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April 2019 VOL. 14 • ISSUE 6
CONTENTS Case Watson Grand Champion Steer Exhibitor
64 Cover Photo by: Karen Berry
PAGE 11 Industrial Hemp
PAGE35 Ciruela
PAGE 58
PAGE 16 Grand Champion Swine
PAGE 36 Jack Payne
PAGE 59
PAGE 18 Fishing Hot Spots PAGE 22 Rocking Chair Chatter
PAGE 40 Water Conservation
Activity
A Closer Look
PAGE 62 Lazy Gardener
PAGE 63
PAGE 46 John Dicks
Florida Tomato Month
PAGE 26 Adam Putnam
PAGE 48 Endangered Species
PAGE 66
PAGE 28 Florida AG Expo
PAGE 53 Recipes
PAGE 32 Veterans Florida
PAGE 54 Literary Time Machine
News Briefs PAGE 68
New Entomologist
Hey Readers!
Hidden somewhere in the magazine is a No Farmers, No Food logo. Hunt for the logo and once you find the hidden logo you will be eligible for a drawing to win a FREE No Farmers No Food Sticker and a FREE In The Field T-Shirt. Send us your business card or an index card with your name and telephone number, the number of the page which you found the logo and where on the page you located the logo to the address below
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InTheField® Magazine P.O. Box 5377 • Plant City, Fl. 33566-0042 *Winners will be notified by phone. You Too Can Be A Winner!
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Hillsborough County Farm Bureau 305 S. Wheeler St. Plant City, FL. Office Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Insurance Services: 813-685-5673 Member Services: 813-685-9121
OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Dennis Carlton, Jr.....................President Jake Raburn................Vice President Tony Lopez..............Treasurer Buddy Coleman..................Secretary DIRECTORS FOR 2018 - 2019 Christina Andrlik, Carl Bauman, Jake Cremer, Tiffany Dale, Carson Futch, Jim Frankowiak, Chip Hinton, John Joyner, Lawrence McClure, Sambahv, Jay Marty Tanner, Vincent Tort, Will Womack, Gayle Yanes
Judi Whitson, Executive Director 813-685-9121 Farm Bureau Insurance Special Agents
Valrico Office 813-685-5673
100 S. Mulrennan Rd., Valrico, FL. 33594 Tommy Hale, CLU, ChFC, CASL, CPCU Agency Mgr. Juile Carlson, John McGuire
Plant City Office 813.752.5577
305 S. Wheeler St., Plant City, FL 33563 Jeff Summer Bill Williams
Tampa Office 813.933.5440
6535 Gunn Highway, Tampa, FL.33625 Greg Harrell, Sonia Valladares
AGENCY MANAGER Thomas O. Hale WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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STAFF Publisher/Photography Karen Berry Senior Managing Editor/ Associate Publisher Sarah Holt Patsy Berry Editor
Letter from the Editor As I’m writing this it’s a gloomy overcast day. It started with a few light rain showers but they have abated. While I love those sun shiny Florida days that attract so many tourists, I’m happy to see the rain. I know sometimes we grumble when plans are foiled because of a sudden thunderstorm, but the fact of the matter is, we need rain. It seems to be downpour or drought around here. With most of our water coming from the aquifer and the population rapidly increasing, we need to ensure that our water supply stays adequate. According to the website worldpopulationreview.com “If growth continues at roughly the same rate, by the time that the next Census is undertaken in 2020, the population will exceed 22 million. The population could potentially surpass 26 million in 2030, driven by immigration from both Northern US states and other countries.” While there hasn’t been a census since 2016 it is estimated that we are well over 21 million people and the growth isn’t expected to slow down. What can we do? Conserve water! Don’t run sprinklers when it is raining (I see this all the time and wonder why they are wasting water). Don’t leave the hose running, I know this can happen accidently, but just think about conserving water and saving money because that makes for a lovely water bill. Basically, be mindful when using water. It doesn’t matter if you have city water or well water; it all comes from our aquifer or surface water. Surface water, by the way, is a very small percentage of what we use. Check out more water saving tips on page 40. Thanks so much for reading. We appreciate each of you!
Sarah Holt The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. - Numbers 6:25
Sales Melissa Nichols Karen Berry Sarah Holt Necole Holt George Domedion Creative Director/Illustrator Juan Alvarez Photography Karen Berry Staff Writers Al Berry Sandy Kaster James Frankowiak Sean Green Ginny Mink Breanne Williams Contributing Writers Woody Gore John Dicks
In The Field Magazine is published monthly and is available through local Hillsborough County businesses, restaurants, and many local venues. It is also distributed by U.S. mail to a target market, which includes all of the Greenbelt Property owners, members of the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau and Strawberry Grower’s Association. Letters, comments and questions can be sent to P.O. Box 5377, Plant City, Florida 33563-0042 or you are welcome to email them to: info@inthefieldmagazine.com or call 813-759-6909 Advertisers warrant & represent the descriptions of their products advertised are true in all respects. In The Field Magazine assumes no responsibility for claims made by advertisers. All views expressed in all articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Berry Publications, Inc. Any use or duplication of material used in In the Field magazine is prohibited without written consent from Berry Publications, Inc.
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Published by Berry Publications, Inc.
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A GROWING JOHN DEERE FAMILY:
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Two Important Opportunities for Your Involvement HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
-Dennis Carlton Jr. - President
Greetings, I am urging each of you to get involved and to become part of the Voice of Florida Agriculture that fully supports Congressional passage of HR 101, the Defending Domestic Produce Production Act. This bill was introduced by U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan (R-Long Boat Key) along with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and U.S. Representative Al Lawson (DTallahassee) earlier this year. This bipartisan bill would correct the adverse trade effects of Mexico on season and perishable Florida produce such as blueberries, strawberries and tomatoes. To give you an idea on why this bill is vital for specialty crop producers in Florida, consider just fresh tomato production in the Sunshine State since 2000. University of Florida/IFAS researchers have determined tomato production in Florida has fallen from 1.56 billion pounds in 2000 to 950 million pounds in 2015, dropping nearly 40 percent. Additionally, Florida specialty crop growers have seen a market share loss approaching 20 percent to imports from Mexico, resulting in a $2 billion loss annually. If you also consider the added challenges these growers face, such as an adequate labor resource, along with the variables each season of weather, price and other considerations – these are very challenging obstacles that must be met. Please help us support this important bill. Contact your U.S. senators and representatives, urging their advancement of this proposed legislation. In addition to those lawmakers noted previously, I am pleased to report the involvement and support of Republic Congressmen Gus Bilirakis and Ross Spano, as well as Democratic Representative Kathy Castor. Your thanks to each of them and plea for continued support would be most appreciated.
Our specialty producers are not looking for government handouts, but they do want and deserve a level playing field. If you -- please note that I am addressing all IN THE FIELD readers, not just Farm Bureau members -- need assistance in locating contact information for your elected officials in our nation’s capital, please feel free to contact us on the web at hcfarmbureau.org or call us at 813-685-9121. It is important for you to also know that researchers from UF/IFAS assembled very important information on the wide-ranging subsidies the Mexican government is providing to its growers. This spans support from preparing fields and helping to pay for protected agriculture and other grower needs right on through to marketing. Our Florida specialty growers have no such support whatsoever, and that is just not fair and must be remedied. Washington officials at the very highest levels have been given this information and will hopefully respond accordingly as international trade agreements are revised. I would also ask that all of the ladies involved in agriculture that are reading this letter, please access and participate in the “Women in Ag” online survey just launched by the American Farm Bureau Federation. This survey seeks to gauge the goals, aspirations, achievements and needs of women in American agriculture. Again, this is an undertaking for all women in Ag, not just Farm Bureau members. Access to this important survey is available at: fb.org/women. Thank you,
Dennis Carlton Jr. Dennis Carlton Jr. - President
305 SOUTH WHEELER STREET • PLANT CITY, FL 33566 • 813-685-9121 Board of Directors
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Dennis Carlton, Jr. , President; Jake Raburn, Vice-President; Tony Lopez Treasurer; Buddy Coleman, Secretary; Christina Andrlik, Carl Bauman, Jake Cremer, Tiffany Dale, Carson Futch, Jim Frankowiak, Chip Hinton, John Joyner, Lawrence McClure, Sambahv,Jay Marty Tanner, Vincent Tort, Will Womack, Gayle Yanes Judi Whitson, Executive Director
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When you’re pregnant, there are so many questions. WHERE TO HAVE YOUR BABY shouldn’t be one of them. Which car seat? What stroller? And oh, the discussions about the name. With so many questions surrounding a new baby, we want to give you one definitive and easy answer. The hospital you choose. At BayCare’s South Florida Baptist Hospital, we have exceptional doctors and nurses to give you and your new baby an extraordinary level of care during labor and delivery, in a comfortable, spacious room. If you’re expecting, or thinking about having a baby, come in and see for yourself. Take a tour of South Florida Baptist Hospital and sign up for one of our free prenatal classes. Visit SouthFloridaBaptistMaternity.org to register.
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INDUSTRIAL HEMP
– A NEW ALTERNATIVE AG CROP IN FLORIDA?
By Jim Frankowiak
Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are working to develop hemp management and cropping systems that could be economically viable for growers in the Sunshine State. Lead researcher for this project is Zach Brym, Ph. D., an agronomist at the UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead. Industrial hemp is a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for the industrial uses of its derived products. It is considered one of the fastest growing plants and was one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber more than 10,000 years ago. It can be refined into a variety of commercial items including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food and animal feed. Although marijuana and industrial hemp both derive from the same Cannabis species and contain the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), they are very distinct with unique phytochemical compositions and uses. Hemp varieties can have much lower concentrations of THC, but higher concentrations of cannabidiol (CBD), which does not induce the psychoactive effects associated with marijuana. “Industrial hemp is Cannabis sativa that contains less than .03 per cent THC,” said Brym, “while marijuana is Cannabis sativa with a THC content greater than 0.3 percent.” The 2014 Farm Bill authorized pilot projects for hemp research such as the two-year study underway at UF. It is estimated that pilot projects totaling nearly 80,000 acres have been undertaken throughout the U.S. States must now submit their regulatory plans to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service (FDACS) Commissioner Nikki Fried has made this a top priority of her administration. The 2018 Farm Bill changed the definition of industrial hemp to an agricultural commodity. Industrial hemp has also been reclassified under the Controlled Substances Act administered by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). This offers hemp farmers access to financing and crop insurance, while also removing trade barriers across state lines. The regulation of hemp production
The UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Project is working “to identify varieties and planting recommendations that can be profitable for growers and environmentally responsible,” said Brym. “Florida’s climates and markets are very different from other places growing and selling hemp. Most hemp seed and plant materials are coming from those places, so we have to start with variety trials to find marketable hemp that grows well in Florida’s diverse soils, climates and latitudes. Economic research is also being conducted to find the input costs of growing hemp, expectations of hemp’s market value and a breakeven point to recommend when hemp is an ideal crop. Additionally, we are conducting a study for risk of invasiveness.” The UF/IFAS pilot project research team also plans to secure additional research funding with focus “in CBD hemp, propagation, indoor growing and other areas of researched outside the scope of our current budget in support of the Florida hemp industry,” said Brym. “We are actively looking for project sponsors to provide funds and direction for our project development.” Another important investigation for the pilot project is the invasiveness of plants such as hemp sourced from out of state. “It is the role of the Industrial Hemp Pilot Project to better understand how hemp grows in Florida with limited and strictly monitored plantings,” said Brim. “We do not intend or expect this process to be a hold up to the industry. The results of our study are intended to inform us how to manage hemp plantings and seed transportation in a way to reduce the invasion risk. The mechanism to permit hemp production is already in place with regards to invasion risk through the non-native planting permits section of FDACS rules. A reasonable environmental containment plan will be an import part of hemp production.” More information and updates on the UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Project are available at: https://programs.ifas.ufl. edu/hemp/. INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
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will be administered at the state level – FDACS in Florida – through state hemp plans submitted to the USDA.
