In The Field Hillsborough edition

2 INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2012 W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M AG A Z I N E .C O M

Contents

4 INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2012 WWW. INTHEF I E LDMAGAZ INE .COM

Cover StoryJoel ConnellPage 54Cover photo by

Stephanie Humphrey

VOL. 8 • ISSUE 11

Business Up FrontPage 10

Tampa Bay’sFishing ReportPage 14

Grub StationPage 18

Rocking ChairChatterPage 22

Fox SquirrelCorn MazePage 25

Feral HogsPage 29

Jeremy BurrisPage 32

RecipesPage 50

Fertilizer UpdatePage 60

A Kid To KeepAn Eye OnPage 67

Grove PepperPage 73

Ask-A-VetPage 84

Pruning PalmsThe Healthy WayPage 88

A Warzone In TheStrawberry FieldsPage 89

Kim MartinPage 90

®

From the Editor Index of Advertisers�ITFM Staff


The freshest, safest, best tasting food is just around thecorner. Yes, that’s right! And buying local is easy. Find afarmers market near you and encourage your localgrocery stores and area restaurants to purchase moreproducts from local farmers. This small step will helpboost your local economy and get you exceptional flavorfrom fruits and vegetables that are recently harvested andpacked with nutrients.

Check out what’s in season. We are lucky to havesomething fresh and nutritious available in Florida 365days a year. Check out the Florida Department ofAgriculture’s web site at wwwwww..ffrreesshhffrroommfflloorriiddaa..ccoomm for achart of what is in season.

I am reminded daily of the wonderful, humble, few whomake their living by feeding the rest of us. I never take forgranted the hard work that went in to getting my mealfrom the field to the point of purchase and to my home. Itis our duty to ensure that we continue keeping our food asclose to our homes as possible. I don’t know about you,but I certainly don’t want to depend on another countryfor my sustenance.

This is not a new subject for me. But I can’t stress theimportance of supporting your local farmer and rancher.They are the lifeblood of this county, state and our greatnation.

On another note, do you have questions or concernsabout a family pet? Email us at aasskkaavveett@@iinntthheeffiieellddmmaaggaazziinnee..ccoomm and yourquestion may be answered in an upcoming issue of In TheField. This is a great resource for our readers! We lookforward to hearing from you.

Until Next Month,

Sarah

Certis.........................................................................48 & 52Colorful Harvest ................................................................49Cornfusion Corn Maze.....................................................40Chuck’s Tire & Automotive ..............................................2Cowboys Western World..................................................80Crescent Jewelers................................................................84Dad’s Towing....................................................................91Discount Metals...............................................................44Dr. Barry Gaffney O.D. PA.............................................74Driscoll’s............................................................................57Earhart’s Runway Grill ...................................................95Elizabeth Belcher..............................................................19Farm Bureau Insurance...................................................87Farm Bureau Insurance/Jeff Sumner..............................85Farm Credit ......................................................................65Felton’s ..............................................................................51Fischbach Land Company..............................................63Fishhawk Sporting Clays ................................................35Florida Dept. of Agriculture............................................16Florida Mineral & Salt....................................................72Florida Strawberry Growers Assoc................................41Fluid Measurements ........................................................33Forbes Road Produce ........................................................7Fred’s Market ...................................................................15Gator Ford........................................................................36Gerald Keene Plumbing ..................................................70Grove Equipment Service.....................................62 & 72Gulf Coast Tractor...........................................................96Harold’s Feed & Pet Supply...................................3 & 21Harrell’s Nursery, Inc.......................................................84Haught Funeral Home....................................................86Helena Chemical-Tampa ................................................44Hillsboro State Bank........................................................77Hillsborough County Farm Bureau................4, 20 & 76Hinton Farms Produce, Inc.............................................30I-4 Power Equipment ......................................................42International Paper Company ..........................................5Jeans & Jackets Gala.......................................................66Johnson’s Barbeque..........................................................57Jon & Rosie’s Tree Farm.................................................73Key Plex............................................................................58Loetscher Auto Parts .......................................................79Malissa Crawford............................................................30Mark Smith Excavating..................................................19Meryman Environmental, Inc........................................36Mosaic...............................................................................39Myers Cleaners.................................................................34O’Connor Enterprises......................................................81Pathway BioLogic............................................................83Plant City Tire & Auto Service, Inc...............................47Ranch Run .......................................................................71Rick’s Custom Meats ......................................................47Ring Power Corporation...................................................9Roadrunner Oil & Lube.................................................23Sam Van Hook.................................................................89Savich & Lee Wholesale .................................................12Seedway ............................................................................77Sheriff David Gee’s Sporting Clays Shootout................26Shrimp & Co Express.....................................................29South Florida Baptist Hospital .......................................56Southside Farm & Pet Supply........................................13Southwestern Produce.....................................................27Stephanine Humprey.........................................................9Stingray Chevrolet............................................................93Super Service Tire & Auto..............................................11Tampa Bay Times............................................................17The Hay Depot................................................................57Timberlane Pet Hospital & Resort................................31Trinkle, Redman, Swanson, Coton,Davis & Smith .................................................................70Walden Lake Car Wash..................................................17Wells Memorial................................................................46Willie’s ...............................................................................17Woodside Dental..............................................................79

ABC Pizza................................................................46Ag Technologies......................................................37Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers .............................39American Cancer Society.......................................91Antioch Feed & Farm Supply...............................75Aquarius Water Refining.......................................85Arrowhead Archery Shop......................................68Astin Strawberry Exchange...................................84 B Powerful Promos.................................................91Badcock....................................................................23Bill’s Transmissions.................................................77Bingham...................................................................78Bloomingdale Children’s House............................65Brandon Auto Services, Inc. ..................................31 Brandon Region Hospital......................................81Broke & Poor..........................................................53Byrd & Barnhill, P.L.................................................7C&C Services of Tampa........................................92Cecil Breeding Farm...............................................24CF Industries, Inc....................................................82 Chemical Containers..............................................31

PUBLISHER/PHOTOGRAPHY

Karen Berry

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Al Berry

SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR/ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Sarah Holt

EDITOR

Patsy Berry

OFFICE MANAGER

Bob Hughens

SALES MANAGER

Danny Crampton

SALES

Al BerryTina RichmondDanny Crampton

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Mona Jackson

PHOTOGRAPHY

Karen BerryAl Berry

Stephanie Humphrey

STAFF WRITERS

Al BerrySandy Kaster

James FrankwoiakSean GreenGinny Mink

Libby Hopkins

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Woody GoreLes McDowell

In The Field Magazine is published monthly and is available through local HillsboroughCounty businesses, restaurants, and many local venues. It is also distributed by U.S. mail toa target market, which includes all of the Greenbelt Property owners, members of theHillsborough County Farm Bureau and Strawberry Grower’s Association.

Letters, comments and questions can be sent to P.O. Box 5377, Plant City, Florida 33563-0042or you are welcome to email them to: iinnffoo@@iinntthheeffiieellddmmaaggaazziinnee..ccoomm or call 813-759-6909

Advertisers warrant & represent the descriptions of their products advertised are true in allrespects. In The Field Magazine assumes no responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Allviews expressed in all articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of BerryPublications, Inc. Any use or duplication of material used in In The Field magazine isprohibited without written consent from Berry Publications, Inc.Published by Berry Publications, Inc.

The Lord make His face shine upon you andbe gracious to you.–Numbers 6:25

Index of Advertisers

You Too, Can Be A WinnerHey Readers, hidden somewhere inthe magazine is a No Farmers, NoFood logo. Hunt for the logo and onceyou find the hidden logo you will beeligible for a drawing to win a FREENo Farmers No Food Sticker. Send usyour business card or an index cardwith your name and telephone num-ber, the number of the page which youfound the logo and where on that pageyou located the logo to:

InTheField® MagazineP.O. Box 5377

Plant City, FL 33566-0042

Winners will be notified by phone.You Too Can Be A Winner!Search for the logo below and enternow!

Weʼve changedthe colors of the

logo this month forBreast Cancer

Awareness!

Think Pink!

INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2012 7W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M AG A Z I N E .C O M


Dear Reader:

I don’t know about you, but for me this summerreally passed quickly. Kids are back in school,football season is upon us and agriculture ishard at work.

You may have noticed strawberry growers wereback in the field earlier than in the past. Fact is theywere and that’s because of the new fumigant they areusing. Methyl Bromide is no longer available and itsalternative requires an earlier start. Our best wishesfor a strong season, though we know labor shortagesand competition from Mexico will continue to beamong the challenges that they face. California usedto be their sole competition, but the emergence ofberries from Mexico is now another force to bereckoned with.

This edition of IN THE FIELD will also permiteach of you to meet Jason Davison, our newFarm Bureau field man and the important linkbetween our members here in Hillsborough Countyand the state Farm Bureau office at Gainesville.Jason has replaced Ray Crawford, who retired ashort time ago. We wish Jason the best.

Let me remind you once again that you do nothave to be a farmer or rancher to belong to FarmBureau. While we do work hard to meet the needs offarmers and ranchers as their “voice,” we stand forthose values of importance to the majority ofAmericans like the right to freely practice one’sreligious beliefs, support for the U.S. Constitutionand laws, a competitive free market system, respectfor our fellow man and much more.

Beyond those important values are a host of benefitsthat make Farm Bureau membership a truly greatopportunity for you. Those benefits include memberonly discounts on your next Chevrolet, Buick orGMC car or truck, theme park ticket discounts,notary services, significant discounts at Graingerand many more opportunities for you to save atplaces you no doubt now spend your hard earneddollars. That reminds me, plan to attend ourAnnual Meeting October 4 at the Trinkle Center.More information will be coming your way if ithasn’t already. That’s dinner on us, anothermember benefit.

For more information on Farm Bureau, includinghow to join and the benefits of membership,please visit wwwwww..hhccffbb..oorrgg or call 813/685-9121.

Thank you,

DannyDanny AprilePresident

HARD TO BELIEVE SUMMER CAME AND WENT

Board of DirectorsDanny Aprile, President; Bill Burnett, Vice-President; Jemy Hinton, Treasurer; George Coleman, Secretary; Glenn Harrell,

Member-at-large; Amanda Collins, Roy Davis, David Drawdy, Jim Dyer, Jim Frankowiak, Stefan Katzaras, Joe Keel, Greg Lehman, Kenneth Parker,Jake Raburn, Marty Tanner, James Tew, Patrick Thomas, Michelle Williamson and Ray Wood

Judi Whitson, Executive Director

100 South Mulrennan Road • Valrico, FL 33594 • 813-685-9121


• There are as many chickens on earth as there are humans.• Sharks can live up to 100 years.• Kangaroos canʼt walk backwards.• About 75 acres of pizza are eaten in the U.S. everyday.• Koalas and humans are the only animals that have

fingerprints.• There are 200,000,000 insects for every one human.• It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery

had in it to begin with.• The Octopus has three hearts.• The average person spends two weeks waiting for a traffic

light to change.• 1 in 2,000,000,000 people will live to be 116 or older.• Most cats are left pawed.• More than 250 people have fallen off the Leaning Tower

of Pisa.• A Blue whaleʼs tongue weighs more than an elephant.• Bamboo can grow up to 3 feet in 24 hours.• The average eyeball weighs about 1 ounce.• The Statue of Libertyʼs index finger is eight feet long.• A 75-year-old person will have slept about 23 years.


Water is a necessity for all life.Rarely, however, do we take thetime to consider all the process-

es necessary to ensure that the water weconsume is safe. Obviously, there are agood number of Americans who utilizebottled water due to personal preferences.Yet, there is a unique group of peopleworking hard to maintain and monitorhealthy public water provisions andproper water usage for our country. RoyMoore owns Fluid Measurement, acompany designed just for that purpose.

Roy offers a little bit about his back-ground, “I’m from southeast Iowa. I’m asoybeans, corn and hogs kid, row cropsand livestock. We actually grew up on asubsistence farm, where you grow the stuffthat you eat. We had our own orchard,raised our own vegetables, we had a wide

range of fruit trees, multiple gardens andpigs. I worked at a big apple orchard thatthe neighbor right next to us had. Theapple orchard had a fruit stand so wealways grew plenty of extra stuff for thatto sell as well. I grew up around it andbeen involved in agriculture a lot over theyears.”

While Roy definitely has some agriculturalknow how, it wasn’t the arena that caughthis eye. Instead, he joined the Navy at ageseventeen and went to college whileserving therein. He attained a Bachelor’sdegree in vocational education and a com-puter science degree. In 1979, after suffer-ing an injury in the military, he was trans-ferred to a base in Jacksonville. He says,“I’m a disabled vet. I came down here andworked on aircraft simulators and stuff.I lived in Jacksonville for about 25 years

and I worked at three of the four Navybases in Jacksonville.”

Roy got his first wake up call about watersafety while in the Navy. He explains, “Ihave an interesting pedigree in thatrespect. I was involved in one of the firstinstances with poisoned water back inMay of ’78 where there was an actualterrorist incident that disrupted operationsin Rota, Spain. It’s a big regional Navybase where everything that funnels in andout of the Mediterranean stops. It waswhen anti-nuclear protestors who didn’tlike the US Navy submarines were able toget into the base and successfully putcyanide into the drinking water. An alarmwent off and they called me on the radio atthree in the morning. I got there and the lidwas off the tank and there were containerson the ground. It would have made abunch of people sick if it hadn’t beencaught right away.” No doubt that wasquite a scary moment.

Having been exposed to such a dramatic,though thankfully non-lethal, situationRoy was more than ready to begin work-ing in the field of water quality and testing.He began that career with Control Designin Jacksonville. He explained that theirprimary focus was waste water. CertainlyRoy learned a good deal while workingwith them. In fact he says, “I’ve been doingprojects in this part of the state since 1994.I did a lot of projects in Hernando County,

Business Up Front

A BOUTIQUE BUSINESS – FLUID MEASUREMENT

By Ginny Mink


Manatee County and Sarasota County.”Then, in 2005, Roy opened his owncompany, Fluid Measurement.

Roy says, “Our Company is now primarilyinvolved with waste water, but municipaldrinking water is what we’re really into.Our current thing is homeland security,looking for water to be poisoned or otherrelated problems. I had been doing home-land security related work after 9/11, soa lot of focus had switched to security relat-ed stuff. We took it from doing new con-struction to a more specialized field.” Thisspecialized field enables Roy, and thosewho work with him, to monitor waterquality in a number of different ways.

In their beginnings, Roy says, “We put abunch of stuff in New York, Boston, LosAngeles, Cincinnati, and to a lesser extentother medium sized cities like Minneapolisand Indianapolis. We would go in andwork with the utilities, the big regionalwater suppliers, and we’d put stuff in tomonitor the distribution of water through-out that area. We put the censors intotypically larger communities. Down herethey produce 400 million gallons a dayand they distribute to the counties. Thecounties may buy 5 million gallons a day.If you go out and poison the bulk water

supply you touch a lot of people.” This ofcourse is what Roy’s company aims to pre-vent.

Initially they were utilizing a capitalexpenditure business model, whichrequired their clients to purchase equip-ment and then hire trained techs to moni-tor and maintain that equipment. As theeconomy quickly took a nose dive, theychanged their concept into one that ismore service oriented. Now, Roy says,“We sell the data, we own the equipment.Because there’s such a high capital cost,we’ve figured a way to reduce the costbecause we actually make everything local-ly. We’re trying to blaze a new trail with abrand new business model. We provideunique, high value measurements. The cus-tomers don’t have all the labor problemsand upkeep because we maintain it all. Wecan do it all remotely. They just pay us forthe information on a subscription. Eachlocation has its own website and you havethe ability to download the data. If thedata falls out of line we can send texts andemails to let people know and all ourequipment has GPS on it.”

In addition to working with the waterutilities, Fluid Measurement is assistingSWFWMD as they attempt to support

strawberry farmers specifically. Roy says,“They will be looking at the flow to seehow much water they’re consuming sothey have an idea of how much waterthey’re really using for freeze protection,which could also tell them how muchpressure they need. We are manufacturingour own flow and pressure meters but wenormally do specialized measurementsusing electrochemistry and optical tech-niques to look at the property of water.The agricultural part of it is sort of a newpiece. Another aspect of our business is,we do equipment health and inventory.We’ll go in and send an email aboutpredictive usage. This is beneficial forchemical management.” Knowing whatlevel the chemicals in your tanks are at willdefinitely assist in proper application forfarmers.

