In The Field Polk edition

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

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Contents

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

POLK COUNTY

CATTLEMEN’SASSOCIATION

P.O. Box 9005 • Drawer HS03Bartow, FL 33831-9005

OFFICERS& BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President - Charles Clark(863) 528-8537

[email protected]

Vice President - Dave Tomkow(863) 665-5088

[email protected]

Secretary/Treasurer - Justin Bunch(863) 425-1121 [email protected]

Al Bellotto - (863) 581-5515

Ray Clark - (863) [email protected]

L.B. Flanders, DVM - (863) 644-5974

Dewey Fussell - (863) 984-3782

Mike Fussell - (863) [email protected]

David McCullers - (863) 528-1195

Moby Persing - (863) 528-4379

Ned Waters - (863) [email protected]

J.B. Wynn - (863) [email protected]

Alternate - Mike Facente - (863) 697-9419

Standing Committee Chairs:

Membership - J.B. Wynn

Events - Kevin Fussell (863) 412-5876

Rodeo - Fred Waters (863) [email protected]

Cattlewomen - President

Marjorie Wood (863) [email protected]

Extension - Bridget Carlisle (863) [email protected]

Sheriff’s Dept. - Sgt. Howard Martin

Cover StoryCelebratingThe Years

Page 34

VOL. 7 • ISSUE 1

Master GardenerPage 10

Let The Learning BeginPage 13

Tampa Bay’s Fishing ReportPage 14

A Modern TwistPage 17

Polk County Sheriff’s OfficePage 18

Internet GardeningPage 21

Rocking Chair ChatterPage 22

Farmer GilPage 28

Giving Wildlife A Helping HandPage 32Grub StationPage 40RecipesPage 42

®

OUR SERVICES• Social Security Disability

• Supplemental Security Income:

• Wills • Power of Attorney• Estate Planning • Trusts

• Guardianships • Adoptions

Children and Adults • Initial ApplicationsReconsideration • Hearing with Judge

*The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely upon advertisments. Before you

decide, ask the lawyer to send you free written informationabout their qualifications and experience.

2310 Lakeland Hills Blvd.Lakeland, FL 33805

TOLL FREE 1. 800.315.4590863. 688.5700

(1 mile south of I-4, Exit 33 Lakeland - across fromDetroit Tigers Baseball Spring Training Stadium)

Charles L. CarltonFlorida NativeB.A. University of South FloridaJ.D. Florida State University Law School

Geraldyne H. CarltonFlorida NativeB.A. Georgia State UniversityJ.D. Florida State University Law School

INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 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


The freshest, safest, best tasting food is justaround the corner. Yes, that’s right! And buyinglocal is easy. Find a farmers market near youand encourage your local grocery stores and arearestaurants to purchase more products from localfarmers. This small step will help boost your localeconomy and get you exceptional flavor fromfruits and vegetables that are recently harvestedand packed with nutrients.Check out what’s in season. We are lucky tohave something fresh and nutritious available inFlorida 365 days a year. Check out the FloridaDepartment of Agriculture’s web site atwwwwww..ffrreesshhffrroommfflloorriiddaa..ccoomm for a chart of what is in season.

I am reminded daily of the wonderful, humble, few who make their living by feeding the rest ofus. I never take for granted the hard work thatwent in to getting my meal from the field to thepoint of purchase and to my home. It is our dutyto ensure that we continue keeping our food asclose to our homes as possible. I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to depend on another country for my sustenance.

This is not a new subject for me. But I can’t stressthe importance of supporting your local farmerand rancher. They are the lifeblood of this county,state and our great nation.

We are always looking for farmers and ranchers tohighlight in the pages of In The Field. Please let usknow if you have an article idea.

Until Next Month,

Sarah

We have moved our main office to better serve you. Our new address is:1501 S. Alexander Street, Suite 102 • Plant City, Florida 33563

Our 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 Crampton

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Mona Jackson

PHOTOGRAPHY

Karen Berry Al BerryStephanie Humphrey

Lacey Waters

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 Polk Countybusinesses, restaurants, and many local venues. It is also distributed by U.S. mail to a targetmarket, which includes all of the Greenbelt Property owners, members of the Polk CountyCattlemen’s Association & Florida Citrus Mutual.Letters, comments and questions can be sent to P.O. Box 5377, Plant City, Florida 33563-0042or you are welcome to email them to: [email protected], 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

Agro-Culture

Liquid Fertilizers ........................39

Arrington Body Shop, Inc. .........19

Ballclover ...................................19

Broke & Poor ............................37

Carlton & Carlton, PA ................5

Cecil Breeding Farms .................33

Chemical Containers..................31

Cornfusion.................................24

Cowboy Ranch Rodeo...............25

Discount Metals.........................44

Ellison RBM Inc. .........................7

Farm Credit ...............................26

Fields Equipment Co. Inc.............5

Florida Farm &

Ranch Supply...............................7

Florida Dept. of Agriculture.......16

Florida Mineral & Salt ..............12

Fred’s Market.............................15

Grove Equipment ...............3 & 36

Gulf Coast Turf & Tractor ........48

Helena Chemical-Tampa............44

Hinton Farms Produce, Inc. .......23

International Market World.........7

Key Plex.......................................2

Lake Miriam Pawn ....................43

Lightsey Cattle Co. ....................43

Mosaic .......................................39

Pathway .....................................35

Polk County

Cattlemen’s Association ...............4

Polk Equine, PL .........................23

Repair Solutions.........................43

Ring Power Corporation..............9

Sam Van Hook...........................30

Seedway .....................................43

Southeastern Septic, LLC ...........37

Southwestern Produce................27

Stephanie Humphrey....................9

Stingray Chevrolet .....................47

The Bug Man.............................19

Weather King .............................23

Wert’s Welding ...........................31

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

InTheField® MagazineP.O. Box 5377

Plant City, FL 33566-0042

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

Weʼve changedthe colors of the

logo this month forBreast Cancer

Awareness!

Think Pink!


On June 26, 2012, Polk County adopted a StormwaterAssessment Ordinance in response to state and federalmandates for local governments to improve quality ofstormwater runoff. A preliminary rate was establishedat a maximum of $54.30 per equivalent residential unitof 4030 square feet of roof and impermeable surfacescombined. That will be the maximum rate. A lower ratecould be established on September 13th when theCounty Commission adopts the county budget.

Agriculture properties that meet certain conditionsare exempt. One of the following conditions has to bemet: operation has a National Pollutant DischargeElimination System Permit; or operation has anEnvironmental Resource Permit; or operation has aWorks-of-the-District Permit; or operation implementsBest Management Practices. Cow/calf operators need“Water Quality Best Management Practices forCow/Calf Operations”

If you don’t have this designation you can get it byapplying through Florida Department of Agricultureand Consumer Services. The contact person for this areais Matt Warren, Environmental Specialist II.Cell 863-448-3354, Office 863-773-2164.

Due to the short time span for applying for theexemption, a copy of the application can be sent/faxed to the Parks and Natural Resources Department.Requests for exemptions will have to be received bySept.14th to be on this year’s tax bill. Applicationsreceived between Sept. 14 and Oct. 1 will receiverebates.