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U.S. CHIEF AGRICULTURAL AMBASSADOR MEETS WITH LOCAL PRODUCERS AT FLORIDA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL U.S. Chief Agricultural Ambassador Gregg Doud visited the Florida Strawberry Festival to meet with agricultural producers in the Plant City area. Nearly 15 producers of strawberries, vegetables and cattle, along with U.S. Rep. Ross Spano of Florida, State Rep. Lawrence McClure of District 58 and officials from the City of Plant City, were present at the assembly to hear Doud speak on international trade policies, which are currently in negotiation. The guests in attendance were also given an opportunity to voice their ideas and concerns for the future of United States international agricultural trade. “We still have work to do,” said Doud, “and we’re going to do the best we can to get things squared away.”
er issues they’re facing such as labor policies, government subsidies and more. In addition to meeting simultaneously with producers and legislators at the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds, Doud also spent the day touring produce and cattle farms in the area. “The future of the strawberry industry and agriculture industry as a whole is extremely dependent upon proper trade deals,” said Florida Strawberry Growers Association President Kenneth Parker. “We rarely have an opportunity to sit face-toface with someone who is directly negotiating these deals, and we’re extremely grateful that he would take the time to hear from us.”
During the meeting, producers asked specifically about trade negotiations with Mexico and China and even brought up oth-
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BUTTERMILK FOR THE WIN By Libby Hopkins
Photos courtesy Florida Strawberry Festival
Will Haxton is a 15-year-old Durant High School student, who knew early on that he wanted to be involved with FFA. “When I walked into my first day of agriculture class in 7th grade at Barrington Middle School, my agriculture advisor, Mr. Lehman, had the applications to apply for showing a pig at the Strawberry Festival on the table,” Haxton said. “I wanted to be active in the FFA and try new things, so I decided there that raising a show pig would be one of those things.” Raising swine was one of Haxton’s very first FFA experiences. Little did he know, it would lead to him winning Grand Champion at the Florida Strawberry Festival this year.
If a student is drawn, then they purchase a show pig. “Most pigs are 40-60 pounds when you acquire them, and must be at least 200 lbs. by the weigh-in at the festival check-in,” Haxton said. “Buttermilk weighed 52 pounds when we acquired her. Throughout the process, you have to focus on ensuring balanced nutrition for the animal so that it can be in its best form before the show, as well as work with your animal to build a relationship of trust that will allow you to show the swine the best that you can. Both a well-developed feed plan and animal-showman relation are necessary for success in the show ring.”
“Winning grand champion was an absolutely amazing experience,” Haxton said. “This was my third year raising a pig, and I knew on the day of the check-in at the festival that she was my best pig I had raised of the three. I had worked harder with Buttermilk than my other pigs before and had really focused on making sure that she would exhibit the best show qualities. Even with all of this, I never could have expected that we would win Grand Champion. More than anything, it made me feel like all of my hard work with the project had more than paid off.” Haxton is correct in saying there is a lot of hard work that goes into raising a champion swine. According to the website, Animal Moms (www.animals.mom.me) “When choosing a pig, students should look for a well-muscled animal with good bones, feet and legs. Take the date of the fair into consideration, as pigs must reach a minimum weight by that time.”
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Haxton put a lot of time and effort into raising Buttermilk to win. “There is a drawing to be able to show a pig at the Florida Strawberry Festival,” Haxton said. This takes place at the beginning of October. “There could be upwards of 300 applicants, however less than 90 people will be drawn to show a pig,” Haxton said. “I have been fortunate to have been drawn three out of the four years I’ve applied.”
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On the entry day at the festival, Buttermilk weighed 286 lbs. “The swine show takes place the day after the weigh-in,” Haxton said. “All of the pigs at the show are divided up into classes of six to 10 pigs based on weight. In the ring, each class of pigs will be brought in one by one where a judge will rank them from first to last based on the qualities of the animal. After each class has been judged, the winning pig from each class is called back for a Champion Drive. Here, the judge WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
chooses the overall show Grand Champion pig, meaning that he thinks the swine has the greatest overall qualities of all of the pigs in the festival show. In this way, my pig won her class, and then went on to win overall Grand Champion.” Haxton’s favorite part of the swine competition may surprise you. “My favorite part of the competition isn’t the actual show, but it is the time you spend throughout the day interacting with the fairgoers,” Haxton said. “I love to advocate for the agriculture industry, especially when I can demonstrate something physically and visually to people. Any time I can share something that I love with others, the time spent is more than worth it.” Haxton plans on applying to show a swine at the 2020 Florida Strawberry Festival. He hopes he will get picked again. He also plans on attending either the University of Florida or EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University to study aerospace engineering or biological engineering after graduation.
Photo by Berry Sweet Memories by Dee Dee INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
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FLIP-FLOPPING FISHING LINE Capt. Woody Gore
On most open-faced spinning reels, we only use the first 100 feet or so of line. The rest is there, but seldom used. When the first 100 feet needs replacement anglers usually un-spool it all and throw it away. Here is a cool way to make your fishing line last twice as long using the extra spool that comes in the box with most spinning reels. And if for some reason you do not have an extra spool ask around to some of your fishing pals; I am certain one of them might have a few lying, around collecting dust. I’m sure they would not mind parting with one or two for a friend in need. What you do is reverse the fishing line and use the bottom unused portion. Let me tell you how. First, remove the spool with the line and mount the second spool. If you are using braid, tie about 25 to 50 yards of backing onto the empty spool. Now tie the braid from your filled spool you took off to the backing on the second spool using a “doubleuni knot.” Now, carefully reel the line from the filled spool onto the second spool. What is happening is the worn part of the line is now going on first, and the newer line will be on the top. Remember to stop when you get to the backing on the first spool. In addition, the best part is if you have more than one reel you now have an extra spool to continue the cycle of re-spooling. There you have it, a new line on your reel without spending any money. This is especially nice if you are using the more expensive super lines. You can save yourself $20 or more. How about baitcaster reels you ask, well on baitcaster’s you might need to un-spool one reel onto a salvaged plastic spool first. Then, because most of us have more than one baitcaster, here is the solution; take the now unspooled baitcaster and tie the line from your second one to the one you just unloaded, now load the old line from the second baitcaster onto the first one. Now the new un-used line is on top and the old line is on the bottom. Ok, so how do you get the line reversed that came off the first reel? Well, here you go, read it, and think about it; you mount your line removal tool in your drill and wind the line from the first plastic spool onto a second plastic spool. Now the old line is on the bottom and the used line is on top. Now tie the line to the baitcaster and wind the line onto the baitcaster. When finished the old line is on the bottom and the new un-used line is on the top. Remember, this works on monofilament as well as braided fishing line. Because the new super lines have a higher price point and most of us are trying to save money, it makes more sense if we can double up and get all the use we can from our fishing line. So why not try reversing your lines and save a few bucks at the same time.
May 2019 Fishing Report Spotted Sea Trout: It seems they are showing up on deeper grass
flats and around rocky bottoms with grass. Other captains are reporting decent catches of sizable trout along the southwest and southeast shores of Tampa Bay. Smaller greenbacks are working fine, but remember a shrimp is always on the top of a trout’s menu of favorite things to eat. It is like a lollipop to a youngster. They cannot seem to resist a juicy live shrimp dangling under a popping cork. The bigger fish around the south end are popping up on the shallow water grass flats. Do not forget about those artificial lures. There is good jerk bait action on shallow water broken bottom grass flats. Artificial lures allow for faster fishing and the ability to cover more area and potholes.
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Capt. Woody Gore (www.captainwoodygore.com)
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Spanish mackerel: They are back! As it happens each year when the threadfins and sardines move into Tampa Bay, the giant Spanish mackerel follow them wreaking havoc on anglers tackle everywhere. They are showing up throughout the bay and anglers normally targeting this species each year are experiencing the first days of the big fish bite. In addition, these assassins are everywhere there is bait and eating like there’s no tomorrow. I am getting reports of giants topping the WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
scales between two to three pounds and measuring close to 28 inches long. These big fish can practically snatch the fishing rod right out of your hand, especially if you are daydreaming. However, once you recover from the initial shock and awe of the drag pulling strike and look down to discover half your line is gone and the rest is on the way out, if you are lucky enough, before that mouth full of razor sharp teeth cuts you off, you might finally regain enough composure to control the situation and land a giant mac. The teeth on these guys are so brutal that Capt. George Jonah and I finally resorted to steel leaders with long shank hooks. However, when I am out of steel I revert to 60 lb. Seaguar Fluorocarbon and shiny longshank Daiichi hooks and still get cut off; but what great fun or better way to loose tackle. So, if you’re looking for some drag screaming action check out the mackerel fishing in Tampa Bay, you’ll be hooked.
Redfish (Still Catch & Release - Accord-
ing to (myfwc.com) Opens 5/10/19): Redfish are showing up around the bay and on the flats and mangroves. We are seeing some small schools and catches of our favorite shallow water bruisers. We have seen some good action on high water around the mangroves on both greenbacks and cut bait. Often referred to as dead sticking because the rod basically sits in the rod holder until the fish grabs the bait. While it may seem boring sometimes, it does work. Cut pinfish, ladyfish and mullet work equally well on redfish, snook or trout. Put a chunk on a circle hook and toss it way out into a likely travel lane, drop the rod into the rod holder, grab a beverage, sit back and relax, and when the rod bends, grab it and reel. Often times when the rod bends you get a real surprise, there is a giant shook on the other end. Snook, especially the big ones, really like chunky dead bait. On the other hand, if you can find a school of redfish and you have enough greenbacks to start chumming, you can usually peak their interest long enough to snatch a few out of the crowd before they move off. Where are the redfish? They’re out there, it’s a matter of looking until you find them.
Snook (Still Catch & Release): Snook fishing in the summer is almost a given. Almost any mangrove shoreline holds snook provided there is bait and structure. And they are one of our most preferred and targeted species throughout the bay. Terrific ambush feeders they love lying in wait along shady mangrove root systems. Rocky shores and adjacent sand bars are also good places to investigate. Early morning flats produce well using topwater lures, but remember, live greenbacks and cut bait also produce. Your best chance of catching one is during an incoming tide. Years ago, I can remember my dad telling me snook were not good to eat because they tasted like soap. Now I have learned the reasoning for that belief. No one ever skinned their catch they just scaled and filleted them. Hence, folks named snook soap-fish. I never ate one with the skin on it but my dad told me it tasted like Ivory soap; I cannot imagine. However, folks apparently figured out how to clean fish by removing the skin and guess what; today every snook in the 28 inch to 33-inch slot goes home for dinner; too bad. With the added fishing pressure we experience, it is possible if we do not start practicing catch and release we are not going to have any to catch and release. If you’re lucky enough to catch a slot snook let it go and perhaps the next person will do the same. Every angler is looking to catch them and given the amount of fishing pressure, especially on weekends, it is a wonder they bite at all.
Cobia, Mangrove Snapper, Flounder, and Sharks:
It is just a matter of time and the cobia will show up around markers, on flats and buoy cans, especially those holding bait. Mangrove snapper should be on fire this year as the water warms early. I am anticipating a good snapper bite all summer. We are also catching some nice southern flounder on the same rocky bottoms as the trout. The sharks are also showing up and if you’re interested it can be lots of fun, but be careful, they are not to be taken lightly if you handle a smaller one.
“Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing” 813-477-3814
Captain Woody Gore is the area’s top outdoor fishing guide. Guiding and fishing the west central Florida areas for over fifty years; he offers world class fishing adventures and a lifetime of memories. Multi-boat Group Charters With years of organizational experience and access to the areas most experienced captains, Captain Woody can arrange and coordinate any outing or tournament. Just tell him what you need and it’s done.
Visit his website at: WWW.CAPTAINWOODYGORE.COM send an email to wgore@ix.netcom.com or give me a call at 813-477-3814 INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
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A couple of guys with the “right stuff” participated together in U.S. bombing missions over Korea. Astronaut John Glenn and baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams were co-pilots. Twitter’s bird logo is named Larry, after Boston Celtics Hall of Famer Larry Bird. When Oreo cookies were first made, they were mound-shaped. The name comes from the Greek work “oreo,” which means “hill.” It cost $1 for admission to Disneyland when it opened in 1955. The first minimum wage, instituted in the U.S. in 1938, was 25 cents an hour. Home plate in baseball was square until 1900 when it was made fivesided to help umpires in calling balls and strikes. Edgar Allan Poe often wrote his works with his cat seated on his shoulder.