Given all the high tech gadgetry necessaryfor the proper testing of water, and the factthat Fluid Measurement is offering aunique service that utilizes disruptive tech-nology, those interested in having theirwater monitored should visit the websitesprovided here:

wwwwww..fflluuiiddmmeeaassuurreemmeenntt..ccoommand wwwwww..cceennssaarr..ccoomm

to get more information.


This little diatribe got me startedwhen I was told I could no longerfish an area I’ve fished for over 50

years. The conversation between me andthe governmental authority challenging myright to fish the area quickly became futile.So I pulled up anchor and left, grumblingto myself that it wasn’t right and what everhappened to my freedom and civil libertiesas an American citizen and the right tofish, where and when, that I’ve enjoyed forso many years. So, here goes.

Since the attacks on September 11, 2001our government has adopted and repeated-ly used the phrase "the war on terror" andsupported and endorsed the Patriot Act,which, at best, is somewhat problematicbecause it was initiated during the after-math of 9-11 when fear was at its highest.It was created with the impression that weare fighting against a “known enemy”instead of terrorism.

During times of war, our government has aseemingly natural tendency to ignore thesecured liberties of the Constitution (Bill ofRights). Our freedom, especially duringtimes of conflict, should not be precludedby the endless loss of our personal andrecreational liberties. Freedom was the verything our country was founded on. I live inAmerica, the land of the free and I’m notready to cower down and live in fear ofterrorism or surrender my personal free-doms in the interest of national security.

While we can agree that America has astrong interest in national defense, it canalso be said that Constitutional rights arenot to be ignored for the sake of goodintentions. Whenever legislation affectingour rights or civil liberties is enacted it

must be looked at not only for its end, butalso for its resources. The continuedinfringement on our personal and civilliberties can quickly become a way of lifeand certainly not one our forefatherswould have agreed to. When such govern-mental legislation, regardless of its inten-tions, ignores and violates the long-stand-ing fundamental principles of freedom,then our country has failed the test.

Since September 11 we’ve seen an increas-ing number of security zones being putinto place in the name of HomelandSecurity. These outdoor recreational, hunt-ing, fishing and boating closures through-out the nation are restricting admission tothe same areas we’ve had access to formany centuries.

Governmental authorities must begin torethink their level of responsibility andbegin relaxing the restrictions on securityzones. The responsibility for securingwater entrance must revert to the opera-tions of the ports or business that are nowbeing secured by restricted water securityzones. I don’t know of a security area thatdoes not have guards patrolling itsgrounds and if they don’t have guards theycertainly should be required to have themsimply because of the sensitive nature oftheir operations. They should also berequired to have security camera’s moni-tored from the security facilities. It’s notthe general public’s businesses that arecreating the security problems, so why arewe being restricted and penalized fromenjoying the areas we’ve enjoyed for somany years?

Is the thinking of the governmental offi-cials so shallow as to believe that a water

security zone is going to stop someonefrom entering a facility from water land-ings? In actuality, the only thing it’spreventing is recreational anglers andboaters from enjoying areas they’veenjoyed for centuries.

As citizens, we need to voice our objec-tions to present and continued closuresand begin reestablishing our freedoms.We also need to challenge our governmen-tal representatives, and when it comes toelections, find out how they stand oncertain issues relating to your recreationalfreedoms.

The majority of people spending time onor near the water generally understandswhat is normal and what is not andare well suited to notice suspiciousactivities. It’s also time for local anglersand boaters to become recognized as partof the security solution rather than identi-fied and labeled as potential terrorist. It’sthese people that ultimately increase thelevel of security. Who better than peoplefishing or boating to recognize when thebehavior of visitors in and around an areais inconsistent with what usually takesplace? Who better than the port worker orlongshoreman to identify a suspiciousindividual loitering near a restricted area,video taping, photographing, or makingsketches? Who better than a marinaoperator or dock master to recognize acustomer or crew acting suspicious?“People are not suspicious”… it’s theirbehavior that is suspicious.

Regardless of how many homeland securityzones are in place we cannot be so naïve asto believe if a terrorist organization decidesto invade an American coast, river, bridge,

by Captain Woody Gore


tunnel, port, ship, military base, or waterside industry, that it’snot going to happen? The United States has more than 95,000miles of shoreline, over 290,000 square miles of water. Givenour current economic situations and continuous cutbacks onlaw enforcement personnel, why not take advantage of someof the 70 million recreational boaters in the United States toidentify and report suspicious persons or behavior withouttaking away their recreational civil liberties and recreationalfreedoms.

Whether you agree or not we must understand and challengethose we vote into office to explain their stand on the issuesthat concern each and every one of us. Our vote counts, butmake certain you know who, what and where they stand on theissues that affect us all!.

LET’S GO FISHING!

SNOOK – Action has been fair, but still closed. You’ll findplenty of large fish around bridges and passes, especially atnight with free-lined baits like pinfish, greenbacks and jumboshrimp. Fish the broken bottom grass flats and mangroves forsome exciting action. Live bait or artificial lures should do thetrick.

MANGROVE SNAPPER – If you’re looking for some latesummer fun, particularly for the youngsters, take them snapperfishing. Not only are these fish fun to catch, they are great eat-ing. Small free-lined greenbacks or pieces of fresh shrimparound markers, bridges or rock piles, will usually result ina limit of fish. If the tides are strong add enough weight(1/4 – 3/8 oz), knocker rig to keep the bait down. Here’s a tip:Put them on ice immediately, this makes them much easier toclean because it gels the fat in their stomach – keeping it fromsticking to your knife.

MACKEREL AND BLUE FISH - Tampa Bay is still be loadedwith plenty of threadfins, so if you’re looking for awesome,light tackle action, Mac’s and Blue’s are excellent targets thismonth. Threadfins are everywhere, but look around markercans, range markers or shallow reefs. Anchor up current, tossout a few baits for chum, throw to the striking fish and hangonto your rod and reel.

REDFISH - Action will be steady with fish moving around thearea. If they’re grouped up always approach carefully, you don’twant to split them, it’s often difficult to get them back together.When approaching fish, pole or slow troll to within castingdistance, Power-Pole down and get off the bow, so as to presenta low profile. Try to pick off fish at the outer edges, never castinto the middle of a school. Reds eat shrimp, greenbacks,pinfish and crabs. If they’re not looking for something naturalremember cut bait always works.

SPOTTED TROUT - Fishing is always productive around lushgrass flats. It takes moving water to get them eating, but whenthey start… its fish-on. Popping corks with artificial DOA ofGulp Shrimp or live shrimp and greenbacks will produce a messof trout. Deeper water rocky bottoms and some markers areproducing some really nice catches of larger silver trout.

COBIA - They are still hanging around the markers and canthroughout the Bay if you’re interested in using a lot of fuelchasing around and checking things out.

Give Me a Call &Let’s Go Fishing813-477-3817Captain Woody Gore is theareas top outdoor fishingguide. Guiding and fishingthe Tampa, Clearwater, St.Petersburg, Tarpon Springs,and Bradenton for over fiftyyears; he offers world classfishing adventures and a life-time of memories.

Single or Multi-boat GroupCharters are all the same. With years oforganizational experience and access tothe areas most experienced captains,Woody can arrange and coordinate anyouting or tournament. Just tell him whatyou need and it’s done. Visit his websiteat:WWWWWW..CCAAPPTTAAIINNWWOOOODDYYGGOORREE..CCOOMMor send an email [email protected] or give him a call at 813-477-3814.

MatthewSnook

Bobby Baker

PastorEddie Williams

1166 IINNTTHHEEFFIIEELLDD MMAAGGAAZZIINNEE SSEEPPTTEEMMBBEERR 22001122 WW WW WW.. II NNTT HH EEFF II EE LL DD MMAA GG AA ZZ II NN EE ..CC OO MM

This Grub Station writer hopesyou find the restaurant reviewsinformative and entertaining.

When visiting restaurants our primaryconcern (in addition to the quality of thefood) is the level of its fresh produce andmeat/poultry/seafood quotient, as well as,whether the percentage of the productserved is locally produced, nurtured, farm-raised or (if seafood) fresh-caught. TheGrub Station’s goal is to highlight Floridafarming and produce including growers,cattlemen and fishing industries.

This issue highlights what one communityis doing to prepare a sustainable organicgarden for public use, with public partici-pation and education. Perhaps in learningabout the process of preparing the commu-nity garden, we may have a greater appre-ciation of the growing process and the con-tribution of our farmers.

Rev. Thoeni, rector of St. Peter’s EpiscopalChurch, 302 Carey St., was consideringvarious ways for the church to interactwith the community when he read an arti-cle about gardening enthusiasts who hadformed a group, naming their organizationPlant City Commons. They were lookingfor a place to start a program that wouldhelp the public understand the merits oforganic produce and the benefits of caringfor our earthly resources.

Unused church property was then donatedfor public use under the expert instructionof the Commons group of eco-gardenersBob Abbenzeller, Tom Carroll, RosalindBaker and Karen Elizabeth. After holding acommunity meeting with parishioners,area farmers, gardeners and the public atlarge, mounds of compost were donated, asign (facing W. Baker St.) designating ThePlant City Commons Community Gardenwas erected and on May 23, Rev. Thoeni,

led a group of professional and lay-ecolo-gists in a Rogation Liturgical dedicationceremony for the garden.

The weekly spring meetings consisted ofplanning the design and future of the gar-den, viewing free instructive movies aboutPermaculture, permanent agriculture andthe self-maintenance of an agriculturallyproductive diverse and sustainable ecosys-tem, and taking an organic seed plantingworkshop in July when local gardeningand farming experts demonstrated con-tainer selection, soil preparation, seedselection, planting procedures, and veg-etable choices for Fall planting, including ademonstration of how household materialscan be re-purposed for starting seeds, aswell as how to identify appropriate com-mercial potting and gardening soil.

Since May, all member gardeners havebeen taking on the weekly dirty job (rainor shine) of turning the huge mounds ofcompost in preparation for laying the bedsin early August when Mother's Organicsdonated highly composted material inorder to finish off the completed beds anda class was held on organic fertilizationand insect control.

“As we prepare for the fall planting seasonwe have built over a dozen individual andcommunity garden beds. More beds will beadded each week in anticipation of addedmembers,” said garden spokespersonKaren Elizabeth.

During the May dedication, olive andpomegranate trees mentioned in biblicalhistory (Deuteronomy 8:8), were donatedby Richard Skinner, owner of HawkinsCorner Nursery, and were, fittingly, plant-ed in the biblical garden area and are nowthriving. Additions of lemon grass, Floridanative flowers, aloe, and a golden dewdrop, were added recently.

Craft workshops creating paths, sculpturesand other items for the biblical gardenfrom donated recycled glass, tile and otheritems are slated to be scheduled and arealso free and open to the public.

Much to the surprise and delight of gar-dening enthusiasts, they discovered a ‘newvolunteer’ in the form of a huge watermel-on that had grown on its own from thecompost and an active bee hive has beendonated.

As you can see, it takes a lot of work andknowledge to make your garden grow.“The most important thing you can feedyour body begins with the correct informa-tion that you feed your mind," states well-known nutritionist Len Foley.

Commons board member Rosalind Bakerbelieves, “We must learn to take care ofourselves and our hungry and not wait forthe government to do it for us. We need tobe responsible citizens. Any surplus wegrow will be donated. We hope to inspireothers and continue to plant more andmore community gardens. We will haveongoing education, seminars and field tripsfor those who believe we must be the care-takers of our natural resources.” •

Folk Herbalist, Willow LaMonte, is a long-time organic gardener and wild crafter.She is a member of the AmericanHerbalist Guild, the Florida Herb Society,and United Plant Savers. She will beconducting a series of educational eventsunder the auspices of the Commonsduring Sept.

UUppccoommiinngg eevveennttss::

SSaattuurrddaayy,, SSeepptt.. 1155 – Enjoy a cup of flowerfairy tea at the family and children-friend-ly event then join the butterflies, birds,toads, and ladybugs who will act asguides through the beautiful colors andscents of the garden beds. Willow willshow the newly-planted beans, squash,corn, sunflowers, greens, tomatoes, andedible flowers then plant a pot of lettuce,greens, or beans to take home. KarenTaylor of Barefoot Books will be readinggarden stories at 10:15 am. Families areencouraged to bring a picnic lunch whilefresh herb tea is served. Suggested dona-tion: $10 adults, $3 kids.

SSuunnddaayy,, SSeepptt.. 1166 – “Growing YourAutumn-Winter Garden” is an organicgardening class with Willow LaMonte atWillow Herbal Delight Gardens, from10:30 am - 2:30 pm. Fresh picked tea andmulti-colored salad from the gardens willbe shared during a potluck lunch. There isa suggested donation of $15 -$25 foreither of these first two listed events.

By Cheryl Kuck


W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M AG A Z I N E .C O M INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2012 19


Recently I took Patsy, my wife, outfor dinner. We went through thesame thing most all couples that

have been married a while go through.That is, “Where would you like to go?”

“Oh, I don’t care, where would you like toeat?”

“How about Chinese?”

“Ugh”, she replied!

“Would the Longhorn Steakhouse work?”

“We ate there last week!”

I decided to take the matter into my ownhands, and drove straight to a Mexicanrestaurant in Brandon. BIG MISTAKE!When we opened the menu much to oursurprise they had at least 50 items tochoose from. I speak a little Spanish, andcould pick out a couple of items.

Patsy went through two glasses of teabefore she made up her mind. When herfood arrived she asked if that was what sheordered. I said, “How would I know, I wastaking a nap when you placed your order.”

Why do restaurants have such big menus?It’s hard enough to make up your mind

where you want to eat, then comes thechallenge of surfing through the menu.Why not four entrees, five salads and adish of ice cream for dessert. Life is stress-ful enough without restaurants compound-ing the problem.

Why not have a menu that reads, buy onehotdog for the price of two and get onefree. Put a little humor into dining out.

Then there’s the Olive Garden, whose foodis about as Italian as Burger King. I knowwhy they dish out unlimited bread sticksand salad before you get your meal. Amanager told me that most people eat somuch that they don’t order the main meal,and that saves them a lot of overhead.

McDonald’s has a different menu in all thedifferent countries around the world. Inthe Phillippines they serve “McRiceBurgers” with beef and chicken on a stickyrice patty. In Hawaii try a Hula Burgerfeaturing pineapple instead of hamburger.

At the Road Kill Grill in Mississippi tryone of their “Coronary Bypass” burgersmade with a one pound sirloin patty, afried egg, three slices of cheese, four slicesof bacon with a topping of mayonnaise,

mustard and catsup. Their special soup ofthe day on Friday is “Whiskey.”

When we take a long road trip Patsy likesto stop at Cracker Barrel, especially inDecember. She does most of her Christmasshopping there.

The only thing I have ever bought in theirgift shop is chocolate covered almonds anda harmonica. The food is pretty good, andI enjoy the little triangle golf tee game. Theobject of the game is to finish with thefewest tees possible, and it gives you anequivalent intelligence to your score. Ifrequently score “eg-no-ramoose” which isprobably right because I spend way toomuch time trying to score higher than an“eg-no-ramoose.”

I am not much on fast foods, but I mustadmit that Wendy’s has the best Frenchfries around. My friend George Banningowns a number of the Wendy’s franchisesin Polk County, and says business has beengood. I went through the drive-thru atWendy’s on Jim Redman Parkway in PlantCity the other day, and spoke with a realsouthern drawl. “I want one of them tharchittlin’ sandwiches with lots of catsupand mustard, and a glass of diet water. Besure to toast the bun too,” I said. Therewas dead silence!

“Scuse me, sir but we don’t serve that kindof sandwich,” as she leaned out the win-dow to see what kook was placing theorder. We both had a laugh, and I got myorder and moved on.

I recall going on a fishing trip with ErcelleSmith and Ron Wetherington and stoppingin at a small country restaurant in MarionCounty. One of the customers was bother-ing the waiter. He asked that the air condi-tion be turned down because it was toohot. After a few minutes he asked him toturn it up because he was too cold.This happened several times while we wereeating.

To my surprise the waiter was very patient.He politely walked back and forth andnever got angry. A customer sitting next toour table asked the waiter why he didn’t hethrow the guy out.

“Oh, I really didn’t care,” said the waiterwith a broad grin on his face. “We don’thave an air conditioner.”

Years ago I asked a waitress what was thefunniest thing that had ever happened toher since she started in the food business.

