In The Field Hillsborough edition

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

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Contents

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

Cover StoryPlant City Photo

ArchivesPage 54

VOL. 8 • ISSUE 9

Hillsborough County Board - Michael MerrillPage 10

Tampa Bay’s Fishing ReportPage 14

Grub StationPage 18

Rocking Chair ChatterPage 22

Land Developement Code AmendmentPage 24

Elizabeth PiercePage 28RecipesPage 50

Dale McClellanPage 53

Patriotic BreedingPage 56

Brandi YancyPage 58

Choosing a Landscape Maintenanceor Tree Company

Page 65Custom Creations

Page 72Gardening That Makes A Difference

Page 79

®

INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE JULY 2012 5W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M AG A Z I N E .C O M

From the Editor Index of Advertisers�ITFM Staff


Let me start this by saying, I am not a nutritionist. Nor amI an exercise expert. I don’t pretend to be either. What Ido know is, that when I started paying attention to mynutrition, notice I didn’t say diet because that is a fourletter word to many, and started exercising, somethingamazing happened. Yes, I lost weight, but more impor-tantly I feel better. I had more energy, my mind is moreclear and I feel better about myself.

I will be the first to say it’s not easy, far from it. You musthave the right mind set and be ready to get serious aboutgetting healthy before you start. Fad diets and “miraclepills” are not the answer.

What is the answer? Good, nutritious, fresh from Floridafood! That’s right! Eat nutritious fruits and vegetables,grown right here in your back yard, check the label tomake sure your meats are not a product of another coun-try, look for the Fresh From Florida label. That’s whatyou need to do. Of course portion control is important,but again, I am not a nutritionist. There is an abundanceof information on web sites and you can work with anutritionist to figure out what best suites you to becomethe healthiest happiest individual you can.

As far as exercise goes, each individual is different. Whatworks for one, may not work for another. Find somethingyou enjoy so you will continue doing it. I have taken uprunning and enjoy it very much, but I know it is not foreveryone. Walk your dog, ride a bike, whatever you arecapable of doing, I promise you will feel better for it.

Keeping active and eating right are keys to a healthylifestyle. It’s always best to check with your physicianbefore you start to exercise. While moderate physical activ-ity is safe for most people, experts suggest you talk to yourdoctor first, especially if you have any health concerns.

Until Next Month,

Sarah

Ag Technologies .................................................................5Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers.......................................29American Cancer Society................................................70Antioch Feed& Farm Supply........................................63AquariusWater Refining.................................................82Astin Strawberry Exchange ............................................85Berry Blue Farm&Nursery, LLC.................................19Bill’s Transmissions.............................................................7Bingham............................................................................78Brandon Auto Services, Inc.............................................59Brenda SimmonsHorse Boarding..................................29Broke& Poor...................................................................44Byrd&Barnhill, P.L........................................................77C&C Services of Tampa.................................................88Cecil Breeding Farm ........................................................41CF Industries, Inc.............................................................81Chemical Containers..........................................................9Choo Choo Lawn Equipment .......................................48ChrisMink.......................................................................92Chuck’s Tire&Automotive ............................................2Circle “R”.........................................................................38County Line Road Auction............................................40CowboysWesternWorld................................................13Crescent Jewelers................................................................7Dad’s Towing....................................................................93DiscountMetals...............................................................40Dr. Barry GaffneyO.D. PA.............................................60Driscoll’s............................................................................91Earhart’s RunwayGrill ...................................................95Farm Bureau Insurance...................................................46Farm Bureau Insurance/Jeff Sumner..............................66FarmCredit ......................................................................15Felton’s ..............................................................................51Fischbach Land Company..............................................71Florida Dept. of Agriculture............................................12Florida Strawberry Growers Assoc................................37FluidMeasurements ........................................................34Forbes Road Produce......................................................11Fred’sMarket......................................................................9Gator Ford........................................................................87Gerald Keene Plumbing ..................................................16Grove Equipment Service.....................................36& 47Harold’s Feed& Pet Supply .............................................3Harrell’s Nursery, Inc.......................................................85Haught Funeral Home....................................................64Helena Chemical-Tampa ................................................23Hillsboro State Bank........................................................77Hillsborough County Farm Bureau.................................4Hinton Farms Produce, Inc.............................................36Home Protection Pest Control .......................................66I-4 Power Equipment ......................................................52IHOP.................................................................................31Jeff Sumner/Georgia Camp.............................................59Johnson’s Barbeque..........................................................87Jon&Rosie’s Tree Farm.................................................85Key Plex............................................................................26Loetscher Auto Parts .......................................................77Malissa Crawford............................................................47Mark Smith Excavating..................................................19Mosaic...............................................................................44Myers Cleaners.................................................................84Pathway BioLogic............................................................32Plant City Tire&Auto Service, Inc...............................19PoolMasters.....................................................................85Product Consultants Unlimited (PCU)..........................61Purina................................................................................42Rick’s CustomMeats ......................................................85Ring Power Corporation ................................................59Roadrunner Oil& Lube.................................................39Roadrunner Veterinary Clinic ........................................96RobertMcElheny.............................................................69SavannahMitchell ...........................................................74Savich&LeeWholesale .................................................25Southside Farm&Pet Supply........................................17Southwestern Produce.....................................................27StephanineHumprey.......................................................40Stingray Chevrolet............................................................21Super Service Tire&Auto..............................................90TheHayDepot................................................................87Timberlane Pet Hospital &Resort................................39Trinkle, Redman, Swanson, Coton,Davis& Smith .................................................................75Walden Lake CarWash..................................................23Waller’s Power Equipment..............................................83WellsMemorial................................................................75Wett’sWelding&Tank Services, Inc.............................93Willie’s ...............................................................................77Woodside Dental..............................................................35

New Location!

We have moved our main officeto better serve you. Our newaddress is: 1501 S. AlexanderStreet, Suite 102 • Plant City,

Florida 33563Our phone number is still the

same - 813.759.6909

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 CramptonJosé Mendoza

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

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 FREEInTheField® T-Shirt. Send us yourbusiness card or an index card withyour name and telephone number, the

number of the page which you foundthe logo and where on that page youlocated 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!



Dear Reader:

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s that time again. No, I’m not talking about getting ready for the new schoolsemester or about starting your Christmas shopping. It’s that time again to focus on the right we have ascitizens of this great country to participate in the democratic process by exercising our right to vote.Yes, I know the elections are several months away, but I would encourage you to become familiar withthe candidates, where they stand on issues of importance to you and some of the other matters that will bepresent on the ballot in November. Some of you may wish to become actively involved in campaigns or takeaction in support of initiatives on the ballot and that’s great.

Let me remind you that not all nations in our world are democracies and only a fraction of the world’spopulation enjoys the right to vote in free elections such as ours. That right is guaranteed by theU.S. Constitution. That may not seem significant, but it is if you exercise that right. Never forget that yourvote is just as important as anyone else’s. If you don’t vote, you are not fully participating in the democraticprocess…you are unfortunately just an onlooker and that would be a true shame. Hundreds of thousands ofmen and women have died or become injured helping to protect our rights through their efforts in the warsand military engagements our country has been involved in since 1776. If for no other reason other thanrespect for their sacrifices, get involved and participate in the upcoming election.

Hillsborough County Farm Bureau is a firm believer and participant in the electoral process. We are one ofthe few county Farm Bureaus here in Florida with its own Political Action Committee. That means we invitecandidates in to learn of their position on the various issues of importance to our membership, and we oftenprovide financial support for candidates whose success is important to our membership.

With the emergence of the Internet and popularity of social media, it is now easier than ever to become fullyinformed about candidates and issues that will be voted on in November. There really is no excuse for notbecoming an informed voter.

Should you have any questions about your rights as a voter – from how to register to where you vote –visit the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections web site, http://votehillsborough.org.

If you are not satisfied with our elected leaders at any level – local, county, state or national – the first stepin making changes begins with your involvement in the democratic process of voting. That also holds truefor the issues that will appear on the November ballot. This is a special right and opportunity that we haveas Americans. Let’s not take it for granted.

Thank you,

DannyDanny AprilePresident

IT’S THAT TIME ONCE AGAIN

Board of DirectorsPresident: Danny Aprile, Vice-President: Jerry Hinton, Treasurer: George Coleman, Secretary: Glenn Harrell, Member-At-Large: Bill Burnette,Jake Raburn, Patrick Thomas, Amanda Collins, Roy Davis, David Drawdy, Jim Dyer, Stefan Katzaras, Greg Lehman, Carl Little, Lance Ham,

Michelle Williamson and John Stickles, Executive Director: Judi Whitson

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


• There are about 3800 lizard species found all over the world.• Lizards have the ability to shed their tail to run away

from predators.• Some Horned lizards are able to squirt blood from their

eyes as a defense mechanism.• Snakes have no eyelids.• Snakes, like all reptiles, are incapable of learning.• Snakes are completely deaf. They pick up vibrations in their

jawbones and on their scent molecules located on theirtongue.

• Most snakes have over 200 teeth.• A female flea can lay up to 27 eggs a day, and produce up

to 2,000 eggs in her lifetime.• The flea is a host for a certain tapeworm, so if your animal

has fleas it will often have tapeworms.• The flea can jump to a height of roughly 6 feet.• For the purpose of mating, male mosquitoes are attracted to

female mosquitoes by the whine of the femaleʼs wings.• A female mosquito only takes about 5 millionths of a gallon of

blood per bite. At this rate it would take over 750,000 bites tomake a gallon of blood.

• In 1802, Napoleon lost 23,000 out of 29,000 men to mosquito-borne yellow fever in Haiti.

• Under ideal conditions, mosquitoes can go from egg to adultin as little as 4 days.


MICHAEL S. MERRILL is the chief exec-utive officer of Hillsborough County withresponsibility for carrying out all deci-sions, policies, ordinances and motions ofthe Board of County Commissioners. Hisduties include overseeing all Countyadministrative departments and preparingan annual operating budget. Merrill’sresponsibilities do indeed cover Countyservices from A, Aging Services, to Z,Zoning, and an organizational structure ofmore than 4,000 employees.

Appointed to his current post December 9,2010, Merrill had served as interimCounty Administrator from June of thatyear. He had been director of the County’sDebt Management Department since 1988and, in addition, was appointed inNovember 2008 as the Assistant CountyAdministrator for Utilities and Commerce.

Prior to his initial post with the County,Merrill worked in Europe as a financedirector, managing the subsidiaries of apublicly held U.S. capital goods manufac-turer. In the eight years before he relocat-ed to Europe, he was involved in commer-cial real estate finance, corporate financeand public finance as vice president of alarge commercial bank and later with aregional investment bank.

An alumnus of Marquette University witha Bachelor of Arts in Political Science,Merrill is a member of the GovernmentFinance Officers Association and he hasbeen an adjunct instructor at theUniversity of Tampa. He also holds anadvanced degree from the University ofSouth Florida in Religious Studies and hascompleted the majority of the course workfor a doctoral Communication degree.

Since the beginning of 2012 Merrill hasundertaken a mission of personal outreachto all areas of the County. While notcomplete, he intends to make it part of hisongoing activities. “Our county is diversewith significant urban and rural communi-ties, each with its own needs andchallenges,” he said. “It is a continuingchallenge to strike a balance and enhancecommunity growth and well-being. Myphilosophy focuses on government helpingcommunities to grow, not government as aregulatory body.”

“Yes, there is a need for public safety asbroadly defined, but we must work to helpcreate jobs and grow businesses so that ourcounty flourishes, even in these difficulteconomic times.”

“I recognize the challenges of develop-ment, in particular development of theI-4 corridor and the implications thatcould have on both rural and agriculturalinterests, as well as plans for other areas ofthe county,” said Merrill. “Part of myoutreach, is to better understand thosesituations and to help evaluate how thecounty can best proceed and achieveharmony among various interests. Each ofus needs our own place and identity.I understand and respect that as essentialto a desired quality of life.”

Born and raised in Wisconsin, Merrill hasinteresting insights into agriculture.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR MICHAEL MERRILL – By Jim Frankowiak

CARRYING OUT

THE DECISIONS,POLICIES,ORDINANCESAND

MOTIONSOF THECOUNTYBOARD


“In one of my prior posts I was involvedin evaluating financing programs for anumber of different agricultural business-es,” he said. “Some involved cattle andothers the dairy industry. Those experi-ences gave me a first hand understandingof and appreciation for not only the chal-lenges facing the agricultural industry butthe impact that industry has on our overalleconomy. Although agriculture has its ownidentity in Hillsborough County, its impacton the economy and overall importance issubstantial.”

“Over the past several years, we havemade a concerted effort to address andovercome that too often perceived regula-tory focus associated with county govern-ment. We will continue in that regard and

work to emphasize what we can do toachieve harmonious community growth.”

When not dealing with the duties ofCounty CEO, Merrill, a lifelong musician,enjoys playing the guitar and piano andspending time with his dog, a Basenji-Chihuahua mix, which he acquired fromAnimal Rescue.

(Editor’s Note: This is the first in anoccasional series of articles detailing the roleand responsibilities of various appointed andelected officials in Hillsborough County.We welcome your suggestions for future

articles. Email them to:iinnffoo@@iinntthheeffiieellddmmaaggaazziinnee..ccoommor call us at 813-579-6909. )

MICHAEL MERRILL


13


Summer is here and with it plenty ofdaylight hours to spend on the waterfishing or boating. But while summer

brings with it visions of sunshine andwarm temperatures, it can also bring in thechaotic weather that often puts a swift endto our water time fun. Thunderstorms,especially those associated with lightningand wind, are all bad news if you’re caughtunprepared on the water. The good news isthat with a little basic knowledge you canlearn to predict when these storms arecoming, and get yourself out of the waterbefore you’re in danger.

Seasoned boaters and anglers have learnedto watch to the skies for impending stormsand if things don’t look promising theyhead for safety. Here are a few tips forkeeping your eye on the sky:

• Bad weather is often forecast before youever leave shore, so make certain you checkyour local weather stations or local marineforecast, paying careful attention to allmarine warnings that may be posted foryour area or the area you may be heading.

• Look for the telltale signs of a formingthunderstorm such as clumps of thickcumulous clouds (the puffy, cotton-balltype) darkening into a towering, cumu-lonimbus cloud (think cumulous growingvertically, with an anvil-like shape at thetop). Begin heading for safety wheneveryou see clouds in this formation. Severewinds, lighting, rain or worse can occur inas little as 15 to 30 minutes.

• The severity of a storm can often bepredicted by the shape and color of acloud’s front edge. The darker, sharper,and lower the edge, the more severe thestorm. A storm cloud’s anvil-shaped top

also will typically point in the direction thestorm is traveling.

• During the summer, thunderstorms willoften build over the water when thehumidity and temperature on land arehigh. As hot air radiates upward, itabsorbs moisture from nearby water, ulti-mately rising to begin forming a thunder-head. The telltale sign of these storms arefast moving black clouds, often approach-ing from the southwest, south, or west.

• How long do you have before a stormarrives? Try this trick. When you first see alighting flash, count how many secondspass before you hear the accompanyingclap of thunder, then divide by five. Theresult is the number of miles you are awayfrom the storm.

• Even if a storm is still several miles away,the lightning it generates can easily reachyou. Lighting often strikes well before astorm, as well as once the storm has seem-ingly passed. Watch for the “coppery”haze and building cumulonimbus cloudsthat indicate a thunderstorm, and seekshelter well in advance.

• If you can’t outrun a storm or find somekind of shelter, point your craft into thewind, and try to take approaching wavesat a 90-degree angle. This will keep yourpump in the water, and lessen the chanceof your craft getting rolled over. It’s alsobest to stay as low as possible, so that yourbody is not the tallest target on the water.

• Remember, whenever you’re venturingfarther than just your local bay or shore, ahandheld VHF radio can be a lifesaver.Many include a weather alert feature towarn of approaching storms. In addition,the National Oceanographic and

Atmospheric Association (NOAA) broad-cast continual weather bulletins on desig-nated “WX’ channels, which are updatedevery six hours.

SSNNOOOOKK (Snook Season Closed)Seems like snook is all people want to tar-get and catch and while there are plentyaround, perhaps when you catch one youwill take a moment to look at its mouthand you’ll see why I’m suggesting targetingsomething different. Their mouths are interrible shape from being hooked andreleased so many times. I imagine if mymouth had that many holes in it I’d bereluctant to eat anything. So, you mightwant to think about giving them a rest dur-ing the closed season and try one of theother 200 plus species throughout TampaBay.

In saying this there are still good reportscoming in from the north end down past theSkyway. Weedon Island is a favorite spot formany anglers and it gets plenty of pressurethroughout the week and especially on theweekends. However, if you’re tired of thesame old scenery and crowded fishing pres-sure, why not venture away from yourfavorite spots and find some new areas.

by Captain Woody Gore

Chad Paynewith Redfish


RREEDDFFIISSHH We’re seeing plenty of singles and doubles around the usualhaunts. If you’re lucky enough to come across a large school ofmullet before the mullet skiffs bust them up, you’ll usually finda redfish noising around inside the school. Live or dead baitworks, but I’m finding dead bait and a rod holder is workingthe best. For those that like pitching soft plastics and topwater’saround the mangroves you can expect some great action onincoming tides.

SSPPOOTTTTEEDD SSEEAA TTRROOUUTTYou might try suspending a shrimp under popping cork with amedium split-shot about 8” about a 1/0 circle hook and workthe cork by popping it, letting it set a moment, then popping itagain. If there are fish in the area it won’t take long before youare hooked up. If that’s not working, remove the cork and free-line a greenback or shrimp over some deep grass and its usual-ly trout for dinner. Topwater popping plugs or soft plastic jerkbaits over any broken bottom grass flat can offer artificialanglers some nice action.