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Shopping A while back I took ten days off and spent the time at our place on Moon Shadow in Blairsville, Georgia with my wife, Patsy, and Cynthia Holt, the mother of Sarah Holt, editor of In The Field. The first thing on their agenda after we got settled in was a shopping trip to Home Depot for a 40 watt light bulb and to Wal-Mart for a pair of jeans for Patsy. What I thought would be a brief trip turned out to be an all afternoon excursion. First stop was Home Depot. The girls decided to go in and look around while I made the purchase of the light bulb. In five minutes flat I had found the bulb and checked out. I looked around and they were no where to be found, so I sat down in a chair located next to the exit thinking they would be along shortly. WRONG! Fifteen minutes passed and I decided to go look for them. I walked the entire store. They were nowhere in sight. I decided they were playing hide-and-go-seek with me.
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Back to the chair to wait! Five, ten, fifteen minutes still no Patsy and Cynthia. Maybe they slipped by me and went to the car. I checked the car and they were not there. Maybe one more round in the store would do it. That was when I made a rare discovery. I ran into a sales person in the electrical department. He said no, he had not seen the two ladies as he had been in the lounge in the back drinking coffee. As a last resort I headed back to the chair to wait only to
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discover that it was occupied by a man in overalls with a dip of snuff under his bottom lip. ‘Been here long?” I asked. “Nope,” he replied. Thinking I could pass some time until the girls show up, I tried to strike up a conversation. “Do you live around here,” I asked. “Yep,” he replied. “Have you finished shopping.” “Didn’t come here to shop,” he said. “Well, why are you here?” I asked. “I’m waiting for my wife Bertha. We came in here last week for a few things, and I ain’t seen’er since.” he said. Hearing that made me feel better. I turned around and there they were, leaving the #4 checkout lane. Guess what? Patsy bought the same light bulb I went in for. What took them so long? Who knows? I didn’t ask, as I was just happy to get out of there. Next stop, Wal-Mart. I let them off at the front entrance. Our last conversation was that they would be in the women’s department looking for jeans. I walked directly to that department immediately after parking the car. They were nowhere to be found, so I walked the store like I did at Home Depot, but there was no sign of them. A female sales representative in the women’s department noticed that I was walking back and forth and politely ask, “Sir, may I help you?” WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
I said, “No, I’ve lost my wife.” She looked me directly in the eyes and said, “Mister, I know men who would kill to be in your position!” Like Home Depot, I headed for the chairs between the checkout counters and the exit. Watching the people coming and going, I thought it would be fun to get some of my friends to meet at Wal-Mart on a given day, synchronize our watches, and on a set time we would all shop in slow motion. A woman is capable of shopping in one store for hours. Knowing this I reconciled myself that it may be sometime before we leave. So what can a man do to entertain himself while waiting for his wife? As a kid we would set all of the alarm clocks to ring at the same time at McCrory’s Five and Dime store in Plant City. Can’t do that any more, because times have changed and all the clocks are electric. Maybe I could create some excitement if I went to the sporting goods department, picked up a shotgun and ask the clerk if he knows where the antidepressants are. Or, go into a fitting room, close the door and wait a minute; then yell loudly, “Hey, somebody! I need some toilet paper in here!” Getting restless, I walked back to the women’s department and there they were. I didn’t ask where they had been because their shopping cart gave the answer. They spent about 30-minutes in the grocery department shopping for potato chips and a few odds and ends. I spent the next 30-minutes waiting for Patsy and Cynthia in the chair by the exit. Out of the corner of my eye I could see them in line emptying the shopping cart. That one pair of jeans turned out to be four pair, a couple of sweaters, three pair of socks, two bras, four slips, and a pair of wool gloves. If that makes her happy that’s fine with me. I didn’t score any points when I told them on the way back to the house that the next time they would not have to spend an hour getting all dressed up if they went to the Dollar Store instead of Wal-Mart. I guess men just don’t understand that women like to browse while shopping. Erma Bombeck said it best, “Shopping is a woman thing. It’s a contact sport like football. Women enjoy the scrimmage, the noisy crowds, the danger of being trampled to death, and the ecstasy of the purchase.” As for me, the next time they want to go shopping I’ll hand them the car keys and say, ‘Have fun. Where’s the flipper, it’s almost game time.’
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ADAM PUTNAM NAMED CEO OF DUCKS UNLIMITED By Jim Frankowiak
water practices program, through which farmers voluntarily adopt measures to reduce their water use and minimize the use of nutrients that, in high volumes, can negatively impact the environment. More than 7 million acres of agricultural lands in Florida are now enrolled in the program. That equates to 53 percent of all agricultural lands in the state, saving on average 19 million gallons of water daily. In addition to the best management water practices program, Putnam also created more than 40 conservation easements through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, preserving more than 50,000 acres of Florida land that is critical to wildlife habitat and water quality. Putnam is also a staunch supporter of veterans and the sacrifices they have made while serving our country. In 2011, he created Operation Outdoor Freedom to honor the selfless sacrifices of our nation’s disable veterans. New Florida state forests dedicated to veterans were opened with special accommodations to meet their needs. More than 4,000 veterans have joined Operation Outdoor Freedom events since its inception. As the new DU CEO Putnam’s vision “is to bring together conservation-minded folks from all walks of life, whether they’re farmers, city-dwellers, veterans, geologists, hunters…anyone who has a connection to landscapes, which is everyone,” he said. “If we are going to fill the skies with waterfowl, we must build a coalition of people who believe waterfowl-filled skies matter. We need to work together to reach a common goal of healthy wetlands and abundant water for wildlife, people and their communities across North America.” Former Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Adam Putnam has been named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ducks Unlimited, Inc. (DU). DU’s retiring CEO, Dale Hall, will remain with the organization to aid the transition until his retirement June 30. “I joined Ducks Unlimited when I was 16 and have a lifelong appreciation of the conservation work the organization accomplishes,” said Putnam. “It is humbling to be chosen as DU’s CEO, and as a lifelong hunter, angler and conservationist, I look forward to building on our record of success.” As Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Putnam was responsible for the management of 1.3 million acres of state forests, running the state Energy Office and directing Florida’s school nutrition programs. “From the outset, the DU CEO search committee wanted to find a unique balance of conservation, policy and agriculture in the background of the new CEO candidate,” said DU President Rogers Hoyt. “In Adam, we feel that we have hit on all three. Not to mention he’s an approachable, passionate and visionary person, so Adam was the perfect fit.”
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While Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Putnam was a strong advocate for the Sunshine State’s water resources. During his tenure he expanded Florida’s best management
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Before serving as Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture, Putnam served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. First elected in 2000, he was the youngest member of Congress at the time and the youngest ever from Florida. While in Washington, D.C., he distinguished himself as the leading voice for specialty crop agriculture in the nation’s Farm Bill, international trade and food safety. He also served in the Florida House. Putnam is a fifth generation Floridian and alumnus of the University of Florida where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Food and Resource Economics. He has also been awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree and served as a Rodel Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Putnam and his wife of 20 years, Melissa, are raising their four children in Bartow with plans to move to Memphis, the headquarters location of DU, in the coming months. DU is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America’s waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, DU has conserved more than 14 million acres thanks to contributions from more than one million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information about DU, visit: www.ducks.org. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
By Jim Frankowiak
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FLORIDA AG EXPO SET FOR NOVEMBER 21 WITH NEW MANAGEMENT
By Jim Frankowiak The 2019 edition of Florida Ag Expo will take place Thursday, Nov. 21, at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) in Wimauma. The GCREC has been the home for this annual event since its inception in 2006.
Expo includes research presentations, a grower panel discussion, field tours, hands-on workshops, a graduate student poster contest and trade show. “It’s an enjoyable day for attendees with many opportunities for learning and networking,” said Rechcigl.
Ag Expo is now under new management with the UF/IFAS selection of AgNet Media. “We selected AgNet because of the great job it has done producing the Citrus Expo and the new direction it will take with Ag Expo,” said Jack Rechcigl, GCREC center director and professor.
Anticipated changes for the 2019 Florida Ag Expo are an expansion of focus from traditional agriculture to the inclusion of more alternative crops and making the entire event of greater relevance to small growers. AgNet Media also plans to add a fund-raising component with all proceeds supporting GCREC scholarships.
The initial Ag Expo was held at the GCREC one year after it opened in 2005, as a way for the center to draw attention to its fruit and vegetable research. “Growers Tony DiMare and Jay Taylor had attended a fruit and vegetable tour and expo in Mexico and realized we needed a similar type of event in Florida,” said Rechcigl. “This is how the Florida Ag Expo came about.”
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The annual event is a partnership among UF/IFAS and the Florida Tomato Committee, Florida Strawberry Growers Association, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association and the Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association. The scope of Florida Ag
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“Our aim is to listen to the growers and respond to their needs,” said Gary Cooper, AgNet Media founder and president. “We want to ensure their valuable time is well spent at Florida Ag Expo.” Vegetable and specialty crop growers with suggestions for topics they would like considered for the Florida Ag Expo program are encouraged to email their ideas to: Events@AgNetMedia.com. “We welcome any input that may help us improve the overall event,” said AgNet Media Events Manager Josh McGill. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
Media looks forward to the opportunity to provide and enhance these industry tools,” said Cooper.
In addition to being selected to manage Florida Ag Expo, AgNet Media has also been picked by UF/IFAS to publish the 23rd edition of the Vegetable Production Handbook of Florida. The 2019–2020 handbook, which offers the best and most up-to-date information available on crop cultivars, cultural practices and pest management, will be available this summer.
AgNet Media is an agriculture media company with Florida roots dating back to farmer investors who provided seed capital in the mid-1980s for the state’s first independent, commercial farm broadcast effort. AgNet Media became the second owner of Citrus Industry magazine in 2005 and its Citrus Expo event. In addition to the Southeast AgNet Radio Network, covering Florida, Georgia and Alabama, AgNet Media also includes an established farm-radio network in California, where AgNet West went on the air in 2012. “These four states produce more than 70 percent of the nation’s high-value fresh vegetables and specialty crops,” said Cooper. VSCNews.com (Vegetable and Specialty Crop News) is the latest addition to the AgNet Media family.
The handbook is a cooperative effort among state and county Extension and research faculty, sharing expertise and advice that can help growers maximize production, sustainability and profits. AgNet is offering limited handbook sponsorship opportunities for companies serving Florida’s vegetable industry. Sponsorship details are available by calling 352-671-1909 or emailing Sales@AgNetMedia.com. “The University of Florida’s Florida Ag Expo and Vegetable Production Handbook have been mainstays for Florida’s vegetable and specialty crop community for years, and AgNet
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NEW VETERAN AG INTERN AT THE GCREC; PROGRAM GETS NEW NAME, EXPANDS By Jim Frankowiak
U. S. Marine Corps veteran Chris Lujan is the latest intern at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) as part of a program to help veterans transition into sustainable careers in Florida’s agriculture industry. The veterans program, formerly known as the Veteran Agriculture Selection Program (VASP) has been renamed the Veterans Florida Agriculture Program (VFAP). “The name change was because the initiative became a Veterans Florida (VF) program when it received a sub award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) to execute and expand VASP/VFAP in partnership with Hillsborough County Economic Development,” said Amy Entress, Program Manager for VFAP. VASP/VFAP was established in 2016 with original funding coming from “in kind” donations from Hillsborough County Economic Development and UF/IFAS GCREC. Current funding is from the USDA-NIFA Enhancing Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Competitive Grants Program and individual UF/IFAS Research and Education Center (REC) support. VFAP is a nine-month internship with the first six months taking place at an UF/IFAS REC. The final three months of the internship have participants matched with local agribusinesses on a working farm or ranch. Selected veterans receive a $500 per month stipend for the first six months in addition to an hourly wage throughout the program. Participants work a 40-hour week.