AL BERRY’S

She said, “I started out working the car service window at a fast-food restaurant. This lady drives up and I said through theintercom, ‘may I take your order.’ She replied, “hamburger,cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, deluxe burger,small and large roast beef, turkey club, chickensandwich, regular fries, large fries, apple pie,chocolate shake, vanilla shake, strawberryshake, Coke, Diet Coke, 7-Up and orangesoda.” I asked her to drive up to the window.I immediately gave her the bill. She wasstunned. “But I haven’t ordered yet,” shesaid. “I was reading the menu to my littlegirl.”

In closing, the waitress took a customer’sorder and was walking to the kitchenwhen she realized she had forgottensomething. She turned around andhollered, “You wanna roll withyour dinner?”

“No thanks,” the customerreplied. “I’ll just sit here andeat it.” •


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Farming is taking a hit just as every other industry in this econo-my. There have been a number of farmers over the last few yearswho have just jumped ship, or pasture, or garden, however you

want to look at it. Others, those with the desire to see the stormthrough, have begun to look at other options to produce profit. Onesuch area of interest is the increasing number of corn mazes that arecropping up (forgive the pun) across this great nation. Carson Futchand his family have chosen to dive right in to that endeavor. Carsonexplains, “This is a family project, it’s my brother, Wayne, and my sis-ter, Janet, and myself and our families. We were born and raised onthe ranch. The property has been in the family since the early 1900sas Single R Ranch. It was established by our grandfather and grand-mother, Ralph and Ruth Futch. Our beginnings, as a family, startedin 1845 when our family moved from Georgia to Florida. Literally,it’s about eight miles from where we are now. They took advantageof the 160 acres of land that the state was giving away if peoplewould come and homestead. So, we’ve been part of the communitysince day one.”

Carson continues to elaborate on family history, “Growing up on theranch we were all actively involved in FFA at Plant City High School.Our ranch was mainly a cow-calf operation. We were on the livestockjudging team. My brother was president of the JG Smith Chapter andwas instrumental in getting the swine show started. They’d had asteer show for years and years but nobody’d done anything with theswine show and now it’s become as popular as the steer show. OurAg teacher was the legendary, Ray Clark, he’s since retired. He wasreally young then, we broke him in, right out of college and he’s alsobeen a life long neighbor.”

Still discussing family history, he continues, “Our family raised rowcrops, fresh vegetable crops, cattle silage crops (that’s feed for cattle).Most recently we have a strawberry farm there on the ranch and westill raise cattle and feed and forage for them and most importantly,we raised a whole pile of young ‘uns. My brother and I have six kidsa piece. They love bein’ able to get out on the ranch and romp androam and hunt and fish and work with the cattle and ride four-wheelers and help with all the chores. Wayne actually lives in theold family home place right on the edge of the property, it’s a locallandmark. It was built in 1905 or 1907, somewhere in that area.Our dad is, Alvin Futch, and he enjoys teaching the grandkids thethings they need to know about agriculture there through the ranch

property. He also helps us teach them how to work.” Valuable lessonsfor sure!

At this point Carson switches gears, “We’ve been paying attention tothe new phase of ecotourism on agricultural property. I’m a citrusconsultant here in Polk County and a manager of citrus groves. Wesaw that there were some others having success with corn mazes upin North Florida, having their fourth and fifth ones, so we prayedabout it to sort of see what the Lord would have us do and we felt ledto start a new family venture. We started talking about this lastChristmas when my sister was home during Christmas vacation. Westarted kicking it around and we knew we were in a prime locationfor it due to the easy access via I4 and I75 and actually Highway 60and County Line Road, too. I think when we did our populationstudy we were in like a 30 mile radius of 1.2 million people, orsomething, it’s a lot!” As with any new business venture, location,location, location, and with that many people within a half hourdistance, this is sure to be a success.

Carson adds, “We decided to name it the Fox Squirrel Corn Mazebecause on the Oak ridge where it will be held, there are Sherman FoxSquirrels everywhere. Not a lot of people are aware of their existenceso we thought it’d be another thing we could educate people that arefrom urban areas. So our slogan is, “Can you out fox our squirrellymaze?” Their press release says that if you can out fox their maze,there’s a shirt in it for you! By the way, Sherman Fox Squirrels arereally cool, they are HUGE. Carson says, “We would like to invitepeople out from the surrounding areas to join the adventure and aday on a ranch. It’s going to be a four acre maze and along with itwe’ll have hayrides, a country store, games for the kids and variousfoods and drinks. It will be fun for everybody! Oh yeah, we’re gonnahave a pumpkin patch, that’s gonna be fun.”

The maze opens on October 13 and ends November 11 and islocated at 3002 Charlie Taylor Road in Plant City.

Fridays will be set aside for group events and school field trips.However, Saturday and Sunday are open to the public.

Saturday’s hours are 10 am – 6 pm andSunday’s they are open Noon – 6 pm.

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White Corn.........................................$13Yellow Corn ........................................$13Cream White Corn 4#........................$6Cream Yellow Corn 4#.......................$6Collard Greens...................................$13Mustard Greens..................................$13Turnip Greens ....................................$13

Spinach ...............................................$13Cut Okra .............................................$13Breaded Okra.....................................$13Whole Okra ........................................$13Sliced Yellow Squash........................$13Sliced Zucchini ..................................$13Brussel Sprouts..................................$13Baby Carrots ......................................$13Broccoli...............................................$13Cauliflower .........................................$13Mixed Vegetables..............................$13Soup Blend.........................................$13

Blueberries 5# ...................................$15Blackberries 5# .................................$15Dark Sweet Cherries 5# ...................$18Mango Chunks 5# .............................$15Pineapple Chunks 5#........................$15Whole Strawberries 5# ....................$15Rhubarb 5# ........................................$13Peaches...............................................$15Green Peanuts ...................................$15

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www.SouthwesternProduce.comINTHEFIELD MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2012 27W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M AG A Z I N E .C O M

REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Dry CreekDry Creek

In the last few weeks we have beenbusy at work filming the Trailer toDry Creek’s next episode called,

“Reap What You Sow.”

We’ve done most of the filming atCrawley Museum in Myakka City.Sitting on the steps of an old crackerhouse looking out at the gardenwhere we were filming took me back100 years. For just a few short min-utes it seemed I traveled back in time.It was a time in Florida where life wasso simple. Across the garden cametwo young girls one pushing the otherin an old wooden wheel barrow. Ponytails blowing in the warm Floridabreeze. The sight of Cracker Cattlethrough the fence, the sound of arooster crowing, I was in heaven, thatis until I heard CUT! There’s a jetoverhead.

I walked over to the man that was incharge of Crawley’s 1880’s garden.He was a throwback to the earlyCowmen of Florida. He told meabout how the breed came over withthe Spanish and how they couldsurvive in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Asthe creator of Dry Creek I felt hon-ored to help tell a small portion of thestory on Dry Creek of Florida’s past.

As our conversation continued, I toldhim about the story we were shoot-ing, about the two young girls bring-ing wind chimes to the garden. Howtheir mother, who had passed awayalways put wind chimes up on thegate of her garden. She said, “Angelswould surround her garden and whentheir wings would touch, the windfrom their wings would cause thechimes to sing!” Just then I saw thisCowman cover his eyes with tearsrunning down his cheeks. He saidthat he had lost a son and the last

time he had heard that was after thefuneral. Someone had walked up andsaid those exact words and presentedhim with some wind chimes. Strangethings happen and for a reason. Iwrote that line for the script andnever heard it before. Needless to saythis episode is being dedicated to hisson. Fast forward to cameras andsound in an interior of a 125 year oldhouse.

Two little girls are sitting on the edgeof a 100 year old bed getting ready todeliver their lines. CRASH! The bedfalls through and onto a prized cham-ber pot underneath it. Fast forward tothe next day I’m hitting every antiquestore in central Florida looking tofind a chamber pot.

So goes wearing the hat of being thecreator and Executive Producer ofDry Creek. Oh by the way, I found achamber pot and when you watch theepisode of “Reap What You Sow”don’t forget the story of the windchimes. Remember what causes themto sing in the Florida breeze.

Watch Dry Creek Saturday eveningsat 7:30 P.M. E.T. on

BlueHighwaysTV, Channel 246on Verizon.

Everybody knows whereDry Creek is.....

cause it’s inside each andeveryone of us.

By Les McDowellPhotos courtesy of Linda Constant



Feral hogs wreak havoc on Florida’s natural areas, but a newUniversity of Florida study shows that control measures often fail,

now, researchers are investigating how the animals outwit removalefforts.

“Feral hogs are definitely one of our more noticeable invasive animalissues on the Treasure Coast,” said Ken Gioeli, a St. Lucie Countyextension agent. “People have been struggling to deal with the popu-lations and we want to offer them better options.”

The study appears in the summer issue of the journal Aquatics, apublication of the Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society.

Florida has the nation’s second-highest population of feral hogs, afterTexas. The animals are especially common north and west of LakeOkeechobee, and in the coastal Big Bend area, Gioeli said. They roamin groups and damage forest ecosystems by rooting in the soil and wal-lowing in shallow water. It’s believed that feral hog damage costslandowners and agricultural producers millions of dollars nationwide.

In the study, researchers surveyed almost 90 land managers who dealtwith feral hogs, most of them working on large tracts of public land.Forty-seven percent said that their hog control efforts were marginallyeffective. Another 25 percent said control efforts had no effect.

Some of the most popular removal methods include hunting, with orwithout dogs, and trapping, using either small single-hog traps orlarger traps capable of capturing an entire group.

A second study, now under way, surveys hunters and trappers whoremove feral hogs and seeks to pinpoint reasons their efforts

succeed or fail. The survey is available athhttttpp::// //wwwwww..ssuurrvveeyymmoonnkkeeyy..ccoomm// ss//22MM77XX33CC33

Previous research suggests that large corral-style traps are the mosteffective way to remove groups of hogs, but few land managers usethem due to their size, Gioeli said.

Constructed from a heavy wood or metal frame, corral traps must bebaited and left open for several days to attract hogs. Once the animalsare accustomed to visiting the corral for food, the user can activatethe trap so that hogs are free to enter but unable to escape.

“The traps are very large and it can be difficult to transport them tothe site,” Gioeli said. “There are also some types of terrain where youcan’t use a corral trap.”

Ultimately, each hog removal effort must be tailored to the site andthe situation, he said. The concept is called adaptive management,and it means taking whatever steps are necessary, within the bound-aries of the law, to remove hogs.

Researcher Joanna Huffman, a hunter and a graduate of the UF/IFASMaster Naturalist program, said the study results underscore afundamental rule about feral hog management: Feral hogs are smart.

“If they’ve seen a trap, they remember it,” said Huffman, who’s goneon hog hunts and also assisted in maintaining traps to remove feralhogs from her neighborhood.

Gioeli explained that hogs can communicate with each other, so ifone hog associates an area with danger, it can warn others to stayaway.

“That’s why it’s important to try to do it right the first time,” he said.To give landowners and residents a better chance at success, Gioeliand several colleagues have been presenting management workshops.They plan to incorporate new information as it’s obtained.

One other piece of advice: Check state and local regulations beforeattempting to remove feral hogs from any property. Though theanimals are generally considered a nuisance, different jurisdictionshave different policies regarding the use of firearms, dogs, motorvehicles and other items used to remove the animals. •

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INVESTIGATING WHY CONTROL EFFORTSOFTEN FAIL WITH

FERAL HOGSBy Tom Nordlie

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Colorful Harvest, a long time Floridastrawberry grower/shipper, hastapped into the deep southern roots

of Plant City native Jeremy Burris to helpmanage its operations in Central Florida.The company announced the hiring ofJeremy Burris as the new Vice President forSales & Sourcing for their Florida division.The addition of Mr. Burris is the latest in aseries of moves to expand a very successfulFlorida produce operation. Mr. Burrisbrings to the position over 11 years ofstrawberry industry experience as the for-mer Vice President of Sales for Wish Farmsof Florida, in addition to strong academiccredentials with a bachelor of science fromUniversity of Florida and masters in busi-ness administration from SoutheasternUniversity, Lakeland, Florida.

Doug Ranno, COO of Colorful Harvestsaid, “The addition of someone withJeremy’s experience and first hand knowl-edge of the Florida strawberry and veg-etable industry will help to add depth toour year round strawberry and Florida vegprogram.”

In an interview with IN THE FIELD mag-azine Burris said, “Plant City is where Ifirst got involved with agriculture. Comingon board with Colorful Harvest at thistime lets me continue to do what I love,right here is where it started for me.”Colorful Harvest has recently added threelarge ranches and a dedicated cooler facil-ity on Trapnell Road to its Florida opera-tion, for which Burris will be primarilyresponsible.

Burris, son of Ken and Karen Grimmer,says that it all began for him while helpingtend to their family’s local cow-calf opera-tion. Being with his father on the workingcattle ranch gave Burris his first lessons inag operations and planted the seeds of hisfuture career. “I used to love going withhim to check cows and to run our haybusiness,” said Burris. “And going to thelocal farmers market and livestock marketswith him was something I looked forwardto. I liked the whole atmosphere thereand wanted to be a part of it from thebeginning.”

Burris became active in agricultural organ-izations as he progressed through highschool and into his adult career. “Mostboys grow up in sports, but I grew up as anFFA kid showing and judging livestock,”he said. Burris rose in the ranks of FFAleadership to become the local chapterPresident in his senior year at Plant CityHigh School, and then went on to becomea FFA state Vice President responsible foragriculture ambassadorship.

Since Plant City agriculture is synonymouswith strawberries, and since many of his11 years in agriculture were spent in straw-berries, he has also been active volunteer-ing at the Florida Strawberry Festival.Colorful Harvest itself has been an activeparticipant at the Strawberry Festival formany years. The company won the blueribbon for best flat of strawberries in2009, and has contributed strawberrythemed Musical Harvest guitars forauction at the festival gala for FloridaStrawberry Growers Association scholar-ships and other local causes.

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JJeerreemmyy BBuurrrriissJeremy & his wife, Erica; son, Logan; and daughter, Gracie.

Burris has two children with his wife Erica, Gracie age 4, andLogan age 16 months. “I’d love it if both Gracie and Logangrew up to have an interest in agriculture like me. That wouldmake us a three generation Plant City ag family,” he said.

With strawberry operations and dedicated cooling facilities inFlorida and other regions, Colorful Harvest is one of the fewcompanies to sustain a truly year round national strawberryprogram. The company’s Florida growing operations have alsodiversified to include a variety of vegetable crops includingColorful Harvest’s proprietary Ruby Jewell™ sweet red corn,beans, squash and cucumbers to compliment their line ofunusually colorful heirloom style vegetables, orange – purple –green cauliflower, and multi-hued Rainbow Crunch® Carrots).

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Another month down and my team and I have gained many new expe-riences. Since I left you last month I have traveled halfway across the

nation, volunteered with one of Florida Agriculture’s great industries, andspent a weekend with the Florida FFA Alumni! Every week has been oneadventure after another that I’ve gotten to experience with my team everystep of the way.

At the end of July my team and I left Tampa behind, traveling towardsDes Moines, Iowa. Over the week we were in Iowa we learned the ins andouts of large-scale production agriculture, the likes of which is somethingvery rarely seen in the state of Florida. We started out the week at theNational Pork Board headquarters as we, along with the Iowa state offi-cers, went through training to become spokespeople for the pork indus-try. We then traveled to Pioneer, a company who produces a majority ofthe corn seed supply in Iowa. Here we learned about the advancementsbeing made in Genetically Modified Seeds in terms of durability and pro-ductivity. Next we traveled to JBS Swift, a major pork processing plant.We experienced firsthand the entire pork harvesting process, from arrivalof the pigs to the distribution center. We then went to a local farm to learnmore about the equipment used in the production of corn and soybeans,including the opportunity to drive some of the tractors. The next stop wasto the Cargill corn mill where we learned just where our corn supply goes.From their information it seemed like almost everything was made fromsome aspect of corn! Our final stop was to Breneman Pork. Along withproducing corn and soybeans, this farm is the largest independent porkproducer in the state of Iowa, producing almost 750,000 pigs a year. Thisweek was one we won’t forget anytime soon.

When we returned to Florida, after a few days off we traveled down toFt. Myers to volunteer at the 2012 Citrus Expo. Along with working tokeep the Expo running smoothly we got to learn more about one ofFlorida’s largest agricultural commodities. Along with participating in theexpo we also attended the Gulf Citrus Banquet and the Casino Night inbenefit of Florida FFA. Finally we spent a weekend in Haines City at theFlorida FFA Alumni retreat. The Alumni are one of the largest advocatesthere is for Florida FFA as well as a major sponsor. The opportunity tointeract with these supporters of FFA was an incredible experience initself.