SSIILLVVEERR SSEEAA TTRROOUUTT Tampa Bay has an unusually large population of silver troutscatters all over the 6 to 12 foot depth, usually on fairly hardlime rock bottom and spotty grass. We’ve been catching themup into the 2 to 2 ½ pound range and if you’ve never had asilver trout meal it’s delicious.

MMAACCKKEERREELL && SSHHAARRKKSS I can’t say enough about the big Mackerel showing up. They’reall over the Bay feeding on Anchovies, and Threadfins. Hang achum block over the side throw out some cut chunks ofThreadfins or Greenbacks and get ready. I’m getting reports ofbig fish ranging in the four to seven pound range caught usinga long shank 2/0 hooks and 60 pound Seaguar Fluorocarbonleader.

CCOOBBIIAAI’ve seen a few Cobias around the Bay, most are cruisingmarkers or following large rays or manatees around the flats.When Mackerel fishing with a chum block keep you eyes open,as Cobia like to hang around your boat. If you net your bait,keep a few smaller pinfish and use them for the Cobia.

TTAARRPPOONNPlenty of Tarpon at the Skyway and on the beaches. LargeGreenbacks, Threadfins, or a crab should do the trick. If you’recasting to them use a rod and reel combo that allow for alonger distance cast.

Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing813-477-3817

Captain Woody Gore is the areas top outdoor fishing guide. Guidingand fishing the Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs,Bradenton, and Sarasota areas for over fifty years; he offers world

class fishing adventures and a lifetime of memories.

Single or Multi-boat Group Charters are all the same. With years oforganizational experience and access to the areas most experiencedcaptains, Woody can arrange and coordinate any outing or tourna-ment. Just tell him what you need and it’s done. Visit his website at:

WWW.CAPTAINWOODYGORE.COM, send an email to

[email protected] or give him a call at 813-477-3814.

Keynote speaker Michael Shuman, author of“The Small Mart Revolution,” will be featured onSaturday, July 28th, sponsored by the Florida

Food Policy Council. Michael H. Shuman is an economist,attorney, author, and entrepreneur, and Director ofResearch and Marketing for Cutting Edge Capital. Hehas authored, coauthored, or edited eight books. Hismost recent book, just published by Chelsea Green, isLocal Dollars, Local Sense: How to Move Your Moneyfrom Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve RealProsperity. His previous book, The Small Mart Revolution:How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition(Berrett-Koehler, 2006), received a bronze prize from theIndependent Publishers Association for best businessbook of 2006. He helped co-found BALLE, whichrepresents 22,000 local businesses in North America in80 communities, and is now a Fellow there. At CuttingEdge Capital, a consulting firm that helps communitiesand businesses solving finance challenges, he manages itseconomic development initiatives.

The Florida Small Farms and Alternative EnterprisesConference is a three-day event, hosted by the Universityof Florida and Florida A & M University and features 30

educational sessions, farm tours, a large trade show,Florida’s Finest Signature Luncheon, and more. Throughconcurrent educational sessions led by industry expertsand noted researchers, the annual Small Farms andAlternative Enterprises Conference provides opportunitiesfor attendees to learn about groundbreaking research andaccess educational support about topics such as operatingsustainable and profitable enterprises, integrating cost-effective methods to meet state regulations, and applyingthe latest research to real-world problems. Attendees alsoparticipate in workshops, hands-on demonstrations andorganized networking activities, enabling them to sharetheir knowledge while interacting with peers from allover the state. •

To register for the Florida Small Farmsand Alternative Enterprises Conference

visit the website hhttttpp::// //wwwwww..ccoonnffeerreennccee..iiffaass..uuffll..eedduu//ssmmaallllffaarrmmss

Shuman To Provide Keynote Address at the 4th Annual Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference



You can’t miss it…it’s areally bright blue build-ing with a huge shrimp

on it. Outside are picnic tablesand thatched roof umbrellatopped tables adding to theJimmy Buffet-ish look of theplace. The sign above the door,Shrimp & Co. Express, alongwith a giant oyster shell at theentrance indicates this is a placewhere seafood is sold.

Driving by on my way toParkesdale Farms, just acrossthe road on U.S. Highway 92 inPlant City, my curiosity peaks; isit a full-service restaurant or atake-out place? After about fivemonths, my curiosity was sogreat that I had to stop in andsee what’s happening inside allthe eye-catching kitsch on theoutside.

Much to my delight I found thecheerful décor is carriedthroughout the so spotless youcan eat-off-the-floor restaurant,but the action is all in thekitchen where Chef WilmaCardona creates magic with herflair for exotic seasoning andtaste-buds that can tell everyingredient in any dish served toher.

She and co-owner husband Erichave a favorite pastime, theytravel and spend off hours goingto restaurants where Wilmadecides what ingredients are inevery dish ordered and how shewould make it better. Originallyfrom Puerto Rico, they had dif-ficulty finding the flavors of

their native country until theyvisited New Orleans. “TheCajuns and Creoles got it right.To make perfect flavors, I havefused them with the spices usedin my homeland and in mymother’s kitchen where I learnedhow to cook,” says Wilma.

Formerly partners in the origi-nal Ybor Shrimp & Co. restau-rant, the partners sold the busi-ness going their separate ways,each forming new restaurants.“Just because the name ‘shrimp’is on the restaurant doesn’tmean we have a connection. Wemoved to Plant City because welove it and want to spend ourlives here. It is a warm andfriendly place with a small townatmosphere, a perfect place forfamilies. We started Shrimp &Co. Express and have no part-ners but each other and shouldnot be confused with any otherrestaurant. The flavors andrecipes we serve are entirely cre-ated by my wife Wilma,” statedEric.

The chef says, despite the urgingof her family, she did not origi-nally want to become a profes-sional restaurateur and becamean executive financial managerin Puerto Rico. After coming tothe U.S., it was difficult to get atop level financial positionbecause she did not speakEnglish well. While working ina lower financial position atAramark Corporation (a multi-national corporation with manybranches including food servic-es), she would stop in their

extensive cafeteria and was soonable to spot inconsistencies infood and people started askingher advice. Before long, theyasked her to become an advisorto the top chef and then went onto hire her as top chef. After fiveyears at Aramark she and herhusband decided her family wasright, the kitchen was her milieuand they should be in the restau-rant business.

The Cardona’s don’t use theword ‘Express’ lightly. All foodis fresh with nothing frozen andmust be prepared to order.Within nine minutes your take-out will be ready…that is really,really fast!

Your order-in meals are alsoserved quickly with no loss tofull-bodied flavor or tenderness.

Since I am a lover of seafood, Iam very particular and not a fanof sauces and lots of breadingthat can easily cover the delicatefish flavors. Most seafood isfresh off the Tampa docks or isflown in from the LouisianaGulf waters with produce pur-chased daily in Plant City.

I am always in high hopes arestaurant will exceed myexpectations. It doesn’t happenoften and you, dear readers, arethe first to know. On that note,I can assure you this chef knowsher business. One of her secretsis to keep things light butincredibly savory at the sametime.

My husband, the foodographer,likes shellfish but not white fishand doesn’t care for spicy food.He was ‘blown-away’ by theblackened bass. When a chefasks you if you like spicy or notspicy, the urge is to go with thenot spicy. Resisting that urge,I told Wilma just to prepare it asshe wished. Wow! What a melt-in-your-mouth treat with nochewing required. Not hot, notbland, just tender, flaky andflavorful. Frankly, I don’t thinkI’ll want to eat bass anywhereelse ever again.

When you think things can’t getany better, sample the Cole slaw.Only once before have I writtena special comment about a slawsince I am not a fan of cabbage.This slaw is so exceptional,folks keep streaming into theExpress just to get huge cartonsof it, and no wonder. Crisp andfresh with their own light fusionsauce and tossed with tinyshrimp. In Europe these smallcrustaceans are called skreppa,skrempanan or schrempen; anold English or Germanic refer-ence to things that are little orslight.

We were also served one of theirspecialties, a shrimp basket. Theshrimp were, thankfully, verylightly breaded and as firm asthough slightly steamed. Eachshrimp is butterflied, seasonedto perfection and accompaniedwith hush puppies that are sogood, they really should be thesize of meatballs, the divineshrimp slaw and fusion sauce.

By Cheryl Kuck


Another of the house specialties isthe Po’ Boy sandwich, a Louisianastaple the chef fuses what I call herCreocajican flavors into all ninevarieties of the famous sandwich;chicken strips, fried oysters, craw-fish, fried clams, fish, baby scal-lops, steak, sausage and, ofcourse, shrimp.

I can only admire the “CrazyPapa” as too king-sized forme alone but something I couldshare or a Buc’s linebacker mighttackle all by himself. The basketconsisting of sausage, shrimp,cheese and special fusedMaketnaisse sauce was Eric’sinspiration; a man who admitsto having a healthy appetite.

The Cardona’s are proud of theirchildren; Katia, a lawyer, Frederica,

a public relations executive, Eric, abiomedical biology intern and Jose,a Durant High School graduatewho is attending the Art Institute inTampa and helps out at the restau-rant. They are also ecstatic aboutthe successful birth of their new fiveand a half month-old baby, Shrimp& Co. Express.

You may enter a stranger butwill immediately feel the warmthof a genuine welcome. You willleave full-to-the-brim with seri-ously delicious food; havingreceived great value for youmoney, accompanied by sincerehugs, and knowing you havebegun a friendship that will keepyou coming back time andagain.•

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In 2007 The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and PlantHealth Inspection Service (APHIS) introduced the Citrus HealthResponse Program (CHRP) with the goal of sustaining thenation’s citrus industry, maintaining grower’s continued access toexport parts while safeguarding the other citrus growing statesagainst a variety of citrus diseases and pests. CHRP is a collabo-rative effort involving growers, federal and state regulatorypersonnel and researchers. Here in Florida the lead agency is theFlorida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services(FDACS) and its Division of Plant Industry (DPI).

One very important – and too often overlooked – aspect of CHRPis the Abandoned Grove Initiative. This is a comprehensive planfor the removal and destruction of abandoned groves designed tohelp mitigate the impact of exotic citrus pests and diseases byidentifying abandoned groves and working cooperatively withcounty property appraisers and property owners regarding abate-ment options and tax incentives which will foster removal of theseproblematical trees.

The components of the initiative involved cataloging of all aban-doned groves in the state; mapping of all high-risk abandonedgroves; contacting abandoned grove owners regarding their inten-tions for the properties; inform owners if their groves are not keptin production, they will not be considered part of CHRP; adviseowners if they eliminate live citrus trees in abandoned groves, it isconsidered a bona fide agricultural practice and remains in com-pliance with CHRP guidelines, thus maintaining their agricultureexempt status.

The initiative defines abandoned groves as follows:

• No commercial fruit harvest during the last two seasons• No production care during the past two years, includingweed control and mowing

• Grove use transferred to other uses (pine or livestock)

In Hillsborough County “the Property Appraiser’s Officerecognizes, supports and promotes the CHRP initiative,” saidPaul DeGuenther, Director of Tangible & Agriculture. “When agrove owner in Hillsborough County enrolls in the program, the

policy of this office is to value the land at a de minimus value of$50/acre for up to two years after all of the trees are successfullydestroyed. This is in accordance with a submitted complianceagreement (DACS-08316) from the Florida Department ofAgriculture and Consumer Services and continued compliancewith the CHRP guidelines. A new application for agriculturalclassification (greenbelt) is required after the trees have beendestroyed on or before January 1 of that year if the agriculturalclassification of the property has been removed in prior years.Hillsborough County has had no participants in the CHRP initia-tive to date that we are aware of,” DeGuenther concluded.

Marsh Faux, Polk County Property Appraiser, stated, “Polk’s pol-icy is the same as Hillsborough. Currently, Polk has 38 parcelstotaling 664.83 acres of citrus under the CHRP program.” Groverowners in Polk County are encouraged to visit the Polk CountyProperty Appraiser’s website, wwwwww..ppoollkkppaa..oorrgg, for additionalinformation by scrolling to Announcements and clicking onCHRP. “That will give you all of the details of our policy and alink to the Florida Department of Agriculture and ConsumerServices for the CHRP application. The FDACS website iswwwwww..ffrreesshhffrroommfflloorriiddaa..ccoomm//ppii// cchhrrpp and the toll free number is1-800-282-5153.

An Important Option forAbandoned GrovesCITRUS HEALTH RESPONSE PROGRAMBy Jim Frankowiak

Photos from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

W W W . S T I N G R A Y F L E E T . C O M

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Ihave always been amused at the waypeople use words with different mean-ings. For instance, his insurance was

invalid for the invalid. They were to closeto the door to close it. I did not objectto the object! Same words, different mean-ings. No wonder the world is havingtrouble understanding us Americans.

Some time back a friend of mine was on aspeaking trip in Japan. His first stop wasTokyo. As they left the restaurant he askedhis interpreter how to pronounce thewords on the distant signs for “Ladies”and “Gentlemen.”

After practicing the next morning he beganhis speech with “Good morning Ladiesand Gentlemen” in Japanese. The audiencebroke out in laughter. When he sat downhe felt good about his speech but won-dered about the opening laughter. Duringthe reception that followed, one of thehosts who spoke fluent English inquiredwhy he had started his talk with “GoodMorning, toilets and urinals.”

Ever confuse “Principal and Principle?”Both words sound the same. Principalcould mean the head of the school, or theamount of money you invest in a bank toearn interest. As for principle it could be amoral standard or a basic rule or idea.

What about the meaning of “Kit andCaboodle,” or, a “Lick and a Promise?” Ican still hear my mother saying, “I’ll takethe entire Kit and Caboodle,” meaning I’ll

take it all. One time she spilled somethingon the floor and said, “Don’t worry aboutit, I’ll give it a lick and a promise.” Nowjust what was that supposed mean? I askedin my young mind. Somehow I thought atfirst she would lick the floor with hertongue. In her mind it meant I’m real busycanning okra, so I’ll give it a lick with themop and promise to come back and do thejob right later.

I recall other memorable phrases such as,“A bee in your bonnet,” which is to havean idea you just can’t forget. Remember“Barking at a knot?” Old timers would usethat phrase meaning your efforts were asuseless as a dog barking at a knot. “Holdyour horses,” meant just be patient.“Tuckered out” was frequently used aftera hard day’s work. I still hear folks usingthe old phrase “Too many irons in thefire,” meaning you are involved in toomany things. “Persnickety,” when you areoverly particular or a little snobbish.

A few years back me, my wife Patsy, andour close friends Ron and FayeWetherington went to Holland andBelgium for a week. I still remember someof their converted signs into English. In thelobby of our hotel in Belgium a sign at theelevator read “Do not enter the lift back-wards, and only when lit up.” Anothersign inside the elevator read, “To move thecabin, push button for wishing floor. If thecabin should enter more persons, each oneshould press a number of wishing floor.Driving is then going alphabetically by

national order.” Duh? We took one oftheir horse-driven tours. A sign on thecarriage written in big letters; “Enjoy yourride-we guarantee no miscarriages.”

In a Japanese hotel, a sign read, “You areinvited to take advantage of the chamber-maid.” Bruce Rodwell of Plant City said hewas in Hong Kong a few years back andnoticed a sign in a tailor shop that read,“Ladies may have a fit upstairs.”

For some reason I remember a few unusu-al signs written for American tourists. At azoo in Ireland, “Please do not feed the ani-mals. If you have any suitable food, give itto the guard on duty.” Sign on a doctor’soffice, “Specialist in women and otherdiseases.” In an Acapulco hotel, “themanager has personally passed all thewater served here.”

Our crazy language…why do we make itso confusing? Why does fat chance andslim chance mean the same thing? Why dowe say something is out of whack? What isa whack? If a word is misspelled in adictionary, how would we ever know?Why don’t we say “why” instead of “howcome?” Why is “crazy man” an insult,while to insert a comma and say “crazy,man” is a compliment? Why is it that werecite at a play and play at a recital? Whydo we say something’s out-of-order whenits broken, but we never say in order whenit works? Have you ever wondered whythe alphabet is in the order it’s in? Could itbe because of that song?


Let me put it another way and maybeyou’ll understand. If you’ll hold yourhorses I will get this whole kit and caboo-dle written. Just don’t be persnickety andget a bee in your bonnet, because I’ve beenpretty tuckered out working late. Youknow I’m no spring chicken. After all, I amnot the only duck in the pond, but I dohave too many irons in the fire. I mightbe barking at a knot, but I have tried togive this article more than just a lick andpromise.

It would not be right to finish this articlewithout calling attention to some headlines

in the newspaper, so here we go:

IRAQI HEAD SEEKS ARMS

ENRAGED COW INJURES FARMER WITH AX

TEACHER STRIKES IDLE KIDS

RED TAPE HOLDS UP NEW BRIDGE

NEW STUDY OF OBESITY LOOKS FOR

LARGER TEST GROUP

LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUTS

CUT IN HALF

WAR DIMS HOPE FOR PEACE

IF STRIKE ISN’T SETTLED SOON,IT MAY LAST AWHILE

HOSPITALS ARE SUED BY 7 FOOT DOCTORS

TYPHOON RIPS THROUGH CEMETERY

HUNDREDS DEAD

ASTRONAUT TAKES BLAME FOR GAS IN

SPACECRAFT.