Any residence, even on agriculture parcels will haveto pay the residential unit rate. Everyone should havereceived their TRIM notice from the county. If you haveany questions about parcel specific charges or any othergeneral questions call the Department of Parks andNatural Resources at 863-534-7377. They have beenextremely helpful in answering all questions and havemade every effort to get exemptions processed and arebate option in place.


Charles ClarkCharles ClarkPolk County Cattlemen’s Association President


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

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

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

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

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


S howy panicles of blooms inluscious colors, along with inter-esting bark and drought toler-

ance combine to make Crapemyrtle a smartchoice for your Florida landscape.

The Crapemyrtle is an excellent example ofthe necessity to apply the principle of Rightplant-Right place. I can’t adequately stressthe importance of doing your researchbefore you buy this plant. Overlooking theresearch will probably result in a plantwhich you’ll be constantly pruning and pos-sibly trimming in the wrong manner. In otherwords, if you wish to have a nice little spec-imen plant for a small front yard, you maywant to use a dwarf cultivar such asChickasaw, which will achieve a height ofless than four feet in a five-year time span.Incidentally, Chickasaw has a nice moundedshape, is fairly disease resistant and bloomsin pink lavender.

Now if you want a Crapemyrtle in treeheight, with white flowers, cinnamon brownbark and a vase-shaped form, then look forthe Kiowa cultivar.

Crapemyrtles (Lagerstroemia) occur in theheight classifications of Dwarf (less thanfour feet in five years), Semi-dwarf (Lessthan twelve feet in ten years), Intermediate(less than twenty feet in ten years) and Tree(greater than twenty feet after ten years). Seehow easy it is to avoid extensive pruning?Just choose the proper type!

University of Florida IFAS Extension bulletinnumber ENH-52 is a real eye-opener, as itcontains the specific data on 100 differentcultivars of Crapemyrtle. Historically,Crapemyrtles have Asian origins, hailingfrom China, Japan and regions of SoutheastAsia. Some types of these plants are harvest-ed for timber in their own land. I’ve alwaysthought the bark would be nice for wood-working purposes.

Crapemyrtles were named by Carl Linnaeusfor the director of the Swedish East IndiesCompany noted naturalist Magnus vonLagerstroem. With the exception of theAmericas, most places globally refer to theCrapemyrtle as Lagerstroemia.

As with all landscape plants, Crapmyrtlesshould be regularly watered during the firstfew weeks following planting, known as theestablishment period. Following this period,they are extremely drought tolerant, and willlet you know when they need a drink. Topromote lush growth, you’ll need to wateroccasionally.

They grow best in slightly acid soils of pH5.0 to 6.5. Hardiness Zones are 7 to 10b.Available colors are white, pink, red, purpleand lavender. I have a cultivar with whiteand pink flowers which reminds me of thecherry smashes we would buy at the phar-macy soda counter.

Normally, Crapemyrtles need very littlepruning if you’ve done your homework andselected the proper cultivar. For plants of asize still easily manageable, tip pruning maybe all you need. I rarely even do this, becausebirds of the seed-eating variety enjoy theseeds.

Severe pruning, or pruning into the hard-wood is called “Crapemurder” and causesunsightly gnarly knots on the otherwisebeautiful bark. I’ve included a photo of thisever-increasing phenomenon. A good rule ofthumb for any plant is never cut off morethan one-third of the plant in a pruningseason. A good time to prune is while theplant is dormant, as the branch structure isvisible at that time of year. Remember thatthe flowers are formed on new growth.Blooming season is May through fall.

I have two Crapemyrtles which are mostly inshade, and they both get Powdery mildew,caused by a fungus. This appears as whitepowder on the leaves. It’s never bad, so Iignore it. However, I have a light lavenderCrapemyrtle, which is apparently veryattractive to Tinocallis kahawaluokalani.That’s right—it’s the dreaded Crapemyrtlesaphid! This tiny yellow creature, not foundon any other common plant, extracts sap byinserting mouthparts into soft tissue, mostnotably from the undersides of the leaves.When you begin to see black stuff on theleaves, you know you have aphid infestation.Aphids secrete a sugary “honeydew”substance, which promotes growth of ablack fungus which may interfere with theplants photosynthesis. If you treat an affect-ed Crapemyrtle with horticultural oil sprayor insecticidal soap to control the aphids,these products will assist in removing thesooty mold. I have seen this mold so bad thatit covered the ground beneath the plant.

By Debra Howell

Other issues which you probably won’tencounter are metallic flea beetle, Floridawax scale, mushroom root rot andCercospora leaf spot.

You may propagate Crapemyrtle from seedcapsules which ripen in the fall. This is easy,and the seeds will readily germinate. But I’mjust not that patient, so I’d buy one at yourusual landscape center, where hopefully,you’ll find them tagged with all the pertinentinformation. You may also cultivate vegeta-tively with cuttings. Use hardwood cuttingswhile the plant is dormant, with root hor-mone to enhance the process.

Present in the U.S. landscape from Californiato Florida, they’re so successful that I’ve seenthem at abandoned homesteads and in theriver swamp.

Imported to the southern United States over150 years ago, Crapemyrtle has become astaple of the water-conscious Florida yard.It’s drought tolerance, relative low mainte-nance, lush blossoms, striking bark andstately growth habit will make Crapemyrtlea stand out in your landscape. •



Overbaugh

Farm Credit of Central Florida President & CEO, Reggie Holt,announced the agricultural lending cooperative has hired BrockOverbaugh as a Relationship Manager in its Agribusiness

Lending Group. “Brock has an impressive resume with more than adecade of commercial and business lending experience. We believeBrock will quickly ingratiate himself to our Member/Borrowers andprospective Members,” he said.

Brock previously lived in Central Florida and after ten years inPennsylvania he and his family relocated back to Lakeland. He grad-uated with a degree in Geoenvironmental Science from ShippensburgUniversity located in South Central Pennsylvania. GeoenvironmentalScience involves the study of geology, soils, hydrology, groundwater,land use, and cartography/GIS.

Brock has ten years of Commercial and Business lending experienceworking with clients in various industries from Agricultural,Industrial, and Professional industries.

Brock and his wife, Lacy, have two daughters ages 4 and 6. He wasa board member of the Carlisle YMCA and a former Rotarian.“I believe in the mission of Farm Credit and our agriculturalcommunity and look forward to utilizing my experience to servethem,” he said.

Farm Credit of Central Florida, a Member-Owned agricultural lend-ing cooperative created in 1916 serves 13 central Florida countiesincluding, Citrus, Hernando, Sumter, Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough,Polk, Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Volusia, and Brevard. FarmCredit assists growers, ranchers and farmers with funds for capitalexpenditures, operating capital, residential mortgages, as well asselling crop insurance. •

FARM CREDIT OF CENTRAL FLORIDA HIRES

Brock Overbaugh


Robert Scott’s zeal for his 4H club resounds in all he says aboutthem. The Road Ends 4H Club is obviously his pride and joy.Robert’s family has a history in agriculture as he explains,

“Where I live actually is my parent’s place. I’ve been out there sinceabout ’58. I’m 68 years old. I ended up with 65 acres of that property.Cattle is what he (Robert’s father) was into, of course I was brought upraising cattle and I let the kids show cattle. I’ve lived there since 1968and at that time I was working for a phosphate company. I retired after35 years from phosphate at Cargill. And then, before I retired iswhen a kid got me involved, wanted me to be a 4H leader. So I did.I’m going on my sixteenth year of being a 4H leader and we’ve justspread from there as far as the kids have got projects. We’ve had over50 kids in our club.”