Looking to the future, we are preparing to start chapter programs as wellas putting on our first conference of the year, Chapter President’sConference. As always I am always available for comments, questions,and concerns at [email protected].

David Walden – Area 5 State Vice President



Avital link between each county FarmBureau organization and the stateoffice in Gainesville and vice versa are

the assistant directors of field services activeacross Florida. Our most recent “link,” RayCrawford, retired a short time ago and ournew “field man,” as these key people aremost often described, is Jason Davison.

Davison was born and raised at Lake Butlerin Union County on his family’s small farm,which they continue to operate and raisecattle, hay and horses. He is the oldest of fourchildren with three younger sisters: Deidree,Courtnie and Lindsey.

The Davison family also owns a heavy equip-ment and site work construction business,“and that is where I spent most of my profes-sional career working up until a little overfour years ago,” said Davison. After graduat-ing from Union High School, Jason began hisundergraduate studies at the University ofFlorida, but as a result of his father’s healthhe had to leave UF and help with the familybusiness.

“A little over four years ago, I decided to goback and fulfill a life goal, finishing mydegree at the University of Florida,” he said.“During my senior year, a professor andmentor talked to me about continuing on tograduate school. My family and I talkedabout it and decided it was the right thing todo. I applied and was offered an assistant-ship. I took the opportunity and decided toleave the family business. In August, Ireceived my Masters degree.”

Davison has his bachelor’s and master’sdegrees in Agricultural Education andCommunication. He was the undergraduate

and graduate President of Alpha Tau Alpha,a member of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternityand Agricultural Communicators andLeaders of Tomorrow.

The District 5 opening arose; Davisonapplied and secured the position. “TheFlorida Farm Bureau is a wonderfulgrassroots organization that stresses theimportance of the agricultural industry in ourstate and the entire nation. I wanted to beinvolved within an organization that servesto protect and preserve the interests offarmers, ranchers and agribusiness. FarmBureau serves those purposes, plus we seek toinform and educate those not involved in ourindustry of the importance of agriculture totheir local communities, the state and theentire nation. I couldn’t be more excitedabout being part of this organization and thevalues it represents,” said Davison.

Replacing Ray Crawford is admittedly atough chore and “the truth of the matter isthat I can’t replace Ray, but I hope to pickupwhere he left off. I think we both havethe same interest and that is to help thecounty Farm Bureaus be the best they can befor their members. I hope to develop thepersonal relationships with each of thecounty Farm Bureaus I serve, making thatpursuit easier for everyone. I plan to putforth a lot of hard work and, hopefully,be able to prove myself as a worthy successorto Ray.”

Davison has four daughters; Kiersten, 18;Alyssa, 15; Mackenzie, 11 and Emily, 9.“Kiersten is beginning college this fall atFlorida Gateway College and my threeyounger daughters are active in riding horsesand barrel racing. When not working, I enjoywatching all Gator athletic events, playingfold, gardening and spending time with mygirls and their horses. I am currently lookingfor a place to move to in the district.”

“I am thankful for the opportunity given tome to serve as your ‘field man’ and I amhumble in the task that lies before me. Ipledge that I will do everything I can to servethe needs of the members and your countyFarm Bureau. I will always be open to adviceon how to accomplish the goals and missionof the Florida Farm Bureau.”

Welcome aboard Jason!

Meet JASON DAVISONFarm Bureau’s New “Field Man”by Jim Frankowiak


The tomatillo, or “small tomato” inSpanish, is an essential ingredient insalsas and mole sauces. Somewhat

different than tomatoes, tomatillos arehigher in both sugar and acid and have atart-sweet, bright flavor. The interior isdensely packed with seeds and the exteriorof the fruit (botanically a fruit, thoughoften thought of as a vegetable) iswrapped in a papery husk that resembles alantern. A member of the nightshade fam-ily, along with potatoes, eggplant, andpeppers, the tomatillo varies in size from acherry tomato to a golf ball. Other namesfor this fruit are husk tomatoes, Mexicangreen tomatoes, jamberberries, and straw-berry tomatoes.

An important crop in Mexico and CentralAmerica, the tomatillo grows wellthroughout Florida in the fall and wintermonths. They turn from green to yellowwhen fully ripe, but are usually eatenwhile still green.

NUTRITIONAL PROFILEThe tomatillo packs plenty of nutrition in asmall package! It’s a good source of copper,iron, phosphorous, manganese, and otherminerals. According to the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA)National Nutrient Database for StandardReference, a 100g portion of choppedtomatillo contains 32 calories, 0.96 g ofprotein, 1.02 g of fat, 5.84 g of carbohy-drate, and 1.9 g of fiber. It also provides30% of the Daily Recommended Value (%DV) for Vitamin A, 38% for Vitamin C,18% for Vitamin K, 12% for potassium,and 7.9% for dietary fiber. Tomatillos area fantastic source of iron, magnesium,phosphorus, copper, niacin, and man-ganese.

ANTIOXIDANTS

FOR OVERALL HEALTHTomatillos are high in antioxidants.

Withanolides, one type of antioxidants,have properties that fight bacteria and can-cer. Other antioxidants found in tomatillosare flavonoids, which contribute to goodvision, healthy skin, and protection fromsome types of cancers. While tomatilloshave more minerals by weight than toma-toes, they don’t contain lycopene like theirlarger cousins.

Tomatillos are an excellent source of vita-mins A and C. These potent antioxidantvitamins travel through the body neutraliz-ing dangerous free radicals that could other-wise damage cells and increase inflamma-tion. Antioxidants may decrease the progres-sion or severity of atherosclerosis, diabeticcomplications, asthma, and colon cancer.

STRONG BONESTomatillos contain significant amounts ofbone-building nutrients, such as calcium,phosphorus and vitamin K. The mostabundant mineral in the body, calciumlives mainly in bones and teeth. An ade-quate amount of calcium is needed tomaintain bone density and strength.Additionally, calcium plans a role in mus-cle contraction and proper heart function.Calcium absorption is enhanced by othernutrients, including vitamins D and K,magnesium, and phosphorus.The second most abundant mineral in thebody, phosphorus also plays a major rolein bone health. Like calcium, it residesmainly in bones and teeth. Phosphorus isrequired for the growth and maintenanceof tissues and cells throughout the body,and helps to filter waste from the kidneys.Tomatillos are also a great source of vita-min K, which is essential in bone health.Vitamin K activates osteocalcin, one of themain proteins in bone, which acts toanchor calcium molecules inside the boneand increase bone mineralization. Thisvitamin may reduce the risk of bone frac-tures, particularly in postmenopausal

women who are at risk for osteoporosis.Vitamin K is also well known for its essen-tial role in proper blood clotting.Inadequate levels of vitamin K can lead toexcessive bleeding.

HOW TO SELECT AND STOREChoose tomatillos that are very firm andsmooth, with a dry, crisp husk. Look forones that have a bright green color with alight tan husk. Avoid any that are soft,yellow, or bruised. They can be stored intheir husks in the refrigerator for up totwo weeks, or without the husks for acouple of months. Tomatillos can also becanned or frozen for later use.

HOW TO ENJOYImmediately before using, remove thehusks and rinse well. Unripe tomatilloscan be cooked and added to soups, stews,curries, and sauces. Ripe tomatillos areoften enjoyed raw, eaten out-of-hand.They can be chopped and added to anysalad, soup, or salsa. Other ways to enjoyFlorida tomatillo include:

• Puree with cucumbers for gazpacho• Slice thinly and use to top sandwichesor pizza

• Chop and add to omelets, stir-fry,salads, and sandwiches

• Stir-fry in olive oil with other veggies• Drizzle with olive oil and roast• Slice and eat with salt and basil

Enjoy fresh Florida tomatillos both rawand cooked today!

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By Sandy Kaster, M.S. Clinical Medicine, B.S. Nutrition Science


Sometimes momentous events are broadcast for the world to see,and you remember where you were the moment the eventoccurred. Usually however, important events are but a ripple

shared by a chosen few. The populous may come to know the out-come, but never knows the behind the scenes story.

Such is the case with UF/IFAS’s patent program for plant material.The program is uniquely different and one of a kind, and needed atrain of events in sequence to make it possible. The first event in thisseries was federal legislation (Bayh-Dole Act of 1980), which facili-tated protection of plant patents developed at land grant universities.Before Bayh-Dole, there was little to talk about. Afterward, patentsbecame an item of discussion.

Shortly thereafter, the Florida Strawberry Growers Association heldits first UF/IFAS-FSGA program review to examine cooperativeefforts to improve the future of Florida strawberries. At that time,nearly all of the state’s strawberries were California varieties, devel-oped for a Mediterranean climate. Moreover, Florida growers werepaying $300,000 in royalties each year to use those varieties. In theyears following the program review, Florida growers traveled to theIrvine and Watsonville Strawberry Research Centers to determinewhat California was doing well, and what Florida could do better.

At that time, a plant breeder who developed a new variety received50 percent of the royalties, and the state university system receivedthe bulk of the remaining royalties. The breeder’s research programreceived very little. The Florida delegation left feeling that Florida’spatent program should be less focused on making breeders million-aires or generating funds for the state, and more focused on usingroyalties to reward the breeder with research dollars to help generatemore varieties to assist agriculture.

For example, the existing royalty program generated $100, thebreeder got $50, the program oversight got $35, the breedingprogram got $10, the experiment station and the department each got$2.50. Under the IFAS model, the breeder would get $20, the pro-gram oversight would get $10, and the breeding program, experimentprogram and department would get $70. The bottom line is that 70percent of the royalties would go back to fund research rather thanthe existing model of 15 percent.

Fortunately, Florida’s IFAS plant breeders, led by IFAS’s newstrawberry breeder, Dr. Craig Chandler, were of one mind with thispremise. They unselfishly requested IFAS administration to worktoward a royalty distribution of 20 percent for the breeder and 70percent for funding subsequent research in plant breeding with only10 percent for oversight. This way, breeders would be rewarded fortheir success with funding to continue that success.

Dr. Jim Davidson was the Associate Dean of Research under Dr. AlWood at the time of the strawberry program review. However, by theend of the decade, he was Senior Vice-President of IFAS. HisExecutive Vice-President was Dr. Joe Joyce and one of his AssociateDeans of Research was Dr. Neil Thompson. All three worked togeth-er, pushing for the change, but recognized that the proposal would bea hard sell for UF administration.

It is very hard to make a change within the university system when allother universities are doing something different … particularly whenmoney is involved. Fortunately, at that time, there wasn’t muchmoney involved. There had been very few patents for plant materialand no patents for Florida strawberry varieties. IFAS administratorswere also fortunate that at the critical moment, there was a change inleadership at the UF provost’s office to an individual who was opento their change. The trio of IFAS administrators pulled off a majorcoup and UF administration allowed the change.

As luck would have it, a clone originally crossed by Dr. CharlieHoward at the Dover Strawberry Research Center before his retire-ment, was showing promise. The decision was made that the newclone, to be named “Sweet Charlie” in honor of Dr. Charlie Howard,would be the first candidate for the new patenting program.

The plant passed all administrative and peer reviews but there wasstill one hurdle to overcome … the cost of applying for a patent. TheFlorida Foundation Seed Producers approached FSGA for $10,000for the patent as an advance on royalties. If the “Sweet Charlie”flopped, the patent fee would be gone. FSGA took the leap in faith,and also agreed to market and protect the variety.

The rest was an explosion of success. The “Sweet Charlie” though abit soft for the domestic market, gave the Florida strawberry industrya much needed boost when it was down. “Sweet Charlie” didn’tlast long in the domestic market but became popular in developingcountries because of its good taste and disease resistance. Dozens ofcountries grew the variety worldwide and added over $1 million tofund strawberry research. IFAS researchers then used the new sourceof funding to roll out a series of newly patented strawberry varieties.Today, the majority of strawberry acres grown in Florida are Floridavarieties. Florida varieties have been grown in about 50 countriesaround the world.

The IFAS model is now receiving interest from other land grantuniversities around the nation and has been adapted successfullyto other commodities in the state. But it all began a quarter of acentury ago with the success of a single commodity… strawberries.It came to fruition because growers, IFAS faculty and IFAS adminis-trators possessed vision, unselfish motives and the courage to changea well entrenched system. They also had a good measure of luck.Through their efforts, they made our corner of the world amuch nicer place. •

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“Hey look at that cool bee!”“That’s not a bee, that’s a wasp”, says a child-hood friend of mine. “Those are Yellow jack-ets! You can tell by the markings on the tail”says yet another friend. This is the typicaldialog of my earliest memories of observinginsects. Sound familiar? We see these crittersevery summer swarming the garbage cans inpublic places. They seem to have an affinityfor soda and can quickly become a nuisance asthe summer progresses. In my recent hikesI have noticed that there seemed to be moreyellow jackets than nearly any other speciesalong the trails, and there is good reason forthat. This month we will take a closer look atthe Yellow jacket. Regarding this critter asfriend or foe will largely be a matter ofperspective. For some, they are reason enoughto abandon a picnic, for others, a blessing indisguise. Regardless of the perspective fromwhich you make your conclusion, like anyother insect, the Yellow jacket is part of ourecosystem and has important contributions toits overall health.

The Yellow jacket is a common name for twomain genus of wasps; Vespula, usually grounddwelling and Dolichovespula, usually aerialnesting. Yellow jackets share a distinction aspredatory wasps, meaning they prey on otherinsects for food. In the natural order ofecologic balance, yellow jackets hunt otherinsects to feed their larvae. Adult yellowjackets do not simply gather insects fordelivery to their young; they chew it into apulp for them as well, feeding them softslurry of protein that is critical for their devel-opment. The propensity of the yellow jacketto require meat for development has earned itthe nickname of “meat bee.” When the nest isgrowing, yellow jackets will be attracted toany easy source of meat such as a deadanimal, fish, or your partially eaten picnic.Many hunters will tell you, their passion forhunting is paid with suffering the yellow jack-ets and often fending them off their kill. Theadult yellow jackets meat collecting efforts arerewarded by a sugary substance produced bythe larvae that serves as the adult’s primaryfood source late into the summer.

Yellow jacket colonies only last a year. Theybegin when an inseminated queen emergesfrom overwintering in late spring to build asmall paper nest for her first eggs. The queenfeeds her first brood of larvae herself and by

midsummer, the first 50 or so adults emerge assmall infertile female workers. The newlyemerged workers begin expanding the nest byforaging for food, feeding developing larvae,protecting the nest and caring for the queenwhile she remains in the nest laying moreeggs. The nest and its resources begin to growexponentially. Adult yellow jackets rely on thesugary secretions of the larvae for nutritionand the larvae, in turn, need the meat pulpcreated by the workers if they are to reachadulthood. A yellow jacket nest can grow toover 10,000 cells by late summer and accom-modate more than 4,000 workers. Once thecolony reaches its peak size, resources arere-allocated for the benefit of the next genera-tion. Reproductive cells are created and eggsthat will become new reproductive males andqueens are produced. These reproductiveadults remain in the nest while the new queensfatten up for overwintering. Once mature, thereproductive adults leave the nest to mate,soon afterwards the male dies and the insemi-nated queen seeks shelter in protective logs,tree bark, or even manmade structures tooverwinter.

It’s in the late summer and early fall periodthat the queen stops laying eggs, once theremaining larvae become adults, there is nolonger a source for sugary substance adultyellow jackets eat. Adults do have a proboscisthat can be used for sipping nectar or sweetfluids and will seek sweet substances fornourishment in the absence of the sugarymixture provided by larvae. This is the time ofyear that yellow jackets are noted for being anuisance. Garbage cans, picnic tables, fruitstands, and even groves and orchards aregreat places for yellow jackets to find sweetliquids to feed on.

Last month along the hiking trails, April and Ihave seen the expected drama of yellowjackets hunting caterpillars, which is alwaysdisturbing for her. We did not see many cater-pillars but saw plenty of yellow jackets mostof which were chewing on the railings ofboardwalks and decaying trees and logs inHillsborough County parks. The abundantrain we have had has softened the woodmaking short work of gathering wood fibersfor what may be among the last new cellscreated for the colony before the nextgeneration prepares for overwintering. •

By Sean GreenPhoto by April WietreckiA Closer Look Looking for us?

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Note: This is just a sample of our distribution points.We’ll list di�erent locations each month.

