and the gradual transition toward shorter days, cooler temperatures, and the close of another growing season.
The Agricultural Act of 2026—often referred to as “Farm Bill 2.0”—has cleared an important legislative hurdle, narrowly advancing from the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Although short-term rainfall may improve surface conditions, restoring groundwater and aquifer levels generally requires substantially more water—and more time.
Instead of placing photovoltaic panels on productive farmland, engineers constructed an elevated solar array above a canal—generating renewable electricity while shading and conserving the water flowing below.
A recent analysis from the American Farm Bureau Federation highlights a growing concern: many agricultural operations are facing a prolonged period where the cost of producing crops exceeds the revenue those crops generate.
The outbreak highlights the increasing challenges facing American agriculture in maintaining consumer confidence, ensuring regulatory compliance, and protecting the integrity of complex produce supply chains.
The USDA NRCS recently announced a new set of conservation priorities designed to strengthen support for America's farmers, ranchers, and private landowners. The updated direction centers on a simple but powerful motto: "Keeping Working Lands in Working Hands."
A newly approved British policy that will gradually ban tobacco sales to anyone born after 2009 is drawing global attention—not just for its public health ambitions, but for what it could mean for industries far beyond the United Kingdom.
While gasoline prices have shown signs of stabilizing in recent weeks, a less visible but more persistent issue continues to weigh heavily on American farmers: the rising cost and limited availability of fertilizer.
Florida’s farmland is quietly becoming the front line of a growing debate: food or energy? Loss of agricultural land to solar development.
Farmers and ranchers remain the backbone of our food system—but they receive only a small fraction of the final price consumers pay.
Escalating tensions involving Iran and the United States are creating ripple effects across global markets. While the conflict is thousands of miles away, American agriculture—particularly in states like Florida—could feel significant economic consequences.
A growing number of Florida farms are adopting stormwater reuse systems to meet strict nutrient reduction goals and ensure sustainable water supplies.
A holistic site evaluation is a comprehensive process that assesses physical, regulatory, and environmental constraints on a property before development. Florida landowners and agribusinesses are turning to holistic site evaluations to guide agricultural development, reduce risk, and maximize productivity.
Florida’s groundwater is under growing pressure from development, contamination risks, and climate change — making the design of monitoring wells more critical than ever.
Royal Consulting Services, Inc. was involved in a recent planning session at Alliance Dairies, in which United Dairy Farms of Florida convened its technical staff to discuss environmental compliance priorities and member needs.
Drones provide a faster, safer, and more cost-effective solution, capturing aerial imagery that can be processed into workable models with centimeter-level precision. The end result is a surface model created from the millions of data points gathered in a matter of minutes.
Questions have arisen as to whether the screwworm could mirror the disruptive effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which has reshaped animal movement, trade, and consumer prices in recent years.
On July 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated a 12‑mile segment of the Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserve—from Vero Beach to Fort Pierce—as a vessel sewage No‑Discharge Zone. This is the first time any of Florida’s 43 state aquatic preserves has received such protection.
In a single week, the continental United States faced an extraordinary meteorological spectacle: four separate “1,000-year flood” events struck Texas, North Carolina, New Mexico, and Illinois. These deluges claimed lives, destroyed infrastructure, and left communities stunned—not just by the storms themselves, but by the terminology used to describe them. How…
Did the government just make trespassing in certain cases legal? That’s the contention of several agricultural land owners in New Mexico that claim the government allowing the general public unprecedented access to private, non-navigable water streambeds is in violation of their rights to hold private property.
The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), commonly known as "bird flu," has been a persistent concern in the United States since 2022, affecting over 138.72 million birds across all 50 states. After a notable decline in 2024, the virus has resurged, with 124 new cases reported in over 32 states…
With active driving assistance systems making it possible for fully-autonomous vehicles, it comes as no surprise that the agricultural industry would quickly adopt the technology to improve efficiency and reduce labor demands. Introducing the Monarch MK-V, the first commercially available driver-optional dairy tractor designed for autonomous feed pushing.
It’s that time of year again—the Super Bowl, the biggest televised event in the country. While the game itself takes center stage, many would argue that the commercials are just as much of a spectacle. With brands paying premium prices for coveted ad slots, Super Bowl commercials have become a…
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Ms. Martin is an accomplished software engineer with more than 30 years of experience designing and developing sophisticated database, web, mobile, and desktop applications. She specializes in complex algorithm development and optimization, SQL Server database design, performance tuning, data processing, automation, and C# application development.
Ms. Martin holds a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering from the University of Central Florida. Her experience includes developing software for water and wastewater asset management, capital improvement and master planning, infrastructure assessments, field data collection, and construction reporting. Her combination of environmental engineering knowledge and advanced software expertise enables her to transform complex technical requirements and large datasets into reliable, efficient, and user-friendly solutions.