You have now come to the end of thisarticle. Please read the rest of the maga-zine. You may learn something worth-while! •

d

Anew amendment to theHillsborough County LandDevelopment Code (LDC) –

allowing farmers to continue theiragricultural operations in landrezoned to Planned Development(PD) – will be included in the secondcycle of amendments the LDC. Thisaction was taken by the Board ofCounty Commissioners at its June 12meeting.

District 4 County Commissioner AlHigginbotham sponsored a motion infavor of the amendment, which wasapproved by the Board of CountyCommissioners in the May 14 LandUse meeting. That approved motiondirected the County Attorney’s Officeto research the amendment, inresponse to a rezoning application onthe agenda at the Land Use meeting.

A Planned Development is definedin the LDC as “land under unifiedcontrol to be planned and developedas a whole in a single developmentoperation…” Examples include sub-divisions, town homes, apartments,mixed use developments, medicalcomplexes and other projects thatrequire greater flexibility than provid-ed by the LDC. Officials estimatethere are approximately 2,500planned developments in the county.Often the PD applicant will include acondition to allow agricultural usesuntil the PD is developed, permittingfarmers to continue their operationson the land until the developer beginsconstruction. When this condition isnot included, the land owner is notpermitted to continue operations andmust seek rezoning. CommissionerHigginbotham was drawn to thisissue when a couple from the south-ern portion of the county wasrequired to submit an applicationto be removed from the PD so theirfamily could engage in farming oper-ations that had been allowed on theproperty prior to the PD zoning.

“In the current economic times, manyplanned developments are not beingrealized and the farming communitywould like to continue to utilizethe land,” said CommissionerHigginbotham. “However, they aredependent on the PD applicant tohave included a condition giving thempermission to do so. As we move

forward with this amendment, wewill increase utilization of these vacantparcels throughout the county,” hesaid.

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The draft amendment reflects a col-laborative effort among theDevelopment Services Department,Agriculture Industry DevelopmentProgram and the County Attorney’sOffice. It addresses passive agricultur-al uses such as pasture lands, rowcrops and low intensity raising of ani-mals such as fish farms. Since theseuses could occur in areas where othernon-agricultural uses have alreadybeen established, passive agriculturaluses would not include agriculturalactivities with significant off-siteimpacts. Passive uses do not includeanimal production units, packinghouses, agricultural stands, plantfarms and greenhouses, poultry andegg farms, dairies, public and privatestables, farm worker housing andlabor camps, agricultural manufac-turing and any agricultural activitywith significant structural coverage.

Hillsborough County’s AgricultureIndustry Development Programestimated that in 2010, agriculturecontributed $815 million to theTampa Bay economy. •

By Jim Frankowiak

LAND DEVELOPMENT

CODE AMENDMENT

OF SPECIAL

IMPORTANCE TO

LOCAL FARMERS


Higginbotham


26

Foodhooks.........................................$22Baby Butter Beans............................$14Green Beans.......................................$14Pole Beans .........................................$14Speckled Butter Beans.....................$14Blackeye Peas....................................$14Butter Peas ........................................$14Conk Peas .........................................$22Crowder Peas ....................................$14Pinkeye Peas......................................$14White Acre Peas................................$14Sugar Snap Peas ...............................$15Zipper Peas........................................$14Green Peas .........................................$14

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

Turnip Greens ....................................$13Spinach ...............................................$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# .................................$15Mango Chunks 5# .............................$15Pineapple Chunks 5#........................$15Whole Strawberries 5# ....................$15Rhubarb 5# ........................................$13Peaches...............................................$15

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WALK-INS WELCOMECall – or go on-line to place your order today and we’ll have it ready for you to pick up!

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


J uly and part of August are a gift to just about every educator.There’s no greater blessing in the realm of education than thebeauty of summer vacation. However, there are some teachers

that do not get to fully enjoy this peace. One group in particular, Agteachers, is still responsible for those things their programs sustain.So, while summer may be here, educators like Elizabeth Pierce, aren’tcompletely free.

Elizabeth says, “I grew up around agriculture. We moved to PlantCity when I was about five years old. We always had cows and a veg-etable garden that we, as children, were responsible for taking careof. That really began my appreciation for agriculture and also forhard work.” Certainly having to give up portions of her summer tomaintain her program, would fall into the hard work arena.

Elizabeth pursued her agriculture appreciation in her school years.She says, “As I got into middle school and then high school, I joinedthe FFA and was in agriculture classes. I participated in CDEs and Ialso showed swine at the Strawberry Festival a few different times.When I went away to college I ended up studying in the College ofAgriculture and Life Sciences at UF. I got my undergraduate andMaster’s degree in Ag education and communication.”

She got her first teaching job at Giunta Middle School. She explains,“It was the first year that school opened. I sort of opened the Agdepartment and that was a lot of work. I only was there for one yearand a position opened up over here at Turkey Creek Middle Schoolso I came back over here. I taught there for two years and an open-ing came up at Plant City High School. That’s when I moved overthere. I just finished my fourth year over there.” No doubt she appre-ciated the opportunity to return to her alma mater.

Plant City High School has a very large land lab which Elizabeth says,“is nice, but a lot of work.” She continues, “It gives the students lotsof opportunities to get involved in different things. We have cattle onour property. The past few years we’ve also had some miniaturehorses that students have gotten to work with and rabbits andchickens. But we also have a horticulture side. We have a green house,hydroponics units, shade house areas that can all be used for learningpurposes.”

While all those things are great, Elizabeth is particularly excitedabout some relatively recent additions. She explains, “Probably threeyears ago we started teaching a new course called agriculturalcommunications. That has allowed us to get into the business andmarketing side of agriculture. I’ve really enjoyed teaching that class.A lot of times people think of agriculture as getting out and workingwith cows and taking care of plants and that is very important. But,with the communications class it helps students understand theimportance of sales and marketing Ag products along with improv-ing Ag literacy among consumers.”

Of course, Elizabeth is also enthusiastic about the traditional side ofthe program and she reveals, “There are other things I’ve beeninvolved in. I help out with coaching CDEs: prepared public speaking,extemporaneous public speaking, parliamentary procedure, forestry,nursery landscape, ornamental horticulture demonstration, job inter-view and that’s mostly what I’ve focused on.” Seems like a broadrange of focus but FFA, and the agriculture industry, is broad anyway.That is perhaps something that makes Ag teachers unique, they don’tjust have one area of concentration like “core” teachers do.

As an educator, Elizabeth has designed her own personal viewpointon her purpose. She says, “As a whole, I would say my philosophy asa teacher is to really help improve the life of young people. There arespecific things in my classroom that I hope they learn. I want to teachthem how to be successful people, give them skills and tools that theycan use as they go on in life no matter what direction they study orwork in. Also, just that they have an appreciation for the importanceof agriculture.”

It is apparent that Elizabeth is achieving some of those goals. In fact,she says, “Over the past few years we’ve had multiple studentsbecome involved in the Hillsborough County Federation as officers,which allows them to step out of our chapter and help countywide asleadership in the FFA. It’s a neat deal for them because they get tomeet kids from other FFA chapters and learn to work together. Itimproves them on their leadership skills.” In addition, she’s had a lotof kids working hard on various CDEs and seems overly pleased withtheir dedication and determination.

When it comes to her thoughts on agriculture as a whole, Elizabethadds, “In general, it supports America, especially the Plant City area.It’s such a large part of our economy; it feeds the world. I also thinkthat being a part of agriculture classes helps students understand theimportance of diligence and hard work and working towards some-thing. Agriculture teaches people hard work, dedication anddiligence. Students learning these skills will take them furtherwherever they go in life.”

There are benefits of course, to working in a small town and thoseinclude incredible community involvement. Elizabeth revealed thatLee Gillman, a local strawberry grower, donated his time andresources to help PCHS grow strawberries this year. Parent andadministrator involvement has also been key to the program’s successand Elizabeth is quite thankful for a supportive principal and a devot-ed FFA Alumni.

With regards to her current position Elizabeth says, “I’m proud to beable to be a part of a tradition like Plant City High’s Ag department.For me to get to be a part is really an honor and a blessing.” Then inparting she adds, “I’m very much a supporter of local products and Itry to instill that in my students. If you have an option, buy Americangrown because it helps our farmers and it’s such an important part ofour economy.” These are definitely some words to live by in the midstof our made in China surroundings. •

AMERICAN GROWN - PCHS AG TEACHER

Elizabeth PierceBy Ginny Mink



University of Florida researchers havediscovered a natural compound to battle

insect pests that plague gardeners and growers.

The compound boosts crops’ resistance topest attacks on their roots by recruitingmicroscopic worms that kill the insects byeating them from the inside out.

Researchers, including members of UF’sInstitute of Food and Agricultural Sciences,made the discovery by studying chemicalsreleased by citrus roots when they areattacked by citrus root weevil larvae. Theirresults are published in the June 27 edition ofthe online journal PLoS ONE.

Citrus root weevils are a problem in Centraland South Florida, and at one time were esti-mated to cause $70 million in damage annu-ally. Florida’s citrus industry is valued at $9billion and provides about 76,000 full- andpart-time jobs.

The researchers found that a chemical calledpregeijerene, which is released by citrus rootswhen attacked by pests, is an attractant thatsignals worms, known as nematodes, tomove in and attack pests.

But not only does pregeijerene protect citrusroots, it also can protect the roots of blueber-ry plants and possibly other crops, said studyauthor Lukasz Stelinski, an assistant profes-sor of entomology and nematology at UF’sCitrus Research and Education Center inLake Alfred.

In the study, the researchers found that whenpregeijerene was applied to soil in citrusgroves, larvae control by nematodes wasthree times greater than when pregeijerenewas not used.

And when the researchers applied pregei-jerene to a blueberry field in New Jersey, lar-val control by nematodes was two timesgreater than when pregeijerene was not used.

“The results are important because theyoccurred in vastly different agricultural habi-tats,” Stelinski said. “Therefore, they mayhave broad application in biological controlof root pests in agriculture.”This is the first time pregeijerene has beenshown to have an important role in protect-ing plants, Stelinski said, and he believes thecompound could be useful in other produc-tion settings where root pests are a problem.

The citrus root weevil, in particular, is a pestof many plants including sugarcane, sweetpotatoes and ornamentals. It was accidentlyintroduced to Florida in 1964, possibly froma shipment of ornamental plants from PuertoRico.

Larry Duncan, also a study author and anematology professor based at the CREC,said before citrus greening, citrus rootweevils were one of the biggest problems incitrus production.

But now, he said, pesticide programs used tocontrol the Asian citrus psyllid, the insect

that spreads greening, are also helping con-trol the weevils.

“However the intensive citrus greeningspraying regimen won’t be sustainable overthe really long term,” Duncan said. “Andeventually we’ll have to address managingcitrus root weevils again when we’re notspraying so heavily for psyllids.”

The study was funded by UF and the U.S.Department of Agriculture. Study authorsalso include Hans Alborn, a researchchemist, and Fatma Kaplan, a researchmolecular biologist, both with the USDA-Agricultural Research Service’s Center forMedical and Veterinary Entomology; JaredAli, a postdoctoral fellow with the depart-ment of ecology and evolutionary biology atCornell University; Raquel Campos-Herrera,a postdoctoral researcher at the CREC;Cesar Rodriguez-Saona, an assistant exten-sion specialist in entomology, and AlbrechtM. Koppenhöfer, an extension specialist inentomology, both with Rutgers University. •

By Robert H. Wells

Beneficial nematodes emerging from insect. Photo credit: Antoinette Malan,Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Faculty of AgriSciences,

Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

UF RESEARCHERS

FIND NATURAL

PRODUCT THAT

BOOSTS PLANT

DEFENSE AGAINST

RootPests


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Last year was a dream cometrue for the FloridaStrawberry Festival with

the construction of the Evelynand Batista Madonia, Sr.Agricultural Show Center. Thismulti-purpose agricultural com-plex is approximately 30,000square feet of enclosed air-condi-tioned space. The building isused for agricultural events dur-ing the Festival while also pro-viding available space for off sea-son events.

The Florida Strawberry Festivalis primarily an agricultural fair,formed to celebrate the bountifulharvest of the strawberry. Thefounding principles continue tobe the guiding purpose of ourFestival while we strive to enrichthe lives of thousands of ourareas youth. We find our youth

to be our most precious resourceand support higher education byproviding agricultural organiza-tional programs that benefit stu-dents financially. Students learnthe value of hard work and dedi-cation all while investing in theirfutures.

To better serve our agriculturalprograms and the communities’needs, our board approved theconstruction of two open airpavilions that will adorn the Eastand West sides of the MadoniaCenter. The East Pavilion will benamed after the Astin familywhile the West Pavilion will benamed after the Swindle family,both of whom are lifelong sup-porters of the agriculture indus-try and the Plant CityCommunity. These generousdonations will not only benefit

the Florida Strawberry Festivaland the Plant City community,but will have a life alteringimpact on the thousands of indi-viduals who attend and partici-pate in agricultural events in thisfacility.

The two pavilions will providethe complex with an additional37,000 square feet of open airspace. During the Festival thepavilions will be used to houselivestock and plants and will alsobe available for rent to the com-munity during the off-season.

The construction is on scheduleand is expected to be completedin early October and the Festivalis planning to hold a ribbon cut-ting ceremony to celebrate thecompletion of this much antici-pated project.

You still have time to be a part ofhistory and support our commu-nity with the Agricultural ShowCenter brick campaign and seat-ing section naming rightsfundraiser. For more informationregarding the fundraising cam-paign, please contact CommitteeChairman, Rick Lott or KeeLeeTomlinson at the Festival Office.

Make plans now and mark yourcalendars for the 78th annualFlorida Strawberry Festival,

February 28 – March 10, 2013where you can be the first to seethe new agricultural complex.

Please follow the FloridaStrawberry Festival at

wwwwww..ffllssttrraawwbbeerrrryyffeessttiivvaall..ccoomm,Facebook and Twitter, or

call 813-752-9194 for furtherdetails.


Dogs can be trained to do many things from speaking todancing, but can a dog be trained to save you from dying?Paula Nunnery, President and CEO of Sugar Dogs

International, will tell you “yes.” Her dogs Peaches and Cream or“Peachie” for short and Sugar Boy save her life every day.Nunnery is one of the 25.8 million Americans with diabetes. Shehas been a Type 1 diabetic since she was 9-years-old and she hasbeen training dogs to alert for low blood sugar since then as well,but she will tell you she’s not a dog trainer. She’s a diabetic train-er, meaning she teaches the diabetic to learn when their dog isalerting them to check their blood sugar. She will also tell youPoodles make the best alert dogs because they are intelligent andhypoallergenic. She has trained German Shepherds, Labradors,Golden Retrievers and other mixed breeds, but Poodles haveshown the most success rate in alerting out of all of them.

“I’ve had six Poodles in my life that I’ve trained to be my person-al sugar dogs,” Nunnery said. “I’ve never looked at them as a serv-ice dog, just my dogs, but they are because they are saving mylife.” Her dogs alert her for blood sugar levels under 80 or over180. Her dogs alert better for low blood sugar than high bloodsugar. “There is something with the low blood sugar and the wayit smells to the dogs,” Nunnery said. “They realize death is emi-nent unless we do something quickly and they tend to becomemore assertive with their diabetic.” While I was interviewingNunnery for this article, Peachie alerted Nunnery by pawing at herleg continually. Nunnery checked her blood sugar is it was low, soshe took her insulin and she was fine. So, how do the dogs knowwhen to alert? Nunnery believes it’s molecular when it comes toalerting someone to check their blood sugar, but how or why theydo it, she’s not sure. “We really just let the dogs do their thing,”Nunnery said. She and her dogs are a part of a case study at theUniversity of South Florida with Dr. Robert Deschene, to find outwhy certain breeds of dogs alert to blood sugar levels.

The training process takes about four to eight weeks, dependingon how quick the dog and diabetic connect with each other.The first two weeks are used for basic obedience training. A SugarDog needs to be able to be well behaved in public since it is aservice dog. The next few weeks, the diabetic learns the alerting

If Your Dog Loves You,They Will Alert YouBy Libby Hopkins


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signals from their dog all while testing their blood sugar on a reg-ular basis. Alerting can include, pawing, barking, licking, or star-ing. Nunnery said her dogs have done all four forms of alerting tolet her know she needed to check her blood sugar. The key to thetraining is rewarding your dog when they alert because if youdon’t, they will stop.

“When a dog has alerted, it needs to berewarded, if not, the alerting behavior

will go away,” Nunnery said.

Peachie and Sugar Boy have alerted other people while Nunneryhas been out in public. Her organizations works with the TampaGeneral Hospital diabetic support group, “Sweet Ones,” and at arecent event, Nunnery’s dog, Sugar Boy, alerted a child withdiabetes. The dog kept bowing in front of the child and Nunneryasked the boy’s mother to test his sugar. The mother was reluctantat first, but agreed to test the child’s sugar, only to find out herson’s blood sugar was high. Nunnery said that her dogs sometimesget worn out at the support group meetings because there are somany diabetics in the room, the dogs are constantly alerting.She has been able to keep control of her diabetes through regulartesting, eating right, meditation and the help of Peachie and SugarBoy. She hopes that someday, there will be a cure for diabetes andSugar Dogs will be out of business.