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It’s no secret that agriculture and Plant City are synonymous. Andthat strong relationship was celebrated by the Plant City Chamberof Commerce once again this year at its annual Salute to

Agriculture.

Sponsored by Farm Credit of Central Florida, the event, whichattracted a crowd of 200-plus, was held fittingly at the Evelyn &Batista Madonia Sr. Agricultural Show Center at the FloridaStrawberry Festival grounds. Five awards were presented: YoungAgriculturist, Agriculture Educator, Agribusiness of the Year,Agriculturist of the Year and Supporters of Youth award.

A lifelong resident of Plant City, Joel Connell was named YoungAgriculturist. Married to Erika, Joel is a fifth generation Connellresiding in the Plant City area. He and Erika have three children:Kenly, Ella and Colt. Joel is currently in charge of operations for 325acres of strawberries and various other crops at Charlie Grimes

farms. Joel is a deacon at First Baptist Church, was president of theFlorida Strawberry Growers Association in 2011 and continues withFSGA as a board member. Joel and Erika love their farming lifestyleand would not have it any other way.

Ag Educator of the Year went to Jane Bender. Her teaching career hasbeen marked by a series of “light bulb” moments when she beganteaching at Dowdell Jr. High School and continued for the next35 years until this past year at Plant City High School. Thosemoments will be cherished memories as Jane enjoys her well deservedretirement.

Those moments range from teaching a cheerleader how to put an eartag into a calf’s ear despite the many “I cant’s” by Trisha Moody, whois now a Hillsborough County Medical Examiner, to the many stateand national FFA officers Jane worked with, including her ownchildren Sara and William, who both received the highest degree FFAbestows, The American FFA Degree. The list of bright moments is

By Jim Frankowiak Photos by Ron OʼConnor, Farm Credit


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long and distinguished, fitting highlights toan exemplary career in Ag education.

Though not technically a business,Hillsborough County Farm Bureau has beenassisting farmers and property owners since1942. What began as a means to promoteagriculture, give farmers a better identity,help property owners maintain the best usefor their property and educate people aboutthe importance of agriculture, continuestoday as the benefits of membership in thisgrassroots organization.

HCFB President Danny Aprile leads the 19-member volunteer Board of Directors whichis ably assisted by Executive Director JudiWhitson. Programs span political outreach,Ag-Venture Field Trips for 3rd graders inHillsborough County, community serviceprograms such as Ag-Abilities, participationin the Great American Teach-In and much

more. Hillsborough County Farm Bureausupports agriculture and countless programsof value to the community, reachingand teaching residents of all ages about thecritical role Ag plays in the county.

Agriculturist of the Year, MichelleWilliamson, is appropriately a Director ofHillsborough County Farm Bureau and arelentless advocate for agriculture. Her FarmBureau activities include posts locally and atthe state level, as well as district positions.She is also currently secretary of the FloridaStrawberry Growers Association and a pastboard member.

Michelle also provides her agricultural expert-ise to government agencies and elected offi-cials through involvement with the county’sAgriculture Economic Development council,Citizens Environmental Advisory Committeeand Agriculture Advisory Committees fromCongressmen Bilirakis and Ross. She also par-ticipates in a range of educational activitieshelping to educate children and adults aboutthe importance of agriculture in Florida.

In addition to advocating for agriculture,Michelle is also very active in her church,Plant City First Assembly of God, where sheis a children’s church teacher.

Ed and Myrtle Lou Swindle, winners of theSupporter of Youth in Agriculture honor,have been married for nearly 62 years andhave long assisted FFA programs locally andat the state level. They have supported youthevents at the Florida Strawberry Festival formany years, including a donation to buildone of the Livestock Barns on festivalgrounds. Their efforts have been feltthroughout the state via work on the StateFFA board.

The Swindle’s have supported the localcommunity through the South Florida BaptistHospital Foundation. They graciously donat-

ed the funds that helped build the SwindleDiagnostic Center in 1997 and have assistedthat important healthcare facility in manyother ways.

It is especially pleasing to have all of thesemembers of the agriculture community rec-ognized not only for their support of theindustry, but for their actions to give back tothe community, as well. •


Spicy Rubbed Steaks

Crisp Autumn Salad

Recipes Courtesy of the Florida Department of Agricluture

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon ground cumin1 teaspoon chili powder1 teaspoon black pepper1 teaspoon celery salt1 teaspoon dry mustard1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper2 teaspoons paprika

PREPARATION

Combine all dry rub ingredients well.Spread rub mixture evenly on the steaks priorto cooking. The natural moisture of the itemshould help the rub adhere. Cook steaks ongrill to desired doneness.

PREPARATION

Combine all the vegetables and pickles or olivesin a salad bowl. Use enough olive oil to moistenthe vegetables and add lemon juice to taste.Season with salt and pepper, then toss.

INGREDIENTS

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut

into 1/4-inch diced pieces

2 large tomatoes, diced

2 medium red bell peppers, diced small

1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded

2 bunches green onions, finely chopped

1/3 cup radish, finely diced

1 medium half-sour pickle, finely diced, or

1/3 cup chopped green olives

3 tablespoons olive oil

Fresh squeezed juice of 1/3 to 1 lemon, or

to taste

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

RECIPES



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The concept of work, real, hard, work seemsto be lost on the younger generations.Certainly at some point in life every human being has to be

taught to work. However, it appears that those success inducing lessonsused to start at a significantly younger age than they do now. Obviously,people who grow up on a farm or ranch have the added benefitsof learning to work as soon as they can walk and tote something simul-taneously. For those that don’t have that distinct advantage, their parents’hope that they’ll have the drive and desire to seek out such successfulendeavors on their own, otherwise log lumps end up having more value.

Joel Connell is a man who is not afraid of hard work. He is still young,only 31, but he is making great strides toward an impressive and satisfy-ing future. Joel shares his story here, “I was born and raised in Plant City.I am part of the fifth generation of Connell’s that lived in Plant City. Asfar as agriculture, I did not grow up on a farm. When I was 14 years old,Mr. Jim Redman, who was a lawyer in Plant City, had some citrus andsome cows and I basically worked for him when I was a teenagerlearning about cows and oranges and how to work.”

Joel stops here and chuckles, reemphasizing, “Basically, I learned how towork and I worked with him until I was in college.” He adds, “Workingwith Mr. Redman, I was so young, he basically taught me how to work.I spent time in the grove pulling vines and basically doing the grunt workfor him but that’s what gave me the appreciation for ag and that’s whenI decided that’s what I wanted to do for a living.” As an afterthought, Joelcontinues, “My granddaddy and I, my PaPa as I called him, planted alittle orange grove here in Plant City when I was probably 14 or 15 andI did that as well as worked for Mr. Redman so there’s a little familyhistory in citrus.”

After spending a few years working for Mr. Redman, Joel graduated highschool and headed on to college. He says, “I went to college at FloridaSouthern College in Lakeland and I got a degree in citrus business. Mysenior year of college I needed a job so I got a job with Grimes Producedriving a forklift in the warehouse. After I graduated college I had acouple of job offers down south, in citrus, but I decided that I wanted tostay around Plant City. Mr. Charlie Grimes asked me to come out andhelp lay plastic. I didn’t know anything about strawberries, I was verygreen at that point, and that led to a job offer.” For those who areunaware, Grimes Produce was listed as a business in 2000, so it was a rel-atively new entity when Joel first started working there. However, GrimesFarms was established in 1948 which implies that the Grimes’ have quitethe history in produce, even if their official produce company doesn’t.

Perhaps you have heard the old adage, “don’t despise small beginnings.”Certainly a forklift driving position and some plastic laying may not haveseemed like the chance of a lifetime to Joel, but he explains how ultimate-ly, it was. He continues, “Mr. Grimes asked me to help him manage someof his farms and that was in 2002. Since then, Mr. Grimes has really spentcountless hours with me giving me advice and teaching me about grow-ing strawberries and about business. We’ve grown strawberries, can-taloupe, squash and peppers and other vegetables and we’ve recentlystarted growing blueberries. Mr. Grimes has taught me and given mecountless hours of advice. I feel like I’m blessed beyond belief to havebeen given this opportunity with Mr. Grimes to learn farming and thebusiness side of the industry.”

Young Agriculturalist of the YearBy Ginny MinkPhotos by Stephanie Humphrey


In fact, if you remember, Mr. Redmaninstilled in Joel the appreciation for hardwork, an interest in ag, and the desire todo that for a living, but Joel takes it a stepfurther, “I knew I wanted to be a farmer,I just didn’t know how I was going tomake it happen and I never would havemade it happen unless Mr. Grimes hadgiven me the opportunities that he’s givenme. When I started with Mr. Grimes myresponsibilities were to oversee harvestingand fertilizing, some basic duties. Sincethen, it’s grown into general managing ofday to day operations of 340 acres ofstrawberries, vegetables and blueberries.Currently we’re preparing the ground forthe upcoming strawberry season. We’relooking forward to another strawberryseason. While the challenges may seemgreat, our determination is the same.”

When Joel speaks of determination, he isnot just someone skilled in rhetoric or niceverbiage; he knows, and personifies, itsdefinition. He says, “I served on the Boardof Directors for the Florida StrawberryGrowers Association from 2007-2011 andI was the President of the Board ofDirectors in 2011.” Joel was quite a youngman to serve as President of such a presti-gious and well-respected organization. Yet,his accomplishments don’t end there.In summer of this year, Joel Connellreceived an impressive award. He explains,“August 8 was the breakfast and I receivedthe Plant City Chamber of Commerce andFarm Credit: Young Agriculturalist of theYear. The breakfast is the Chamber ofCommerce’s salute to agriculture and theyhighlight people in the Plant City agricul-ture industry. It was a great honor toreceive the reward.” Perhaps the mostimportant aspect of being a recipient of

this award is the fact that Joel has receivedit based on his sheer determination topursue agriculture, he’s not a born andbred farmer or rancher, he’s a man whosaw what he wanted and captured it!

While Joel is a man of few words, therewas one thing that he seemed to get overt-ly enthusiastic about, and that’s his family.He says, “I’ve been married to my wife,Erika, since 2003. We met while I was asenior in high school, she was a sopho-more in college and that was in 1998. She’sbeen more than I could have ever hopedfor in a wife and a mother to my children.She puts up with the hours and everythingthat goes with farming. She’s my bestfriend! We’ve got three children, Kenley isseven, Ella is four and Colt is two, and wefound out a couple of weeks ago, numberfour is on the way. My children are myproudest accomplishment, that’s the bestthing I’ve ever done. It’s important to methat we’ve been able to raise our kids on afarm and teach them an appreciation forthe land and agriculture and I considerthat a great blessing. Farming is not a job,it’s a lifestyle. My wife and I have reallycome to love our farming lifestyle. Thehours are long and tedious; we put a lotinto it. It’s more than a job to me, it’s partof who I am. It’s allowed my wife to stayat home and take care of our kids and I’mforever grateful about that.”

No doubt Joel will continue along his pathof positive accomplishments (after all,number four is on the way). He offersadditional proof though by adding, “Lastyear, Mr. Grimes and I formed a partner-ship. While I still work for his company,we have a company together that Imanage, it’s called Midway Farms. It’s

another one of those opportunities thatMr. Grimes has given me, he’s really takenme under his wing and tried to help me alot.” Joel does his fair share of helping aswell. He says, “I’ve been a member of FirstBaptist Church of Plant City as long as I’vebeen alive. I serve as a deacon there.”

In closing, he expounds on what he thinksis the greatest aspect of agriculture. Hesays, “To be able to plant something in theground and have it grow a fruit, like astrawberry, you realize that we’re notalone in this world and that the GoodLord is looking out for us. In agriculturethere’s so many factors that you cancontrol and there’s equally as many thatyou can’t and you have to learn to dealwith both of them.” He gives an example,“In January of 2010 we went through 11straight nights of freezing temperaturesand we were, for the most part, able tosave the crop. It was a huge challenge butto be able to come out of it and live anoth-er day was a huge accomplishment. Faithis probably a prerequisite. You have tohave some faith to be able to do this.”

Faith and farming seemingly go hand inhand and Joel Connell does a great jobrepresenting both. We wish him continuedachievement in both arenas! •


HELP HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FARM BUREAU

PROTECT YOURGREENBELT ASSESSMENT

Dear Greenbelt Property Owner,For more than 60 years Farm Bureau has advocated therights of private landowners. Beginning with the adoption ofthe Agricultural Use Value Assessment (Greenbelt) in the1950s, Farm Bureau has played a vital role in the preservationof this law.

As a Hillsborough County landowner, you know that theGreenbelt classification helps you to remain successful in yourchosen livelihood. Without this assessment, your propertytaxes could become a major burden, possibly denying youand your family financial stability.

The Hillsborough County Farm Bureau has been dedicated tomaintaining the Greenbelt classification for more than sixdecades. We will continue to serve as the leading voice forthis purpose. We want to preserve the Greenbelt assessmentfor you and for all other landowners, famers, and ranchers inour county.

I call upon you to join us in this effort by becoming a memberof the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau. Farm Bureau repre-sents the entire spectrum of agricultural landowners. Wewant you to be a part of the organization that speaks with aunited position on behalf of the families who makeHillsborough County agriculture a valuable asset for our com-munity.

By joining our county Farm Bureau you will be uniting withmore than 144,000 other state residents who form the FloridaFarm Bureau. They share your commitment to private proper-ty rights.

Help us maintain the Greenbelt assessment. You can join theHillsborough County Farm Bureau for an annual family mem-bership fee of $54. You can find a membership form on line athttp://www.hcfarmbureau.org/documents/memberjoin.pdf.If you have any questions, please call 813-685-9121 or [email protected]

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This year, Florida Farm Bureau Federation celebrates 70 yearsof service to agriculture and the people who make it success-ful. More than 144,000 members residing in 60 counties makeFarm Bureau the state’s largest general agricultural organiza-tion. According to the University of Florida’s Institute of Foodand Agricultural Sciences, farms and ranches provide an over-all economic impact of more than $115 billion annually – a totaleconomic benefit that is second only to tourism. Florida FarmBureau’s mission is “to increase the net income of farmers andranchers and to improve the quality of rural life.” The vision ofthe organization is to serve as “the most effective, influentialand respected Farm Bureau in the nation.” Farm Bureau istruly the voice of agriculture. •

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Protecting Florida’s inland and coastalwater quality is a very important andan ongoing goal here in the Sunshine

State. There have been major steps taken toprotect this resource and additional researchis underway to assure the best available sci-ence is being brought to bear upon this need.

Water quality can be compromised in a num-ber of ways such as soil disturbance, the mis-application of fertilizer, pet wastes, plantdebris, septic systems and others, causing arelease of nutrients into Florida waters. Thissometimes results in eutrophication, theprocess through which water bodies receiveexcess nutrients that stimulate excessiveplant growth. Known as algal blooms, thisgrowth impairs water quality. Land-basedhuman activities have been documented to bethe major source of negative water qualityimpacts. In recent years, the focus has turnedto consumer fertilizer use, and in 2007 theFlorida legislature created a statewide taskforce to develop recommendations forpolicies and programs related to consumerfertilizer use.

The fertilizer industry in Florida, workingwith the state, helped to limit problems com-monly associated with homeowner use oflawn fertilizers. “These efforts ultimatelybecame the Urban Fertilizer rule, 5E-1.003,”said Mary C. Hartney, president ofthe Florida Fertilizer and AgrichemicalAssociation (FFAA). “Passed in 2007, it lim-ited the amount of N (nitrogen) and requireseither low or zero P (Phosphorus) per appli-cation. It definitely changed what consumerscould buy for their lawns at retail stores andis credited with a significant reduction in Nand P across this sector. It’s had a positiveimpact,” Hartney said.

The Florida Consumer Fertilizer Task Forcehad broad-based membership and represen-

tation from both the public and private sectors,including substantive technical involvement.The Florida Department of Agriculture andConsumer Services (FDACS) staffed and sup-ported the task force and its activities whichincluded a number of public meetings and thedevelopment of recommendations for fertilizeruse guidelines and standards.

The recommendation proposed a ModelOrdinance regulating the use of non-agricul-tural fertilizer. The Model Ordinance didprovide local governments with the authori-ty to enact more stringent local provisions.To do so, those governmental units had todemonstrate the presence of impaired waterand either existing or possible TotalMaximum Daily Load (TMDL) require-ments, verifiable harm to human health orthe environment that would warrant morestrict regulations or the improvement ofwater quality or the prevention of futureimpacts of fertilizer on the environment.