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In addition to interns at the GCREC and Range Cattle REC in Hardee County, program expansion includes the Mid-Florida REC in Orange County, the North Florida REC in Gadsen County “and internships soon at the Citrus REC in Polk County, Southwest Florida REC in Collier County, Tropical Aquaculture Lab also in Hillsborough County, Tropical REC in Dade County and at the West Florida REC in Santa Rosa County,” said Entress. “Our future plans are to expand VFAP across all UF/IFAS RECs and labs in Florida and we are seeking corporate sponsorships to ensure the program’s sustainability.” She encourages agribusinesses interested
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in hiring a veteran intern and/or sponsoring the program to contact her via email: entress@veteransflorida. org or call her at 813-997-3448. Lujan was born in Colorado and raised in Lake Alfred. His family has deep agricultural roots, paternally from Colorado and from his mother’s family in West Virginia. “We often visited family lands in Colorado and West Virginia during the summer,” he said. “Hunting and other outdoor activities have made me pro-conservation, pro-hunting and pro-wildlife.” Growing up in Lake Alfred, Lujan was very active in scouting, rising to the rank of Eagle Scout. “The movie – Top Gun – sparked my interest in the military at an early age,” he said, also noting that his family had many veterans. Drama and theater were also interests of Lujan, enhancing what he calls his “diversity.” Although college was the path his mother wanted him to follow after graduating from Auburndale High School, Lujan wanted to enlist and to that end explored opportunities with nearly all branches of the military. “While other branches of the military wanted me to wait and enlist in programs more tailored to my skills and abilities, the Marine Corps gave me a challenge and I signed my life over 72-hours after making my initial visit,” he said. Lujan ultimately became a sergeant and part of Air Support Operations, Command and Control in a role he equates to the “ultimate FEMA Incident Command System for the military” that took him “all over the place globally” that included 36 countries. His linguistic skills exhibited while working with nationals in Iraq led him to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and a path for the balance of his military career. That changed when his mother was diagnosed with a severe health ailment and her request that Lujan help her address the challenge, requiring an early departure from the Marine Corps in 2010. Lujan left the service and helped care for his mother and grandmother in Florida while also beginning to remotely manage the family land in West Virginia. He was introduced to his wife, Tuyen, during that time.
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As his mother met and overcame her health challenges, Lujan went to Vietnam where he personally met his wife Tuyen. They were married in Vietnam and returned to the U.S., and Lujan again found himself commuting to West Virginia to manage the family land which was officially becoming a small farming operation. Ultimately, he moved to West Virginia and attended West Virginia Wesleyan College and West Virginia University while networking with various veteran farmer organizations. Somehow maintaining this from Florida became the new family goal. A goal thanks to the birth of their one-year old daughter, Maia, and her mom’s desire to live in Lakeland.
seems content in learning and working within precision agriculture. The seeds of scientific research and technological innovations evidently have been sown in this pairing of veteran intern with the GCREC community. More information on VFAP is available by contacting Entress or by visiting the Veterans Florida website: http://veteransflorida.org.
Lujan’s agricultural heritage and military service experiences along with his innovativeness prompted him to become involved in several aviation, remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS), which can be applied to a variety of precision agriculture models. “Our family land in West Virginia offers potential and encouraged me to explore various ag-related veterans’ programs in different states along with emerging agricultural technologies for small scale high yield endeavors,” he said. “I was particularly drawn to the program at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center since it is geared to the emerging aspects of agriculture and I consider myself an entrepreneur, ultimately starting my own agricultural aviation business.” This couples with Lujan’s larger ambitions “making remote cottage farming viable with better management, marketing, value added processing and logistics.” Lujan’s visionary ideas are founded in his experiences seeing firsthand how small the world can be with technology. For now, he
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Florida
Ciruela
By Sandy Sun, M.S. Clinical Medicines, B.S. Nutrition Science
Fresh Florida Ciruela is a delicious, sweet fruit also known as the plum, Mexican plum, red or purple mombin, hog plum, or jocote. Ciruela is a popular fruit among the tropics, especially in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Ciruela is yellow to green in color and turns in purple or red when ripe. The skin is thin, waxy, and edible. Inside, the yellow pulp is sweet and juicy when ripe and surrounds a large, inedible pit. The flavor is both sweet and tart. The fruit is highly nutritious and rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. They also contain carotene, B-complex vitamins, and several important amino acids. The University of Florida has recently developed new cultivars of plums adapted to the warm winters and unique growing conditions of the state. Several of these cultivars ripen as early as May, earlier than plums from other regions of the country. According to the University of Florida Extension office, four Japanese-type plum varieties bred for Florida’s climate may become the basis for a new commercial fruit crop in the state.
Nutritional Profile The outer peel of the ciruela is entirely edible and contains most of the fiber in the fruit. One medium piece of fruit contains 30 calories, 0.2 g fat, 7.5 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, and 0.5 g protein. It also provides plentiful amounts of vitamins A and C, potassium, calcium, iron, and several of the B vitamins, as well as quite a few antioxidants.
Antioxidants: Fight off disease Plums are very high in disease-fighting antioxidants, which work to neutralize destructive free radicals in the body. When healthy cells are damaged, they are more susceptible to disease and certain types of cancer, and antioxidants may help slow the progression of conditions like asthma, arthritis, and colon cancer. Diets that contain fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C, including ciruela, are linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Vitamin C: For a strong immune system Fresh Florida ciruela is a very good source of vitamin C, which has many important functions in the body. Eating foods con-
Fiber: For regularity and good health Research has shown that dietary fiber has a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases, by lowering blood cholesterol levels and slowing the progression of heart disease in high-risk individuals. Fiber also promotes bowel regularity and increases satiety levels, which can aid in weight control.
How to select and store For optimal taste, choose ripe ciruela that yields slightly to gentle pressure and has a fragrant smell. Look for a richly colored purple to red colored skin that is free of cuts and blemishes. You can also pick firm fruits since they will continue to ripen even after picking. The ripening process can be accelerated by placing the fruit in a paper bag overnight. Once ripe, refrigerate for up to one week. Rinse under cool running water before eating or preparing.
How to enjoy Fresh ripe ciruela is soft, sweet, juicy, and delicious eaten outof-hand. Eat the fruit as you would a plum ---you can eat the peel but discard the stone in the center. Ciruela can also be used to make beverages, boiled to make a syrup or jam, or mashed and made into ice cream. Ciruela can be chopped and added to cereal, oatmeal, salad, or even ice cream. Stewed fruit can be served with oatmeal for breakfast or as a dessert. Enjoy this beautiful, fragrant fruit during Florida’s peak season, and load up on vitamins with every juicy, sweet bite.
Selected References http://www.uga.edu http://www.whfoods.com INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
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taining vitamin C significantly raises the amount of iron your body absorbs. Adequate intake and absorption of iron is necessary to prevent anemia. Vitamin C also supports the body’s immune system in its ability to fight infections and viruses. Additionally, this vitamin is involved in keeping capillaries, gums, and skin healthy and supple.
THE RED TIDE/BLUE-GREEN ALGAE CRISIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US – SCIENTISTS AND FARMERS --TO DO MORE FOR FLORIDA’S WATER QUALITY.
Dail Laughinghouse, a UF/IFAS applied phycologist who works at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.
By Jack Payne For starters, we can broaden the conversation beyond farms. We need to include anyone who has a lawn, drives city streets, or flushes a toilet. I think you can see where I’m going here.
Farmers statewide use UF/IFAS science to improve the way they farm. Best management practices are how we translate that science into recommendations.
Even I hadn’t realized how much the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences could contribute to protection of water quality until Karl Havens, director of Florida Sea Grant, helped me inventory our expertise.
But we need BMPs that will work for every farm. To get there, we’ll need to look at a wider variety of crops, more geographic areas, and changing conditions that require us to update established BMPs.
UF/IFAS soil and water scientists can help determine what the most effective mitigation measures are. Our agricultural engineers are developing artificial intelligence, robots, drones, smartphone apps, and other technology to guide the most sparing use of fertilizer and water. Fisheries experts work with our aquaculture farmers to monitor how underwater “crops” are affected. Agriculture and natural resource economists examine the tradeoffs involved in policy choices. Communicators help dispel misperceptions and tell success stories.
Farmers are our partners in discovery. You lend us land to take ideas out of our labs, greenhouses, and research farms and to test them in the real world.
In short, we have one of the largest groups of scientists studying a broad array of water quality issues of any university in the U.S. Not only that, but we have a long history of making a difference by partnering with groups that can help put solutions into practice: water management districts, state and federal agencies, and local governments. There’s another key partner: you. We’ve worked on this together for decades.
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For example, since UF/IFAS began working with growers in the Everglades Agricultural Area south of Lake Okeechobee, the amount of phosphorus – a nutrient on which algae feeds – in agricultural water entering the Everglades has been reduced by nearly 70 percent.
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You also support us in Tallahassee. We’re gratified by the Farm Bureau’s support of state budget requests for resources essential to providing scientific solutions for more of your challenges. Again, this conversation must go beyond the farm, so we’re involved in an emerging coalition of residents, businesses, municipalities, utilities, and others. There are many possible contributors to red tides and harmful algae blooms. We stand ready to work with anyone who’s a possible contributor to the solutions.
Jack Payne is the University of Florida’s senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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As our favorite season ends, we would like to thank those who have supported our industry.
Our stand is now closed, but will reopen this summer when our vegetable crops are ready for harvest. Check back between late May and early June and order your black eyes, conks, zippers and okra. Thank you! Carl, Dee Dee and Dustin Grooms NEW STAND LOCATION: 5212 Drane Field Rd. | 813.478.3486 or 813.754.4852 | FancyFarms.com INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
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SAVING WATER TIPS FROM “SWIFTMUD”
By Jim Frankowiak
This time of year is typically the driest and that means peak demand for public water suppliers. The Southwest Water Management District has some tips – for both indoor and outdoor application -- to help save water and lower monthly water bills: INDOORS * Only operate your dishwasher and washing machine when they have full loads * Use the shortest washing cycle for lightly soiled clothes (normal and permanent-press cycles use more water) * Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator or microwave, not under running water * Scrape, don’t rinse, your dishes before loading the dishwasher * Consider installing high-efficiency showerheads, faucets and toilets OUTDOORS • Check your irrigation system for leaks • Turn the irrigation system off, only watering as needed • Don’t leave sprinklers unattended, and use a timer as a reminder to turn them off • Use a hose with a shut-off nozzle when washing vehicles • Consider installing a rain barrel with a drip irrigation system for watering your landscaping. Rainwater is free and contains NO hard minerals The District says leaks are the biggest wasters of water, both inside and outside your home. You can use your water meter to check for leaks. Turn off all faucets and water-using appliances and make sure no one uses any of them while you are testing for leaks. Also, wait for the hot water heater and any ice cube makers to refill and for regeneration of water softeners. Note the meter reading at the start of the test and read it again 30 minutes later. If the reading has changed, you have a leak.
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We’re Keeping Florida Wild As a global leader in reclamation ecology, Mosaic returns mined lands to productive uses for both wildlife and people.