“I hope to see Dr. Diane Faustman of Massachusetts GeneralHospital and Harvard Medical School find a cure for diabetes andput me out of business,” Nunnery said. She and her dogs are alsoinvolved with Faustman’s case studies on a cure for diabetes. If youwould like to learn more about Nunnery and her Sugar Dogs, youcan visit her website at www.sugardogs.org. Nunnery said the firstperson to contact her and say they read this article will get a freetraining session from Sugar Dogs. •

Paula Nunnery





MOSAIC MINE FACILITIESRECEIVE NATIONAL

MINE SAFETY AWARDSFour Corners, Wingate and South FortMeade Mines Celebrate Safety Records

The Mosaic Company announced that three of thecompany’s Florida mining facilities were recognized with nation-al mine safety awards from the International Society of MineSafety Professionals (ISMSP). Mosaic’s Four Corners, Wingateand South Fort Meade mines received the awards for each achiev-ing more than a million safe work hours without a lost timeinjury. The three mines were among only 29 mine facilitiesnationwide that received the award that recognizes excellence andleadership in mine safety.

“If not conducted with care and diligence, mining can be adangerous activity. Our facilities work hard to instill a culture ofsafety and embrace Mosaic’s commitment to the relentless pursuitof an injury-free workplace,” said Gary N. “Bo” Davis, SeniorVice President, Mosaic Phosphate Operations. “This recognitionhonors the success of the employees at these facilities as theycontinue to operate with the diligence that led to these impressivesafety records. Our company deeply appreciates their efforts toremain safe while responsibly extracting a resource that is vital tofeeding the world.”

The ISMSP was founded to promote the development of healthand safety professionals throughout the international miningcommunity. Saving lives and reducing injuries through betterleadership, planning, and practice are primary goals of theSociety. The awards were presented at the 2012 ISMSP CriticalIssues Conference held May 21-24, 2012 in Reno, NV. The con-ference provides a valuable opportunity to educate and informattendees on critical safety issues facing mining companies today.The gathering is an annual venue for mine safety professionals tonetwork with other companies and share best practices with thegoal of improving mine safety across all mining industries.

Mosaic facilities receiving recognition at the conference were:

FFOOUURR CCOORRNNEERRSS MMIINNEEMosaic’s Four Corners mine is the largest phosphate mine inNorth America, employing more than 400 Central Floridians.Named for its geographic location, the mine property straddles

the borders of Polk, Hillsborough, Manatee and Hardee counties.Using seven operating draglines, the mine produces more than6 million tons of phosphate rock annually, representing 21%of annual U.S. phosphate rock production. The facility wasrecognized for achieving 1,894,564 Safe Work Hours since theirlast lost time injury.

“The size of the Four Corners mine operation creates uniquechallenges in building a culture that embraces safety, but ouremployees time and again have risen to the challenge and contin-ually reinforce the awareness that is necessary for Mosaic tomaintain Four Corners’ status as a world class facility,” saidBruce Bodine, Four Corners Mine Manager. “We’re proud toreceive this recognition, which reaffirms the value we place in ourrelentless pursuit for an injury-free workplace.”

SSOOUUTTHH FFOORRTT MMEEAADDEE MMIINNEEMosaic’s South Fort Meade mine is one of the most efficient phos-phate mining operations in the world. The mining operationsoverlap the Polk and Hardee County line near Bowling Green.The mine recently returned to full production after 18 months of

litigation that limited access to reserves and greatly reduced thefacility’s operating capacity. Utilizing four draglines at fullproduction, the facility is capable of producing up to 6 milliontons of phosphate rock annually and directly employs more than


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220 Central Floridians. The facility was recognized for achieving1,550,440 safe work hours without a lost time injury. With allcontractor hours included, the facility has amassed 2,302,840hours without a lost time injury.

“Despite the challenges our operation faced in recent years as ourpermits were litigated, the employees never lost sight of the impor-tance of ensuring the constant safety of every person at our facili-ty. Through thick and thin the South Fort Meade team demon-strated their resilience and dedication to our relentless pursuit ofan injury free workplace,” said Alan Lulf, South Fort Meade MineManager. “Being recognized for this safety accomplishment isparticularly meaningful to us as we now look forward to the next 10years of mining at South Fort Meade. I’m confident the South FortMeade team will continue to grow their commitment to safety.”

WWIINNGGAATTEE MMIINNEEMosaic’s Wingate mine is the only phosphate operation in Floridautilizing floating dredges to mine. Located in Manatee Countybetween Duette and Myakka City, the facility employs more than150 Central Floridians from Manatee, Hillsborough, Polk andHardee counties. Mosaic recently committed significant invest-ments in the facility, upgrading the washer and beneficiation plantand purchasing two new dredges to replace the existing 30-year-old equipment. The facility produces approximately 1.2 milliontons of phosphate rock per year. Wingate was recognized forachieving a full year without a lost time injury.

“The Wingate mine serves as a great example as to why safetyawareness must be a cultural value to be effective. Our uniquemining methods mean our employees must be aware of differenthazards than might exist within our other operations,” said KarenSwager, Wingate Mine Manager.

“Because Mosaic has developed a safety culture, our employeesadapt their safety practices to any environment, always remainingconscious of and avoiding hazards by doing the job right. We’reproud of this achievement, but fully intend to keep building on oursafety record.” •

About The Mosaic CompanyThe Mosaic Company is one of the world’s leading producersand marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop

nutrients. Mosaic is a single-source provider of phosphate andpotash fertilizers and feed ingredients for the global agricultureindustry. More information on the company is available at:

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Fresh, ripe Florida passionfruit is in itspeak season today. Florida is one offew states in the country that culti-

vates this subtropical fruit, as well asCalifornia and Hawaii. Worldwide, thisfruit is also grown in the Caribbean,Brazil, Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico,India, and New Zealand.

There are two main types of passionfruit,the smaller purple type and the largeryellow kind. The purple passion fruit bearsround or egg-shaped fruit that is about thesize of a lemon or smaller and is less acidicthan the yellow type. The flavor has beendescribed as a combination of lemon andpineapple. The yellow passionfruit is larg-er and can grow up to the size of a grape-fruit with a milder aroma and flavor thanthe purple type. Passionfruits containnumerous small, black seeds surroundedby orange-colored sacs that contain thejuice. They can be enjoyed eaten out-of-hand or juiced.

NUTRITIONAL PROFILEAccording to the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture (USDA)National Nutrient Database for StandardReference, a 100 gram portion of freshpassionfruit contains 97 calories, 2.2 g ofprotein, 0.7 g of fat, 23.4 g of carbohy-drate, and 10.4 g of fiber. It provides 50%of the Daily Reference Intake for vitaminC, 42% for dietary fiber, 25% for VitaminA, and 9% for iron. Passionfruit alsocontains high concentrations of otherimportant nutrients including potassium,copper, magnesium, and phosphorus.

DIETARY FIBERA 100g serving (about 3 oz or severalwhole fruits) of passionfruit is a deliciousway to get almost half of your daily fiber

needs. Research has shown that dietaryfiber has a protective effect against heartdisease by lowering blood cholesterollevels and slowing the progression of heartdisease in high-risk individuals. Fiberbinds to the cholesterol-containing bilesalts, excreting them out of the body. Italso promotes bowel regularity andincreases satiety levels, which can aid inweight control.

ANTIOXIDANTSFlorida passionfruit are bursting with dis-ease-fighting antioxidants, which neutral-ize destructive free radicals in the body.Passionfruit is very high in vitamins A andC as well as other compounds with antiox-idant properties. Diets that contain fruitshigh in antioxidants, including passion-fruit and other fruits and vegetables, arelinked to a reduced risk of heart disease,stroke, and multiple types of cancer.

VITAMIN CFlorida passionfruit is bursting with vita-min C, which has many important func-tions in the body in addition to being anantioxidant. Eating foods high in vitaminC significantly raises the amount of ironyour body absorbs, which is a good way toprevent anemia. For example, if you tosschopped passionfruit on top of a leafygreen salad, the vitamin C in the fruitwould help you absorb more of the ironfrom the salad.

Vitamin C also supports the body’simmune system in its ability to fight infec-tions and viruses, and may possibly short-en the duration and intensity of a cold.Additionally, this vitamin is involved inkeeping capillaries, gums, and skin healthyand supple.

HOW TO SELECT AND STOREChoose passionfruits that are heavy fortheir size with a more wrinkled surface.Look for fruits that are deep in color with-out bruises or discolored areas. They canbe stored at room temperature for a fewdays or in the refrigerator for up to oneweek. The flesh can be scooped out andfrozen for months.

HOW TO ENJOYImmediately before eating, rinse off thefruit in water and cut lengthwise in half.Scoop out the juicy, sweet pulp anddiscard the outer shell. Other waysto enjoy Florida passionfruit include:

• Squeeze the sacs to release the juice fora refreshing summer drink.

• Add passionfruit seeds to fruit or veggiesalads or to top a cake.

• Use to make sauces, jellies, or syrups.• Use in desserts such as mousse, icecream, pudding, or cake.

• Chop and add to yogurt or cereal.• Mash pulp with water and sugar andfreeze for a fruit popsicle.

With so many ways to enjoy this sweet,delicious fruit, try fresh Florida passion-fruit today!

Selected Referenceshttp://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/passionfruit.html

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MEN AND WESTERNS

Dry CreekDry Creek

Iwatched the Hayfields and McCoy’s and wasn’t surprisedwhen it earned a 13 year record ratings on Cable. Or was Isurprised when TNT would run a Tom Selleck or Sam Elliot

western and the ratings would go through the roof. Selleck, inan interview, said he doesn’t know why Hollywood won’tembrace the western. As an independent film producer of DryCreek, I find myself asking the same question.

For one, reality shows are really cheap to produce compared topaying a cast, locations, and all the costs that come with a pro-duction. Just look at the credits as they roll by. There are somany people needed in a production. Downside is, Hollywood’sreality isn’t my reality. That said, if the ratings dictate moneythen it seems we will be seeing more westerns in the future.

Here’s a little poem I wrote about my love affair with thewestern. I bet you’ll see yourself or someone you know in it.

There’s something about watching a western that hits

a man’s soul to the core.

It’s the need for us to protect that knocks at our hearts door.

When we see Selleck standing up for what’s right.

Or Wayne riding through the night.

We put ourselves right there in the saddle.

For family and loved ones, a true man will battle.

Just look at Sam Elliot’s grin.

Or Gus with a tear thinking of a love that had been.

Cooper nervously watching that clock for High Noon.

Butch and Sundance sleeping under the stars and moon.

A man watching from his chair puts himself right there,

with that Clint Eastwood stare.

So ladies you can watch your movies on Life Time full

of romance and love.

But tonight you’ll find me saddled up in my mind

watching Lonesome Dove.

If you miss the western and are looking for good familyprograming I hope you will watch Dry Creek, America’s FirstFrontier. You can tune into Dry Creek on Saturday nights at7:30 p.m. ET on BlueHighwaysTV. If you have Verizon you canget BHTV. If you have Bright House email them and requestDry Creek on BHTV. We will be on Dish Network before theend of the year.

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Everybody knows where Dry Creek is.....cause it’s inside eachand everyone of us. •

By Les McDowellPhotos courtesy of Linda Constant




48 INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE JULY 2012

49

Plantain Mash

Sunshine Pork Chopswith Plantain Mash

Recipes Courtesy of the Florida Department of Agricluture

INGREDIENTS1 pound plantains, green1 garlic clove2 tablespoons lime juice1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock1 teaspoon saltpepper to taste

PREPARATION

Peel plantains by running a knife down vertically.Cut into two-inch pieces; place in large pot. Covercompletely with water. Bring to a boil and cookapproximately 30 minutes until very soft. Drainand place cooked plantains in food processorwith garlic, lime juice and 1/2 cup of chickenstock (add more stock for desired consistency),salt and pepper. Puree' quickly as not to overworkthe plantains (they will become starchy).

Yield – 4 servings

PREPARATION

Sauté plantain, peppers and onion in one table-spoon of butter for five to six minutes; add brownsugar and curry powder, stirring constantly. Addcornstarch to chicken broth and stir until smooth.Add this cornstarch mixture to pan and simmerfor five minutes.

While sauce is simmering add lime juice, salt,Worcestershire sauce, pepper and twotablespoons of butter in a heavy skillet.

When ingredients in skillet are hot, add porkchops. Cook chops about four minutes on eachside or until chops are done; add sauce. Simmer allingredients until heated thoroughly and serve overplantain mash, potatoes or rice.

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup plantain, ripe, diced1/3 cup peppers, diced1/4 cup onion, diced1 tablespoon butter2 tablespoons brown sugar1/2 teaspoon curry powder2 tablespoons cornstarch1 cup chicken broth1 tablespoon lime juice1/2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce1/2 teaspoon pepper2 tablespoons butter1 1/2 pounds boneless pork chops

RECIPES


5511

52


AFlorida man who has built his family farm into a keysupplier of dairy products and beverages for schools and otherinstitutions has been named the 2012 Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt

Ag Expo Florida Farmer of the Year. Dale McClellan, the recipient ofthis year’s award, maintains farm businesses in Citrus andHillsborough counties.

He will now compete against nine other state winners for theprestigious Southeastern Farmer of the Year award to be announcedin the fall.

McClellan and his family own a dairy and produce hay, cornand oats. They also operate a state-of-the-art dairy processing andpackaging facility that serves institutional customers. The plantemploys 140 team players. McClellan also relies upon several staffleaders who are instrumental in managing day-to-day operations.

The enterprises function as mutually supportive production systems.Feedstocks, cultivated with attention to cost and responsible environ-mental management, provide the dairy cattle with a nourishing diet.The animals yield, in turn, a food that is processed into sevendifferent types of milk products and distributed under the family’sown label.

All three components are identified collectively as M & B Products,Inc., McClellan said. “We efficiently maximize land usage at ourdairy farm and leased lands to cultivate crops that are the most costeffective to harvest,” he explained. “These crops feed our dairy cattleto ensure that we produce the most healthy, nutritious milk possible.We work diligently to make sure our cows are comfortable.”

The family’s raw milk is sold to Premier Milk, a co-operativeMcClellan helped to establish, then purchased by the packagingbusiness for processing. By this approach he can control costs whilemaintaining continuous production.

The processing facility has opened other markets for the business.McClellan’s enterprise also produces more than 150 different sizes,packages and flavors of fruit juice for 19 Florida school districts, for-tified with vitamins. Innovative packaging and product developmenthave allowed the firm to serve hospitals and prisons.

A past president of the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau,McClellan has been a tireless advocate representing agriculturalproducers on the Hillsborough County Agricultural EconomicDevelopment Council, the Citrus County Economic DevelopmentCouncil and the Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce. Hehas also been a volunteer leader in various civic and charitable organ-izations. His statewide service includes duties as a member of theFlorida Department of Agriculture’s Animal Industry TechnicalCouncil and as a director of the Premier Milk Dairy Co-op.

McClellan said he was born to be a farmer. “I hit the ground runningand I never wanted to stop,” he admitted. “It is one of the passions Ihave for life. I am so thankful to have work I love to do.”

His sons, Leon, Bryan and Daniel all work in the family business.McClellan’s wife was previously a member of the processing teamat the plant. Daniel’s wife, Andrea, manages the front office of thefacility. “I tried to instill a good work ethic and values in our chil-dren,” McClellan said. “I never asked them to work in our familybusiness, but like me, they were drawn into it and decided to work atM & B on their own. I am so thankful that my family has work theylove to do.”

This year the Farmer of the Year program will celebrate its 23rdanniversary. The regional award winner will be introduced at theWillie B. Withers Luncheon on Oct. 16 at the Sunbelt Ag Expo inMoultrie, Ga. •

PAST HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FARM BUREAUPRESIDENT EARNS AWARD AS

2012 FLORIDA FARMER OF THE YEAR

DALEMCCLELLAN


After six busy weeks on display for thegreater Plant City community, theSmithsonian exhibition Journey Stories

has shipped out and is on its way to its nexthost community. Many of the 2000 visitorswho filed through the gallery at the Plant CityPhoto Archives & History Center said thathaving the Smithsonian exhibition come toPlant City was one of the best things that hashappened in years. One wrote, “Not only didthe exhibition demonstrate the breadth anddepth of American history, but having it herealso raised the profile and importance of thePlant City community.”

Plant City, long known as a major agriculturalcommunity in the State of Florida, has a histo-ry rich in the development of agricultural meth-ods and scientific successes, and has a talentedand educated labor force. In addition to the richfertile land, the farmers in the Hillsborough-Polk agricultural area have been leaders in bothagricultural production but also distributionmethods. And there is a lot more to what makesup the greater Plant City community.

So it was fitting that the Florida HumanitiesCouncil selected Plant City as the first site forthe 2012-2013 Florida tour of the Smithsonianexhibition Journey Stories. And it was an honorthat the Plant City Photo Archives & HistoryCenter was selected as the host organization.

In the final report of an assessment of thePhoto Archives & History Center, performedin 2010 under the auspices of HeritagePreservation, the consultant stated, “The PlantCity Photo Archives is a rather unique enter-prise… because it was established and operatesas an independent institution by the people of

the community it intends to serve. The PlantCity community continues to support theArchives to an admirable degree, one that canbe measured in terms of financial support, vol-unteer work, and other community interestand participation. The Archives benefits thecommunity by providing easy access to PlantCity’s pictorial history.”

He further states that, with the change in manycommunities due to urban and suburban devel-opment, archival photographs uniquely docu-ment these changes, and that the high qualityof the photographs in the Photo Archives canonly enhance historical value.

And that is the case with the Photo Archivesand the Plant City community. The history of acommunity is easily lost when photographs arenot preserved and stories are not told andsaved. That is the mission of the Plant CityPhoto Archives & History Center. Stories suchas that of D. Herman Kennedy and SouthlandFrozen Foods. Many people today see thebuildings where Southland operated and wasone of the ten largest producers of frozen veg-etables in the nation, but not many know muchabout the buildings, the man, and the businesshe built. You can find that story in the PhotoArchives library. That is why the organizationadded the words “History Center.” Thiscommunity, in fact the entire West Centralregion of Florida, deserves to be chronicled andhave its photographs and stories collected andpreserved for posterity.