In 2009, the Florida Legislature passedFlorida Senate Bill 494 that addressed severalwater conservation and fertilization issues.The section creating s.403.9337, FloridaStatutes, required communities in nutrient-impaired watersheds to enact, at a minimum,the Florida Department of EnvironmentalProtection (FDEP) Model Ordinance forFlorida-Friendly Fertilizer Use on UrbanLandscape. This Model Ordinance, publishedin January 2009, was intended to educate andensure the proper use of fertilizers; requiretraining of commercial and institutionalapplicators and provide specific licensingrequirements; establish a “ProhibitedApplication Period” and provide forallowable application rates and fertilizer-free zones. After 31, December, 2013,all commercial applicators of fertilizerwithin the (un)incorporated area of(Municipality/County), shall have and carry

in their possession at all times when applyingfertilizer, evidence of certification by theFlorida Department of Agriculture andConsumer Services as a Commercial FertilizerApplicator per 5E-14.117(18) F.A.C.

As enacted, Section 403.9337, FloridaStatutes, encourages adoption and enforce-ment of the Model Ordinance by local gov-ernments. It is required for adoption by localgovernmental entities in areas where surfacewaters are impaired by nutrients. The lawalso gives local governments the right toadopt more stringent standards if demonstra-ble that additional or more stringent stan-dards are necessary to adequately addressfertilizer contributions to nutrient loading inwater bodies; and it has considered allrelevant scientific information as provided byFDEP, FDACS and the University of Florida’sInstitute of Food and Agricultural Sciences(UF/IFAS).

UF/IFAS researchers issued a publication inFebruary of 2011 that was developed toserve the need for educational informationon the urban landscape nutrient and watermanagement issues, especially pertaining toprotecting urban and coastal water quality.The study is entitled: Urban Water Qualityand Fertilizer Ordinances: AvoidingUnintended Consequences: A Review of theScientific Literature.

“Eutrophication of water bodies is a majorproblem faced by the state, counties andmunicipalities; their officials are asking formore information to assist them in makingdecisions about legislation for protectingwater quality,” the UF/IFAS publication said.The document was a review of scientificliterature addressing the major questionsbeing asked about fertilization practices forturfgrass.

“There are differing approaches to address-ing eutrophication, including adoption ofcurrent best management practices (BMP’s)for nutrients, state regulation or local ordi-nances,” the publication said. “Many com-ponents of these ordinances follow publishedBMP’s. There is agreement in the nationalliterature on the effectiveness of BMP’s andpublic education programs to reduce localwater quality problems. However, there hasbeen disagreement among stakeholders ofthe inclusion of a summer fertilizer ban in theordinance.”

The Tampa Bay Estuary Program is an inter-governmental partnership of Hillsborough,Manatee and Pinellas counties, and the citiesof Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater.“We were directed by our Policy Board,which is composed of elected officials from

BY JIM FRANKOWIAK

FERTILIZERUPDATE ANDHOW YOU CANHELP

UF/IFAS photo by Tyler L. Jones


each of those governments, to develop amodel fertilizer use ordinance for the TampaBay region only, not the entire state,” saidNanette O’Hara, public outreach coordina-tor for the program. “Our Policy Boardapproved that ordinance in November 2010and directed us to seek adoption by thoselocal government partners. The June-September summer ban on nitrogen use andOctober-May 50% slow-release nitrogenrequirement were adopted by five of the sixlocal government partners. Additionally, thecity of Tampa and all of Pinellas County(including St. Petersburg, Clearwater and the22 other cities within Pinellas) adoptedrestrictions on retail sales of fertilizer basedon the ordinance.”

The Sierra Club and others have workedhard for the passage of stricter local ordi-nances. As of this writing, many local gov-ernmental units, especially in SouthwestFlorida have passed ordinances that are morestringent than the Model Ordinance. SierraClub cites the following four technical areasas key to the club’s initiative:

• Application is prohibited within 10-feet ofa waterbody

• Application of fertilizer containingNitrogen or Phosphorous is prohibitedJune 1 – September 30

• Total Nitrogen application is limited to4 lb/1,000-square-feet per year

• All Nitrogen fertilizer shall not be lessthan 50% water insoluble, or slow release,forms

Sierra Club has suggested that UF/IFAS’current recommendations relative to theModel Ordinance deviate from its historicalposition on certain aspects and questionedthe source of funding for some of its keyresearch activities related to the ModelOrdinance and other aspects of the issue.

Most recently, UF/IFAS offered the followingcomments regarding its position on variousaspects of the issue. This response to IN THEFIELD was provided by IFAS researchersLaurie Trenholm, Michael Dukes and EsenMomol:

“Our recommendations have always beenbased on scientific evidence. We have not dif-fered from our historical recommendations.We have verified some of them very specifi-cally with the DEP-funded nutrient leachingresearch conducted over the last seven yearsin three locations statewide.”

“FFAA opposes the measures proposed bythe Sierra Club,” said Hartney. “Theirrecommendations disregard the Nitrogenannual application ranges given in the Urban

Turf rule for the five major turfgrass speciesand three geographic areas of the state byarbitrarily picking a four-pound limit toapply everywhere to every variety. That isnot scientifically supported,” she said.“Additionally, the Sierra Club takes the 3-ftto 10-foot buffer recommendations and setsit as the most extreme limit. Their recom-mendation requiring all applications to be50% slow release is not appropriate for everyapplication in every situation. And, there isabsolutely no consensus in the peer-reviewedscientific literature that a black-out on N andP applications is environmentally beneficialduring the summer months when turfgrass isactively growing. The Model Ordinance cov-ered this issue when it said you should notfertilize a lawn if a tropical storm watchor hurricane warning had been issued or ifheavy rain, more than two-inches in24-hours, was likely according to weatherforecasts.”

“Basically, this definition lets people use theircommon sense,” Hartney said. “In addition,allowing fertilizer applications to be spreadout over four months versus forcing applica-tions to be bunched up on the front end andback end of the growing seasons makes moresense from a risk management standpoint.”Hartney specifically stressed that FFAA urgesall homeowners and applicators to follow thelocal laws, even in those areas where themost extreme measures were adopted.“Local laws should be followed andenforced,” she said.

Hartney is also a strong proponent of educa-tion versus overregulation. She specificallysupports the 4R nutrient initiative of TheFertilizer Institute, the International FertilizerIndustry Association, the International PlantInstitute and the Canadian Fertilizer Institutethat establishes a framework of stewardshipleading to environmental protection andimproved sustainability. The 4Rs incorporatethe:

Right Fertilizer Source at theRight Rate at the

Right Time and in theRight Place

In instances where local governmental unitshave proposed more strict local ordinancesthan the Model Ordinance, the responsefrom FDEP, FDACS and UF/IFAS has consid-ered the stronger recommendations “unsub-stantiated” and therefore disagreed withtheir proposed enactment. That disagreementnotwithstanding, the more strict ordinanceshave been enacted by some governmentunits. There is no requirement to report ordi-nances, so exact numbers are not available.

With regard to fertilizer applications near awater body, “UF/IFAS recommends that fer-tilizer applications near a water body followthe current Green Industry Best ManagementPractices. This has not changed. As recom-mended in the Green Industries BMP manu-al, commercial applicators should follow thefertilizer-free zone for protection of waterbodies of either 3 or 10 feet, depending onsoil type, slope and type of fertilizer spread-er. The minimum should be 3 feet wheneither a rotary spreader with deflector shieldor handheld hose sprayer is used. The mini-mum should be 10 feet when a rotary spread-er without a deflector shield is used.Recommendations for homeowners call for a10 foot setback.

“UF/IFAS’ nitrogen fertilizer recommenda-tions are based on many years of research ondifferent turfgrass species and regions of thestate where they are grown. Our current rec-ommendations for nitrogen application forthree regions (north, central, south) for thevarious species have not changed in about12 years. DEP-funded research is still beingevaluated. (This is DEP-funded research; sta-tistical analysis of the data is not complete,pending further examination. DEP has notaccepted the final deliverables and has notreached any decision at this time.) However,there is no reason to increase recommendedlevels to maintain a healthy turf. Also, we




may be suggesting that annual Nitrogen ratesfor zoysia japonicas and bahia grass bereduced statewide.

Regarding the type of Nitrogen fertilizer use,“This study has finished taking data but hasnot been fully evaluated or in manuscriptform yet. (Also, DEP funded part of abovecontract). Results show that healthySt. Augustine grass did not have statisticallysignificant differences in nitrate-Nitrogenleached due to Nitrogen source whenNitrogen was applied at the IFAS recom-mended maximum rate of 1 lb. Nitrogen/1,000-square feet. Sources tested includedtwo soluble, two Sulfur-coated urea formula-tions, a polymer sulfur- coated product atthe IFAS rate of 1 lb Nitrogen/1,000-squarefeet and a 2x rate and a biosolid applied at1 lb. Nitrogen/1,000-square feet. The basicpoint is that a healthy, actively growing turfmitigates leaching regardless of Nitrogensource because it has a good filtering/uptakeability.”

Research studies continue on this importantissue of water quality protection. In themeantime, there is full support from allstakeholders for consumer education on thissubject. A good starting point, especially ifyou are taking care of your own turfgrassneeds, is UF/IFAS. To learn how to apply the

right fertilizer at the right time – the founda-tion for proper lawn fertilization – visit theUF Electronic Data Information Service(EDIS) and the collection of fact sheets onresidential lawns athhttttpp::// //yyoouurrfflloorriiddaallaawwnn..iiffaass..uuffll..eedduu.

There you will be able to determine:• The annual fertility needs for your grass species

• How to calculate the square footage of your lawn

• The analysis of available fertilizer options you have

• How much slow-release Nitrogen is in the fertilizer product you plan to use

• How to properly set your fertilizer spreader

• What to do if you spill some fertilizer• Irrigation after you apply fertilizer• Applying fertilizer near a water body

Should you have any questions, you may alsowant to contact or visit the HillsboroughCounty Extension office, 5339 South CountyRoad 579, Seffner, FL 33584. Telephone:813-744-5519.

For details on the City of Tampa FertilizerOrdinance, go to:

hhttttpp::// //wwwwww..ttaammppaaggoovv..nneett//ddeepptt__ssttoorrmmwwaatteerr//ffiilleess//FFeerrttiilliizzeerr__OOrrddiinnaannccee__BBrroocchhuurree..ppddff..

For details on the Environmental ProtectionCommission of Hillsborough County’s

Fertilizer Use and Landscape ManagementRule visit:

hhttttpp::// //wwwwww..eeppcchhcc..oorrgg// iinnddeexx..aassppxx??NNIIDD==224422

UF/IFAS photo by Eric Zamora


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INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2012 63


The Florida FFA is pleased to announce the 2012 FFA Hall ofFame Inductees. The 2012 inductees are Harold Ray Clark, AlfredRankin Cox, Jr. (deceased), Donald Charles Hurst (deceased),Gary Doyle Lee and Winton Oziel Whittle.

“Florida FFA owes an immense debt of gratitude to these out-standing leaders,” said Adam Putnam, Commissioner ofAgriculture. “Their dedicated service in agriculture educationhelped make FFA the outstanding student organization recognizedthroughout the State.”

Bill Hamm, President of the Florida FFA Foundation Board ofDirectors states “these individuals are to be highly commendedfor their years of service and dedication to the enhancement ofagricultural education and FFA.”

HHaarroolldd ““RRaayy”” CCllaarrkk of Lakeland spent his entire professionalcareer as an agriculture teacher at Plant City High School inHillsborough County before retiring in 2008. Clark received hon-orary FFA degrees at both the state and national levels. More than30 of his former students have become agriculture teachers. HisFFA members won state competitions in six different career devel-opment areas, and 21 of his students served as state or nationalFFA officers. Clark continues to be an active supporter of agricul-tural education and FFA.

AAllffrreedd RRaannkkiinn ““AA.. RR..”” CCooxx,, JJrr.. earned his B.S. degree from theUniversity of Florida in 1937. After teaching agriculture atSummerfield-Weirsdale and Reddick, Cox served as the FloridaFFA Executive Secretary from 1949 until he retired in 1965.Under his guidance and leadership Florida FFA members becamemuch more active in national level FFA programs and events. In1955 Cox was instrumental in organizing the state FFA officerGoodwill Tour, which continues to provide the new state FFA offi-cer team each year with a firsthand look at Florida’s agriculture.He passed away in 2005.

DDoonnaalldd CChhaarrlleess HHuurrsstt graduated from Lafayette County HighSchool in 1944 and received his B.S. degree in agriculture from UFin 1949. Hurst spent most of his teaching career at Bell HighSchool, where he taught agriculture for 18 years. He then servedas vocational director for Gilchrist and Levy counties until hisretirement in 1985. Also serving as a guidance counselor whileteaching, Hurst made a positive difference in the lives of literally

hundreds of students as they went on to enjoy successful profes-sional careers. He passed away in July 2012.

GGaarryy DDooyyllee LLeeee was an agriculture teacher and coordinator ofcareer and technical education in Polk and Highlands counties for33 years before retiring in 2006. He also served as a consultant forthe Florida Department of Education for three years before mov-ing from Polk to Highlands County in 1978. In addition to hisdirect influence on youth through his teaching, Lee has providedoutstanding leadership to the FFA alumni organization at the localand state levels. He received the National FFA AlumniAchievement Award and Legion of Merit Award. Lee has contin-ued to serve as a part-time teacher and resource for agricultureteachers in Highlands County since his retirement.

WWiinnttoonn OOzziieell ““WW.. OO..”” WWhhiittttllee was both an agriculture teacher (6years) and County Extension agent (6 years) before spending amajority of his professional career as Chief of the Bureau of StateMarkets for the Florida Department of Agriculture. Whittle’sefforts have had a positive influence on many 4-H and FFA mem-bers and agriculture producers in the state. He received citationsfor meritorious service from USDA and the Florida Department ofAgriculture and has also been very active in community serviceorganizations throughout his life. Whittle retired in 1985 and livesin Quincy, FL.

The recipients will be inducted into the Florida FFA Hall ofFame during the sixth annual awards celebration held Monday,October 1, 2012 at the Florida FFA Leadership Training Center inHaines City.

The Florida FFA Hall of Fame began in 2007 to pay tribute tothose outstanding individuals who have helped make the FloridaFFA Association the premier youth leadership organization in thestate. Because of the support of these individuals, Florida FFA hasbecome home to more than 16,000 FFA members in more than300 FFA chapters across the state. FFA members are engaged in awide range of agricultural education activities, leading to morethan 300 professional career opportunities in the agriculturalindustry.

If you have questions or need further information, contact Gary Bartley at 863-439-7332 x 6321 or

ggggbbaarrttlleeyy@@hhoottmmaaiill..ccoomm

Florida FFA Hall of Fameto Induct Five in 2012

Clark Cox Hurst Lee Whittle

It is always refreshing to meet a youngperson with talent, but even more sowhen that talent is recognized and is

being honed for greatness. Now, sometalents are more profitable than others,while some are so unique that they are sim-ply enviable. Meagan Petitt has talents ofthe enviable variety and it seems that forone of them, really, it was a mere fluke thatshe discovered it in the first place.

She explains, “In sixth grade I met a girl,Jessica Squitieri, and she invited me to her4H club. I ended up joining in the eighthgrade. They had a variety of differentshooting disciplines. I found out I’m lefteye dominant. So, holding a gun was a bitdifferent, so I tried archery. I picked up thebow and it felt natural and it just kind ofwent from there. Later that year, forChristmas, I got my first bow. A fewmonths later I competed in the 4H StateArchery Competition and placed ninth. Atthe next 4H competition which was thisyear, I placed thirteenth and was on thethird place team with David Squitieri.”Given the fact that all this happened with-in one year of learning how to use a bow,well, it is beyond impressive.

She continues, “My next competition wasmy first national competition, it was theGator Cup and I placed sixth. For mybirthday in June I got a competition HoytContender Elite and with that bow Icompeted in the Florida Sunshine StateGames. I won a gold medal for first placeand set a record for the Sunshine StateGames. I competed in my second nationaltournament in Hamilton, Ohio. I placedthirteenth in the qualifying round, ninthoverall in the final round and competed fora bronze medal in the team competition.”Here’s where she really makes jaws drop,“After the second national tournament, Iam currently ranked eleventh in thenation.” She humbly adds, “Those are myaccomplishments so far, but I wouldn’thave been able to do it without the 4Hshooting sports club and the help of myparents and the support of the Squitieri’s.”Meagan is the president of the On Target4H Club, but she’s also got otherallegiances. She says, “I am a member ofTeam Arrowhead JOAD (Junior OlympicArchery Development) at ArrowheadArchery in Tampa. By joining, my shortterm goal was to improve my personalscores by competing in statewide tourna-

ments and I hope to possibly set more staterecords. My long term goal is to competein national tournaments and to be rankednationally within the top five in the coun-try and to participate in the USA ArcheryTeam and represent the country nationallyand internationally.”