Robert has a unique vision in regards to raising financial support forhis group. He says, “We do fundraisers different from other clubs.I’ve encouraged the kids to work for the money. You don’t just go fora handout. We’ve done things like work for the Winter HavenOptimist Club unloading Christmas trees and getting them preparedfor them to sell them. We actually went to North Carolina twice andpicked up trees for them. They give us a donation every year becausewe work for them. I don’t want any money from a club or an organ-ization unless the kids have done something to earn it. We park carsfor the Red Hat ladies. The kids are going to enter the BBQ contestin Davenport on Labor Day.”

As if that activity list isn’t enough, Robert goes on to illuminate someof the club’s other endeavors. “We’ve got a thing we do everyOctober 13. I’m in the Lion’s club, too and we get 4H, ROTC andFFA to get their projects together and come entertain the old folks.It’s a barbeque type thing. They demonstrate their projects, whichwill be practice for them. We split the fundraiser between the Lion’sand our 4H club. I got a big ole tent and the kids present to the Lion’smembers. Last year we had a dog agility and longbow. They bringtheir animals out and its all good practice for them, the more you doit, the better you get.”

October is obviously a busy month for them because he continues,“On Halloween, our club has a haunted house we’ve been buildingten or eleven years, in a semi-trailer. We do it for the City ofDavenport and the kids basically scare the crap out of the people inthe haunted house. That’s not a fundraiser, we’re just doing that forthe city. We do presentations for the Chamber and the haunted houseand they appreciate that and that’s how we get a donation.”

Robert’s work-to-earn concept has served the club well. He tells of atime in which his members were in need of money to attend a nation-al final. He explains, “These are kids that have shown my cattle andthat have won in the different fairs that we carry them to. Oncethey’ve established themselves and have shown in all those differentplaces, they qualify to go to a national final. One year, Mr. Bellottohad a lot of grove work that he needed. He put us to work. We cameup with 454 hours and he paid us $5000 and everybody got to go toTexas, we won a lot of things and the kids really enjoyed it. Reallymakes you proud of the kids when they so something like that.” Hisclub has done other work for Mr. Al Bellotto, such as putting upfence, repairing fence and working in the orange grove.

When it comes to the types of projects his kids participate in, Robertsays, “Several times our club had over 100 entries in the youth fair.They do chickens, hogs, horticulture, rabbits, cattle, horses. That’swhenever we had a huge club and that’s when it only cost $10 toenter, but now it’s $10 per entry. We’ve really done well. We’ve endedup with Grand Reserve cows and we’ve never won champion hog,but we had a Grand Reserve hog. We’ve been in the Parade ofChampions every year at the youth fair. Anything the kids wanna do,we do it. And, what’s really good about it, I’ve had two kids thatwent through my club that are veterinarians and I’ve got one atABAC that's going to be a veterinarian.” Pride exudes from everypore.

In closing, he adds in a funny story, “I teach whip-poppin’. You gottateach ‘em a couple little things and they’re gonna experiment and dotheir own thing. We put on a whip-poppin’ demonstration forMacy’s in Winter Haven, if you can believe that. We brought somecattle up to the parking lot. We had about 8 or 10 kids doin’ a whip-poppin’ demonstration. I ended up trying to teach the manager topop a whip and he ended up poppin’ his-self in the face!” He laughs.Apparently this was all on video, too.

As the leader of Road Ends 4H Club, Robert’s kids came up with theclever slogan, “Where the road ends, the learning begins.” It wouldappear that Robert is teaching them a number of positive lessons, notthe least of these being the value of hard work. •

Let the Learning BeginROBERT SCOTT’S ROAD ENDS 4H CLUBBy Ginny Mink


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Captain Woody Gore


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

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

LET’S GO FISHING!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MatthewSnook

Bobby Baker

PastorEddie Williams

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The Lakeland Downtown Farmer’s Curb Market has been apart of Lakeland’s downtown community since the 1920s.The market got its name from customers who would pull

up to the curb and the get produce they needed from the farmersselling it on the curb. Becky Abel, administrative assistant for theLakeland Downtown Development Authority, wanted to keep theold traditions alive with the current curb market, but give it a newand more modern twist. “It’s an old fashion name for driving upto the curb and getting what you want and leaving, so it becamethe Lakeland Downtown Farmer’s Curb Market to pay respect tothe memory of the original market,” Abel said.

Many people who come to the market share their stories withAbel about how they used to come to the original market withtheir grandparents and she loves listening to each and every oneof them. “We stayed at the original location of the market for thefirst two years,” Abel said. “Then in 2006 we moved to our cur-rent location of the plaza at the Curtis Peterson Building locatedat 200 North Kentucky Avenue.”

The market is open every Saturday from 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. fromSeptember to July. When the market starts its eighth season onSeptember 1, it will no longer be on the curb, but in the street. Themarket has expanded into the street, from North KentuckyAvenue from the railroad tracks on the southern end, up toTrader’s Alley. North Kentucky Avenue will be closed to throughtraffic within that segment during market hours, but Pine Streetwill remain open.

The Downtown Farmers Curb Market is a key component of avibrant, diverse and exciting downtown. It is designed to serveand bring together all the elements of the community. It is apositive force in bringing people downtown to purchase freshproduce, plants and local handcrafted items. The 50-week Marketis a showcase for the talents and the work of local artisans andlocal growers. “It’s more of an artisan market and we strive tohave organic and higher quality items,” Abel said. “We are tryingto attract more farmers who want to come and sell their produceat our market.”

The market is a project of the Lakeland Downtown DevelopmentAuthority (LDDA). The LDDA was established as an independenttaxing district by the Special Act of the Legislature of the State ofFlorida in 1977. The Act was amended several times, expandingthe LDDA’s powers and boundaries. The LDDA was formed toact as a catalyst that assists, recommends and participates in therehabilitation of slum and blighted areas in downtown. “Theunderlying theme of the market is to keep it local,” Abel said.“We don’t have any vendors who buy, sell, or imports anythingfrom China, they either grow their own food or make their ownstuff.” Other business around the market love that it brings moretraffic into their establishments as well, and they notice a declinein their sales during the month of August when the market isclosed.

Jim Luna is the market manager and he as been there since itsbeginning. “I started the market originally and it’s grown into awonderful community market,” Luna said. “I hope it continues togrow and helps the community grow as well.”

There is an average of 31 vendors at the market and they offer anarray of items from plants to seafood. On any given Saturday,there can be live music or demonstrations to promote healthy liv-ing. One of the market’s biggest events is the Dr. ScissorhandsPumpkin Carving Exhibition in October. Local doctors carvepumpkins to auction off for local charities. During the Christmasholidays, the market sells poinsettias to help raise funds for themarket to have events and live music. Abel said you have a truefeeling of community when you come to the market becauseeveryone knows each other. “We want to maintain the market andkeep it local with local people,” Abel said. “Nowadays, a farmersmarket is a must in any city and ours is always evolving and turn-ing into something better.” For more information on the marketor if you would like to become a vendor at the market, you canvisit their website at wwwwww..ddoowwnnttoowwnnffaarrmmeerrssccuurrbbmmaarrkkeett..oorrgg.You can also call the market manager at 863-221-4633.