And that is what the Plant City Photo Archives& History Center is all about – preserving yourhistory and heritage. The Photo Archives wasstarted in the year 2000. When local photogra-

pher Bill Friend passed away, Ed Verner wasdetermined that the thousands of photographsin Friend’s collection over the years would notend up on the dust heap of history. Hepurchased the photographs and established thePlant City Photo Archives. It is to be notedthat, although the organization is in Plant Cityand its corporate name is “Plant City PhotoArchives, Inc.,” the organization collects andpreserves photographs from a very wide area –west central Florida and the areas the peopletravel to. Hence, the photographic collectionsinclude Plant City, Tampa, Bartow, Lakeland,cities across America, London, Tokyo,Germany, etc.

In addition to the photos from Bill Friend’scollection, the Photo Archives has acquiredthousands of photographs from GladysJeffcoat’s many years of practice in Plant City,and thousands of photographs from people offthe street who donate them or lend them forscanning. The Photo Archives also collects andpreserves documents and has several hundredof them in its collection. These include maps ofPlant City, maps of Europe during WWII,certificates with Presidents’ signatures, news-paper articles, Panky Snow’s writings,

By Gil Gott

the archives of the United Daughters of theConfederacy, source material from theHopewell Pioneers book, personal memoirs,and more.

To date the Photo Archives has collected wellover 100,000 photographs and documents andhas been able to scan and preserve about70,000. These are preserved in a database thatis searchable by key words or categories.

In addition to working with the FloridaHumanities Council, the Photo Archives isactive nationally with the AmericanAssociation for State and Local History and theNational Council for Public History, and is anactive member of the Florida Association ofMuseums. Locally, the Photo Archives partnerswith several organizations including the BrutonMemorial Library, the Improvement League,the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce,the Arts Council, and HillsboroughCommunity College – Plant City Campus.

In 2003 the Photo Archives began emphasizingnot just the photographs but also the stories that“wrap around the photos.” Since that time, thePhoto Archives has had over 100 articles pub-lished in local magazines or newspapers and haspublished one book, Remembering Plant City;Tales from the Winter Strawberry Capital of theWorld, The History Press, Charleston, SouthCarolina.

The Photo Archives began featuring themedexhibits in 2005, with its first “Salute toVeterans” in honor of the 60 years since WWII,and has rotated its exhibits periodically sincethen. Among the themes are “Couples, the WayThey Were”, “When We Were Kids”, “OurTown”, “School Days”, “Festival Queens”, “InHonor of Agriculture”, “Sports and Leisure”,“Salute to Veterans”, and several others. Theseare displayed for a certain period then placed inbinders available to the public.

In addition to the continuing exhibits, theHistory Center Library is open to the public,and staff will assist in researching photographsof interest. Reprints are available in sizes from5x7 to poster size. The Photo Archives hasalso held annual award banquets and in thepast ten years has honored these individualswith the Heritage Award: David E. Bailey,

James L. Redman, Robert S. Trinkle, HalBrewer, B.M. Mac Smith, Betty Barker Watkins,James “Sonny” Jones, Gladys Jeffcoat, BobEdwards, and Maribeth Mobley.

The Photo Archives has also been the site ofmany reunions – people have met friends theyhaven’t seen in years in the exhibit gallery, alllooking at the photos of the way it used to be.There was even one marriage that has takenplace through old friends meeting here and,being octogenarians and single again, they mar-ried and are living a happy life. And just sever-al months ago a woman found a photographalbum in an abandoned home and took it toThe Courier, after which it was brought to thePhoto Archives. It received a great amount ofpublicity and a TV Fox News reporter came tothe Photo Archives to cover the story. Not longafter, a number of calls came in from peoplewondering if the album was theirs. And finally,a woman contacted the Photo Archives andtold her story. The TV Fox News reporter cameback to the Photo Archives and interviewed thewoman. It was hers and had been lost for years.She reclaimed it in tears of joy.

The Photo Archives is now in its 12th year andis adding more and different events and pro-grams annually. The Photojournalism Contestdraws many high school students every yearwho compete for the cash prizes. Enlargementshave been on display at the library, in banks, in

churches, schools, in businesses, at family andschool reunions, and many other events andcelebrations.

The latest program is the Plant City SculpturesExhibit which is presented by the PhotoArchives & History Center and sponsored bythe Hillsborough County Board of CountyCommissioners through the County’s HistoricPreservation Challenge Grant Program, by theCity of Plant City through its CommunityRedevelopment Agency, by the Arts Council ofPlant City, and the City Properties Company.

This program has brought eight life-size bronzesculptures from the “Man on the Street” seriesby artist J. Seward Johnson through TheSculpture Foundation of Santa Monica,California.

These eight sculptures weigh up to 750 poundsand are placed at the historic Union Station andin McCall Park. One is also in front of thePhoto Archives building and one is in front ofthe Plant City Entertainment building at thecorner of Thomas and Drane Streets. Thesesculptures are public art that people can under-stand because it is of icons or people such asthose you see every day. The sculptures, alsocalled statues, are outdoors and will be on pub-lic display through August and will be shippedback to the studio on September 1st.

Since 2000, the Plant City Photo Archives &History Center has been busy in its effort tocollect and preserve our community’s historyand heritage. There have been many events,exhibits, stories, concerts, awards, and manyother activities in that period, and the PhotoArchives looks forward to working with thecommunity to help preserve the past for thefuture and to make it available to you. •

For further information visit the web sitewww.plantcityphotoarchives.org or call the

office at 813.754.1578 or emailiinnffoo@@ppllaannttcciittyypphhoottooaarrcchhiivveess..oorrgg



There’s an old adage that tells us notto despise small beginnings. If wewere to look back at some of the

greatest inventors, philosophers and artistswe’d surely discover that their beginningswere meager at best. For instance, ThomasEdison designed a concrete piano andAlexander Graham Bell created an aircraftthat looked like a beehive, but it only flewlike a kite. When Cloverdale 4H came tofruition, the truth is it began in the form ofthree chickens, but don’t despise smallbeginnings.

Alicia Newcomb is the leader of theCloverdale 4H club. When discussing heragricultural background she says, “Mygrandfather owned a small ranch and farmin Bartow, Florida and I was raised thereuntil I was eight years old. They had tradi-tional crops. We always had corn. Mygrandmother loved to grow peanuts andshe always had tomatoes. It was a lot ofcrops. When you’re a kid running throughthe field you don’t really know what’sgrowing in ‘em.” Thusly, it wasn’t thevegetation that Alicia recalls. Instead, shesays, “My grandfather also had a horseranch and that’s what I remember most.My aunt was only ten years older than Iwas and she did barrel racing and raisedquarter horses.”

At eight years old her family moved toTampa and Alicia wasn’t able to getinvolved in agriculture again until highschool. She explains, “I ended up going toPlant City High School and I did theanimal sciences program with Mr. Clarkand Mr. Cribbs. While I was in high schoolI was on the parliamentary procedureteam, I did berry judging and I was justvery involved with the group. It actuallyfeels like I grew up at the StrawberryFestival. When I graduated high school Iwent to St. Pete College and became acertified veterinary technician.” However,as is the case with each one of us, life hasa way of changing things.

Alicia says, “Due to my son’s specialneeds, I left the animal field and went backto school to become a teacher. I have aBachelor’s in history with a minor in polit-ical science. I went into teaching to learnthe ins and outs of ESE to help my son.I ended up working at a juvenile residentialcommitment society. I still work withmaximum risk females. I went back andgot my Master’s degree in curriculum andinstruction. I’ve been working with ESEkids for 13 years. I specialize in teachingmath, science and social studies.” Fromthe small world of veterinary technicianAlicia bounded into the ever increasingfield of education.

Of course, this still doesn’t tell us how sheended up as a 4H leader. She explains,“When my kids got into middle school Ibecame involved with the Mann FFA andmy son begged me to start my own 4Hgroup because he wanted to be moreinvolved. When my daughter was a fresh-man at Strawberry Crest she talked meinto getting three chickens. That hasturned into Cloverdale Farms andRabbitry. We do poultry, water fowl andrabbits. The kids do everything, they runit; they maintain the records. My job is todo all the adult stuff, like sign the papers.”This is basically the set up of their farmand their club, which is brilliant becausekids should take responsibility for thethings they are truly interested in.

Her children act as mentors to the mem-bers of the club. Alicia says, “We have theAPA (American Poultry Association) pro-gram that we’re working with the youth.My daughter is one level before she canstart doing her apprenticeship and my sonis about half-way through. We havereceived recognition from the APA; mydaughter won the Herdsman Award. We’revery active in ARBA (American RabbitBreeders Association). We do one show amonth, minimum. My son is working onbecoming a judge. He’ll be applying to bea registrar, hopefully within the next six

Patriotic BreedingCloverdale 4H

By Ginny Mink


months.” The Cloverdale 4H club is an extension of the farm andthe 12 members therein get the benefits of learning from kids whoare actually running their own breeding programs.

Alicia’s kids did an embryology project and were able to share thatexperience with the other members. This project allowed all themembers to see the heartbeat of a five day old embryo and watchits development until the day it hatched. The kids in the club varyin their fields of interest though. Alicia says, “Their projects rangefrom the giant breed rabbits all the way to the teeny tiny ducklingsand bantam chickens. Our focus is that if they’re going to beshowing animals, that they’re showing quality animals that meetwith the standards of perfection.” Perfection isn’t the only thingon Cloverdale 4H’s mind however.

In fact, Alicia explains, “A lot of our chicken breeds are consid-ered endangered by the Florida Livestock Conservatory. Theymaintain a list of farm animals and are specifically concerned withmaintaining the breeds that originated in the US. It’s our form ofpatriotism. We teach the importance of maintaining breed stan-dards rather than just having a bunch of chickens running around.Because of market, we’ve crossbred for maximum production andin the process we’ve threatened a lot of our heritage breeds. Ourgoal is to preserve the heritage breeds and teach the kids theimportance of bloodlines.”

Though their club just started last September, they seem to bemaking an impact. She says, “There’s a little boy in the club thatshows and breeds Havanas and he has taken best of variety andbest of breed at several shows. We’ve also won best of breed withLionheads and best of breed with our Cochins and Americaunas.Our kids have gone to Lake City, Ocala, Deland and Georgia toshow their rabbits or chickens.”

Alicia understands the importance of agriculture and the preserva-tion of the made in the USA motto. She says, “We would like togo and visit the Veterans’ home and let them spend some time withthe rabbits and have the kids read to them. That’s my goal for thisyear.” In closing she adds, “The backbone of this country hasalways been farmers. So it’s important that we educate ourchildren about agriculture so that we can return this country to itsoriginal greatness and surpass it. I think I’m seeing a movementtowards that with the economy being so bad. A lot of peopleare returning to self-sufficiency, raising their own food andanimals instead of depending on McDonalds or the grocery storeto give it to you.” •

Anyone interested in finding out more about Cloverdale 4H clubcan contact Alicia through the Cloverdale Farms website:

wwwwww..cclloovveerrddaalleeffaarrmmssaannddrraabbbbiittrryy..ccoomm

just click on the 4H tab and follow the instructions.

Brandi Yancy has joined the Hillsborough County Extensionfaculty as its newest 4-H Agent. A native of Ft. Pierce, Yancycomes to Extension after serving as the volunteer coordinator

at the Manatee Center in Ft. Pierce where she coordinated andmanaged the services of more than 100 volunteers, ranging in agefrom 14 to the early 90s.

The Manatee Center is a waterfront wildlife and nature educationcenter with the endangered Florida manatee its main attraction. Thecenter’s primary purpose is to promote understanding and responsi-ble actions for the fragile ecosystems of the Treasure Coast and itsinhabitants. In addition to manatees, educational curricula includesbutterflies, insects, sea turtles and other endangered species. Yancyserved as volunteer coordinator for the last five years.

Prior to joining the Manatee Center, Yancy was a student at theUniversity of Florida where she majored in agricultural education andcommunications. “I have always wanted to be a 4-H agent and thatdesire guided my course of study in college,” she said. Active in the4-H horse program throughout high school, Yancy competed inequestrian events throughout Florida.

“My grandfather got me involved in horses and took me to showsaround the state,” Yancy said. “But the whole 4-H experience hasmeant so much to me, from building my up my self confidence, tomeeting new friends, I have enjoyed it all.” The oldest of threechildren, Yancy is married to Jordan, an Eastern Region ForecastingSpecialist.

Yancy’s initial Extension 4-H responsibilities will focus on the sum-mer camp youth programs. “I understand there are over 1,800 4-Hvolunteers in the county and I’m anxious to meet them and keepingthem as part of the 4-H family along with recruiting new volunteersfor the new year.”

4-H is an informal, practical educational program for youth. It is theyouth development program of Florida Cooperative Extension, partof the University of Florida Institute of Food and AgriculturalSciences. The program uses a learn-by-doing approach to enableyouth, ages 5-18, to develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills theyneed to become competent, caring and contributing citizens of theworld. This mission is accomplished by using the knowledge andresources of the land grant university system, along with the involvedof caring adults. 4-H serves all youth from all backgrounds andinterests wherever they live – on farms, in suburbs and in cities.

“4-H offers an array opportunities for kids to learn about the manydifferent project areas available from rabbits, dogs and horses toshooting sports, photography and robotics,” said Yancy. “There areprojects available in over 45 different areas. Volunteers are needed toensure the continued success of the 4-H programs.

“Volunteers with specific related experience motivate our 4-Hers tolearn more about their project. Both 4-Hers and volunteers benefitfrom the positive relationships formed,” she said. “Through thehands on learning, 4-Hers develop self-confidence, communicationcompetence, leadership and other life skills. Volunteers benefit byseeing first-hand the difference they are making in kids’ lives as the4-Hers grow and develop in the program.

“Volunteers are also able to learn new skills through the program andexperience personal growth. Volunteering is also a wonderful way forparents and their children to spend quality family time togetherthrough 4-H.” •

For more information about 4-H and volunteering, visit:hhttttpp::// //hhiillllssbboorroouugghh..iiffaass..uuffll..eedduu

NEW 4-H AGENT JOINS EXTENSION TEAM

BRANDI YANCY


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Florida Agriculture in the ClassroomAwards 18 Volunteer Grants for 2012

Students from select schools in Florida willlearn about tropical fish farming, the lifecycle of chickens and vertical gardening

when they participate in some of the 2012Volunteer Grant projects funded by FloridaAgriculture in the Classroom, Inc.

The Gainesville based non-profit organizationprovided $20,000 in funding to 18 grant proj-ects that will reach students in kindergartenthrough 12th grade from around the state.Organizations that will receive funding forthese projects include county extension offices,4-H offices, Master Gardeners, and other non-profit associations.

“Providing students with hands-on agriculturerelated activities and lessons not only teachesthem valuable life-skills, it also helps themgain an appreciation for all that agriculturedoes for us,” Florida Agriculture in theClassroom Chairwoman Jennifer W. Sills said.Florida Agriculture in the Classroom uses pro-ceeds from the sale of the agriculture specialtylicense plate, or the Ag Tag, to fund its teacherand volunteer grants programs, among otherFlorida Agriculture in the Classroom pro-grams.

The projects funded this year are:

11.. ““AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURREE:: FFUUNN AANNDD LLEEAARRNNIINNGG GGOO

TTOOGGEETTHHEERR IIII”” – Bradford County Extensionand other volunteer groups in the county willexpand school gardens from one elementaryschool to all four elementary schools in theircounties. 22.. ““VVEERRTTIICCAALL GGAARRDDEENNIINNGG”” – The Old DavieSchool Foundation will educate students onhow to grow vegetables and the importanceof eating them to good health by using a ver-tical growing system. 33.. ““UUNNIIQQUUEE AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURREE OOFF FFLLOORRIIDDAA::TTRROOPPIICCAALL FFIISSHH FFAARRMMIINNGG”” – Columbia CountyExtension will provide each middle school inthe county with tropical fish tanks to helpthem learn about that industry in Florida. 44.. ““DDEESSOOTTOO CCOOUUNNTTYY AAGGVVEENNTTUURREE PPRROOGGRRAAMM””– DeSoto County 4-H will organize anAgVenture program to educate fourth gradersabout the commodities grown in their area,and it will provide teachers with related class-room materials beforehand. 55.. ““GGRROOWWIINNGG BBRRUUNNCCHH”” – Escambia County4-H will educate local students about com-modity production in their area by growingproduce in a garden that will be used to prepare brunch.66.. ““SSOOLLOOMMOONN BBOOOOKK AANNDD TTEEAACCHHEERR GGUUIIDDEE”” –Brevard County Farm Bureau will provideteachers with 25 “Solomon” student novelsand teacher guides to go with them to edu-cate students about turn-of-the century agri-culture in Florida.