We questioned her more specifically abouther shooting experience and she explained,“I’m currently pulling 40 pounds. I startedoff at right around 20, I think. I’ve beenshooting for about a year and a half now.The farthest distance I’ve shot so far is 60meters with accuracy. I get to the bull’s eyeas much as possible but sometimes thatdoesn’t always happen.” We suspect thatif she did always get to the bull’s eye shewould definitely meet her long term goal.She continues, “When I first started offwith archery, I practiced twice a month at4H, but when I started getting moreinvolved I had to pick up my practice soI’ve been practicing two to three times aweek on average. I wanted to be in theOlympics, but I shoot a compound and nota recurve so I can’t be. So I wanna competein the World Cup eventually.”


BY GINNY MINK

continued on page 69...

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Obviously, most of us aren’t too educated on the various types ofbows utilized by those involved in archery, so we asked Meaganfor some clarification. She explains, “A compound has wheels anda recurve doesn’t so the way it shoots is drastically different. Arecurve is a traditional type of bow so they use it in the Olympicsand Olympics competes every four years but the World Cup, theycompete every year. In the World Cup you can compete regardlessof what kind of bow you shoot. You travel to different places andmeet new people and it’s what I’d like to do one day.”

Remember that at the beginning of this article you were told thatMeagan has several talents. She elaborates on some of them here,“I play the violin. In eighth grade we set a record for playingPachadel’s Canon in D. It was the largest orchestra to play it. AtBrandon High School, our orchestra there has set many recordsand brings superiors, last year and many years before, in ourMPA’s. I’ve been playing since sixth grade.” Now if that doesn’timpress you, get a load of this next comment, “I’m actually in aknitting club too, it’s something different.” Something different?For a 15 year old, living in this day and age, it would appear it’salmost unheard of.

One thing’s for sure, Meagan Petitt is something different. She juststarted her tenth grade year at Brandon High School. While she’smaking incredible strides in the realm of archery, as well as music,she admits that neither of these things are career possibilities.Instead she says, “I actually want to be an equine veterinarian. I’mplanning on taking vet assist throughout the rest of my high schoolyears. I’m a straight 'A' student and I’m taking classes that willhelp with preparing for college and the veterinarian career. I wantto go to UF, University of Florida, mostly because of their wellknown vet program.” Any kid with that much talent and intellectcombined is destined for greatness. Meagan Petitt is a kid to keepan eye on! •


You don’t see it much lately except in gardens or flowerbeds inproductive yards, but stories abound. I’m writing about grovepepper. Not many varieties of pepper are hotter. Much hotter

and our Creator surely would have labeled it, “NOT FIT FORHUMAN CONSUMPTION.” My brother saw a pepper seed adver-tisement in a catalogue once named “Far,” a Florida Cracker wordfor fire, meaning sizzling H-H-HOT!

Grover pepper grew wild under orange trees in central Florida,reseeding and perpetuating itself. In really cold weather, it wouldfreeze down to the ground only to sprout right back in the spring.Some birds and a few varmints ate them, spreading the seed. We two-legged varmints ate them, but sparingly. In the days of tractor-mount-ed tree hoes and these days of herbicides, few have survived in theirnatural setting.

In the old days, the grove crew using shuffle hoes (called scuffle hoesby Florida Crackers) or the heavier eye, spared the pepper busheswhile hoeing. Workers kept tract of the location so they could pickand use the super-heated fruit year after year. Homosassa, an Indianname given centuries before, means “place of the pepper,” likelynamed for the same wild hot herb.

Usually not much over an inch long, they are about a quarter inchround and tapered to a point. They are light green, turning orangeand then red when fully ripe, bearing from a small white flower. Thatlittle pepper has compressed within it more “hot,” an oily ingredientcalled capsaicin, than the hottest large jalapeno, even those hotterones that have the hairline cracks in the skins.

Grove workers said that one reason for not hoeing them up is becausethe roots go so deep into the ground they are hard to dig up.Furthermore, the roots go clear to the devil’s hell from where they gettheir “hot.” My brother calls them “tincture of hell.”

Its uses? Genuine homemade pepper sauce. Fill a jar or bottle nearlyfull and add enough vinegar to cover them. Then let it set for a fewdays. The vinegar will get hot quicker if you crush a few. If the jar hasa sealing type lid, it sometimes is hot enough to seal itself withoutcooking, but if kept refrigerated, sealing is not necessary. When thevinegar runs low, simply add more. There’s enough fire in thosepeppers to reheat new batches of vinegar for years. Collards, turnipsand mustard greens are just not quite fit to eat without a little peppersauce dribbled over them. It also goes good on dried beans such aslimas, northern or navy beans cooked with fatback or a hambone,and on Hoppin’ John on New Years Day for a happy and prosperous

year. My favorite is a big cast iron Dutch oven of large driedlima beans slow-cooked with a big ham bone served over rice andnaturally, with plenty of grove pepper sauce.

In recent years, I discovered the hot ingredient, capsaicin, found in allhot pepper, is a natural pain reliever. Eaten daily, it has helped metake less than half the pain medications for arthritis than I used to. Itdoesn’t work all at once, needing time to build up in your system.There is a noticeable difference after several weeks. Scientific testsrevealed that it is not as hard on the stomach as aspirin or Motrin(both of which I am allergic) and may actually aid digestion.

Pharmaceutical companies make a rub for muscle aches made ofcapsaicin. The directions say to leave the area uncovered for an houror two after rubbing it on. Don’t rub it in. I tried it on a painful footearly one Sunday morning. After two hours, I got ready for church.I most always wear shoes to church especially when I have to.

Everything was fine until midway the service, about the time forour preacher to start his sermon. The stuff started burning my feet.I mean really burning! If the pastor had rubbed some on his feet hecould really have preached a hell-fire and brimstone sermon!Fortunately I had on clean socks with nary a hole. Oh my, where weremy golf socks with a hole-in-one? Well, why not holey socks inchurch? I had to remove my shoe and it eased off a little. I stoppedusing that stuff after that episode in church.

It was said that a man who was fond of cigars would take a bite ofgrove pepper and then blow on the end of his cigar. His breath washot enough to light it. When my son was a little kid, he conned aplaymate into eating a light green immature ornamental pepper, notnearly as hot as when full grown. We thought that boy would drinkthe well dry trying to cool his mouth. I don’t think they were friendsafter that.

One year while I was pastoring in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, I wasinvited to preach a week-long revival at Pheba, Mississippi. For thetrip, we brought along a young man from our church. Served withone of the scrumptious meals was a dish of hot green peppers and hetook one. We told him it was hot but he said he liked hot peppers. Heput the whole thing in his mouth at once. When it hit him he headedstraight for the ice tea, and I know he put down at least quart beforehe could eat anything else. Some people just never listen to goodadvice. •

By Rev. Clifford L. Halford

Grove Pepper



On June 27, 2012 Adrian Dyer of the Elton HintonStrawberry Crest FFA Chapter won first place in the statefor the Florida FFA Creed Speaking Career Development

Event at the Florida FFA State convention in Orlando, FL.

The FFA Creed is a five paragraph long statement that symbolizesthe organization’s beliefs and the future of the agriculture industry.Adrian has been practicing for almost a year to perfect his speakingskills. Adrian had to win Sub-district and District competitionsbefore advancing to the state competition. When asked how he felt

about training every day for almost a year and being drilled on questions and recitation, Dyer says,“It made me want to kill Mrs. Mayo. She trained me tough but it was worth it in the end.” Whenasked to describe the overall experience Dyer says, “There’s no other feeling like it in the world.”Adrian will continue practicing the FFA Creed as he prepares for the National FFA Creed CDECompetition on October 23, 2012. After National FFA Convention, Adrian plans to continuecompeting in other speaking competitions in the FFA. This is just the beginning to Adrian Dyer’sspeaking career. •

BRINGING HOME THE GOLD Adrian DyerBy Strawberry Crest Ag Communication Class

Farm Credit of Central Florida Chairmanof the Board, David J. Stanford,announced Keith D. Mixon, of Winter

Haven has been appointed to the cooperative’sBoard of Directors to fill an open seat effectiveuntil the next Director election in April of2013. “Keith’s blend of youthful enthusiasmand innovative spirit will greatly augment theexisting expertise already on our board,” saidStanford

Mixon serves as President of Dole BerryCompany, LLC. Dole is a subsidiary of DoleFoods and is the second largest grower and dis-tributor of fresh berries to the wholesale andfood service markets in North America. Dolepackages and distributes blueberries, blackber-ries, raspberries, and strawberries for variousindependent growers located in North andLatin America.

Dole Berry Company was formed in the fourthquarter of 2011 as a result of its acquisition ofSunnyRidge Farms. SunnyRidge was a familybusiness owned and operated since 1993 byKeith and his siblings. Keith served asPresident and CEO from 2004 until the Doleacquisition in 2011.

Established by Keith’s father, Gerald, who wasrecently inducted into the Florida AgricultureHall of Fame, SunnyRidge sales skyrocketedunder the younger Mixon’s guidance from 65to 200 million pounds. “Farm Credit ofCentral Florida Members will benefit greatlyfrom having a proven, highly successful, exec-utive with vast knowledge of the berry indus-try on our board,” said Farm Credit of CentralFlorida President & CEO, Reggie Holt.

Keith Mixon, who also owns and operates abeef cattle ranch in Winter Haven, earned hisBachelors Degree in Electrical Engineeringfrom the Georgia Institute of Technology andan MBA from the University of South Florida.Previously, he was Vice President and GeneralManager of Haines City Electric, Inc., aturnkey electrical engineering, manufacturing,and construction company focused primarilyon the phosphate industry.

Farm Credit of Central Florida is a Member-owned agricultural lending cooperativeproviding funds for agricultural operations,residential mortgages, as well as selling cropinsurance. The association serves 13 centralFlorida counties including, Citrus, Hernando,Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Polk, Orange,Osceola, Seminole, Lake, Sumter, Volusia andBrevard. It has outstanding loan volumeexceeding $800 million serving almost 1,100Member/Borrowers.

Farm Credit of Central Florida is part of thenationwide Farm Credit System created in1916 to provide a stable, reliable source ofcredit to America’s ranchers, farmers, andgrowers. The Farm Credit System celebratedits 95th anniversary in 2011. •

Keith D. Mixon APPOINTED TO FARM CREDITOF CENTRAL FLORIDA BOARD OF DIRECTORS


Those of you that consistently follow my insectseries “A Closer Look” will probably attest that I ampretty passionate about ecology and its natural bal-ance. Every insect has a very specific role in ourecosystem and none can be eliminated withoutconsequence. Wasps are no exception. They servean important role in our ecology as predators ofcrop pests, food sources for birds and otheranimals, and secondary pollinators.

Even in my passion for ecologic balance, I acknowl-edge the occasional necessity to eliminate insectswhen they become a threat to human safety. I forone am allergic to bee stings and it would be in mybest interest to avoid a nest in the wild and elimi-nate a nest that prevents me from entering myhome without a defensive reaction from the nest.I do not condone eliminating insects based solelyon fear, understanding the insect will remedy thefear. If wasps present a physical danger to you, yourfamily, or even a neighbor, this activity is for you.

This wasp trap is similar to the flea trap activity wepublished in 2009. It uses simple bait and an oilmixture to trap the insect. No toxins are neededand it is not likely to affect other insects in thecapacity that it is expected to affect the YellowJacket.

Materials Needed:

• Bowl or Dish• Water• Vegetable Oil• Wooden disposable Skewer• Meat (Ham, Turkey, Bacon)

Skewer the meat and lay the skewer across theedge of the bowl centering the meat over the bowl.Fill the bowl with water so the water level is ¼ to½ inch from touching the meat. Add just enoughvegetable oil to cover the surface of the water.

The meat will attract the wasps and the water andoil mixture will trap them in much the same way theflea trap worked. Dump the oil and repeat thesesteps when the trap gets too full of wasps to trapmore. •

Naturally Amazing Activities

Wasp TrapBy Sean Green

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Dr. Christy Layton,DVM

Q:II hhaavvee aa 1100 yyeeaarr oolldd ccaatt tthhaatthhaass bbeeeenn vvoommiittiinngg aannddsseeeemmss ttoo hhaavvee lloosstt wweeiigghhtt..

WWiillll II nneeeedd ttoo ppuutt hheerr ddoowwnn??WWhhaatt sshhoouulldd II ddoo??

A:This is actually a very common con-cern among owners of older cats andthere are a number of things that can

cause the symptoms you describe. There is along list of diseases that can cause those symp-

toms and many can be treated successfully.The first thing that needs to be done is a thor-ough examination by a veterinarian. Yourveterinarian should always examine the eyes,ears, heart, lungs, skin, haircoat and thor-oughly palpate the abdomen, muscles andjoints to aid in finding a cause for concern.This is very helpful to narrow down the list ofdiseases for the symptoms you describe. Oncethe examination is performed, your veterinar-ian will recommend either a treatment plan oradditional diagnostic testing. Often times inolder patients, lab-work to look for kidney,liver, pancreas and/or thyroid disease is need-ed to diagnose the exact condition.Sometimes additional radiographs or ultra-sound examinations may be needed to deter-mine the cause. Because cats are very good athiding sickness, often times the disease ismuch worse than you think by the time yourealize something is wrong with your cat.This is one of the reasons that we recommendsemi-annual examinations for dogs and cats.

Often these diseases can be diagnosed earlyduring these examinations and many of thesediseases can be easily treated with medica-tions or food changes if caught early. Some ofthe diseases that can’t be cured can have thedisease progression slowed dramatically byearly treatment and therefore improve yourcat’s quality of life. My recommendation is tomake sure you have a good relationship withyour veterinarian and feel comfortable aboutdiscussing quality of life concerns regardingyour pet. •

Ask-A-Vet

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CChhaarrlleess WW.. BBiinnnniioonn, 77 of Plant City, died August 18, 2012. BornMarch 28, 1935, in Tennessee, he was the son of the late JamesBinnion and the late Edna Walton Binnion.

NNaarrcciissoo RRiivveerraa, 82 of Plant City died August 17, 2012 in PuertoRico. Born October 28, 1929, he was the husband of the lateMercedes Rivera and a member of St Clement Catholic Church.

HHeelleenn FFrraanncceess RRooyysstteerr, 84 of Plant City died August 13, 2012, atMelech House in Temple Terrace. Born September 24, 1927 inNashville, Tennessee, she was the daughter of the late Theo Holtand the late Myrtle Jackson Holt. She was the wife of the lateJames "Jake" Royster.

BBeettttyy JJeeaann HHoolltt, 81 of Plant City, Florida died on Thursday,August 9, 2012. Born Friday, November 7, 1930 in Plant City,Florida, she was the daughter of the late William Hiott andCorey Hutson HHiott. She was the beloved wife of Richard Holt.They would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversaryAugust 16th.

JJuuddaahh CCeecciill,,JJ ((CC..JJ..)),, 73 Plant City, Florida. Born February 18,1939 in Plant City Florida Went home to be with the Lord, afteras short battle with cancer on August 8, 2012 at his homesurrounded by his loving family. He was a loving devoted familyman.

RRoobbeerrtt TThhoommaass RRhhooddeess,, 80 of Plant City, Florida died onWednesday, August 8, 2012. Born Sunday, June 12, 1932 inMoultrie, Georgia. He was the beloved husband of Maxine CarterRhodes. Surviving are son, Robert Thomas Rhodes, Jr.,daughters, Teresa Barfield, Donna Robbins and Elizabeth Taylor,brothers, Ronald Beasley and George William Beasley, sister,Mary Nell Cooper.

OOmmeerroo OOrrtteeggaa,, 21 of Plant City, Florida died August 6, 2012.Born April 16, 1991 in Greensboro, North Carolina. Surviving aremother, Maria Ortega; brother, Mario Ortega; sisters, SolhyvanOrtega and Nilser Ortega.

