Barnette E. "Barney" Greene Jr.
Born in Orlando in 1922, Barnette E. "BarneyU Greene, Jr., is credited with introducing a new cattle breed to Florida and for expanding the Florida grapefruit market by involving Ocean Spray, Inc., in the Indian River dtrus production area. As President of Greene's Citrus Management, Inc., and as owner and producer of Bar-G- Bar Ranch, Inc., Greene is a well. known cattle rancher and citrus grower in Vero Beach.
He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. Following the war, he graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in agriculture. Greene introduced a new cattle breed, the Romana Red, to the United States. This strain, originally developed in the Dominican Republic, is accustomed to sub-tropical conditions and has been successfully cross-bred with Limousin and Brahma strains. It is still being bred in Florida.
A long-time supporter of the University of Florida, he has made major contributions to the University of Florida Agricultural Research and Education Center at Fort Pierce. Known for his vision and business acumen, Green was instrumental in the late 1970s when Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc" bought a grapefruit processing plant in the Vero Beach area. Greene later served on the Board of Directors for Ocean Spray for 15 years.
In 1981, he led a group of citrus growers to purchase some property owned by Ashland Oil Co. in St. Lucie County and served as the first Chairman of the Board of what became the Orange A venue Citrus Growers, Inc., a state-of-the-art, environmentally-sensitive drainage district for 12,000 acres of citrus groves. In 1988, he and another Indian River citrus grower contributed $50,000 to provide scientific equipment to the Citrus Virology Laboratory at the University of Florida's Agricultural Research and Education Center at F~rt Pierce. In 1992, he donated another $50,000 to help construct a new building at the Agricultural Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce. This facility provides logistical support for field plot research and citrus, vege~able and forage crop research programs.
Greene has been a generous supporter of agricultural youth organizations and of his community and church. He is a long-time suppqrter of the Future Farmers of America and 4-H. He has served as a distinguished member of many community and agricultural advisory boards such as the United Way, SHARE, American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.
He is a founding member of the Florida Limousi,n Breeders Association and serves on its Board of Directors. He is a founding director of Indian River National Bank, a locally-owned community bank. He also serves on the Board of the Indian River Farm Bureau. He serves on the University of Florida's and Florida Southern College's President's Councils. He served as a national director for the North American Limousin Foundation from 1976 to 1979.
Greene also established the Greene Academy on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. This high school teaches agricultural fundamentals and was created to help the islanders feed themselves and to develop their self-esteem. He has established many scholarship programs for youth.