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Mr. Jordan is an Environmental Engineer with more than 31 years’ experience. He specializes in water resources engineering, including infiltration/inflow studies, water and wastewater master planning, water facilities evaluation, and stormwater management. Mr. Jordan’s stormwater master plan experience includes: developing water quantity and quality models, pollutant loading analysis, determining flooding problems, developing comprehensive solutions to water quality and quantity problems, model development, evaluations of existing stormwater management facilities, and evaluations of proposed growth within study areas. Mr. Jordan is also adept at cost estimating, performing peer reviews, alternatives analysis, using geographic information systems (GIS) in model development, and displaying model results, hazard mitigation planning, and climate change adaptation. Mr. Jordan’s stormwater design experience includes the design and permitting of conveyance improvements, wet detention ponds, retention ponds, swales, exfiltration trenches, and baffle boxes. Mr. Jordan is proficient in the use of the EPASWMM, XPSWMM, Visual Hydro, AdICPR, WMM, and MTVE computer models and in the use of ArcView GIS products. He also has experience using the DHI computer models MIKESWMM and MIKE11.
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Ms. Gutierrez has seven years of hydraulic engineering experience, including design, development, testing, and implementation. She specializes in the design and construction of hydrosanitary systems. To this end, Ms. Gutierrez has experience conducting feasibility studies, coordinating in-field testing, and determining aquifer characteristics. She is also experienced in construction sequencing, execution methods, and managing the construction process, ensuring that completed projects meet engineering and manufacturer installation standards.
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Working closely with RCS’ team of design engineers since 2006, John has over 18 years of AutoCAD, ArcGIS, and engineering assistance experience. His specific expertise with earthwork terrain modeling systems, like AutoCAD Civil 3D, Trimble, and Topcon, makes him an indispensable part of RCS’ design-build projects. John’s extensive familiarity with such projects from conception to completion has allowed him to develop high quality engineering documents for use in submittals, permitting, bidding, and construction. He has worked with designs that include such elements as irrigation and drainage design, water resources management, municipal stormwater management, stormwater pump stations, and others. His combination of drafting skills, regulatory knowledge, drone capabilities, and expertise in earthwork modeling enables him to contribute to projects with a high degree of precision and efficiency.
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Ms. Green has over 32 years in accounting, auditing, and accounting. She has worked with RCS since 2001. She manages the company’s financial accounting, coordinates with auditors to ensure annual monitoring, and maintains a coherent system of accounts. Responsible for accounts payable, invoicing, and sales tax, she also reconciles all accounts. Additionally, reporting directly to senior management, she creates and reviews financial reports.
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Ms. Meyerhoff has over 17 years of marketing and business development experience in both the United States and Western Europe. Ms. Meyerhoff developed an overall marketing campaign for the services offered by RCS. In addition, she is instrumental in the preparation of permit applications, reports, proposals, and responses to requests for additional information from various government agencies.
Additionally, Ms. Meyerhoff brings 17 years of experience in project management, with a strong focus on environmental, water resources, and ecological planning. With a solid foundation in both business strategy and environmental science, Ms. Meyerhoff excels in leading cross-disciplinary teams and managing complex projects. She also has a keen eye for design and is highly skilled in creating impactful presentations and materials that effectively communicate critical water resources and environmental information to diverse audiences. Her ability to blend technical expertise with clear, engaging communication ensures that stakeholders, clients, and the public are well-informed and aligned with project goals.
Further, Ms. Meyerhoff also has extensive experience in developing Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans, securing NPDES permits, conducting cost-benefit analyses of best management practices, preparing detailed technical reports, navigating complex regulatory requirements, and bidding and construction management services.
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Ms. Curley is an Environmental Project Manager with Royal Consulting Services, Inc. with over 35 years of experience. She specializes in performing wetland delineations and assessments, determining hydric soils, assisting with wetland related permitting, designing and implementing mitigation projects to offset wetland impacts, and conducting permit required wetland monitoring.
She also has extensive experience in determining habitat suitability and utilization by Threatened and Endangered Species, performing wildlife surveys, performing environmental impact assessments, designing and implementing mitigation projects to offset Endangered Species’ habitat loss, and facilitating and negotiating Endangered Species relocation and take.