A MODERN TWIST ON AN

Old Fashion MarketBy Libby Hopkins

Great news! Crime in the Polk CountySheriff’s Office primary law enforce-ment response area1 is down 8.48%

in the first six months of 2012 compared tothe first six months of 2011. Part of thatreduction is due to violent crimes decreasing17.1%.

According to the Uniform Crime Report(UCR) statistics, as reported semi-annuallyand annually to the Florida Department ofLaw Enforcement (FDLE), there were 455fewer crimes overall in the first six months of2012 than in the first six months of 2011 inthe Sheriff’s Office primary jurisdiction. Therewere 4,912 crimes in the first half of 2012, ascompared to 5,367 crimes in the first half of2011. Compared to two years ago (2010),crime in the first six months of 2012 is down12%.

According to the UCR comparison, the num-ber of non-violent crimes in 2011 went down337 crimes from 4,677 crimes to 4,340crimes, a reduction of 7.2%. Violent crimeswent down 118 crimes from 690 crimes to572 crimes— a reduction of 17.1%. (Violentcrimes include: homicide, forced sex offenses,

robbery, aggravated assault and battery. Non-violent crimes include burglary, larceny andmotor vehicle thefts.)

It is very clear to us that our partnerships withthe community and our innovative crimefighting and crime prevention tactics work,because crime in our jurisdiction – unincorpo-rated Polk County -- continues to decline. Infact, since 1972, the crime rate in PolkCounty has steadily declined, thanks in partto these key partnerships.

We use annual (not semi-annual) crime statis-tics to get the current crime rate. The mostrecent crime rate, which is the number ofcrimes per 100 residents, is down 9.1% from2010 (2.97) to 2011 (2.70). This is the lowestcrime rate ever measured in the Polk CountySheriff’s Office jurisdiction, breaking the all-time record low of 2.97 crimes per 100 com-paring 2010 to 2009. Reliable crime statisticsin Polk County started in 1971, when thecrime rate was recorded at 4.16 crimes per100. Since 1997, the crime rate in PolkCounty has fallen by 59.5%.

The state of Florida is also seeing recordreductions in crime as a direct result of lawsthat hold criminals accountable and proactivepolice work. Before truth-in-sentencing legis-lation was passed years ago requiring manda-

tory minimum sentencing — forcing inmatesto serve at least 85 percent of their sentences— crime rates in our Florida communitieswere at an all-time high. By keeping criminalsin jail, we are keeping crime down. We mustall work together to keep our communitiessafe — this includes Florida's legislators.. •

The Polk County Sheriff’s Officeis bidding a fond farewell to a25-year veteran of the agency,

Captain K. Andy Ray. Captain Ray isretiring from PCSO and has been hired asthe Auburndale Police Department’s newDeputy Chief of Police.

Captain Ray was hired as a deputy sheriffin 1987 at the young age of 22, andquickly moved up through the ranks,being promoted to Sergeant in 1991 andLieutenant in 1996. Captain Ray becamethe PCSO resident “traffic expert,”

successfully supervising the traffic unit(which he helped establish) for over halfof his career. He was promoted to therank of Captain in 2003, and his mostrecent assignment was commander of theBureau of Support Operations – oversee-ing the Aviation Unit, Marine Unit,Environmental Unit, Traffic Unit, SchoolResource Unit, School Crossing Unit,Honor Guard, and Animal Control.

Congratulations and good luck toCaptain Andy Ray!

By Sheriff Grady JuddWorking Together to Keep CrimeDown For 40 Years

Captain Ray Changes Uniforms


Polk County Crime Facts:The crime rate is down 9.1% inPCSO jurisdictions. Polkʼs crime

rate is 34% less than the state-widecrime rate & the violent crime rate

is 41% less than the state-wideviolent crime rate.

Polk County Sheriffʼs OfficeJurisdiction Crime Comparison:

Captain Ray receiving his retirement plaque at hisretirement party on August 22, 2012



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ggggbbaarrttlleeyy@@hhoottmmaaiill..ccoomm

Florida FFA Hall of Fameto Induct Five in 2012

Clark Cox Hurst Lee Whittle

Nowadays, more and more people at realizing that sustain-ability is an important factor in our lives. People havedifferent reasons for wanting to live a sustainable

lifestyle, some do it because of the economy, others do it becausethey want to become healthier and eat more organic foods.Whatever the reason may be, sustainability is a necessity.

Today, we are beginning to learn that environmental resources arelimited and are getting quite sensitive to everything that we do.We are starting to experience the effects of the actions of genera-tions that came before us. To make sure that future generationswill not experience worse, we need to be aware of the ideals andthe requirements of sustainability. As we become aware, we needto put what we learn into action because that is the only way wecan allow nature to catch up with us.

Patty McGauley realized the need for sustainability about sixyears ago. Even though she was in her 80s, she still saw the needto improve the way we produce our food. She started a gardeningclub called The Barefoot Gardener Club. The unique thing aboutthis club was that McGauley started it online. The BarefootGardener is an organic and permaculture volunteer gardeninggroup centered in Lakeland, and it includes Tampa on the Westand past Orlando on the East. It was established for those inCentral Florida who want to learn how to grow their own freshseasonal produce and raise their own animals humanely usingorganic practices, permaculture and biodynamics. The group alsowant to give others information on where their products can beobtained. Peggy Campbell is the moderator for the group and hastaken over for McGauley since her passing a few years ago. “Sheformed the club from an idea she had to have a traditionalgardening club but using the Internet as a way to share theinformation,” Campbell said. “ I had heard about it from a friendand I wanted to get back into organic gardening and I was intobeing barefooted, so I thought it would be cool to join.” The clubhas 472 members and they all offer different classes, workshops,tours, field trips and conferences throughout the year. They justshare their information on the clubs website or Facebook page soall the members can stay in constant contact with one another. It’sgardening in cyber space.

Campbell likes the idea of an online club. “I had been involvedwith many other organizations over the years and I really didn’twant to have to deal with keeping track of member lists or payingdues on time,” Campbell said. “ I really liked the idea of it beinga little less formal.” The club does strive to keep their memberslocal. They don’t want people from other states or even othercountries to join. They want to put money back into the localeconomy. Most of the members take the extra produce they growand sell it at local famer’s markets. Campbell and her husband,Jeff or “Scotty” as he goes by, have their own farm called“Barefoot Creek/Scotty’s Produce.” It’s located in Lakeland,and they take the extra produce they grow to the LakelandDowntown Farmer’s Curb Market to sell. Scotty also teachesvarious gardening classes at their farm. The couple is workingtowards producing everything on their farm that they need tosurvive. “Our goal is to eventually never have to go to a store atall to get food,” Campbell said. “We want to sustain ourselvesfrom our own property and right around our neighborhood.”

Campbell knows for this to happen, it would mean a radicallifestyle change, but she is convinced it could possibly happen oneday. She feels that with all the information the garden clubs shareswith one another about how to live a more sustainable lifestyle,her goal may happen sooner than later. “It is wonderful havingall these other people at various stages of the same kind of think-ing to help support you and to inspire you to keep going,”Campbell said.