77.. ““JJAACCKKSSOONN CCOOUUNNTTYY 44--HH AAGG AADDVVEENNTTUURREESS”” –Jackson County 4-H will organize and exe-cute its annual AgVenture program for thecounty’s first graders and will use the grantmoney to expand its existing commodity sta-tions.88.. ““44--HH EEMMBBRRYYOOLLOOGGYY:: LLEEAARRNNIINNGG BBYY DDOOIINNGG

OONNEE DDAAYY AATT AA TTIIMMEE”” – Nassau CountyExtension will expand its embryology projectto include a calendar to educate 1,000 localstudents on the life cycle of the chicken.99.. ““CCHHAAMMBBEERRSS PPAARRKK CCOOMMMMUUNNIITTYY UUNNIITTYY

GGAARRDDEENN”” – Osceola County Extension willdevelop a community to educate students onhow to grow their own food.1100.. ““OOKKAALLOOOOSSAA PPEEEEPPSS”” – Okaloosa CountyExtension will assemble an incubator system toeducate local students in pre-kindergartenthrough third grade about how to rear chickens.1111.. ““SSOOUUTTHH FFLLOORRIIDDAA FFAAIIRR’’SS EEMMBBRRYYOOLLOOGGYY

PPRROOGGRRAAMM”” – The South Florida Fair will setup incubators in local classrooms and invitelocal poultry breeders to visit classrooms andeducate students about raising chickens.1122.. ““TTHHEE BBEEEEFF CCOOWW IISS AA WWIINNNNEERR”” – PolkCounty Cattlewomen will develop a plywoodgame board to educate local students aboutbeef and its byproducts.1133.. ““PPUUTTNNAAMM--SSTT.. JJOOHHNNSS AAGG--VVEENNTTUURREESS”” –Putnam-St. Johns County Farm Bureau willdevelop an Ag-Ventures program in whichlocal fourth graders will visit an agriculturecenter and visit stations to learn about localcommodity production.1144.. ““HHIIGGHHLLAANNDD CCIITTYY GGAARRDDEENNSS”” – HighlandCity Garden Club in Polk County will put ina garden at a local elementary school to educate students about how to grow plants.1155.. ““44--HH AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURREE DDAAYY”” – TaylorCounty 4-H will host its annual AgVenureprogram to educate local fifth graders aboutcommodity production in their area.1166.. ““FFLLOORRIIDDAA AAGGRRIICCUULLTTUURREE DDUURRIINNGG AANNNNUUAALL

44--HH YYOOUUTTHH FFAAIIRR”” – Washington County 4-Hwill create educational displays to educatestudents about Florida agriculture during itsannual 4-H Youth Fair.1177.. ““WWHHAATT’’SS CCOOOOKKIINNGG IINN FFLLOORRIIDDAA’’SSKKIITTCCHHEENNSS”” – Wakulla County Extension willlearn about Florida commodities and theirnutritional value during a food preparationand preservation activities.1188.. ““CCAATTCCHH TTHHEE BBUUZZZZ OONN BBEEEESS IINN WWAAKKUULLLLAA

CCOOUUNNTTYY”” – Wakulla County 4-H will educatestudents about the importance of bees toFlorida agriculture in Wakulla, Leon,Gadsden, Jefferson, Gulf, Calhoun, Libertyand Taylor counties by developing education-al units beekeepers will use in local classroompresentations. •



Last month tropical storm Debbie gaveus all a reminder of the toll we pay tolive in a tropical environment. For

some, the storms are exciting and exhilarat-ing, I say this with conviction because I amone of them. There is something about agood storm that just makes me feel goodinside. Any of our readers that may havesuffered the aftermath of flooding, may con-clude that my fascination with storms mayhave something to do with the abundance ofinsects they tend to bring. I can honestly say,it’s not the insects that inspire my affinity forstorms, however, it’s the insects that stormsbring that will be the topic of this month’scloser look. I considered a gentle reminder ofmosquitoes, but suspected there would beenough coverage on mosquitoes followingthe media attention the flooding produced towarrant giving the other insects that follow aflood a fair shake at being the villain.

Understanding the Florida environmentsheds some light on the behavior of theinsects that share it with us. On the mostelementary level, we live on sand, and it’s agood thing, because we get a lot of rain. Incentral Florida, rainfall averages range from46 inches per year in Tampa to 55 inches peryear in Lakeland. When we get enough rainto saturate the upper layers of our soil, itforces all the insects that live in the top layersof soil to rise to the surface. You have prob-ably noticed hordes of White Ibis probing thesoil and pulling up grubs that are as big asyour thumb, these are most likely the larvaeof African Black Beetles that not only estab-lish themselves in our lawns, but also feed onstrawberries, pineapples, potatoes and grapevines. The good news is the flooding willdraw the grubs closer to the surface for theWhite Ibis to feed on.

White Ibis, also known as the garden friend,are not as abundant in other places as theyare in the Tampa Bay. In fact, Tampa Bay ispart of a critical breeding stronghold for thisspecies and can boast one of the largest pop-ulations in Florida. There are four largebreeding colonies in the bay itself includingClearwater Harbor. Ibis will travel up to 20miles inland to find crayfish, frogs, grubs,mole crickets, and an array of other gardenpests to feed their young. Storms like Debby

fill retention ponds providing freshwaterfood sources for young ibis chicks that havenot yet matured to tolerate high saltwaterdiet typical of adults.

In addition to the grubs that seek refuge fromsaturated soil, you may see fire ants attempt-ing to move their eggs to a higher, dryer loca-tion and in doing so, create the tall moundscharacteristic of the fire ant. It’s important tobe wary of this behavior especially whenclearing fallen trees or debris caused by astorm. Beetles will be more abundant afterflooding as well. Fallen trees will soak upwater making the wood much easier for themto bore into as the additional moisturepromotes decay. Live trees that have split areno longer protected by their bark and arevulnerable to phloem feeding insects such asa variety of bark beetles, weevils, and ear-wigs. A newly split tree is known to attractsome wasps, especially yellow jackets. Notonly is the sugar rich phloem a opportunistictreat, but caterpillars, spiders, and other softbodied insects make it ideal hunting groundsfor wasps.

Flooding contributes to a chain reaction ofevents ranging from the growth of fungusand mold to attracting a variety of insectsthat assist in the decay process. Where thereis decay, there will be a variety of flies, mostnotably the blow fly. Easily recognized bytheir shiny metallic coloration, blow fliesfeed on high carbohydrate foods such as nec-tar and seek high protein food sources suchas carrion or dung in which to lay their eggs.Layers of loose, moist soil and litter are anideal environment for the larva to pupate anddevelop into their adult stage. Fortunately,nature has a keen way of balancing things sothey never really get out of hand for long.During floods, ground dwelling spiders suchas the wolf spider or grass spider must seekhigher ground to survive. This unfortunateturn of events leads hundreds of spidersdirectly into the path of less received insects,on which of course they will eagerly feed. InMarch, this type of spider behavior becameinternational news after flooding in Australiacaused portions of Wagga Wagga in NewSouth Wales Australia to become literallyblanketed in spider silk. Knowing what toexpect is the best pest control. •

The Qualmafter the Storm

By Sean GreenA Closer Look

Dr. John Hayes has been named dean for research of theUniversity of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences(IFAS) and director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station.He had been serving as interim UF/IFAS dean for research since Julyof 2011.

“John is ideally suited for this position,” said UF Senior VicePresident for Agriculture and Natural Resources Jack Payne whoannounced the appointment. “He has performed exceptionally wellin the year he has served as the interim dean, has a solid backgroundin natural resources, and a firm understanding of the research needsfor agricultural sciences.”

“I look forward to working with the faculty to create new opportu-nities to build on the tremendous foundation IFAS has built inresearch,” Hayes said, “to advance new initiatives and approaches tostrengthen research linkages across the university and to enhanceinterdisciplinary research programs.”

Hayes noted the “mission of the UF/IFAS research enterprise remainsunchanged, but how we accomplish that mission has and will contin-ue to change.” That mission “is to invent, discover and developknowledge to enhance the agriculture and natural resources ofFlorida.”

In his capacity as director of the Florida Agricultural ExperimentStation, Hayes oversees nearly 1,000 faculty members at UF’s maincampus in Gainesville and 13 research and educations centerslocated throughout Florida.

Included among Hayes’ priorities for UF/IFAS research are citrusgreening, water conservation, development of new crop cultivars,improved cattle management, climate issues, bioenergy production,invasive species control and conservation of natural resources. Addedto that, said Hayes “are the challenges of feeding a growing global

population coupled with the demands on water quality and quantitynot just from agricultural but our increasing world population.”

“We must continue to provide information that supports the agricul-tural industry as it feeds the people of Florida and more increasinglythe world,” said Hayes. “Our breeding program is one of the mostsuccessful and diverse of any in this country.”

“The challenges we face today arise rapidly and require innovativeapproaches such as interdisciplinary research teams and the applica-tion of new technologies,” said Hayes, who also noted that fundingfor research has been impacted by the state of the global economy.“Our interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving has enabled ourteams to win grants that have diminished in availability, but arelarger in size.”

“Government research dollars have decreased, but we have seen agrowth in public/private partnerships with the agricultural industryand for this we are most appreciative,” said Hayes. “Agriculture hasalso been supportive in helping to plead our case at the state and fed-eral levels to assure that our lawmakers appreciate and understandthe importance of agriculture to our people and to the economy. Thishas been particularly helpful in protecting our share of availablegovernment research funding.”

Hayes joined the UF faculty in July of 2006 as professor and chair-man of the wildlife ecology and conservation department. He waspreviously a professor and associate dean for international programsat the Oregon State University College of Forestry. He earned adoctoral degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from CornellUniversity, a master’s degree in biology from Southern Oregon StateCollege and a bachelor’s degree in wildlife science from Oregon StateUniversity. •

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63

MYRON “BUDDY” SIMMONS, 88 of Plant City diedJuly 5, 2012. He was born November 8, 1923 inPlant City.

RICHARD McDOUGALL, 55 of Plant City died July4, 2012 at South Florida Baptist Hospital from com-plications of surgery. He was born October 13, 1956in Bethpage, New York.

JOHN HAZELETT, age 57 of Plant City died July 3,2012. Born July 19, 1954 in Holden, West Virginia.He was the son of the lat Cecil Hazelett and JuanitaGrimmett Hazelett.

NINA STULL, 77 of Plant City died June 30,2012 ather home. Nina was born May 14, 1935 inDahlonega, Georgia. She was the daughter of thelate Andrew Waters and Annie Head.

MARGARET GODWIN, 90, died peacefully at homeon Friday, June 29, 2012 in Plant City. Margaret“Marge” Godwin was born in New Brunswick, NewJersey.

FLORIDA TODD, “Florrie” Todd, 95, of Plant Ciltydied June 5, 2012. She was a lifelong residence ofPlant City, and began her career as a telephoneoperator with the Peninsula Telephone Company.

WILLIAM SANDS, 73, of Dover died on June 23,2012 at this home. William G. Sands was pastor ofthe Evangelists for Jesus Tabernacle for over 30years.

g


It’s hot, it’s raining, you are very busy withlife and taking care of your landscape canbe quite a chore. When you decide to look

for someone to take care of your landscapedo you know what to consider? Choosinga landscape maintenance and/or tree carecompany can be daunting, but armed with alittle knowledge you can make the rightchoice for your landscape.

The most important consideration is to knowwhat you want to have done and your expec-tations. Having a list of your needs is impor-tant because companies can provide a widerange of services including:

• Mowing, edging and trimming• Fertilization• Pest control• Turfgrass aeration, verti-cutting and

top dressing• Ornamental shrub and small tree care• Large tree care• Design and installation• Corrective actions such as drainage

improvement or correcting nutrientdeficiencies

When beginning a search for the rightcompany, the Yellow Pages, roadside signsand mailbox flyers should not be the onlyreference source. Ask neighbors you trust fora referral or recommendation. Check trade

associations, such as the Florida NurseryGrower Landscape Association (FNGLA),the Landscape Maintenance Association(LMA), the Florida Irrigation Society (FIS) orthe International Society for Arboriculture(ISA) for members who have professionallandscape certifications. Companies withprofessional certifications typically have ahigher technical skill level and remaincurrent on laws, regulations, environmentalconcerns and technical advances. Other tradeassociations, such as the Florida TurfgrassAssociation (FTGA), the Florida PestManagement Association (FPMA) or theTree Care Industry Association (TCIA),are good resources for leads on qualifiedcompanies.

Always interview the company prior to hir-ing. After all, they are working for you. Askabout business licenses, required permits, lia-bility insurance, professional certificationsand trade association memberships. Howlong have they been in business? Whatservices do they provide? Let them tell youthe range of services they provide, as manycompanies will answer an enthusiastic “yes”to any service you ask about, whether or notthey are properly trained to perform theservice. Ask about their training, specializedor in-house, that make them qualified toperform the services you need. Has the com-pany adopted the Green Industry Best

Management Practices (GI-BMP) and are theemployees certified? If the employees applypesticides, including herbicides, do they havea pesticide license? Find out the size of thecompany, number of employees, how manycontracts they currently have and the ratio ofsupervisors to crew members. Be knowledge-able about crew member stability andturnover as they will have access to yourproperty and know your routines and securi-ty precautions. Ask if they have the rightequipment, enough equipment, if it is proper-ly maintained and your right to equipmentinspection. Finally, do they have a relation-ship with the County Extension officeand can they provide references from longstanding customers?

When having tree work performed, it is bestto hire a certified arborist. Trees that aremaintained are attractive and add value toproperty, while poorly maintained trees canbe a liability. Beware of tree companies thatrecommend removing a living tree without avery good justification, or companies thatrecommend topping. A certified arborist candetermine the type of pruning necessary tomaintain or improve the health, appearanceand safety of trees.

Once you have narrowed down the compa-nies, avoid misunderstandings about whatservices will be provided, how often the

CHOOSING A LANDSCAPEMAINTENANCE OR

TREE CARE COMPANYBy Susan HaddockUF/IFAS Hillsborough County Commercial Horticulture/Integrated Pest Management/Small Farms Agent



services will be provided, what services will cost, whatare basic services and which services require an extra fee.The companies should provide a free inspection andestimate. Any company that quotes a price withoutseeing your property is guessing at what you may need.Ask about the pricing system and what services areincluded. If quoted a monthly or annual fee, does that feeinclude services 52 weeks per year or are the servicesreduced to every other week or as needed in the coolermonths? Are there charges for service calls to addressproblems between regular services? If treatments areincluded, ask about the purpose of the treatments, whatkind of treatments, number of treatments, when thetreatments will be provided and what results can beexpected. Do they scout for insects, disease or otherpests, making sure a problem exists, or do they onlyprovide treatments on a regular schedule whether or nota problem exists?

A contract should lay out exactly what services will beperformed and how often, and include provisions fora guarantee of performance and what happens if yourexpectations are not met. Always consider whetheror not you are being reasonable as many desire theperfection of Disney, but very few can afford a Disneybudget. The contract should also address cancellation,renewal, billing and payment policies.

The landscape maintenance company you select willbecome your partner in maintaining an aestheticallypleasing and environmentally safe landscape. Your deci-sion to hire a company should be based on businessethics, technical skill, proper and maintained equipmentand business know how.

For more information on landscape maintenancepractices contact the UF/IFAS Hillsborough County

Extension Service at (813)744-5519, your local CountyExtension Service or on the internet go to

hhttttpp::// //hhiillllssbboorroouugghh..iiffaass..uuffll..eedduu//

... continued from page 65

IINNTTHHEEFFIIEELLDD MMAAGGAAZZIINNEE JJUULLYY 22001122 6677W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M AG A Z I N E .C O M

Bedding plants or annuals are short-lived plants that can provide signifi-cant amounts of color in the land-

scape. Annuals live for one growing sea-son, not one year as the name implies.Typically there are two types of beddingplants: cool season and warm season.Warm-season annuals can be plantedFebruary (central Florida) or March (northFlorida), depending on the type of plant,and they may last until the first frost orfreeze. The cool-season annuals are plant-ed in the fall and will live until May orJune. South Florida typically doesn’t havehard freezes and many of the annuals maylast year-round, except for the cool-seasonplants that fizzle out in the summer heat.

Bedding plants can be germinated by seed,but most homeowners purchase them inflats, four-inch or six-inch pots, or evenone-gallon containers from the local gar-den center or nursery. Before purchasing,make sure the bedding plant is in season.Some stores may inadvertently sell plantsout of season, which will result in a short-lived plant or complete failure. Make sureyou determine the sunlight conditions inthe planting area. Most bedding plantsprefer several hours of sun, but begonias,impatiens, and crossandras perform verywell in the shade.

In order to have success with annuals, thefirst step is to properly prepare the soil.Start by adding two to three inches oforganic material (compost, peat, etc.) andmix it into the top six inches of soil. Acontrolled-release fertilizer can also bemixed in during this time or sprinkledaround the plant at the time of planting. Ifplanting in a container, use a good qualitypotting soil and mix in a controlled-releasefertilizer, if needed. Some potting mixesalready contain fertilizer so be careful toread the package before applying addition-al fertilizer. Annuals should be planted atthe same soil level as they were planted inthe pot (except marigolds, which can beplanted deeper). Plants should be spacedaccording to their mature size, usuallyfound on the label. Water the annuals thor-oughly before and after planting. Installinga microirrigation system will allow youto efficiently water the plants’ roots with-out damaging the petals or foliage withoverhead irrigation. Another method ofplanting annuals is called pot-in-potmethod. This method is described in theEDIS publication Gardening with Annuals(hhttttpp::// // eeddiiss..iiffaass..uuffll..eedduu//mmgg331199) and canmake quick work of changing out plants,but they will need frequent watering.

Suppress weeds in annual beds by applyinga two- to three-inch layer of mulch, beingcareful not to allow the mulch to contactthe stems of the plants. Preemergent herbi-cide can be used to control weeds. It pre-vents weed seeds from developing, butonly use it on plants that are listed on theherbicide label. Plants can be damaged ifthe preemergent herbicide directions arenot followed. Some annuals perform betterwhen they are pruned or deadheaded (oldflowers are removed). The coleus performsbetter when flowers are removed and onlyfoliage is allowed to grow. It can also be

pruned to manage size if necessary.Remove spent flowers from geraniums topromote reblooming and to tidy up theirappearance.