Further, Ms. Curley specializes in environmental assessments, in-situ testing and sampling, contamination analysis, and the development of effective mitigation and remediation strategies. With a strong foundation in ecological science and a deep understanding of Florida’s unique natural environments, she is adept at evaluating the health and resilience of native habitats and aquatic ecosystems. Her expertise in contamination and remedial systems, combined with her ecological knowledge, allows her to provide comprehensive solutions that support environmental restoration and long-term sustainability. Ms. Curley also has extensive experience in navigating complex regulatory frameworks and is responsible for coordinating with multiple regulatory agencies, including water management districts, the FL FWCC, the FDEP, and the USACE.
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Mr. Perry is a Professional Geologist with over 35 years’ environmental consulting experience. He specializes in hydrogeology and environmental geology, analyzing the distribution and movement of groundwater, assessing natural hazard risks, evaluating water quality, managing groundwater resources, performing hydrogeological site investigations, and implementing remediation plans. His expertise includes the identification, assessment, and remediation of recognized environmental conditions and the associated cost evaluations of environmental liabilities. Mr. Perry excels at conducting Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments, developing and implementing remedial action plans, performing above-ground and underground storage tank closures, rehabilitating Brownfields sites, supervising drilling crews for geotechnical assessments and the installation of monitoring wells, soil and groundwater sampling, analyzing laboratory results, and reporting to regulatory agencies. His expertise in overall project management involves problem identification, research, planning, scheduling, project implementation, direct site supervision, project reporting, and regulatory agency interaction.
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Ms. McCue is a Principal Engineer with RCS and brings over 28 years of experience in environmental and water resources engineering.
Ms. McCue specializes in both qualitative and quantitative analysis of groundwater and surface water systems, wetlands, and effluent disposal and reuse systems. She is highly skilled in the use of advanced 3D modeling software for groundwater flow, contaminant transport, water quality, integrated groundwater, and surface water modeling. These skills also allow her to perform hydraulic and water quality analyses through computer modeling of surface and subsurface water flow patterns. She has experience with the latest modeling software, including MODFLOW, MODPATH, GWVISTAS, VisualMODFLOW, GMS, MIKE SHE, MIKE 11, and WAM.
Ms. McCue also has extensive experience designing and permitting water quality, water supply, and environmental projects throughout Florida. She has designed and permitted nutrient management plans (NMP), conservation plans, and Best Management Practices for over 50 agricultural operations and has successfully obtained permits through the SFWMD, FDEP, USACE, and FL FWCC. Ms. McCue believes that early involvement of permitting agencies in the developing and designing of a project lends to a smoother permitting process with decreased incidents of RAIs or the need to modify a project’s design. This leads to a more expedient permitting process with lower associated engineering fees.
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Mr. Jones is an Associate Engineer with RCS and has over 45 years of engineering experience, specializing in the design of water resources projects and irrigation systems. Most of Mr. Jones’ projects have included preliminary site investigations, data collection and analysis, irrigation design, options analysis, cost estimating, design optimization, and construction supervision. In addition to irrigation systems, Mr. Jones specializes in the design and permitting of drainage systems, waste management systems, wetland mitigation, restoration of natural hydroperiods, reduction of nutrient discharge, meeting TMDLs, Edge-of-Farm treatment systems, automation systems, and permitting assistance.
As the Owner and President of R.A. Jones, Inc. from 1974 to 2003, Mr. Jones specialized in supplying turnkey irrigation, water distribution, and pumping systems to agricultural operations. The types of operations include fruit orchards, plant nurseries, vegetable farms, sugar cane farms, sod farms, and dairies. Mr. Jones has designed, assembled, and serviced many different types of mechanical irrigation systems, including pivots, hose drag linears, ditch feed linears, and hose-pull traveling guns.
Mr. Jones has also successfully led the design and installation of innovative stormwater reuse systems for irrigation at multiple agricultural facilities throughout Florida. These systems have resulted in a reduction in nutrient discharges from these facilities, while helping to conserve water resources on the farms.
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Mr. Roy is the President and Operating Manager of RCS, with day-to-day oversight of numerous water resources and environmental engineering projects. Mr. Roy’s oversight includes all aspects of engineering, including conceptualization, funding acquisition, preliminary engineering, permitting, final design, construction management, operations and maintenance, and site certification.
Mr. Roy specializes in water resources management, including the qualitative and quantitative analysis of groundwater and surface water systems, determining water demand and water supply, wetlands concerns and coordination, surface water and groundwater remediation, system conceptualization, computer simulation modeling, design, and permitting of integrated systems.
As well as the design of large, multi-discipline projects, Mr. Roy is also President of Enviro-Tech Systems, Inc., a construction firm that works as a companion company to RCS. Mr. Roy provided construction oversight on the majority of the projects designed by RCS. He has experience completing accurate cost estimates, bidding services, coordinating with vendors, subcontractors, regulatory agencies, overseeing and enforcing site safety, and final inspection and certification.