For more information on The Barefoot Gardener Club or if youare interested in joining the club, you can visit them on the web atwwwwww..tthheebbaarreeffoooottggaarrddeenneerr..oorrgg or you can contact Campbell at863-904-8620. For more information about the LakelandDowntown Farmer’s Curb Market, you can visit their website atwwwwww..ddoowwnnttoowwnnffaarrmmeerrssccuurrbbmmaarrkkeett..oorrgg.

By Libby Hopkins

Internet Gardening



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

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

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

“How about Chinese?”

“Ugh”, she replied!

“Would the Longhorn Steakhouse work?”

“We ate there last week!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AL BERRY’S

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

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

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


d

2255

It’s been an excitingsummer and I havemany adventures to

share with you.

Our State Officer Teamwas given the opportunityto visit the state of Iowaand study the pork indus-try. While there, my teamand I were able to go onindustry tours and learn all about agriculture in the Midwest. We learnedabout the very early stages of how they plant the corn through the final har-vest phases. Some of the fields were thriving while others were struggling tosurvive due to lack of rain. This reminded us of just how blessed we are backhome in Florida to be getting rain almost every afternoon. While in Iowa wealso got to visit some swine operations. Several on our Officer Team hadraised hogs back home for our local and state fairs, but after this tour we hada much better understanding of the whole process. We had the chance to seehogs from the cute piglets being born right through the final phases at thepacking plant. When we came back to Florida we had a much better perspec-tive of the pork industry and were so thankful for this this opportunity andexperience.

The next adventure was right back here at home in Florida at the FFALeadership Training Center in Haines City. We are so fortunate to have thisbeautiful facility provided to us! Among the greatest opportunities providedto our State Officer Team is the chance to interface directly with the chaptermembers and to help impact the future leadership of this great organization.I participated in Florida Outdoor Adventures (FOA) on August 15, 2012along with several of my team members. We got to interact with the memberson a personal level, talk with them about all that the New Year will hold andshare with them the excitement of all that is to come.

Last week my team had the privilege to go and serve at the Florida CitrusExpo in Fort Myers, Florida. During this week we were allowed the oppor-tunity to learn about the citrus industry that has had such a tremendousimpact on our state for so many years. We got to meet many of the peoplewho work behind the scenes to benefit our state in so many diverse waysthrough the citrus industry. This was a very hands on, interactive learningexperience and left me with a greater appreciation of all that the citrus indus-try does for the state of Florida.

We finished up the summer with attending and participating at the AlumniRetreat at the LTC in Haines City. This was a great time remembering all thathas been accomplished, recognizing the alumni members that work behind thescenes to keep our organization running, and sharing the excitement of theyear that is to come! Our alumni truly exemplify the meaning of "support".No matter the challenges that may come, we have the comfort of knowingthat our awesome alumni are always in our corner and cheering us on.

I want to leave you with this inspirational quote from Albert Einstein, “Thereare two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The otheris as though everything is a miracle.” I would encourage you to live in themoment and enjoy all of Gods blessings, large and small.

As we see all of those who benefit us and support our great agricultural indus-try, let us never take for granted anything that they do for us. Let us alwaysremember to use the words “thank you” and understand that they can neverbe over used or underestimated.

Sincerely,

Katie HutchinsonArea IV State Vice President


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..................................$13Turnip Greens ....................................$13

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

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

GEORGIA PECANS HALVES

1 lb bag . . . . . . . . . . $102.5 lbs bag . . . . . . . $255 lbs bag . . . . . . . . . $4910 lbs bag . . . . . . . . $97

*** All Items Are 8 lbs. Unless Otherwise Noted.***

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


Gil Daigneau is known as “FarmerGil” to many people in Lakeland. Heis rarely seen without a big smile on

his face or his trademark cowboy hat andbandana. Daigneau is the owner of GoNatural Organics, which is a communitysupported agriculture (CSA) establishment.CSAs have become very popular over the last20 years because they are a way for local res-idents to buy local seasonal food directlyfrom a farmer. It’s a simple enough idea, butits impact has been amazing because it’s agreat way to support local farmers. Daigneauruns his business as a Co-Op of sorts. A farmmembership will require a $100 depositwhich will becomes a credit balance.Initially, you will be able to pick $10 to $20(or reasonable amount) of vegetables perweek until you use up your credit balance.At that point you have the option to joinagain. In essence, with your deposit,Diagneau plants the crop for you.

Families or individuals become farm mem-bers and come to the farm to pick the cropson a regular basis. This allows the farmerto concentrate his labor on growing thecrop. “Actually, in agriculture, most of thelabor is involved in the picking of thecrop,” Daigneau said with a flash of hisfamous big smile. Since visiting the farm

and picking the crops are the focusedenjoyment for the farm members, Diagneauvalues the relationships he has formed withhis customers. His member range in agefrom toddlers to 92-years-old andDaigneau knows them all personally. He isat his farm everyday from sun up to sundown and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Daigneau started his business 17 years agoafter he sold the computer business he hadin Winter Park. He leased a small plot ofland just off of Edgewood Drive inLakeland. He used the knowledge he hadfrom his bachelor’s degree in agriculturefrom the University of Florida.

Although, his vegetables are not certifiedorganic, he does not use pesticides andfungicides to treat his crops, just neem oil,a natural, medicinal cure all that repelsdamaging insects. He stands firm on hisbelief that pesticides and toxins are mak-ing people develop various forms of cancer.

“Cancer has made a devastating invasionin my direct family,” Daigneau said, “Mymother survived breast cancer and a radicalmastectomy but my dad was taken by abrain tumor, about the worst possible wayto die”

He was born in Texas but moved to LakePlacid. When he was about 9-years-old, hisfather was hired as a bookkeeper andaccountant for the Archbold BiologicalStation. For the next few years, Daigneauwas influenced by the work being done atthe facility. He became interested in science,specifically entymology. He graduated fromhigh school and went to Mexico to work asa research assistant for the AustralianDepartment of Agriculture.

“During that trip, I did some soul searchingon what I wanted to do with my life,”Daigneau said. “I knew I wanted to be out-side and working with the environment.”

He is an advocate for all food productionto be done in the United States. “Let's bringit back home,” Daigneau said. “I feel it isour responsibility to demand that ourgovernment represents our best interestsand that certainly starts with the staples ofour lives.” He believes our food must beproduced in this country and preferably ona local basis. “Each year nine millionshipments of food products enter theUnited States and about 20,000 areactually inspected,” Daigneau said.

BByy LLiibbbbyy HHooppkkiinnss

He has done a variety of thing in his life andhe will tell you he’s had some incredibleexperiences as well, but his passion is farm-ing. Rain or shine, hot or cold, Daigneau is athis farm in his cowboy hat and bandana.

“I’m never going to quit doing this,”Daigneau said. “I’m going to do this until Ican’t walk because this isn’t a job for me, it’smy passion.”

For more information on Go NaturalOrganics, you can visit Daigneau’s website

wwwwww..ggoonnaattuurraalloorrggaanniiccssiinncc..ccoommor call 863-272-0740.

The farm is located at 2035 EdgewoodDrive South in Lakeland and is open from 6

a.m-8 p.m. seven days a week.