// Learn more at MosaicCo.com/Florida
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2019 Florida Strawberry Festival Results Mosaic Youth Swine Show Held in the Patterson Companies Livestock Arena, Grimes Family Agricultural Center Overall Grand Champion – Case Watson Overall Reserve Grand Champion – Carter Howell Lightweight Division Grand Champion – Emily Bryant Reserve Grand Champion – Spencer Baylor Middleweight Division Grand Champion – Jack Gardener Reserve Grand Champion – Gerald Williams Heavyweight Division Grand Champion – Case Watson Reserve Grand Champion – Carter Howell Class 1 1st Place: Morgan Walls 2nd Place: Charles Cooper 3rd Place: Cole Harrell 4th Place: Julianne Ream 5th Place: Jonathan Vaughan 6th Place: Madison DeWoody 7th Place: Kendal Triner 8th Place: Brynne Murphy 9th Place: Logan Goodyear 10th Place: Matthew Greenaker Class 2 1st Place: Jaycee Flowers 2nd Place: Alivia Rivera 3rd Place: Aidan Vaughan 4th Place: Brilynn Hallman 5th Place: Dustin Jacobs 6th Place: Zane Baez 7th Place: Kyle Holland 8th Place: Elise Griffin 9th Place: Jayce Ware 10th Place: Austin English 11th Place: Aiden Routh Class 3 1st Place: Emily Bryant 2nd Place: Spencer Baylor 3rd Place: Ariel Aldous 4th Place: Chase Campbell 5th Place: Cheynne Hancock 6th Place: Noah Hamrick 7th Place: Ashlynn Flack 8th Place: Brooke Varn 9th Place: Autum Durando PAGE
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1st Place: Gerald Williams 2nd Place: Ashley Sanchez 3rd Place: Cassidy Eramo 4th Place: Madilyn Conrad 5th Place: Sophie Aten 6th Place: Shalee Conrad 7th Place: James Gray 8th Place: Rachel Hewitt 9th Place: Kaylee Hudson 10th Place: Luke Williams Class 5 1st Place: Mackenzie Kopin 2nd Place: Ethan Rebman 3rd Place: Blake Zajac 4th Place: Mariah Austin 5th Place: Jacey Dixon 6th Place: Bethany Cray 7th Place: Gabrielle Howell 8th Place: Makayla Collier 9th Place: Savana Bunting 10th Place: Alysa Branch Class 6 1st Place: Jack Gardner 2nd Place: Brooke Mosley 3rd Place: Brett Love 4th Place: Halie Guthrie 5th Place: Madelyn McClellan 6th Place: Riley Buttorff 7th Place: Shylen Denmark 8th Place: Naomi Donnell 9th Place: Nikolas Rosello 10th Place: Garrett Dixon Class 7 1st Place: Case Watson 2nd Place: Brooklyn Zajac 3rd Place: Marissa Zolna 4th Place: Jenna Mayo 5th Place: Morgan Chancey 6th Place: Brenna Sturgis 7th Place: Ramsey Bowers 8th Place: Ava Hastings 9th Place: Matthew Diem 10th Place: Haley Fletcher Class 8 1st Place: Carter Howell 2nd Place: Colten Drawdy 3rd Place: Jace Stines 4th Place: Matthew DeCastillo 5th Place: Riley Guy 6th Place: Mykayla Clark 7th Place: Reagan Brown 8th Place: Cooper McDonald 9th Place: Victoria Allen 10th Place: Owen Baylor Class 9 1st Place: Cole Hanson
April 2019
2nd Place: Jake Stines 3rd Place: Emma Futch 4th Place: Samual Shiver 5th Place: Reagan Tears 6th Place: Shelby Allen 7th Place: Brooke Callis 8th Place: Jose Campos 9th Place: Jasmine Lee 10th Place: Ethan Bird 10th Place: Clay Lingo Division 1 Champion Emily Bryant Reserve Champion Spencer Baylor Division 2 Champion Jack Gardner Reserve Champion Gerald Williams Division 3 Champion Case Watson Reserve Champion Carter Howell STEER BUYER AWARDS Presented by Reese McClelland representing the Bill McClelland Family in memory of Mr Bill McClelland. Sponsored by Center State Bank – James Garner, Representative from Center State Bank Grand Champion Steer: Consortium – Pipe Pros (Shaun Bryant), Astin Farms (Sam Astin), Eric’s Land Management(Eric Davis), Mathis Farms(Steve Mathis), Florida Insurance Center(Jeremy Burris), & Todds Lawn Care(Bobby Todd) Exhibitor: Case Watson, Turkey Creek FFA Price: $37.00 Per Pound Reserve Grand Champion: Wetherington Tractor Service, Kimball Wetherington Exhibitor: Carter Howell, Durant FFA Price $7.00 Per Pound STEER RECORD BOOK AWARDS Sponsored by Farm Credit of Central Florida, ACA Presented by Vonda Fulwood Junior Division 1st - Jenna Mayo
2nd - Shelby Allen 3rd - Spencer Baylor Intermediate Division 1st - Jack Gardner 2nd - Alysa Branch 3rd - Emma Grace Futch Senior Division 1st - Angelic Alex 2nd - Reagan Brown 3rd - Madilyn Conrad STEER SHOWMANSHIP AWARDS Sponsored by Hillsboro Bank Presented by Pam Warnock Junior Division 1st - Morgan Walls 2nd - Sophie Aten 3rd - Shalee Conrad Intermediate Division 1st - Carter Howell 2nd - Cassidy Eramo 3rd - Alivia Rivera Senior Division 1st - Cole Hanson 2nd - Madilyn Conrad 3rd - Ashley Sanchez STEER HERDSMAN AWARD Sponsored by Dr. Michael Salvato Presented by Jon Poppell Junior Division 1st - Morgan Chancey 2nd - Morgan Walls 3rd Spencer Baylor Intermediate Division 1st - Shylen Denmark 2nd - Ariel Aldouse 3rd - Matthew Greenaker Senior Division 1st - Ramsey Bowers 2nd - Cole Hanson 3rd - Brooke Callis PREMIER EXHIBITOR AWARDS Sponsored by Poppell Insurance, Inc. Presented by: Jon Poppell Based on scores in Record Book, Showmanship, Herdsman with ties broken by Class Placing Junior Division Morgan Walls Intermediate Division Carter Howell Senior Division Cole Hanson WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
GAIN IN WEIGHT CONTEST Sponsored by CIF Distributing Presented by Alan Kicklighter 1st - Jose Campos 2nd - Jasmine Lee 3rd - Brook Callis 4th - Reagan Tears 5th - Ethan Baird STEER CARCASS AWARDS Sponsored by The Bank of Tampa Presented by Nick Thurston Primary factors all 2019 winners possessed that resulted in their selection: 1. Quality grade of Choice 2. Rib-eye size – marketable 3. Yield grade no more than 3.0 4. Fat cover not more than .6 inches or less than .2 inches 1st - Victoria Allen 2nd - Luke Williams 3rd - Alivia Rivera 4th - Spencer Baylor 5th - Autumn Durando 6th - Julianne Ream 7th - Kaylee Hudson 8th - Dustin Jacobs 9th - Morgan Walls 10th - Gerald Williams 11th - Brilynn Hallman 12th - Elise Griffin PRODUCER AWARDS Sponsored by Antioch Feeds Presented by: Jon Poppell Producer of Grand Champion of Show Lloyd Lay Producer of Reserve Grand Champion of Show Clayton Brock Producer of Grand Champion Carcass Big Timber Cattle Co Ritchie Longenecker Producer of Reserve Grand Champion Carcass MP & Ford – Michael Paul BEEF BREED SHOW, SPONSORED BY GFIVE FEED & OUTDOOR
BRED AND OWNED HEIFER Grand Champion Kendall Locke Reserve Grand Champion - Reagan Brown ANGUS HEIFER Grand Champion Carlie Shenefield Reserve Grand Champion - Kendall Locke ANGUS BULL Grand Champion Cassidy Eramo BRANGUS HEIFER Grand Champion Paige Dupre Reserve Grand Champion - Regan Hyder BRANGUS BULL Grand Champion - Kade Bradbury Reserve Grand Champion - Kori Miller OTHER BREEDS HEIFER Grand Champion - Tucker Conrad Reserve Grand Champion - Madi Conrad OTHER BREEDS BULL Grand Champion - Jesse Bibby COMMERCIAL HEIFER (ENGLISH) Grand Champion - Bella Ballard Reserve Grand Champion - Avery Fales COMMERCIAL HEIFER (BRAHMAN) Grand Champion - Elizabeth Bazemore Reserve Grand Champion - Kylie Kropik ALL BREEDS GRAND CHAMPION HEIFER Bella Ballard
All Breeds Reserve Grand Champion Heifer Carlie Shenefield ALL BREEDS GRAND CHAMPION BULL Cassidy Eramo ALL BREEDS RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION BULL Kade Bradbury MOSAIC YOUTH SWINE SHOW GRIMES FAMILY AGRICULTURAL CENTER Grand Champion - William Haxton Reserve Grand Champion - Federation, Shown by Tanner Ashley, Durant FFA Class 1 1 - Emma Leiss, Tomlin FFA FESTIVAL 2 - Rylee Woody 3 - Catherine Nunes 4 - Cameryn Smith 5 - Shad Stevens 6 - Trace Thompson 7 - Rylee Gallagher 8 - Dillan Sumner Class 2 1 - Julia Adams 2 - Emilee Taylor 3 - Chase Braglin 4 - Jayden Mathena 5 - Jackson Sturgis 6 - Jake Braglin 7 - Elizabeth Eakins Class 3 1 - Audrey Kroeger 2 - Brystal Cunningham 3 - Drew Blanton 4 - Gerald-Michael Daniels 5 - Sarah Carter 6 - Brylynn Newsome 7 - William Letner Class 4 1 - Addison Griffin 2 - Keraj Patel 3 - John Wayne Haynes 4 - Gavin Goodyear 5 - Brooklyn Brewer 6 - Coley Riley 7 - Rylie Vasquez Class 5 1 - Jaylynn Wood 2 - Chase Durrance 3 - Carter Durrance 4 - Trey O’Brien O’Brien 5 - Charles Watson
6 - Kiah Swilley 7 - Lena Bent Class 6 1 - Callie Smith 2 - Bailee Lawrence 3 - Gavin Lang 4 - Nicholas Claussen 5 - Wyatt Drawdy 6 - Macey Riley 7 - Payton Tucker Class 7 1 - Kenneth Hattaway 2 - Kace Zinke 3 - Jacob Broome 4 - Savannah Jenkins 5 - Lauryn Galloway 6 - Olivia Ennis 7 - Austin Holcomb 8 - Gehrig Graham 9 - Joseph Ford Class 8 1 - Tytan Gill 2 - Colby Brewington 3 - Chelsea Woodard 4 - Dallas Edwards 5 - Addison Raburn 6 - Rhet Conyers Class 9 1 - Chance Christie 2 - Emma Stephens 3 - Tylie Thompson 4 - Annistyn Griffin 5 - Ashley Walls 6 - Jenna Marvin 7 - Rebecka Smith 8 - Levi McDonald Class 10 1 - William Haxton 2 - Tanner Ashley 3 - Victoria Macdonald 4 - Josiah Comas 5 - Elizabeth Ford 6 - Ciera Diaz 7 - Hayley Bell 8 - Jacob Ogden 9 - Kayla Swantek Class 11 1 - Isabella Weaver 2 - Weston Sanchez 3 - Avery Ashley 4 - Hannah Smith 5 - Ty Merkle 6 - Krysten Thomas SWINE RECORD BOOK AWARDS Sponsored by: Farm Credit of Central Florida, ACA Presented by: Vonda Fulwood Continued on pg. 50
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HELD IN THE PATTERSON CO. LIVESTOCK ARENA AT THE GRIMES FAMILY AGRICULTURAL CENTER
Adopt A Horse, And Get Paid For It! by John Dicks
Got some land? How about adopting a horse? The federal government will even pay you $1,000 to do so. You can search a database online, too, and pick out one just the right age, gender, color or particular look that you’d like to see roaming around your farm or ranch. Maybe, also, you’d like a burro or two. You’ll get a $1,000 each for them as well. Yes, I know. The idea of it all does seem a bit strange. But the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, has adopted a new approach to thinning its ever growing herd. It’s estimated that there are more than 66,000 wild horses scattered on 26 million acres of government property, mainly in 10 western states. There’s also some 15,000 burros grazing the lands. The problem is that officials calculate that the ideal level for both populations combined is less than 27,000! Even more problematic is that those numbers are in addition to the estimated 50,000 horses already available for adoption in corrals or in off-range pastures that have been there long-term. So what do you do when you have nearly three times as many animals as the sustainable number needed? Apparently the “deciders” have decided that the solution is to pay people to adopt them! Previously, the policy was to charge people when they wanted to get a horse from the government. Essentially, if you wanted one, you paid $125 to BLM. That seems like a bargain for a horse, but apparently not enough people were plunking down the bucks for the wild mustangs! That all changed just last month when the BLM made the switch from charging people to paying people to adopt and take a horse and/or burro off its hands. Specifically, the new program pays new owners $500 within 60 days of adoption, and another $500 within 60 days of titling the animal, which presumably means about a year later, after they have proved they have owned it responsibly for a year. The folks at the BLM suggest that this saves money for taxpayers. It’s come to that conclusion by calculating that the $1,000 adoption payout actually costs about half of what it does to otherwise keep each animal for a year.