Bedding plants can have pest problems andshould be monitored on a regular basis.Identify the pest before applying any pesti-cides and contact your local Extensionoffice for more information on proper con-trol or for insect identification. Less thanone percent of all bugs are bad. Whenusing pesticides, the good bugs are elimi-nated with the bad. Fungal diseases can belessened when overhead irrigation is retro-fitted to microirrigation. Consider remov-ing plants if pests or diseases cannot becontrolled quickly or inexpensively. It maycost more to control the problem versusreplacing the plants.

For a more comprehensive guide for regionalplant selections, refer to the University of Floridapublication The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design,

which can be found athhttttpp::// // ffyynn..iiffaass..uuffll..eedduu//ppddff//FFYYNN__PPllaanntt__SSeelleeccttiioonn__GGuuiiddee__vv009900111100..ppddff For a table of planting datesfor annuals in north, central, and south Florida,refer to the publication Gardening with Annuals

in Florida, which can be found athhttttpp::// // eeddiiss..iiffaass..uuffll..eedduu//mmgg331199

Contact your local county Extension office formore information on environmental horticulturetopics and for suggestions of suitable bedding

plants in your region. Additional information onFlorida-Friendly Landscaping™ can be accessedat hhttttpp::// // fflloorriiddaayyaarrddss..oorrgg,, hhttttpp::// // ffyynn..iiffaass..uuffll..eedduu

and WWaatteerrMMaatttteerrss..oorrggThe Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ CommunityAssociation Outreach Program is sponsored bythe University of Florida’s Institute of Food

and Agricultural Sciences, the Hillsborough andPolk Boards of County Commissioners, and theSouthwest Florida Water Management District. Maria Carver was the former HillsboroughCounty Florida-Friendly Landscaping™

Community Association Outreach Program Coordinator.

Adding Color to the Florida Landscape

Adapted from Gardening with Annuals by Sydney Park Brown, UF/IFAS Extension, Publication CIR 1134)

By Maria CarverCoreopsis lanceolata L.,

Photo by Jeffrey G. Norcini, UF


Susan Ferrell took this great photo of theAmerican Gothic statue in Plant City, complete

with her No Farmers No Food sign!Very apropos we think!


National Award Winner

The Hay Depot

By Ginny Mink

Plant City may be a small town, but it boasts some prettyimpressive notoriety. It switched from a cotton growingtown to become the Winter Strawberry Capital of the

World. Then there are always the famous people who got theirstarts here, like triple Olympic Gold Medalist, Brooke Bennett,football player, Derrick Gainer, and musician, Pam Tillis.Recently, Plant City added another winner to its list of accom-plishments. Phil Hicks, of the Hay Depot, was named the MannaPro Dealer of the Year.

Phil is no stranger to Plant City’s agricultural background. Hesays, “I always took FFA in high school and my dad has alwayshad cows and horses. My dad had livestock all my life. My dadhad quarter horses that he raced. He kind of mixed his agricul-ture; he had the race horses and a citrus grove. From the time Ican remember we had some form or fashion of animal.”

Phil’s first job was on a chicken farm. Eventually, however, hedecided to get into the furniture business. He says, “My brotherwas in the furniture business with me and I bought him out in ’97so he ended up going to North Florida to grow hay.” This iswhere Phil experienced a change in his career.

He explains, “My dad was selling my brother’s hay from home andit was gettin’ more than he could do. The furniture business kindawent south when the housing did so I had this building and decid-ed to give the hay business a shot. Between what he (Phil’s brother)owns and leases he has about 500 acres.” Thusly, part of the haysold at the Hay Depot comes from Phil’s brother. The rest he says,“Comes from all over, Canada, New Mexico, Idaho, all over.”

Once Phil got the hay business going, he decided to branch outinto other areas of agricultural feed and that’s when he says hebegan selling Manna Pro. His business has been open just a littleover four years as of this past January. Phil elaborates, “We start-ed with just hay and went a year. Then we added the feed, MannaPro. So basically, in three years, we’ve been able to grow fromzero to their Dealer of the Year and we’re quite proud of that.”

When asked what qualifies someone for this accolade Phil says,“I know it’s volume, acceptability to new product and putting itin. Manna Pro has never spelled out, ‘this is the requirements tobe Dealer of the Year.’ Basically it’s about performance.” Perhapsit may not seem so impressive to win an award simply becauseyou sell a lot of product, but there are definitely other aspects tobe considered.

Phil adds, “This is throughout the United States! Personally, I takeit as quite an honor because it’s only one. I don’t know the num-ber, but there are a lot of Manna Pro dealers scattered throughoutthe United States. Last year the Hay Exchange won it. I think it’squite an accomplishment that two Plant City dealers have won itback to back.” When he puts it like that, it does seem quiteremarkable. After all, Plant City is a small town compared to thewhole of the United States and yet it can boast two nationalaward winners!

Phil obviously stands behind the product he sells which undoubt-edly aids in his productivity. He says, “They offer to any speciesof animal, they’ve got the product. They offer an economical to atop quality brand. Whatever your budget is they fit the need, espe-cially the price for the quality. They’re great people to work with;they put right on their back 100% satisfaction guaranteed andthey back it totally.”

When it comes to his feelings about agriculture as a whole, Philsays, “Being a meat and potato guy, I kind of go along with thefarmers. No farmers, no food you know? For our youth it makesfor responsibility. I don’t know about you, but I definitely enjoy agood steak. I think it’s very important to carry on.”

He proves these beliefs by participating in various community sup-ports. He explains, “We support a lot of the youth programs, localevents, barrel racing, sponsorships and have even done some par-ticipation with rodeos. We try to support our youth to encouragethem to continue in the livestock and animal health and nutrition.”

So, once again, Plant City has come out on top and given greatervalidity to the concept that great things can come from smallpackages: worldwide strawberry appreciation, famous athletesand musicians as well as significant national recognition.Small towns rock! •


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INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE JULY 2012 71


This economy is really a drag. Thesmall guy is finding it increasinglydifficult to maintain even a sem-

blance of success. It’s at times like thesethat people have to pull themselves up bytheir boot straps and perhaps tighten uptheir belts. At least that’s what SusanHarrell, of Almost Famous Leather Works,has to hope for. Not that people are strug-gling of course, but that they might be inneed of new belts.

Susan is no stranger to agriculturalinvolvement. In fact, she started out inHillsborough County as a 4H leader. Shesays, “My son was involved in showingpigs in Manatee County and then wemoved to Hillsborough and all my friendswanted to know what I knew about raisingpigs so we started the Hillsborough SwineClub.” It was her involvement in that 4Hclub that gave her the opportunity to meeta lot of people in agriculture within thecounty. She says, “I became involved withthe Florida State Fair Livestock office andthe Farm Bureau AgVentures. I work withJudi Whitson to put it on at the Fair and Ialso am a presenter throughout the year.”

One might think that was enough, but no,Susan is also the President of the Newsome

High School FFA Alumni. She says, “Mykids have shown cattle and pigs for17 years. I’m on the Florida State FairSwine Committee and I am the co-chairfor the Hillsborough County FairSwine Committee. I’m a member of theHillsborough County Cattlewomen andI’m active in my church, I’m the SundaySchool Director.” Given all that activity,one would find it hard to believe that Susanhas also started up her own business!

Susan explains how she maintains somesemblance of sanity, “I did hair for manyyears to maintain flexibility so that I couldspend time with my children. I have threesons (Jimmy, Blake and Lane). It was veryimportant to me to have time so I alwaysdid something that I could either work outof the house or have flexible hours.” Thisled her to consider other profitableavenues. She says, “I was talking with afriend in Manatee County, who I used towork with, her name is Penny CooperRodriguez, and we decided to undertake anew adventure.”

The stretch from hair to leather workingappears to be quite an odd one, but Susanexplains, “I drove to Penny’s house and

stayed up late many nights for her to showme how to do this. Leather workingrequires a lot of tools. She had learnedfrom her mom and had all the tools. Ispent many hours into the night after weboth got done being moms and working,to have her show me how to do this. Shehad learned, as a teenager, to build the oldschool belts with the names on the backand we decided to bring them back instyle. We each built belts for our kids andthe rest is history,” she chuckles.

Susan continues, “That’s where it allstarted. As their friends saw the belts, ourbusiness grew and we branched out fromthere. I modified it, I guess, with doing

by Ginny Mink

Custom Creationswith Retro FlareAlmost Famous Leather Works

Custom Creationswith Retro FlareAlmost Famous Leather Works


more freehand work. I designed strawberry belts, then leatherjewelry and have designed wall art, gun slings, guitar straps,spur straps,” (now perhaps you get the boot straps and beltconnections), “and leather lanyards. All are custom creationswith retro flare. Some of my favorite pieces are wedding giftsthat are specifically designed and crafted to help the coupleremember their special day. I really enjoy custom work becauseI get to know the person I’m creating for, most of the time.”

So how does an ex-hairstylist get into leather working? What inthe world was she thinking? She says, “I was inspired to doleather work when we went on a trip to Sheridan, Wyoming,which is basically the mecca for western style tooling and myyoungest son, Lane, was interested in leather work. So, we wereinspired to pursue it when we got home and that’s when I stum-bled into Penny and started talking about the belt business.”

Everyone dreams of working from home, but it’s not always theeasy path people envision. In fact, according to Susan, one beltcan take about ten hours to build. She says, “People thinkthey’re expensive but first of all, leather’s expensive and thenthe time it takes, too.” Susan is enthusiastic though and is look-ing for her business to grow exponentially. She has added somework with brands, initials and business logos as well and some-times you can find her work at Southside Feed in Plant City.Finally, Susan adds, “I recently did the cattlemen’s convention.I was in the silent auction room as a demonstrator to entertainthe guests as they shopped. I enjoyed visiting with the childrenand showing them how to do leather tooling. I brought out mylatest project, which is a leather lanyard, very cool cowboystyle.”

One visit to her website, wwwwww..aallmmoossttffaammoouusslleeaatthheerrwwoorrkkss..ccoommwill attest to the unique style she has embraced. She’s particu-larly interested in letting people know that her work makes forgreat gift ideas.

If you’re interested in finding out more about AAllmmoosstt FFaammoouuss LLeeaatthheerr WWoorrkkss, you can visit her website oremail Susan at: ssuussaann@@aallmmoossttffaammoouusslleeaatthheerrwwoorrkkss..ccoommIf you’re still old school, you can always give her a call:

(813) 918-8882


Savannah MitchellAnd A Scenic Sensation Andy

Reserve World Champion, Western PleasureAt The 2012 AJPHA Youth World Championship Show

in Fort Worth, Texas

It takes extreme effort to accomplish extreme results

and your hard work has made you a champion once again.

Another great year and a proud moment

for Daddy, Mommy and Dylan.

We love you bunches!



Soil health is dependent on the organisms that livein the soil. The number of insects that can be foundin a handful of soil is surprising. Antonio Berlese, anItalian entomologist invented the Berlese funnelin the early 1900s as a means to extract insectsfrom soil. The Berlese funnel is still widely used byprofessional entomologists today. This month wewill modify another soda bottle to make a home-made Berlese funnel with which you can see howmany insects there really are in just a handful ofsoil. Soil organisms prefer a moist environment. Assoil dries, these organisms crawl deeper into thesoil to seek moisture. The Berlese funnel works byfunneling the insects into the base as they seekrefuge from the drying soil under the lamp.

Materials Needed:

A liter pop bottleA bit of hardware cloth (3” square)A light source (20-40W)A small dish with alcohol (optional)

Naturally Amazing Activities

Berlese FunnelBy Sean Green

Step 1Cut the bottle in two.

Step 2Place the small dish of alcohol at the bottomof the bottle.

Step 3Invert the top half of the bottle snugly into the bottom half.

Step 4Fit the hardware cloth to nest in the bottom of the funnel.

Step 5Remove the funnel top from the base and fill it with litter orsoil, letting loose litter fall through before placing the funnelback over the base..



The motto of The Eden Project ofTampa is “Food is power, produceit.” It’s a very powerful statement

because without food, we cannot survive.Sustainability has become a very importantissue in our lives today. Resources arebecoming more and more limited due tothe actions of the generations that camebefore us and the downward spiral of theeconomy. People need to make sure thatthe future generations will not experienceworse. The Eden Project saw this need anddecided to do something about it. Theydecided to teach inner city neighborhoodshow to install and maintain gardens as away of sustainability.

Natalia Dengler is the Director of theTampa Eden Project. She and husband,Jon, along with the help of their friendsand family, have been making a hugeimpact in the Ybor City, Tampa Heightsand Sulphur Springs neighborhoods inTampa by installing community gardens.They modeled the gardens after the onethey have at their home in Ybor City.

“One of the things that started becomingmore important to us was to garden asmuch as possible,” Dengler said. Theystarted looking at their property to seehow they could make it produce more anddo more for them. Installation of solarpanels was done on the house to cut downthe electric bill. They planted fruits andvegetables in every available space on theproperty. They put a rainwater system tohelp water the plants and vegetables theyplanted. The couple also raised chickensand tilapia as another source of food. TheDenglers wanted share what they learnedfrom the garden at their house with thecommunity.

“The project grew into modeling our gar-den in other people’s homes, so we starteddoing garden installations for free,”Dengler said. Yes, you read that correctly,they install the gardens for free. They wantto raise awareness of the importance of

local agriculture and urban gardening. TheEden Project has installed gardens inboarding houses, drug rehabilitationcenters, safe houses for women coming outof the sex industry and they also manageplots in other local community gardensthroughout Tampa.

“We do these installations as a gift inplaces where people are in need,” Denglersaid. They also provide consulting andinstallation services for a fee to individualswho are able to afford it, this way they areable to serve a broader range of peoplein the city and raise support for theirefforts among the poor. The Eden Projecthas also caught the attention of other com-munity programs that are involved withsustainability. Inspire Your Environmentrecently partnered with Eden Project for aneducational event. IYE is a group that isan environmentally conscious communityengagement project based in Tampa. Thepurpose of IYE is to serve as a quickreference of green tips, natural-basedinformation and artfully sustainable ideasconcerning the social, communal and cul-tural environments where people live,work and play. IYE is for the Tampa youthand beyond, their family members, theirteachers and their mentors, who wantenvironmental social change to begin withthem, to ultimately spread to othersin their environments. Adjoa Akofio-Sowah is the Director of Inspire YourEnvironment and she held a communitywalk this past May, where the Eden Projectwas one of the stops along the walk.

“This concept and intended practice ofcommunity, of sustainability and the senseof place it created for its visitors andinhabitants has symbolize so much good,”said Akofio-Sowah. The project has alsobeen a part of the USF Farmer’s Market onthe Tampa Campus, where they sold pro-duce and held talks about gardening andsustainability.

The project was also recently approachedby Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa toinstall a garden at one of their Boys andGirls Clubs.

“We are always planting seeds and alwayslooking for opportunities to serve ourcommunity,” Dengler said. The goal of theproject is to continue planting as manygardens in the community as possible.

“I would like for the project to be involvedin more community events where we caneducate more people on gardening andsustainability,” Dengler said.

For more information on The EdenProject or if you would like to make adonation, you can visit them on the webat wwwwww..eeddeenn..llaakkeehhoouusseettaammppaa..ccoomm or

you can call 813-340-6942. For more information on Inspire

Your Environment, you can visit them on the web at

wwwwww..iinnssppiirreeyyoouurreennvviirroonnmmeenntt..ccoomm

Gardening That Makes aDifferenceBy Libby Hopkins

INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE JULY 2012 79 W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M AG A Z I N E .C O M

80



On May 2, studentsfrom Dowdell MiddleMagnet School, readthe book “FloridaHealthy Farms, tostudents in the firstand second grades atPalm River ElementarySchool. Susan Ferrellorganized the eventfor the students. •

Southwest Georgia Farm Credit welcomed Tiffany Dale as one ofthree interns as part of its Summer Internship Program this week.Ms. Dale, who is working towards a Master’s degree inAgribusiness in Food and Resource Economics at the University ofFlorida, Gainesville, was selected from more than 50 candidates.

The summer internship program is designed to offer a high leveloverview of agricultural finance. It provides learning opportunitiesand work experience in four modules: executive leadership, sales,credit underwriting, and accounting/human resources/marketing.

“Our goal is to offer these students work experiences that areunique to agriculture and to rural America,” said Allison Godwin,Assistant Controller at Southwest Georgia Farm Credit andInternship Coordinator. “We are confident they will gain a goodunderstanding of what agriculture means to our local economies,and how Farm Credit plays a key role in providing safe, sound,and dependable credit to farmers, farm businesses, and those wholive and work in our smaller communities.

“More importantly, Godwin continued, “We are excited to gaintheir perspectives and ideas and look forward to a great exchangeof information.”

Applications for the 2013 Summer Internship Program will beaccepted after September 1. Contact Allison Godwin at

229.493.0142 or aaggooddwwiinn@@SSWWGGAAFFaarrmmCCrreeddiitt..ccoommfor more information.