Cheyenne Roberts is a junior at Tenoroc High School and is very active inTenoroc FFA. She currently serves at the FFA Vice President and is animportant part of the Tenoroc High School Agriculture Department. In fact,

Cheyenne was a chapter senator and officer in her ninth and tenth grade years.

Cheyenne has participated in many Career Development Events in the twoyears she’s been a Tenoroc FFA member. Some of those CDEs include Forestry, Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Parliamentary Procedure, Livestock Evaluation, Rabbit Judging, Creed Speaking, Ornamental HorticultureDemonstrations, and the County Greenhand Contest. Cheyenne isn’t afraid totry new contests and always does her best. She even participated in the ChiliCook-Off at the Polk County Youth Fair last year. Cheyenne has received herGreenhand and Chapter Degrees, including the Star Chapter Farmer Degree in tenth grade. She plans on earning her State FFA Degree, the highest degree achieved at the state level, at the State FFA Convention next year.

Cheyenne has attended the Chapter Officer Leadership Training, University ofFlorida’s Livestock Judging Clinic, FFA Day, Forestry Camp, Florida LeadershipAdventures, Florida FFA State Convention, National FFA Convention, andTenoroc FFA’s Officer Retreat. She plans to represent Tenoroc FFA at theChapter President’s Conference in Daytona Beach this year. Cheyenne has alsorepresented Tenoroc High School by attending HOBY, a nationally recognizedleadership conference this past summer. Cheyenne is great at encouragingother members to be leaders by teaching them leadership skills she haslearned through FFA and HOBY. She has hosted Tenoroc FFA’s Leadership Dayand is an integral part of the chapter’s Farm Fair. Cheyenne’s SupervisedAgricultural Experience includes market hogs and cattle.

Community service is important to Cheyenne. She volunteers at her church and various ways through FFA. Cheyenne has participated in Wreaths AcrossAmerica, Farm Fair, Ag Literacy Day, Agri-Fest, and countless FFA BBQs andcar washes. She uses every opportunity available to serve others. Tenoroc FFAwouldn’t be the same without Cheyenne. She lives in Polk City with her proudmother, Erin Roberts. •

Cheyenne... She’s A Natural


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

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

Naturally Amazing Activities

Wasp TrapBy Sean Green

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This wasp trap is similar to the flea trap activity we pub-lished in 2009. It uses simple bait and an oil mixture totrap the insect. No toxins are needed and it is not likelyto affect other insects in the capacity that it is expectedto affect the Yellow Jacket.

Materials Needed:

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

Skewer the meat and lay the skewer across the edge ofthe bowl centering the meat over the bowl.Fill the bowl with water so the water level is ¼ to ½ inchfrom touching the meat. Add just enough vegetable oilto cover the surface of the water.

The meat will attract the wasps and the water and oilmixture will trap them in much the same way the fleatrap worked. Dump the oil and repeat these steps whenthe trap gets too full of wasps to trap more. •



They say the earth is a great big orphanage for most animals. Ifthat statement is true, then Joan Waters of Woodland Wondersin Auburndale is the nurse of the orphanage. The truth is,

Waters is an RN and throughout her career she has been helping allkinds of animals. “I was being asked by neighbors, ‘You’re a nurse,can you help?’ and because I love animals, I became very interested inhelping wildlife,” Waters said.

Her first patients were domestic animals such as dogs and cats. Shewould give the animals immediate first aid and then refer them to alocal veterinarian. As word spread, her patients then became song-birds, fawns, squirrels and foxes. Each time a new patient arrived ather doorstep, she heard the same statement, “You’re a nurse, can youhelp?”

This went on for a year when she decided to get the proper permitsto open Woodland Wonders. She built enclosures to create a wildlifecare facility. “We have 14 walk-in enclosures, a flight cage and a birdand mammal room,” Waters said. “We have established a rescue andrelease program with patients such as bald eagles and all other birdsof prey.” Their expertise is rehabbing eagles and other birds of prey.The mission of the non-profit organization is to provide care andtreatment for injured, ill and orphaned wildlife. The focus is on therehabilitation of wild animals for the successful release to their natu-ral habitat, also education will promote and enhance peaceful coex-istence, respect and preservation. They hold state and federal permitsand endorse professional standards of the Florida RehabilitationAssociation, National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association and theInternational Wildlife Council. They are not equipped to handle someforms of wildlife, such as alligators or wild boars, but they have treat-ed approximately 300 plus animals a year. One of those animals,which stole Water’s heart, was an orphaned baby otter she called“Molly.” She came to Waters when she was just two days old andagainst all odds, she thrived in Water’s care. She first had to teach theotter to swim and then to hunt for food. She did this in the bathtubat her home. “A bathtub is not the most professional thing to use toraise an otter, but it worked well,” Waters said. Since she had Mollyfor such a long time, she became imprinted, which means she couldnot be released back into the wild, so she was transferred to a wildlifesanctuary. “It’s the belief of vets and otter experts that an otteracquired so young doesn’t do well in the wild,” Waters said. “Mollycaptured my heart and will be forever in my heart and memory.”

Woodland Wonders has ongoing community education programs aswell. “We do a lot of community education programs which I dearlylove doing,” Waters said. “We are an all volunteer effort and we getout in the public to teach how to identify wildlife and how to tem-porarily care for wildlife until they can get professional help.” Theyalso offer information on the conservation of wildlife. WoodlandWonders had the opportunity to be a part of the memorial service forKen Morrison in April of 2011. Morrison was the director of BokTower and a giant in the Audubon community in Florida. Theyreleased an eagle at the Ken Morrison Celebration of Life service thatwas held at Bok Tower. The organization gets no funding from thestate and survives completely on donations. Their rescue area coversall of Polk County. “We try to stay within Polk County and we try toanswer all our calls as they come in,” Waters said. “If we can’t get tothem right away, we offer advice as to how to care for the animaluntil we can get there to help them.”

The organization also helps with domestic animals that have beenabandoned in the wild by their previous owners. Waters said thatsince the economy has gotten so bad, pet abandonment is on the rise,especially with iguanas. “We will not accept anymore iguanasbecause I can’t find anyone who will take them or find them a home,”Waters said.

For more information on Woodland Wonders, you can visit theirwebsite at wwwwww..wwooooddllaannddwwoonnddeerrss..oorrgg. If you have a question aboutwildlife or need help with an animal, you can contact the organiza-tion at 863-967-3298. If you would like to make a donation toWoodland Wonders you can mail the donation to 2210 Betty AnnDrive, Auburndale, Fl. 33823.

GIVING WILDLIFE A HELPING HANDBy Libby Hopkins

IINNTTHHEEFFIIEELLDD MMAAGGAAZZIINNEE SSEEPPTTEEMMBBEERR 22001122 3333WW WW WW.. II NN TTHH EE FFII EE LL DD MMAA GG AA ZZ II NN EE ..CC OO MM

3344 IINNTTHHEEFFIIEELLDD MMAAGGAAZZIINNEE SSEEPPTTEEMMBBEERR 22001122 W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M AG A Z I N E .C O M

In this day and age when it istough for small business to succeed, we believe strong workethic and integrity will keep thepublication shining and bringmany more years of success as weserve our advertisers and readers,bringing a publication that issought throughout Polk County.