So, now the BLM has morphed its animal reduction program into what it calls the Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Incentive Program. Its stated goal is to encourage more adopters to give a wild horse or burro a good home. The program is the first such incentive offered by the BLM in its nearly 50 years of management responsibility brought about by the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, which detailed the agency’s duties as the legal custodian of wild horses and burros in the United States. The details and all the info you might need to get involved are found at a website specifically put together for the program by the BLM. You can find it at: https://www.blm.gov/ programs/wild-horse-and-burro/adoptions-and-sales/ adoption-incentive-program To makes things more “pet” friendly, BLM has even established a website with headshots of horses and burros for you to choose from. You can sort through at random, or get search for specifics, including gender, age, color, height and even disposition! Here’s the website: wildhorsesonline.blm. gov/Animals If the prospect of adopting some horses and burros sounds appealing, but you can’t bear the burden and hassle, much less the cost of travel and transporting the animals back home from out west, fear not, for the government has worked wonders to make delivery a bit less painless than you would imagine. As part of the process, the BLM has established optional satellite pick up locations around the country, including one in Ocala. The dates change, seemingly at random, thus you are best advised to check the website for details. Since it seems that every government program has some strange, if not quirky kinks to its operation, the BLM has decided that regardless of its initiative to give away $1,000 for your adopting a horse and/or burro, you still must pay a $25 “adoption fee,” presumably to cover its costs of administration. Can you just opt to collect $975 instead? Nope. You must, in essence, exchange checks with the BLM as some sort of administrative fee to participate. At least the government has not disappointed us by failing to enact some arcane and inane rule to what hopefully and ultimately will be good for the horses and burros!
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John Dicks is both a Lawyer and Businessman, including an interest in farming. He and his family have owned a blueberry farm and have agricultural lands which they lease for cattle operations, as John says, “to someone who knows and handles cattle much better than I do!” John is both a Gator, having received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, and a Seminole, with his law degree from Florida State University. He and his wife, Sharon, live in Plant City, where he served nine years as City Commissioner, including three terms as Mayor.
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1979
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E n d a n g e r e d S p e c i es
The Dead Leaf Disguise: Florida Leafwing Endangered
By Ginny Mink
If we are honest, many of us really enjoy the beauty of butterflies flitting around the yard. We are enamored by their colors and the vibrancy with which they live their very short lives. While the Florida Leafwing would not initially grab our attention, the fact that this poor creature is on the way out of this world if we don’t do something, makes it worthy of further consideration. At first glance, this butterfly, with wings in the up position, looks very much like a dead leaf. However, its almost obnoxious orange or red top color, which is only visible when wings are down, makes it hard to miss.¹ Its camouflage is impressive, especially when its true colors come out. The basis for its dead leaf look is the fact that it resides in the pine rockland habitats located in South Florida. The pineland there is home to what scientists believe is its only host plant, the pineland croton. These butterflies are visible year round if you get lucky enough to see them, but their colors will change with the seasons getting brightest during the summer months.² If you are serious about butterfly watching, then some additional information about the Florida Leafwing’s appearance could be useful. Interestingly enough, their top wing curves into a slight hook where as their hindwings include a pointed tail. These wings don’t surpass 3 ½ inches in span.³ Thankfully, with wings outspread you will have a better chance of recognizing these seriously endangered butterflies. In time past, the Florida Leafwing spanned across Monroe and Miami-Dade counties. However, their populations have severely declined and now their distribution is quite limited. In fact, no one has seen the Florida Leafwing outside of the Everglades National Park since 2007. Today, scientists believe that these unique creatures don’t live anywhere else in the world.¹ The Florida Leafwing is an example of sexual dimorphism, meaning that the males and females have different bodies. For this species, the females are slightly bigger than their male counterparts.² The males wait for females by perching on twigs way up high, about 10 feet off the ground. Eggs are then laid, individually, on the leaves of the pineland croton. The caterpillars eat the leaves, then they make their perches from a vein of a leaf. Ultimately, they will create a rolled-up shelter out of leaves prior to turning into butterflies. The adults will live off of rotting fruit and dung.³ Due to the fact that the Florida Leafwing only has one host plant, their survival is dependent upon the health of the pineland crotons. These plants, like many others in the pine rockland habitats, are dependent upon periodic fires. Since the Everglades National Park is the only place these butterflies can be found, it is a good thing they practice prescribed burns to help maintain the health of all the inhabitants of the pine rockland habitat.¹
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Sadly, scientists are still not certain what has caused the serious demise of these gentle creatures. However, like so many other species we find on the endangered list, it is believed that the introduction of nonnative species, habitat destruction, use of insecticides, and butterfly collecting, are the prime culprits. Another, potential issue is that the pine rocklands they call home are threatened by the dangers of rising sea levels.²
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The Florida Leafwing is critically imperiled globally because of the extreme rarity of its existence. There are very few remaining individuals. So, it is imperative that we work to conserve the remaining habitat found in the Everglades National Park to ensure that we do not lose these unique butterflies entirely.³ The first step, of course, was getting the Florida Leafwing included in the Endangered Species Act. This happened in the fall of 2014. Sadly, it took a lawsuit to get this to occur. But now that they are included, it is illegal to capture or harm either the caterpillars or the butterflies themselves. The lawsuit helped enable the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to designate nearly 12000 acres, dispersed over 7 pieces of land, as critical habitat for them.⁴ With this added protection offered to them, it is our hope that they will be able to sustain their own existence. We are hopeful that the protected habitat, along with the prescribed burns, will enable the pineland croton to remain a stable plant because the Florida Leafwing cannot continue without its assistance. It is always amazing to us how things are created to benefit one another. And, as we tell you each time, we are supposed to be stewards of this planet and that means part of our job is to benefit the wellbeing and overall existence of all those creatures and plant life that God put here. Let’s keep doing what we can to make a difference to that end. Resources: ¹National Park Service. Florida Leafwing. https://www.nps. gov/ever/learn/nature/floridaleafwing.htm ²Center for Biological Diversity. Saving the Florida Leafwing Butterfly. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/invertebrates/Florida_leafwing_butterfly/ ³Butterflies and Moths of North America. Florida Leafwing. Anaea troglodyte floridalis. https://www.butterfliesandmoths. org/species/Anaea-troglodyta-floridalis ⁴Liston, B. (2014). Endangered Florida butterflies to get federal protection. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usaflorida-butterflies-idUSKBN0GB1UX20140811 Photo Credits: Reago, A. & McClarren, C. (2014). Goatweed Leafwing Butterfly. (Flickr) https://flic.kr/p/nebdYy. – Not a Florida leafwing but as close as we could get. Schmierer, A. (2014). Leafwing Tropical. (Flickr) https://flic.kr/p/ pJJT8t. – Also, not a Florida leafwing, the wings would have a more pronounced hook and there would be a pointed tail. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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Junior Division 1st - Olivia Ennis 2nd - Tytan Gill 3rd - Payton Tucker Intermediate Division 1st - Levi McDonald 2nd - Avery Ashley 3rd - Brystal Cunningham Senior Division 1st - William Haxton 2nd - Tanner Ashley 3rd - Kenneth Hattaway
Farms – Sam Astin Exhibitor: William Haxton, Durant FFA Price: $16.00 Per Pound Reserve Grand Champion - Florida Strawberry Growers Assoc, Kenneth Parker Exhibitor: Tanner Ashley, Hillsborough County Federation Price: $7.00 Per Pound
SWINE SHOWMANSHIP AWARDS Sponsored by Hoof N Presented by: Stalvey Family Junior Division 1st - Jaylynn Wood 2nd - Emma Leis 3rd - Annistyn Griffin Intermediate Division 1st - Jayden Mathena 2nd - Chance Christie 3rd - Dallas Edwards Senior Division 1st - Tanner Ashley 2nd - Chelsea Woodard 3rd - Drew Blanton SWINE HERDSMAN AWARDS Sponsored by Hillsboro Presented by Pam Warnock Junior Division 1st - Tytan Gill 2nd - Carter Durrance 3rd - Chase Durrance Intermediate Division 1st - Avery Ashley 2nd - Weston Sanchez 3rd - Addison Raburn Senior Division 1st - Tanner Ashley 2nd - Jake Braglin 3rd - Shad Stevens SWINE PREMIER EXHIBITOR Sponsored by Southside Western Wear & Farm Supply Presented by Tim Lopez Based on scores in Record Book, Showmanship, Herdsman with ties broken by Class Placing Premier Exhibitor Junior Division Tytan Gill Intermediate Division Avery Ashley Senior Division Tanner Ashley
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SWINE BUYERS AWARDS Presented by Reese McClelland representing the Bill McClelland Family in memory of Mr Bill McClelland. Sponsored by Center State Bank – James Garner, Representative from Center State Bank Grand Champion - Astin
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DAIRY SHOW Patterson Companies Livestock Arena in the Grimes Family Agricultural Center Showmanship, Dairy Show and Costume Ball are sponsored by Grove Equipment Showmanship - Novice 1st - Abby Weisberg 2nd - Makayla Watson 3rd - Nathan Wilhite 4th - Kaylee Cloete 5th - Kaylee Kudela Junior Showmanship (exhibitors 10 years old and younger) 1st - Jacob Carey 2nd - Morgan Cook 3rd - Kaylee Cloete 4th - Tucker Thomas 5th - Johann Cloete Intermediate Showmanship (11-14 year old exhibitors) 1st - Makayla Watson 2nd - Sarah Rogers 3rd - Klytie Turner 4th - Aubrey Cook 5th - Briana Tackitt Senior Showmanship (15+ year old exhibitors) 1st - Charlotte Byrnes 2nd - Abby Weisberg 3rd - Kyleigh Glenn 4th - Austin Holcomb 5th - Kylie Kropik Premier Showmanship Award Winner - Charlotte Byrnes CLASS WINNERS Ayrshire 1 Kaylee Kudela Brown Swiss 1 Sarah Rogers Holstein 1 Kaylee Kudela Jersey 1 Kenslee Heinke Ayrshire 2 Nathan Wilhite Brown Swiss 2 Austin Boyd Guernsey 2 Kenslee Heinke Holstein 2 Tucker Thomas Jersey 2 Matthew Sweeney Guernsey 3 Austin Holcomb
April 2019