DDaannyyeellll CChhrriissttiinnaa WWeebbeerr, 38 of Lakeland died August 6, 2012.Born August 3, 1974 in Columbus, Ohio, she was the daughter ofthe late Jimmy and Glenna Bailey. She was the wife of ErnestWeber.

DDoonnnnaa JJeeaann SSpprroouussee, 64 of Plant City, died August 2, 2012,at her home. Born December 7, 1947 in Tampa, she was thedaughter of the late Ollie Pick and the late Mary Russell Pick.She was the wife of Jack Sprouse.

BBRRAADDFFOORRDD,, RRiicckkyy EE.., 50 of Plant City died August 1, 2012, atSun City Center Hospice. Born February 3, 1962, he was the sonof the late Robert Bradford and Dolly Griffin. Surviving arebrother, Michael Griffin; sister, Donna Anders.


Anew amendment to the Palmsare a common and almostexpected part of Florida land-

scapes. After all, the Sabal palmetto,or cabbage palm, is Florida’s statetree. Palms differ from true trees inthat they are monocotyledons orgrass-like plants, meaning they haveone seed leaf. Palms also differ fromtrees in that they do not produce barkand do not heal from an injury as doplants with woody external tissue.The growing point, or heart of thepalm, is the terminal bud. This termi-nal bud is the only point from whichthe palm can grow. If the terminalbud is damaged or removed the palmcannot replace old leaves with newleaves and it will eventually die.

A healthy and properly pruned palmshould have a full rounded head withleaves down to the trunk. Many con-sumers have become accustomed toseeing palms that resemble featherdusters and assume incorrectly thatthe feather duster look is healthy. Thefeather duster look is also known asthe hurricane or Mohawk cut. Thisover pruning results in weaker palmstructure as the palm trunk willbecome thin at the head and morelikely to fail during high wind events.This thinning is called pencil necking.Excessive removal of leaves thatcreates this unnatural look alsoinduces nutritional deficiencies.

According to Dr. Timothy Broschat,Institution of Food and AgriculturalSciences at University of Florida, vir-tually all palms in the state of Floridaare potassium deficient. You canrecognize potassium deficiency bytranslucent yellow or orange spottingof leaves, or marginal or leaf tipnecrosis (browning), most severe onthe oldest fronds beginning at the tipsand moving toward the trunk.Potassium deficiency causes prema-ture leaf death, and as a result mostpalms are unable to support a fullcanopy of leaves. A typical palm inFlorida may only have half the num-ber of fronds it should before pruning.

Palms should be trimmed and notpruned. Only completely dead leavesshould be removed. It is best to not totrim leaves that are not completelydead, even though they may lookunsightly, as these unsightly leaves

provide the potassium source for newleaves. If unsightly leaves are removedthe new leaves will pull potassiumfrom the remaining lower, oncehealthy leaves. These healthy leaveswill soon look unsightly too and withcontinued leaf removal, eventuallythe canopy will decline and the palmcan die.

It is fine to remove flowers, fruitstalks and leaves badly damaged fromthe wind or cold. Think about look-ing at a clock on a wall. Never everprune a palm above the 9 pm to 3 pmarea and better yet, allow the palm todevelop a full rounded head. Pruningaffects a palm’s vigor, nutritionalhealth and cold hardiness. A fullrounded head on a palm providesmore insulation and wind deflectionprotecting the terminal bud fromwind and cold damage. Older leavesprovide a nutrient source for newleaves.

Not all palms need pruning. Palmswith crown shafts, an area of smoothusually green tightly clasped leaves atthe top of the gray trunk, are self-pruning. Within a few days a leaf willgo from green to orange-brown tocompletely brown and fall off on itsown. Foxtail and Royal palms areself-pruning. The Mexican Fan palmwill retain dead leaves until it reachesa height of about 30 feet, when theold leaves will begin to drop off ontheir own. Removing the dead leavesfrom this palm before they fall off ontheir own may be appropriate toreduce the fear of the palm harboringvermin.

Pruning tools can transmit disease. Itis important to clean pruning toolsbetween palms. Tools should besoaked in 25% bleach or pine oilcleaner, or 50% alcohol for five to tenminutes between palms.

For more information on pruningpalms see the UF/IFAS article byTimothy Broschat, Ph.D., Pruning

Palms athhttttppss::// // eeddiiss..iiffaass..uuffll..eedduu//eepp444433

By Susan Haddock Commercial Horticulture/Integrated Pest Management/Small Farms Agent,UF/IFAS Hillsborough County Extension

PruningPalms theHealthy Way


Healthy Palm

MexicanFan Palm

OverPrunedPalms


This past August, Steve Mathis of Mathis Farms in Plant City,was at a Florida Strawberry Growers meeting when he got aphone call from one of his employees. His worker said, “You

don’t want to come here Steve, it’s terrible.” Mathis had no idea thesevere thunderstorm that was going on outside of the meeting wasalso destroying the high tunnels on his farm. “I had no idea some-thing like this could happen, it looked like a warzone,” Mathis said.

He has six acres of his 150-acre farm covered in high tunnels and itcost him over $30,000 to install the tunnels. The thunderstorm dam-aged two and half acres of the tunnels. Luckily, he did not lose any ofhis strawberry crops because they were not planted as of yet. Heplanned on planting the berries at the beginning of October of thisyear. Mathis said he had not had any problems with the high tunnelsbefore this storm and that they even withstood the extremely coldwinter Florida experienced two years ago.

The high tunnels on Mathis’ farm were purchased from Agratech,which is a company out of Pennsylvania, but is based in England.“The manufacturer said they are suppose to withstand 60 mph windswithout any problems,” Mathis said. According to Argatech’s web

site, the commercial greenhouse tunnel, or high tunnel, that Mathispurchased “would be able to withstand the elements” and “would holdup in 60 mph winds and 4 inches of rain.” The winds from the thun-derstorm that destroyed Mathis’ high tunnels were less than 60 mph.

So, what exactly is a high tunnel you ask? It is a freestanding or gut-ter-connected structure, without heating or electrical power, usingpassive ventilation for air exchange and cooling. The entire tunnel isenclosed, so no rainfall enters the area. All the water is supplied bythe grower, generally via trickle tubes that are placed under the plas-tic mulch. The interior of the tunnel is completely dry and relativelyclean. Harvested produce is very clean, which greatly reduces wash-ing and saves on water. Mathis said SWFWMD wants him to con-serve at least 20 percent of his water, which was one of features thatappealed to Mathis. Another was that growers could start planting inhigh tunnels earlier than field planting, therefore they will have anearly harvest and crops could keep producing under high tunnelswhen the temperature is not right for field production.

One of the most impressive features of the high tunnels is that theyhelp to diminish disease. The tunnel system, by keeping the interiorcompletely dry, results in an environment less conductive to several ofthe problematic disease organisms. Studies have also shown that pro-duce grown in high tunnels has a longer shelf life compared to field-gown produce. “I think they are a great concept and I think they aresomething we need in the industry today if we can make them work,”Mathis said. He contacted Agratech and they are sending a represen-tative from their California office, as well as a representative fromLondon to come and inspect his damaged high tunnels because theythink it can be a manufacturing defect or a tensile strength issue. Thecompany has not offered to replace Mathis’ damaged high tunnelsand he’s not sure he wants to replace them. He said they were verylabor intensive to install and his insurance does not cover them. Hisinsurance agent told him Florida does not offer greenhouse insuranceand that’s what high tunnels are considered. “I don’t know what I’mgoing to do because they are a great water conserving technique andthe quality of fruit we grow in them is a lot better,” Mathis said. “Ijust don’t want to invest more money into something that’s not goingto work.” He said he whole incident kind of knocked the wind out ofhis sails, no pun intended. Mathis is looking forward to the visit fromAgratech’s representatives to see if they can figure out how this hap-pened and maybe finding a solution so it won’t happen to anotherfarmer. Mathis’ farm is located at 3402 Mud Lake Road in Plant City.

A WARZONE IN THESTRAWBERRY FIELDSBy Libby HopkinsPhoto by Tiffany Lewis, Studio 81 Photography


Kim Martin is the Ag teacher atGaither High School. She says, “Asa kid, my stepfather and I would do

a vegetable garden and things didn’t growtoo well so I decided to take agriculture ineighth grade at Buchanan so that I couldgrow vegetables better. I had so much funthat the next year I became the president ofthe program and raised a sheep for the fair.I kept it at the school. Then, in my tenthgrade year, I asked my teacher, HenryStrapp, at Buchanan, what he thought I’dbe good at to do for a living and he said,‘Why don’t you be an Ag teacher?’ and Isaid, ‘Ok.’ So, that’s what I did.”

She continues, “I took three years atChamberlain, that was before they putninth grade in high school. I started as anofficer in the FFA there and then I went toHCC on a volleyball and academic schol-arship and transferred to the University ofFlorida where I finished my Bachelor ofScience in Ag education. I’ve been teaching12 years.” Twelve years is a long time todedicate to a challenging profession. Kimhas done her share of school transfers. Shesays, “I did five years at Alonzo when thatschool first opened. I did four years atFreedom High School and this is my thirdyear at Gaither. We have a one teacher pro-gram that mainly focuses on vet assisting,but we’re hoping to offer horticulture inthe future.”

She describes her program’s highlights,“We have a four acre teaching farm. We goon 20-30 fieldtrips each year. We haveguest speakers, like we have a vet comein and show students how to do fecalsamples,” when she said that I had nochoice but to interject the sarcastic word,“lovely.” She laughed and said, “Yeah,that’s always fun,” and then she continued,“We had a horse trainer come in and wehad people from Paws for Friendship,which is basically pet therapy, you know,where they take animals to nursing homesand stuff. I’d call that pet therapy,wouldn’t you?”

There is something different about herprogram. She says, “We have plant salesand every one of my students has a gardenplot where they grow their own vegeta-bles,” no doubt this is a throw back fromher youthful enjoyment of her vegetablegarden. She continues, “We compete incontests, like tractor driving and publicspeaking. We have pets come visit the classand this year we’re planning to do someindustry tours like visiting an Alpaca farm,a donkey farm, Big Cat Rescue, and wehope to go to the Busch Gardens VetClinic.” Kim doesn’t come up with theagenda alone. She explains, “We have aleadership team of ten students. They meetonce a week at 6 am to help plan andimplement a quality program.”

She excitedly brags on her students, “Rightnow we’ve got two steers. The kids cankeep animals at the farm and keep themfor the fair if they can’t keep them athome. The two girls raising steers areCailin Milne, she’s a senior and the presi-dent of our program, and Taylor Snedeker,she’s the vice president of our FFA. I’m reallucky that the students who are in my classwant to be there and it’s not really astruggle like you hear about from someof the other teachers. The kids are reallycooperative, they’re very involved andI hope my principal never asks me to teachanother subject. If it wasn’t just thissubject, I wouldn’t be in teaching.I love being outside and there’s somethingdifferent and new everyday and everythingwe do is hands-on.”

This leads us to wonder what was so greatabout agriculture that Kim followed amiddle school teacher’s recommendationfor her career. She expounds, “The reasonis, I had so much fun and I wanted it tocontinue and I knew that it would be acareer that was enjoyable because it’s funand it would keep me close to the FFA.I was having so much fun I wanted to keepgoing. Really and truly, my memories ofbeing an agriculture student are really thehighlights of my teenage years. And thefriends that were made there are the onlyones I keep in touch with years after highschool, because it’s a different type offriendship that is forged when you’re inagriculture together.”

In closing, Kim gives credit where credit isdue. She says, “My husband, Cody, wasactually a tractor driver in FFA and wenton to own his own heavy equipmentcompany. He was first place in the wholestate of Florida. He volunteers his servicesto train students who want to compete inthe tractor driving contest and he donateshis time and equipment to make repairs atlocal FFA programs. I can tell you that I’donly be about half as successful if I didn’thave him. He’s a part of almost everythingwe do, whether it’s hands-on or givingadvice about how a piece of equipment issupposed to run. He knows everythingabout everything; he’s just a wealth ofinformation. Also, I have a volunteer thatspends 10-15 hours a week out here mow-ing and making repairs and sponsoringkids, his name is Jerry Mullis.”

Programs flourish when communitiessupport them and when they understand

KimMartinWWHHEERREE WWOOUULLDD

YYOOUU BBEE

WWIITTHHOOUUTT

AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURREE??

BY GINNY MINK

the value of their positions therein. Kim’s program had a shirt lastyear that said on the front, “Naked and Hungry,” and on the backit said, “Where would you be without agriculture?” According toKim, “That sums it up pretty well.” To which we say, “Indeed.” •


FARM EQUIPMENTANIMALS & NEEDS

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1998 HART HORSE TRAILERAll aluminum gooseneck trailer.Two horse slant load with dressingroom. Original one owner.Call Today 813-650-3173! $9,500

CHICKEN MANURE FOR SALEDry and available immediately! Call Tim Fordor Danny Thibodeau 863-439-3232

FOR SALE – WESTERN SADDLEWith bridle and blanket.$600 obo Call Today! 813-752-5554

DOVE HUNTSLithia area limited number of membershipsstill available. Call Fish Hawk Sporting Clays.813-689-0490

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1997 FORD F-2504X2 Lariat Super Cab. This is a very low mileage(83,000) original one owner (non smoker) vehiclethat has been professionally maintained and garagekept since new! Call 813-650-3173 $6,500

2003 WHITE ASTROCHEVY VAN/CARGOA/C, Automatic,AM/FM Radio. $3,200Please call Karen813-759-6909.

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MASSEY FERGUSON 135 TRACTORPerkins engine, power steering. $3,250Call Alvie 813-759-8722

FERGUSON T020 TRACTORGas model, Good condition. $2,750Call Alvie 813-759-8722

MASSEY FERGUSON 245 W/STRAWBERRY WHEEL KITDiesel tractor. Good condition.$6,500 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

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KUBOTA L345 TRACTOR34hp, 2wd. $4,250 Call Alvie (813)759-8722

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KUBOTA L275With shuttle shift. Ready to work!$3,500. Call 813-759-8722

2005 BUSH HOG ES 2052Zero turn mower, 52 inch cut. 20hp Koholerengine. $3,950 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

MASSEY FERGUSONGC2300 4 X 4 hydro stat transmission,2702 hrs. $4,750 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

NEW HOLLAND 462Hay disc mower $2,500Call Alvie 813-759-8722

1984 MASSEY FERGUSON240 tractor, 42 pto hp, 2wd, works great!$5,950. Call Alvie 813-759-8722

JOHN DEERE 6420Cab with a/c, 4x4 3345 hrs. 90 pto hp.$37,500. Call Alvie 813-759-8722

USED EQUIPMENTMowers, disk, box blades & diskplows. Call Alvie TODAY!813-759-8722

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TRAILER FOR SALE44x12 single wide trailer in WintersMobile Home Park. Zephyrhills 5k orbest offer. Call (813)967-4515

$$ HUGE PLANT SALE $$4.00 & under for all, 3 gallon &1 galloncontainers. We have a wide selection tochoose from! Roses, hibiscus, viburnum,crotons, azalal's, jasmine and many more varieties.

18KT GOLD TANZANITE RINGBeautiful piece of jewelry. 1.05kt round nice bluegem with diamonds. Would make nice Christmasgift - never been worn. Appraisal papers included.Size 7-1/2 $1,200 Call 863-370-8891

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JOBS

CONTRIBUTING WRITERWrite about events in your community.Immediate openings in Hillsborough andPolk Counties. Paid per article.Responsibilities include covering communityevents and taking pictures. Email your resumeto [email protected]

INDEPENDENT ACCOUNT MANAGERIn The Field Magazine is looking forindependent account managers to joinour team! Please [email protected] call 813-759-6909.

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REAL ESTATE

FOR SALE – 45 ACRES VACANT LAND(Pasco County) 45 acres are comprised of gentlyrolling hills with big trees & solid ground. A greatsetting for residential development. To the east of theproperty is a 60 acre parcel (Lake Gilbert) that addssignificant aesthetic value to the 45 acres.Zoning: AR (Agricultural-Rural)Call Heidi Cecil for more information 863-899-9620

2.66 ACRE NURSERY FOR SALE OR LEASEN. Lakeland with 1,000 sq ft frame house,2 sheds, irrigation throughout.Call Bruce 863-698-0019

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FOR LEASEEstablished fish camp, mobile home, RV park withfull hookups in eastern Polk County. Located on arenowned bass fishing lake within the KissimmeeChain of Lakes. 14 acres of beautiful oakhammocks with canal and recreation hall.Call 863-692-1013

Classifieds Tel: 813.759.6909 [email protected]


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