We are passionate and dedicatedto agriculture and committedto continuing the coverage, introducing our readers to thefaces behind their meals. The food you purchased for your dailynutrition didn’t just miraculouslyappear in your grocer’s shelves orin the bins at your local farmersmarket. It appeared in theseplaces after your farmers andranchers put in the blood, sweatand tears to produce the safestmost abundant food supply available.

We also celebrate a multi-yearendorsement from the PolkCounty Cattlemen’s Association, a non-profit organization that isdedicated to supporting the cattle-men and youth of Polk County.

Charles Clark, president of thePolk County Cattlemen’sAssociation, said, “During NedWaters tenure as President of thePolk County Cattlemen's

Association, Ned brought forth a proposal during one of ourDirectors' meetings, for PCCA to partner with “In The FieldMagazine.” After a short discus-sion, a unanimous decision by the board set us down a trail thathas been very beneficial to ourorganization. While the magazinecovers all facets of agriculturefrom production to processing tofood preparation, it has given us a way each month to reach out to a broad audience. In this fastmoving world with new rules,new technologies and new prob-lems constantly coming forth, itlets us get information out to ourmembers as well as give our nonfarm citizens and politicians alook into our industry. KarenBerry and Sarah Holt, along with their staff of writers andphotographers, attend our dinnermeetings and other functions anddo an outstanding job of helpingus get our story to the public.”

As we embark on our seventhyear, we are looking forward andits an exciting view. The future isbright for In The Field. We enjoythose we have come to know inthe agriculture industry in PolkCounty. We have made manyfriends and look forward to many more. •

Another year has passed and In The Field’s Polk County

edition is celebrating. For six years we have been covering

what is growing in Polk County and we are starting our

seventh year. Thanks to our advertisers, farmers, ranchers, readers,

family and friends we are celebrating another year of success. The rela-

tionships that started in 2006 with this edition are only getting stronger

and we are looking forward to strengthening them even further as we

continue to bring you articles that show the faces of agriculture.



Farm Credit of Central FloridaChairman of the Board, David J.Stanford, announced Keith D.

Mixon, of Winter Haven has beenappointed to the cooperative’s Board ofDirectors to fill an open seat effective untilthe next Director election in April of2013. “Keith’s blend of youthful enthusi-asm and innovative spirit will greatly aug-ment the existing expertise already on ourboard,” said Stanford

Mixon serves as President of Dole BerryCompany, LLC. Dole is a subsidiary ofDole Foods and is the second largest grow-er and distributor of fresh berries to thewholesale and food service markets inNorth America. Dole packages and distrib-

utes blueberries, blackberries, raspberries,and strawberries for various independentgrowers located in North and LatinAmerica.

Dole Berry Company was formed in thefourth quarter of 2011 as a result ofits acquisition of SunnyRidge Farms.SunnyRidge was a family business ownedand operated since 1993 by Keith and hissiblings. Keith served as President andCEO from 2004 until the Dole acquisitionin 2011.

Established by Keith’s father, Gerald, whowas recently inducted into the FloridaAgriculture Hall of Fame, SunnyRidgesales skyrocketed under the youngerMixon’s guidance from 65 to 200 millionpounds. “Farm Credit of Central FloridaMembers will benefit greatly from havinga proven, highly successful, executive withvast knowledge of the berry industry onour board,” said Farm Credit of CentralFlorida President & CEO, Reggie Holt.

Keith Mixon, who also owns and operatesa beef cattle ranch in Winter Haven,earned his Bachelors Degree in ElectricalEngineering from the Georgia Institute of

Technology and an MBA from theUniversity of South Florida. Previously, hewas Vice President and General Managerof Haines City Electric, Inc., a turnkeyelectrical engineering, manufacturing, andconstruction company focused primarilyon the phosphate industry.

Farm Credit of Central Florida is aMember-owned agricultural lending coop-erative providing funds for agriculturaloperations, residential mortgages, as wellas selling crop insurance. The associationserves 13 central Florida counties includ-ing, Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas,Hillsborough, Polk, Orange, Osceola,Seminole, Lake, Sumter, Volusia andBrevard. It has outstanding loan volumeexceeding $800 million serving almost1,100 Member/Borrowers.

Farm Credit of Central Florida is partof the nationwide Farm Credit Systemcreated in 1916 to provide a stable,reliable source of credit to America’sranchers, farmers, and growers. The FarmCredit System celebrated its 95th anniver-sary in 2011. •

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

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

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

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

ANTIOXIDANTS

FOR OVERALL HEALTHTomatillos are high in antioxidants.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Enjoy fresh Florida tomatillos both rawand cooked today!

SELECTED REFERENCEShhttttpp::// //wwwwww..fflloorriiddaaggaarrddeenneerr..ccoomm//

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



The Downtown Lakeland Partnershiphas been sponsoring First Fridayevents for eight wildly successful years

and is credited with creating major interest inthe businesses and activities of the downtownand historic areas of the city.

The events vary from month-to-month andencompass every free family-oriented eventimaginable, live music, theatre performanc-es, art, contests, etc. Streets are closed totraffic and open to pedestrians, vendors,dog walkers, singers, balloon-makers, folkswho like to dress up, Chinese dragons,martial artists, all stores and restaurants.

Of particular interest to the Grub Stationwas the July First Friday, “Hats On toSummer,” open-to-the-public pie bakingcontest.

There were four baking categories includ-ing fruit, nut, savory and all other types ofpies. The winner from each category wasawarded $25 Downtown Dollars, as wellas a $50 Downtown Dollar prize to theoverall high score and the opportunity ofhaving their pie recipe featured at Fresco’sBakery & Bistro during the August FirstFriday event.

Bakers from Polk and surrounding countiesvied for the prizes, with 16-year-old DevinDavis from Plant City, as the youngest con-testant. Devin, at 15 years of age, was theyoungest baking judge in StrawberryFestival history and he also gave a pie bak-ing demonstration at the Festival.

Devin has already won two CriscoNational Pie Championships, is a four-timeLakeland Barbeque Champion and the2010 Grand-Champion winner of the PlantCity Pig Jam, cooked a Thanksgiving din-ner for Fox News 13 “Charley’s World”Television personality Charley Belcher and

is currently assisting in chef instruction atthe Rolling Pin Kitchen Emporium at theWestfield Brandon Town Center withowner Chef Dave West who says, “Devin isdoing great!”

The teen cooking prodigy entered four piesin each of the First Friday categories. Threeof his pies, a creamy guava, a white choco-late banana coconut cream pie and amacadamia nut coconut pie, garnered threeof the top pie prizes with the exception ofsavory pie. That honor went to Lori Powellof Lakeland whose entry was a wonderful-ly presented black-eyed pea, ground beef,Monterey Jack and chorizo pie. Davis alsocollected the overall high score prize.

His winning white chocolate macadamianut coconut cream pie received raves fromjudges Joanne Caccamisi of Central FoodEquipment, Inc. and entrepreneur MatthewWengerd, who called the pie totally“unique, ”earning Davis a display of his pieand recipe at Fresco’s Bakery & Bistro, aswell as an offer of an internship at theirrestaurant from owners Tina and TimCalhoun.

It seems there is much more to come fromthis rising culinary star as he is now brand-ing his own award winning steak rub.There will be more to follow, as he has aboth chicken and barbeque rub’s in theworks.