Holstein 3 Zoe Borg Jersey 3 Austin Holcomb Brown Swiss 4 Taylor Boyd Holstein 4 Joliene Reid Jersey 4 Kyleigh Glenn Ayrshire 5 Cheyenne Sommer Brown Swiss 5 Blane Rogers Holstein 5 Kenslee Heinke Jersey 5 Mason Knowlton Brown Swiss 6 Taylor Boyd Guernsey 6 Kenslee Heinke Holstein 6 Austin Boyd Brown Swiss 7 Cheyenne Sommer Jersey 7 Aubrey Cook Brown Swiss 10 Sarah Rogers Jersey 10 Kyleigh Glenn Ayrshire 11 Cheyenne Sommer Brown Swiss 11 Blane Rogers Guernsey 11 Austin Holcomb Brown Swiss 12 Taylor Boyd Jersey 12 Kyleigh Glenn JUNIOR CHAMPIONS Ayrshire - Nathan Wilhite class 2 Brown Swiss - Taylor Boyd class 6 Guernsey - Kenslee Heinke class 6 Holstein - Kenslee Heinke class 5 Jersey - Austin Holcomb class 3 Reserve Junior Champions Ayrshire - Cheyenne Sommer class 5 Brown Swiss - Taylor Boyd class 4 Guernsey - Kenslee Heinke class 2 Holstein - Austin Boyd class 6 Jersey - Kenslee Heinke class 1 SENIOR CHAMPION Ayrshire - none Brown Swiss - Taylor Boyd class 12 Guernsey - Austin Holcomb class 11 Holstein none Jersey - Kyleigh Glenn (Cami) class 12 RESERVE SENIOR CHAMPION Ayrshire none Brown Swiss - Sarah Rogers class 10 Guernsey - none Holstein - none Jersey Kyleigh Glenn (Dixie) - class 12
GRAND CHAMPION Ayrshire - Nathan Wilhite class 2 Brown Swiss - Taylor Boyd class 12 Guernsey - Austin Holcomb class 11 Holstein - Kenslee Heinke class 5 Jersey - Kyleigh Glenn (Cami) class 12 RESERVE GRAND CHAMPION Ayrshire - Cheyenne Sommer class 5 Brown Swiss - Sarah Rogers class 10 Guernsey - Kenslee Heinke class 6 Holstein - Austin Boyd class 6 Jersey - Kyleigh Glenn (Dixie) class 12 THE RICHARD KAHELIN ALL-BREEDS CHAMPION AWARD Jersey - Kyleigh Glenn (Cami) class 12 Premier Exhibitor - Kyleigh Glenn JUNIOR ALL BREEDS BRED-BY EXHIBITOR AWARD Taylor Boyd (Jr. Champion Brown Swiss) SENIOR ALL BREEDS BRED-BY EXHIBITOR AWARD Sarah Rogers (Reserve Grand Champion Brown Swiss) JUNIOR HERDSMAN 1st - Jaylene Carey 2nd - Briana Tackitt 3rd - Sarah Rogers SENIOR HERDSMAN 1st - Abby Weisberg 2nd - Charlotte Byrnes 3rd - Kyleigh Glenn CHARLIE HUNTER MEMORIA SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD Aubrey Cook STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL 2019 DAIRY SCHOLARSHIP Kylie Kropik 4-H DAIRY JUDGING CONTEST 4-H Junior Division Team Placings 1st - Southshore 4-H WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
(Aubrey Cook, Tucker Thomas, Johann Cloete, and Kaylee Cloete) 2nd - Chautauqua & Farm Fresh Clovers 4H (Klytie Turner, Zoe Borg, Jacob Carey, Colby Holcomb) 4-H JUNIOR DIVISION INDIVIDUAL PLACINGS 1st - Aubrey Cook South Shore 4H Club 2nd - Tucker Thomas South Shore 4H Club 3rd - Jacob Carey Farm Fresh Clovers 4H Club 4-H Senior Division Team Placings none 4-H SENIOR DIVISION INDIVIDUAL PLACINGS 1st - Austin Holcomb FFA Dairy Judging Contest FFA MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION TEAM PLACINGS 1st - Turkey Creek FFA Team A (Rebecca Holcomb, Morgan Chaney, Van Lindcamp, Savannah Rice) 2nd - Turkey Creek FFA Team B (Leah Gainer, Kiah Swilley, Nick Claussen, Hannah Rice) 3rd - Tomlin FFA (Sarah Rogers, Jaylene Carey, Makayla Watson, Carlie Braglin) FFA MIDDLE SCHOOL DIVISION INDIVIDUAL PLACINGS 1st - Kiah Swilley Turkey Creek FFA Team B 2nd - Rebecca Holcomb Turkey Creek FFA Team A 3rd - Morgan Chaney Turkey Creek FFA Team A FFA SENIOR DIVISION TEAM PLACINGS 1st - Wesley Chapel High FFA (Kendall Mckinney, Ashley Bischof, Camryn Farquhar) 2nd - Brandon FFA (Kylie Kropik, Allie Conner, Kaitlyn Sewell, Matthew Sweeney) 3rd - Riverview FFA #1 (Charlotte Byrnes, Allee Marie Bilancione, Abby Wesiberg) FFA SENIOR DIVISION INDIVIDUAL PLACINGS 1st - Kendall Mckinney Wesley Chapel FFA 2nd - Camryn Farquhor Wesley Chapel FFA
MOST COLORFUL CATEGORY 1st - Kenslee Heinke, Paul Bunyan the Lumberjill & Bae the Blue Heifah 2nd - Haley Wathey, St. Patrick’s Day 3rd - Johann Cloete, Let’s Get Moo-ving FUNNIEST CATEGORY 1st - Matthew Sweeney, Rapunzel & Her Chameleon 2nd - Austin Boyd, The Great Heifer Attack 3rd - Kyltie Turner, The Mad Scientist & Her Mad Cow 4th - Tyler Swackhammer, Mountain Dew-d & His Mountain Moo MOST ORIGINAL CATEGORY 1st - Charlotte Byrnes, Chef Charlotte With Her Bun in the Oven 2nd - Jocelyn Shourds, Moo-na Lisa 3rd - Ryan Lehneret, Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate **Overall Winner** Jackson Raburn, Pirates of the Cow-ibbean 2019 SHEEP SHOW SPONSORED BY TRAEGER GRILLS Patterson Companies Livestock Arena in the Grimes Family Agricultural Center JUMPING CONTEST Long Legged Division 1st -Joseph Sarrica 2nd - Kendall Donaldson
Caris Schneider Austin Smith Jacob Sarrica Brock Sampson Short Legged Division 1st - Chloe Howard 2nd - Nick Claussen Bryan Ferrell COSTUME CONTEST Most Original 1st - Michaela Arroyo- Adventure is Out There 2nd - Jeremiah StewartSparky the Rodeo Clown & PBR Bull 3rd - Kendall DonaldsonKendall Scissorhands 4th Connor KennedyFootball Player & Cheerleader 5th - Makayla WatsonSoftball Batter & Softball “It’s A Hit” Most Funny 1st - Carter HerndonStalvey-Colonel Sanders & Chicken 2nd - Carson Mingle-Lilo & Stitch 3rd - Gabriella Ruiz-Prime Time 4th - Bryan Ferrell-Freaky Friday 5th - Meghan Hiers-“Baby Shark” MOST CREATIVE 1st - Everett DelValleGolfer & Caddy 2nd - Michael CooperMario & Luigi 3rd - Abigail McGuin-Bob Ross 4th - Jacob Sarrica-Artist & Canvas 5th - Brayden HarmonKeeper of the Bees MOST COLORFUL 1st - Gracie Stewart-BFF Unicorn Costume Party 2nd - Aria Sink-Fun in the Sunshine State 3rd - Caris SchneiderBlues Clues 4th - Nick Claussen-Leprechaun & Shamrock 5th - Maria Colon-St Patrick’s Day on the Farm MOST ELEGANT 1st - Bailey Polk-Strawberry Queen & Red Coat 2nd - Cade McCulloughStrawberry Queen & Strawberry 3rd - Emma HansenBaaack to the 50’s 4th - Ruca Rhoton-Little Red Riding Hood & Wolf BEST OVERALL 1st - Chloe Howard-Pru’s Market 2nd - Sarah Rogers- $Dollar Popcorn “It’s A Hit”
3rd - Austin Smith- Hunter & Hunted 4th - Taylor Stewart-Jesse & Bullseye from Toy Story 5th - Joseph Sarrica-Batman & Superman BLACK FACE DIVISION Grand Champion BF Ewe Mackenzie Paul (57505) Reserve Champion BF Ewe Delaney Tucker (8064) Grand Champion BF Ram Joseph Sarrica (0080) Reserve Champion BF Ram Joseph Sarrica (0016) Late Spring Ewes 1st - blue Delaney Tucker 2nd - blue Mackenzie Paul 3rd - blue Avery Surrency 4th - blue Jacob Sarrica 5th - blue Aria Sink 6th - blue Brock Sampson Early Spring Ewes 1st - blue Mackenzie Paul 2nd - blue Jazmin Rodriguez 3rd - blue Connor Kennedy 4th – red Sarah Malloy 2-Year-Old Ewes 1st - blue Delaney Tucker 2nd blue Mackenzie Paul 3rd - blue Natalie Harrell 4th - blue Levi Sampson 5th - blue Austin Smith 6th - blue Sarah Rogers 7th - red Michael Cooper Aged Ewes 1st - blue Hailey Harrie 2nd - blue Jazmin Rodriguez 3rd - blue Sarah Rogers 4th - red Cade McCullough Spring Rams 1st - blue Joseph Sarrica 2nd - blue Jacob Sarrica 3rd - red Michael Cooper Aged Rams 1st - blue Joseph Sarrica White Face Division Grand Champion WF Ewe Emma Leiss (1043) Reserve Champion WF Ewe Mackenzie Paul (18627) Late Spring Ewes 1st - blue Michaela Arroyo 2nd - blue Jackson Sturgis 3rd - blue Brenna Sturgis Early Spring Ewes 1st - blue Emma Leiss 2nd - blue Mackenzie Paul 2-Year-Old Ewes 1st - blue Abigail Stewart
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3rd - Ashley Bischof Wesley Chapel FFA PeeWee Showmanship 1st - Austin Boyd 2nd - Malaki Andre 3rd - Kenslee Heinke 4th - Hailey Marsh 5th - Ansleigh Fort 6th - Mallory Cloete ADULT SHOWMANSHIP 1st - Joanna Patino 2nd - Jordan Heinke 3rd - Shallee Tackitt COSTUME BALL Prettiest Category 1st - Zoe Borg, Tooth Fairy & Her Moo-lar 2nd - Emily Bailey, Tinkerbell & Peter Pan 3rd - Kaylee Cloete, Moo-nificient Strawberry Shortcake 4th - Madison Bowers, Jessie & Bullseye
2nd - blue Jackson Sturgis 3rd - blue Carter Herndon-Stalvey 4th - blue Hailey Harris 5th - red Maria Colon Aged Ewes 1st - blue Jayde McConnell 2nd - blue Milee Hasting 3rd - blue Brenna Sturgis 4th - blue Baylie Thomas 5th - blue Makayla Watson 6th - blue Gabriela Ruiz 7th - blue Carter Hernon-Stalvey 8th - blue Bailey Polk 9th - blue Michael Cooper 10th - blue Ruca Rhoton 11th - red Caris Schneider 12th - red Brenna Sturgis 13th - red Kendall Donaldson 14th - red Emma Hansen 15th - red Jackson Sturgis GRAND CHAMPION WF RAM Emma Leiss (0995) Reserve Champion WF Ram Jeremiah Stewart (34) SPRING RAMS 1st - blue Emma Leiss Aged Rams 1st - blue Emma Leiss 2nd - blue Jeremiah Stewart 3rd - blue Taylor Stewart 4th - blue Hailey Harris 5th - red Carson Mingle 6th - red Maria Colon CROSSBRED DIVISION GRAND CHAMPION CB EWE Jeremiah Stewart (0067) Reserve Champion Ewe Kylie Kropik (0004) FALL EWES 1st - blue Nick Claussen 2-Year-Old Ewes 1st - blue Taylor Stewart 2nd - blue Aria Sink Aged Ewes 1st - blue Jeremiah Stewart 2nd - blue Kylie Kropik Spring Rams 1st - Blue Jacob Sarrica Grand Champion CB Ram Jacob Sarrica (0118)
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RARE BREED DIVISION GRAND CHAMPION RB EWE Joseph Sarrica (0705) Reserve Champion RB Ewe Everett DelValle (0003) Late Spring Ewes 1st - blue Milee Hasting 2nd - blue Abigail McGuin Early Spring Ewes
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1st - blue Cade McCullough 2-Year-Old Ewes 1st - blue Joseph Sarrica 2nd - blue Everett DelValle 3rd - blue Nick Claussen 4th - blue Austin Smith Aged Ewes 1st - blue Nick Claussen 2nd - blue Bryan Ferrell 3rd - blue Kaysie Kropik 4th - blue Jacob Sarrica 5th - blue Kylie Kropik 6th - blue Austin Smith 7th - blue Everett DelValle 8th - blue Brayden Harmon 9th - blue Aria Sink 10th - red Chloe Howard GRAND CHAMPION RB RAM Everett DelValle (0007) Reserve Champion RB Ram Nick Claussen (0287) Spring Rams 1st - blue Everett DelValle 2nd - blue Penny Tonge Aged Rams 1st - blue Nick Claussen 2nd - blue Everett DelValle Overall Grand Champion Mackenzie Paul (57505) SHOWMANSHIP RESULTS BEGINNER SHOWMANSHIP 1st - Mackenzie Paul 2nd - Brock Sampson 3rd - Everett DelValle 4th - Abigail Stewart Junior Showmanship 1st - Jayde McConnell 2nd - Jackson Sturgis 3rd - Levi Sampson Intermediate Showmanship 1st - Emma Leiss 2nd - Jeremiah Stewart 3rd - Taylor Stewart Senior Showmanship 1st - Delaney Tucker 2nd - Joseph Sarrica 3rd - Austin Smith
– Brent Calero
Logan Smith, Durant FFA
Youth Plant Show, sponsored by Choo Choo Lawn Equipment, Inc Held in the Swindle Family Pavilion
Champion Size #3 Addison Heath, Barrington FFA
Grand Champion Kaden Palmer, Plant City FFA Reserve Champion Dallas Gunn, Durant FFA Champion Woody Ornamentals Madison Williams, Barrington FFA Champion Foliage Plants Owen Baylor, Strawberry Crest FFA Champion Hanging Baskets Madelein Rossboroug, Newsome FFA Champion Miscellaneous William Haxton, Durant FFA Champion Liners Madelein Rossboroug, Newsome FFA
Champion Size #7 Chelsea Woodard, Strawberry Crest FFA Awards of Distinction Lake Lane, Newsome FFA Kayla Swantek, Durant FFA Alex Reed, Turkey Creek FFA PLANT CITY GARDEN CLUB JUNIOR GARDENERS Best in Show – Abigail Baxter Bromeliad Award – Gilberto Cerro-Canjay Best in Show hanging basket – Brock Snyder Dish Garden Award – Dylan Brewington Succulent Award – Meredith Zarycki Award of Merit – Gunner Snyder
Champion Size #1
MOSAIC YOUTH RABBIT AND POULTRY Youth Poultry Grand Champion – Peyton Eatman Reserve Grand Champion – Kenzie Vazquez Champion Exhibition – Taylor Cella Champion Production – Samantha Williams Rabbit Show Grand Champion – Kayla Johnson Reserve Grand Champion – Delanimarie Flanagan Best Fancy Exhibition – Connor Kennedy Pest Production Exhibition April 2019
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s e p i c e R
Courtesy of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Chef Justin Timineri
Florida Cucumber and Sweet Pepper Salad
q Ingredients q 2 Florida bell peppers (or 12 small sweet peppers), seeds removed and sliced thin (a variety of colored peppers is recommended) 2 Florida cucumbers 1 red onion 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped fine 1 tablespoon fresh herbs (basil, thyme, oregano or mint) 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS Add all ingredients, except the salt and pepper, to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Lightly toss all ingredients to coat. Taste salad and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep refrigerated and serve cold.