Southwest Georgia Farm Credit, headquartered in Bainbridge, is an agricultural lending cooperative owned by its member-

borrowers. It provides farm loans for land, equipment, livestockand production, as well as rural home mortgages. It is part of thenational Farm Credit System, a network of financial cooperativesestablished in 1916 to provide a dependable source of credit to

farmers and rural America. For more information, visitSSWWGGAAFFaarrmmCCrreeddiitt..ccoomm

Tiffany DaleJoins SouthwestGeorgia FarmCredit as a Summer Intern

Ag LiteracyDay

83

Call: 813.754.PETS (7387)1704 Walden Village Ct. • Plant City, FL 33566

Dr. Christy Layton,DVM

Q:IIss hheeaarrttwwoorrmm pprreevveennttiioonn rreeaallllyy nneecceessssaarryy aannddwwhhaatt iiss tthhee bbeesstt oonnee??

A:Yes, and it depends on the answers... Heartworm diseaseoccurs when a dog or cat is bitten by an infected mosquito. Asyou know, mosquitoes exist in Florida 12 months of the year.

Virtually 100% of dogs and approximately 80% of cats that are bittenby an infected mosquito will become infected with heartworms. Thus, adog or cat living in Florida needs to be on prevention all year round. Inmy hospital alone, we diagnosed over 25 cases last year, all of whichcould have been prevented. Most of those dogs were living inside andsome were on sporadic heartworm dosing schedules (ie. 3-6 months outof the year).

Heartworm disease may not show any clinical signs early on, but as thenumber of worms inside the dog increase and the heart and lungs becomemore damaged, you will begin to see signs. These signs can be as mild asan intermittent cough, fatigue, reduced appetite and weight loss. Theywill progress to constant moist cough, difficulty breathing and thendeath from congestive heart failure. The clinical signs in cats oftenmimics other diseases like asthma, i.e. gagging, vomiting, rapid breath-ing, lethargy and weight loss. Sometimes, the only “sign” you will see ina cat is sudden death.

Many of the heartworm preventions available treat or prevent otherissues as well, such as intestinal parasites, fleas and ticks. Heartwormpreventatives cost $5-$20 per month depending on the size of your dogor cat, as well as what other things the medication treats. Some heart-worm prevention medications are dangerous if given to a dog that hasheartworm disease. Therefore, always have a veterinarian test your dogand perform a thorough examination prior to starting on any product.The least expensive prevention is usually Iverheart or Triheart. Thisproduct prevents heartworms as well as two intestinal parasites. Themore expensive versions will kill fleas, ticks and a number of intestinalparasites. Some even treat scabies and ear mites in cats.

There are over 10 types of heartworm preventions available on themarket currently. There are chewables, tablets, topicals and injectablesavailable depending on what your veterinarian feels is right for you andyour pet’s lifestyle. If you give an oral medication, make sure your peteats the entire chewable and doesn’t spit any of it out. If you use atopical, follow the instructions as to when you can safely bathe your petto not rinse off the product.

It is very important to prevent this deadly disease. It is cheaper, safer foryour pet and much easier to prevent this disease rather than to treat it.Treatment can cost $500-800 depending on the size of your dog and theseverity of disease. In cats, there is not an approved treatment for thedisease as the risks associated with treatment are too high. Heartwormstypically live 2-3 years in a cat and 5-7 years in a dog. While living inyour pet, they can cause severe, life-threatening heart and lung damagethat is irreversible. These damages can cause heart failure, lung failure,blood clots and death. An excellent resource for additional

information is the American Heartworm Society’s website at www.heartwormsociety.org

Ask-A-Vet

Please feel free to email any of your questions [email protected]

and your question may be answered in next month’s issue.


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MEETING THE HUMAN RESOURCE NEEDS OF

AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES

IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

BY JIM FRANKOWIAK

If you are involved in agriculture inHillsborough County as an employer oremployee, there’s a significant resource

available to you and it doesn’t cost a dime.This resource is Sergio Sodre, the MigrantSeasonal Outreach Specialist of the TampaBay Workforce Alliance (TBWA).

One of 10 such specialists working for thestate agency in Florida, Sodre, or “Mr. Ag”as he is known to many, currently workswith 33 agricultural employers in the countyand their more than 6,800 employees. That’smore than double the number of clients hehad when he began with TBWA just fouryears ago. He credits that to referrals fromamong agricultural employers and hisacceptance by seasonal workers in the field.

These agricultural employers are growers,packers and processors and their cropsinclude strawberries, tomatoes, peppers,cucumbers, melons and the newest – peaches.“These employers have seasonal labor needsand we help them recruit their workforce andwe offer further assistance by providingtranslation services and assistance with thecompletion of the various form required bygovernmental units. Among those is FormI-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.“The majority of this workforce needs trans-lation help and I speak English and Spanish,while few employers have that capability”said Sodre. “Proper completion of the forms

is important to both the employer andemployee and I serve both.”

“We appreciate Sergio and what he does forour company and our employees,” said SaraSizemore-Cruz, office manager with JaymarFarms. “He really cares about what hedoes.” Sodre visits Jaymar twice a week.

He provides similar services and is held in thesame high regard at Lipman Farm. “Sergiodoes an awesome job,” said Office AssistantTina Laird. “He makes the process headache-free for our company and employees.”

“It is very beneficial to have Sergio come toour company,” said Tomato ThymeCorporation’s Courtney Buckholt. “Hecomes to our office weekly and verifies ouremployees ID’s and their Social Securitynumbers. He also helps us find employeeswhen we are in need of extra staffing, eitherin the office, like payroll clerks and adminis-trative assistants, even farm managers andcrew leaders. Having Sergio find the extrapersonnel and verify these documents on siteenables our employees to continue workingand not have to spend time traveling to andfrom one of the TBWA offices.”

As a seasonal workforce, these employeeswork for an hourly rate with no benefits.“Another aspect of my position is to informeach member of this workforce of the many

different federal and state programs availablefor them and their families and the variouscommunity services that are also offered.There are a number of missions in this areathat provide a wide range of services. All ofthis equals a very comprehensive benefitspackage that is of no cost to the employers,but makes their seasonal employees veryhappy,” he said. Those programs run thegamut from health care and education to lan-guage skills enhancement.

Sodre, who spends the majority of his timeliterally in the field, almost as if he was hisclients’ human resource manager, also worksto handle complaints and misunderstandingsthat arise whether on behalf the employer oremployee. “Both have rights and I strive tohave both understand what those rights areand how they are best protected.”

In addition to meeting the seasonal laborforce needs of his clients, Sodre also serves asthe important link to TBWA and its services.Guided by its mission statement, TBWA is“dedicated to helping to foster Tampa Bay’seconomic strength and continuing develop-ment by implementing state-of-the-art careertraining, management and employment.”Should an employer need other types ofemployees beyond seasonal labor, Sodre isthere to help complete job orders and beginthe recruitment process through TBWA,whether at one of its three locations inthe county or via its web presence athhttttpp::// //wwwwww..eemmppllooyyfflloorriiddaa..ccoomm..

“Our center career managers stand ready toassist employers and prospective employeesat any time,” said Sodre. “And there is nevera charge for their services.”

Sodre encourages Hillsborough Countyemployers to visit one of TBWA’s one-stop centers or the agency’s website:

hhttttpp::// //wwoorrkkffoorrcceettaammppaa..ccoomm“The website covers our full range of services to both employers and those seeking employment as well as the

locations of our three service centers. We are a significant resource for both.”

m86 INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE JULY 2012 W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M AG A Z I N E .C O M


Back in the 1920s, E.M.Tiffany penned the words,“I believe in the future of

agriculture.” This, the beginningof five paragraphs Tiffany wroteabout leadership, respect, hardwork and passion for agricul-ture, would eventually be adopt-ed as the official creed of theNational FFA Organization in1930.

Fast forward 82 years to theFlorida FFA State Conventionand Leadership Conference inOrlando, Fla. where Tiffany’swords came alive in late June ina convention entitled “For TheFuture.” With this convention,Florida FFA continued its com-mitment to equipping studentswith the leadership, knowledgeand passion necessary to ensurea bright future for the agricultureindustry.

At this five day event, over 4,300middle and high school FFAmembers, advisors and parentspacked the hallways of theCaribe Royale Resort to takepart in career developmentevents, workshops, leadershipsessions and awards ceremonies.

While this convention serves asthe annual culmination of stu-dents’ work in the organization,it is not just the students whofind reward in their efforts. Foradvisors, parents, sponsors, leg-islators, school administratorsand other visitors, this conven-tion is a breath of fresh air fromthe typical stories they hearabout today’s youth.

Yes, the music is loud and thecolors are bright. But these stu-dents are genuinely excitedabout having a purpose that pos-itively impacts the lives of peoplearound the world. And that isrefreshing to watch.

The efforts of FFA members inHillsborough County, specifical-ly, were rewarded this conven-tion in the organization’s CareerDevelopment Events:

MMyylliiee FFeeaasstteerr, Durant FFA –High School ExtemporaneousPublic Speaking State Winner

DDaarrbbyy HHaassttiinngg, Durant FFA –Feeder Steer State Proficiency

Winner

AAddrriiaann DDyyeerr, Strawberry CrestJr. FFA – Creed Speaking State

Winner

SSttrraawwbbeerrrryy CCrreesstt JJrr.. FFFFAA –Agricultural Issues State

Winner; team members include:Richelle Sapp, Rachelle Sapp,

Mckenzie Green, LindseyKillebrew and Danielle Mayo

TToommlliinn FFFFAA –– MMiiddddllee SScchhoooollParliamentary Procedure State

Winner; team members include:Anna Conrad, Meredith DelCastillo, Clay Joyner, EthanParillo, Colten Smith and

Parker Killebrew

TToommlliinn FFFFAA – Opening andClosing Ceremonies State

Winner; team members include:Anna Conrad, Ali Baker, ArieFry, Ethan Vaughan, MeredithDel Castillo, Clay Joyner and

Haley Riley

CCaassssiiddyy HHaassttiinngg, Turkey CreekFFA – Middle School Prepared

Speaking State Winner

JJeessssee CCoolleemmaann, Turkey CreekFFA – Sheep Production State

Proficiency Winner

A major highlight at each year’sconvention is the election of newstate FFA officers. This year,DDaavviidd WWaallddeenn of the Durant FFAChapter was elected as the AreaV State Vice President. Walden’smother, Terry, was a state officerfrom 1981-1982.

It is accomplishments and con-ventions such as these that E.M.Tiffany spoke of in his creed.These FFA members clearlybelieve in the future of agricul-ture and are doing their part toensure the industry continues.For this, Tiffany would beproud.

Florida FFA State Convention Prepares Students “For The Future”

By Lauren Der

INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE JULY 2012 89 W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M AG A Z I N E .C O M



Study shows how dietaffects lab-raised

mosquitoesin medical studiesBy Tom Nordlie

Most people try to avoid feedinghungry mosquitoes, but forsome medical researchers it’s a

different story.

Lab-raised mosquitoes are used in studiesinvestigating how the blood-suckinginsects transmit viruses and parasites.Those mosquitoes must be cared for andthat means providing female specimenswith blood, which supplies protein theyneed to produce eggs.

Some labs allow their mosquitoes tofeed the old-fashioned way, by bitinglive animals. But to save time, moneyand effort, other labs give the insectspackaged animal blood, which maycontain additives or lack componentsremoved by processing.

Scientists with the University of Florida’sInstitute of Food and Agricultural Scienceshave found that different types of bloodinfluence the quantity of eggs a femalemosquito produces, and the likelihoodthose eggs hatch.

That’s important to know, becausemosquito researchers typically want toknow how closely their lab experimentsmimic real-world conditions.

The study, conducted at UF’s FloridaMedical Entomology Laboratory in VeroBeach, was published in the June issue ofJournal of Vector Ecology.

To feed the mosquitoes, scientists usedfour blood sources:1. live chickens2. chicken blood with an anticoagulant

added3. beef blood with an anticoagulant added4. beef blood with its main clotting

protein removed.

Female mosquitoes were divided intogroups and most groups were offered onlyone blood source throughout the study.

One example of the variability thescientists found: Among mosquitoesoffered beef blood without the clottingprotein, only 31 percent chose to feed;among those that fed, 40 percent laid eggsand 70 percent of those eggs hatched. Incontrast, 61 percent of the mosquitoesoffered a live chicken chose to feed,46 percent of those that fed laid eggs,and 83 percent of those eggs hatched.

Lead author Stephanie Richards, nowan assistant professor at East CarolinaUniversity, said the results show thatmosquito researchers should carefullyconsider feeding methods whendesigning experiments. She also suggestsmore research might be needed todetermine whether different blood sourcesmay affect mosquitoes’ ability to transmitviruses. •

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Southside Farm & Pet Supply3014 Jim Redman Pkwy.

Plant City, FLPhone: 813.752.2379

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

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Crescent Jewelers1514 S. Alexander St.


Johnson’s BBQ1407 MLK Blvd.


Sisters & Company104 E. Reynolds St.


The Hay Depot1001 S. Alexander St.


The Catering Company115. E. Reynolds St.


Cowboys Western World120 S.R. 60 E.Plant City, FL

Phone: 813.650.3888

Rick’s Meats10252 S.R. 39 South

Lithia, FLPhone: 813.737.6776



ANIMALS & NEEDSANIMAL & BIRDCAGESAdd living microbes to improve your soil, equip-ment serving the fur-bearing and exotic bird indus-try. Cages built to order. Wire by roll or foot.813-752-2230 • www.ammermans.comSwap July 15, 2012 and Nov. 25, 2012

HORSE BOARDINGStalls and individual turnout, lighted arena andround pen. Owners on property.$325 full care. Call 813-610-4416

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 Ford orDanny Thibodeau 863-439-3232

AUTOMOTIVE1999 JEEP WRANGLER4x4, 5 speed with cold AC, Xtra Clean, NewSoft Top, Low Miles, Back Seat, CD Player, DeepRubber and more. Solid Black. Low Payments &Easy Financing. Reduced to: $8650.00 O'ConnorAutomotive, Plant City, 813-650-0535

2002 MERCURY DAKOTA4 Door Quad Cab Pickup. V8,AT,PB, PS, PDL, PW.Family Size 4 Door Pickup. Very Clean. LowPayments and Easy FInancing $5950.00 O'ConnorAutomotive, Plant CIty 813-650-0535

2000 MERCURY MOUNTAINEERMontery Edition, 6 CYL, AT, AC, Leather Loaded,Very Nice, Easy Financing and Low Payments.Only $4950.00 O'Connor Automotive, Plant City813-650-0535

2000 OLDS BRAVADA AWD4 Door SUV. Family Size, Gas Saving 6 Cyl,Leather Interior, Loaded,Very Nice, Easy Financingand Low Monthly Payments. $4950.00O'Connor Automotive, Plant City 813-650-0535

2002 FORD F150Four-Door, Super Crew Family Size Pickup.Loaded 4 WD, Power Everything, Very Sharp.Low Payments and Easy Financing $8950.00O'Connor Automotive 813-650-0535

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 $7,000

BUILDING SUPPLIESDECKING BRDS. & TILL SIDINGCall Ted 813-752-3378

DOUBLE INSULATED THERMO PANEStarting at $55. Call Ted 813-752-3378

WINDOW SCREENSWe make window screens of all sizes available indifferent frame colors. Call Ted 813-752-3378

TILL 4 X 8 SHEETB-grade $17.95. Call Ted 813-752-3378

NEW DOORS CLOSEOUT SPECIAL!!!$75 to $295. Call Ted today 813-752-3378

MOBILE HOME TUBSMetal brand new in box 54” Mobile Home Tubs.Call Ted 813-752-3378

COUPONSSAVICH & LEE/STALNAKERHorse Fence 200’x4’, Sheep & Goat Fence330’ x 4’ 1 to 3 rolls - $2.50 off, 4 or more -$5 off, 10 piece limit. Field fence 47” 1-8 -$2.50 off, 9 or more - $5 off, 10 piece limit.Barbed Wire - 5 or more - $1 off 10 piecelimit. Pick up ONLY while supplies last.See our ad on page 25 for pricing.

FARM EQUIPMENTMAHINDRA 4505DTractor with loader, 2wd, 45hp., 407 actual hours.$7,500, Call Alvie 813-759-8722

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

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

MASSEY FERGUSON TRACTOR1980 Massey Ferguson 230. 34pto hp,power steering. $4,500 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

HEAVY DUTY TRAILER14’ Shop built, heavy duty trailer, 2 axel withramps. $750 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

FORD NAA TRACTORGood condition, gas engine.$1,950. Call Alvie 813-759-8722

3PT LIFT3 row hole punch. Very good condition. $500.00Call Alvie 813-759-8722

BUSH HOG 261515' Batwing mower $3,950Call Alvie 813-759-8722

BUSH HOG 950Backhoe attachment, 9.5 diggingdepth. Like NEW condition.$4,000 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

MASSEY FERGUSON 255Grove Tractor with 6’ mower $7,500.Call Alvie 813-759-8722.

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

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

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

FOR SALE

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

ALL A BLOOM FLORISTCarnations 75¢ each, 813-567-5735116 N. Collins – Downtown Plant City.www.allabloomtampa.com

LAWN EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES

RUBBER MULCHAll colors, buy 10 bags, get 1 FREE!$8.99 a bag. Call Ted 813-752-3378

TSG50 WOODS3pt. stump grinder. Clearance Sale!$3,381. Call Alvie 813-759-8722

REAL ESTATE

BEAUTIFUL PLANT CITY 1 ACRE LOTWith well. Private one street subdivision frontage 290x 145 depth. 4521 Highland Creek Drive. $45,900.Call Today! 813-655-6769

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

A SLICE OF HEAVEN2.03 acres lot on Hare Mtn. Estates inFranklin NC. Breath-taking views. Purchased10/08 for $73,400. Yours today for $32,900GREAT INVESTMENT! Call 813-655-6769

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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]

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In The Field Hillsborough edition