BY CHERYL KUCK

Happy winners – Devin Davis, Lori Powell and Tiffany Logan

By now, we locals have become avid Devin Davis fans and arelooking forward to further news of his career. Here is his FirstFriday winning pie recipe...

Macadamia Nut Coconut PiePrep Time: 30 min. • Chill Time: 30 min.Bake Time: 55 min.

CCrruusstt1 1/3 cup flour½ teaspoon salt2 tablespoons sugar4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes4 tablespoons cold butter flavored Crisco, cut into cubes4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a small bowl. Add thebutter and Crisco to the flour mixture. Toss it to coateach piece in flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butterand Crisco into the flour mixture until it is the size ofgreen peas. Using a spoon, carefully stir in the water onetablespoon at a time until it is moistened and starts tocome together. Form dough into a ball and wrap tightlyin plastic wrap. Refrigerate for thirty minutes. Oncechilled, roll out the dough on a floured surface to about1/8 inch in thickness. Fit the dough into a nine inch pieplate and trim the excess off the edges. Then crimp theedges and mold into desired fashion. Prick the doughwith a fork and set aside.

FFiilllliinngg½ cup butter3 large eggs¾ cup light corn syrup¼ cup maple syrup¾ cup sugar1 tsp. vanilla extract¼ tsp. salt1 ¼ cup chopped macadamia nuts½ cup flaked coconut

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small sauce pan, heatthe butter over medium-low heat until it turns goldenbrown, then set aside to cool. It a medium sized bowl,whisk the eggs until smooth. Add the remaining fiveingredients and whisk until combined. Stir in the nuts andcoconut and pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake for 10minutes and then reduce heat to 325 degrees. Lay apiece of tin foil over the pie and bake for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes, remove the foil and bake for 15 moreminutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.Serve with whipped cream if desired.

First Friday served up a great party, including mouth-wateringpies and is a monthly ‘happening’ that should be on everybody’scalendar.

If you want to talk to Executive Director Tiffany Logan aboutFirst Friday or are interested in becoming a vendor, contact herthrough the information numbers, Web site or e-mail listed. Atmonthly events, look for the woman in the hot pink shirt. Shealways wears it so people can find her in a crowd. She likes to tellfolks, “Explore downtown Lakeland, that’s where the cool stuffhappens.” •

INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2012 41WWW. INTHEF I E LDMAGAZ INE .COM

Tenoroc FFA’s 5th Annual Farm Fair

February 21, 20139:00 am-12:30 pm

Tenoroc FFA is seeking local vendors and industryrepresentatives to participate in our 5th Annual Farm Fair.There is no cost to participate- just your time! This eventwill be held at Tenoroc High School’s AgricultureDepartment.

Farm Fair is put on by our dedicated FFA members. Thepurpose of Farm Fair is to educate local pre-school andelementary children about agriculture and the role it hasin everyday living. They visit Farm Fair as a field trip andwe’re working on recruiting local schools. Last year wehad about 1100 children attend!

This is a great way to representyour industry or advertise your

business for free!

This event could not be a success without the help of youand the many other volunteers who donate their time tohelp our visitors. If you would like more information, orwould like to sign up, please contact Jenna Barefootat 863-614-9183 or email: [email protected].

Recipes Courtesy of the Polk County Cattlewomenʼs Association

INGREDIENTS

2lbs. flat iron steak (top blade), cut 1" thick¾ tsp. salt2 tbs. honey2 fresh mangoes, peeled, diced4 tbs. fresh lime juice1 tsp. ground cumin1 red pepper1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced1 tsp. dry mustard

PREPARATION

Prepare a honey lime glaze by mixing honey,2 tbs. fresh lime juice, cumin, dry mustard and1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Make Red Pepper Mango Salsa by combiningmangoes, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper,2 tbs. fresh lime juice and 1/4 tsp. salt in anothermixing bowl and set aside. Place beef steaks ongrill covered 10 to 14 minutes for medium rare tomedium doneness, turning occasionally.Brush with honey lime glaze during grilling.

Remove steaks from grill.Carve across the grain into thin slices.Top steaks with Red Pepper Mango Salsa.

PREPARATION

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium-high heatuntil brown. Add ground beef, onion, bell pepper,garlic and salt; cook until beef is thoroughly cooked,stirring frequently. Drain. Add water, tomatoes,olives and Italian seasoning; mix well. Bring to aboil. Stir in rice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer5 minutes or until rice is tender. Sprinkle withcheese; cover and let stand until melted.

In place of plain diced tomatoes, try this skilletrecipe with Italian-style diced tomatoes, tomatoeswith garlic or tomatoes with celery and green bellpeppers.

INGREDIENTS

4 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 (2.25-oz.) can sliced ripe black olives, drained

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups uncooked instant white rice

2 cups water

RECIPES


FamilyBeef &Rice SkilletFrom Cecilia Harrison Speight

Flat Iron Grillwith Red Pepper Mango SalsaFrom Sherry Kitchen


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Find us in yourneighborhood...

Circle R Ranch & Livestock Eq.16490 U.S. Hwy. 27

Lake Wales, FLPhone: 888.693.4283

Grove Equipment5905 Hwy. 60 E.

Bartow, FLPhone: 863.537.1345

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

MAGAZINE

®

Arrington’s Body Shop, Inc.301 Sixth St.. S.W.Winter Haven, FL

Phone: 863.293.4192

Fields Equipment Company3203 Havendale Blvd.

Winter Haven, FLPhone: 863.967.0602

Chemical Containers, Inc.413 ABC RoadLake Wales, FL

Phone: 800.346.7867

Lay’s Western Wear & Feed, Inc.5530 Old Hwy. 37

Lakeland, FLPhone: 863.646.1003

Fred’s Southern Kitchen2120 Harden Blvd.

Lakeland, FLPhone: 863.603.7080

Yellow Jacket (Vespula)

FARM EQUIPMENTANIMALS & NEEDS

ANIMAL & 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

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

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

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

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

AUTOMOTIVE

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

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

BUILDING SUPPLIES

DECKING 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 $135.00

FARM EQUIPMENT

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

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

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

MASSEY FERGUSON 175Diesel tractor. Runs good!$4,950 Call 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FOR SALE

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

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

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

14KT GOLD AMMOLITE RINGMulti-colored fossil gem with unique mounting.Great for gifting. Size 8 $250 or best offer.Call 863-370-8891

JOBS

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

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

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

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

HOME FOR SALE4 bedrooms, 2 bath, 1984 SFon 3 acres! 8001 KnightsGriffen Rd. Contact Malissa813-967-0168

FOR SALE – WHAT WAS 900K, REDUCED TO375K? 20 ACRES LAKELAND AGRICULTURERELATED, INCOME PRODUCING1600 ft of I-4 frontage. Call us now to see howmuch you're losing by not owning this property!Estate Brokers USA at 813-986-9141

FOR SALEThe Cat is out of the bag. Check this out- 20054/2 2300 sq ft residence income producing farm -owner finance- non qualifying- zero interest.Antioch Call now, it might still be available.Estate Brokers USA at 813-986-9141

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

Classifieds Tel: 813.759.6909 [email protected]



Documents

In The Field Polk edition