Florida Tomato Linguine SautĂŠ q Ingredients q
2 pounds ripe Florida tomatoes 1 pound whole-wheat linguine (or your favorite pasta) 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 bunch fresh basil, hand torn (or 1 tablespoon
dried) 1/2 cup olive oil 1 lemon, zested and juiced Freshly grated Parmesan cheese Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS Wash and rinse tomatoes. Dry tomatoes, then core and cut in half. Use a spoon to remove most of the seeds. Chop tomatoes coarsely. Add chopped tomatoes to a colander, sprinkle with a few pinches of salt and let them sit so they can release some of their water (this should only take a half an hour and can be done ahead of time). Combine drained tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic into a large sautĂŠ pan. Heat tomato mixture over low heat (the idea is to warm the mixture and not cook it). Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. Combine pasta and tomato mixture together in a bowl. Add fresh basil and Parmesan to pasta dish. Taste for seasoning and adjust with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve warm with crusty bread or chill for later. INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
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Part 55
By Ginny Mink
Ornamental Gardening in Florida Continuing in our education on exotic vines and creepers, we follow along as Mr. Charles Torrey Simpson takes us on a trip all the way back to 1926 when he penned his book, Ornamental Gardening in Florida. If you’re new to our voyages, rest assured, there is much to learn from a book that has seen better days. We have been traversing its pages for nearly five years now and the book itself is beginning to show its tremendous age, coming in at 93 years old! Though the pages are yellowed with age, and the binding has begun to break, the words are still quite clear, and we are certain there is much more to glean from Mr. Simpson’s plethora of knowledge about plant life in Florida from that time period. So, we will keep trodding along and see what new and interesting information there is to discover this month. We’ll start with the Argyreia. Mr. Simpson explains, “Two or three species of this genus are cultivated here and they are the aristocrats among the morning glories. The vines are great runners, making vigorous growth and blooming profusely during the warm season.”¹ However, he warns, that, “The descriptions in the books do not exactly fit these plants. They are natives of India and tender.”¹ Ever curious, we wanted to know what other writers had said about these plants since it seemed they were in contrast to Mr. Simpson’s own experiences. Sadly, the links to Indian sites left us with a blank screen and therefore, no additional information. We did locate a write up about the Agryreia nervosa, also known as Hawaiian Baby Woodrose, which is apparently kin to the vine he was discussing. It would appear that people use this as a “natural LSD,” which, of course, we would warn against.² Unfortunately, we didn’t find much else about it, but we welcome you to do your own research and share it with us! So, we move on to Bauhinia. Mr. Simpson describes it as “a half climbing shrub that has been cultivated in Lower Florida and should be generally known. It bears fine, brick-red blossoms continuously from spring till cool weather and is a most desirable plant…It climbs to the tops of tall trees and falls to the ground over which it may trail for a long way and then ascend others. Several years ago I introduced this strange vine and it is doing well here in Dade County.”¹
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As you know, if you travel with us much, whenever Mr. Simpson says a plant is strange, we are instantly intrigued. So, what’s so odd about the Bauhinia? We suspect the strangest aspect is that it is commonly known as the “red orchid tree,” due to the shape of the flowers it presents. Butterflies and hummingbirds are quite drawn to the tree and once it is established it is impressively drought resistant. The site we found said that there is also the potential for it to be toxic to humans and/or animals.³ Obviously, the strangeness he was
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referencing is its ability to be considered both a vine and a tree/shrub as well as the unique look of its flowers. For the sake of remaining on odd ornamentals, we shall now introduce the Caesalpinia nuga. Mr. Simpson writes that, “a rampant sprawler was sent out with a great flourish but it seems to be grown mostly for its savage prickles.”¹ Then he elaborates on his own experience, “I have a specimen which has covered a quarter of an acre of ground and if one goes near it he is sure to get hopelessly caught.”¹ And, as an afterthough he adds, “It does bear yellow flowers though.” The sheer size of his specimen gave us pause for consideration. What did this “rampant sprawler” look like, and how serious are the “savage prickles”? We had to know! We can assure you that Mr. Simpson’s description was absolutely accurate. Make sure you take a look at the stalk included in the pictures for this article. There are an insane number of thorns covering the stems of these plants. No wonder people got “hopelessly caught” anytime they went near them! And, the pictures we found also showed us some really cool flowers that bloom on the Caesalpinia nuga, which is the same thing as the Caesalpinia crista, otherwise known as yellow nicker. Which, when you look at that stem, seems quite appropriate! Having come to the end of this excursion, we feel relatively confident that the best plant he suggested is the Bauhinia. We loved the look of the flowers and since hummingbirds are drawn to them, that makes them all the more valuable to us. We’d certainly avoid yellow nicker, especially with kids who like to run around outside barefoot. And, if we’re honest, we’d stay away from Hawaiian Baby Woodrose. We don’t need hallucinogenic plants growing in our yards. Hopefully, you gained some knowledge on this trip as well, so we’ll look forward to seeing you next month. Until then, happy gardening! Resources: ¹ Simpson, Charles T. (1926). Ornamental Gardening in Florida. Published by the Author; Little River, FL. Printed by J.J. Little and Ives Company, New York. (p. 180-182). ²WebMD. Hawaiian Baby Woodrose. https://www.webmd.com/ vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-325/hawaiian-baby-woodrose ³Almost Eden Plants. Bauhinia galpinii. https://www.almostedenplants.com/shopping/products/11012-red-orchid-treepride-of-de-kaap-red-bauhinia-african-plume/ Photo Credits: Keats, Derek. (2012). Bauhinia. (Flickr) https://flic.kr/p/bJQuDe. Valke, Dinesh. (2010). Caesalpiniaceae. (Flickr) https://flic.kr/ p/8ena3n. Valke, Dinesh. (2013). Crested Fever Nut. Caesalpinia crista. (Flickr) https://flic.kr/p/fcB7RT. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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A Closer LookAmazing Activities Naturally
by Sean Green
Leaf Skeleton
Simplicity can be beautiful and does not have to be expensive. Twig art is a popular theme for home dĂŠcor and could cost hundreds if purchased from a retail store. This month we will make our own twig shadow box for the cost of a can of paint and a glue gun, even less if you already have these items at home. The shadow box itself is a repurposed cardboard box that my cats got tired of playing in. I had a partial can of stone texture paint that I needed to get rid of and used trimmings from the hedges to create a unique piece of art to hang on the wall. I even found some Bromeliads to add to the shadow box to make it a living addition to the home.
Materials: Cardboard Box Paint or Wood Stain Hot Glue Gun & Glue Sticks
Pruning Shears Twigs Air Plants (Bromeliads) (optional)
Production:
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Trim twigs to size and roughly compose within the box Paint or stain the carboard box Using hot glue, fasten the twigs to the inside of the cardboard box Attach air plants with a small dab of hot glue, ** Let the glue cool for 5 – 10 seconds to avoid burning the plant **
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A Closer Look
by Sean Green Photos courtesy of April Green
Horned spanworm moth (Nematocampa resistaria)
Happy April everyone. April Fool’s Day has always been a lot of fun for me and frequently involves insects. In Celebration of April Fool’s Day, we will take a closer look at an insect that is a master of mimicry. The Geometridae (inchworms, loopers, and spanworms) is the second largest family of North American Lepidoptera with more than 1,400 described species. Geometer moths (Geometridae) are known for mimicry in both their adult and larval form. The curved toothed geometer moth (Eutrapela clemataria) for example, resembles a dead leaf as an adult and the leaf stalk (petiole) as a caterpillar. On a recent hiking trip, my wife and I came across a caterpillar that at first appearance seemed parasitized. We have featured articles in the past about fungal parasitism that results in the zombification of insects that end in tiny mushrooms growing out of the insect’s body. We thought this is what we were seeing at first glance, however, when we took a closer look, we realized we had been duped by this caterpillar. What we actually found was a perfectly healthy caterpillar of a moth commonly known as the horned spanworm moth (Nematocampa resistaria).
them grow to more than twice their resting length. The function of the horns is still a bit of a mystery and a popular research topic. Andrei Sourakov, collections coordinator at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, suggested the tentacles white tips direct attention away from the main body of the caterpillar, functioning to divert the attention of a potential predator to a non-critical body part. Others propose the function of the filaments are sensory. The horned spanworm (Nematocampa resistaria) specifically has hair like structures (setae) at the tip of the filaments that are proposed to detect the vibration of wasps, bumble bees or other potential predators (Herrich-Schaffer 1856). Recent studies have confirmed that caterpillars with long filament structures such as the horned spanworm moth (Nematocampa resistaria) and even the Monarch (Danaus plexippus) are more reactive to sounds and vibration than caterpillar that lack the filament. For the horned spanworm moth and other geometer moths that mimic twigs, the reaction of the caterpillar is to freeze in a twig like position when danger is detected (Rothchild and Bergstrom 1997).
The horned spanworm moth was first described as a type species in 1855 (Herrich-Schaffer) but literature for this species dates to 1809 (Haworth) and include drawings from John Abbot, the American naturalist and artist that is regarded for illustrating the earliest series of insect drawings in the New World. Abbot served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and was granted land in Georgia. It is likely that the earliest illustrations for this species were from specimens he found in Georgia. Nematocampa resistaria became widely recognized for the caterpillar’s distinctive filament bearing tentacles from which the common name Filament Bearer originated, today it is also commonly known as the Horned spanworm moth. This Nearctic species has a southern range in Florida to about Hillsborough or Manatee county. In the Northeast and Canada, it’s single brooded but produces multiple generations in the southern states including Florida. In March we began to see emerging adults in Hillsborough County and can expect to see emergence through July.
Adult moths of this widespread nearctic species are small with a wingspan of less than an inch. Males and females are generally distinguished by physical characteristics (sexually dimorphic). With rare exception, males have yellow hues and females tend towards beige ground color. Both sexes have dark brown markings on the outer edges of the wing. Females typically have angular wings, males are more rounded. If you want to see these cool cats in the wild, look for their host plants which include oak, elm, dogwood, hawthorn, ironwood, hickory and willow. The horned spanworm (Nematocampa resistaria), like most geometroids, is abundant, but also some of the best camouflaged, finding them will not be easy. When you are hiking, look for freshly damaged leaves, geometroids prefer the tender young shoots and will usually be found on the underside of leaves near the new shoots. If the leaves have turned brown where caterpillars have fed, the caterpillars are long gone, and you should keep looking. Collecting may be regulated at some parks and nature centers, please check with the ranger to clarify if there are any restrictions. If you are looking for a variety of geometer moths, birch and oak should be your first stop. Look closely, we think you will be surprised with how easily these insects can fool us with mimicry.
This month we will still be able to see the larval stage (caterpillar) of the moth, the “filaments” will easily distinguish it from other caterpillars. When disturbed, the caterpillar can pump hemplymph (insect blood) into the filaments making
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The Lazy Gardener Lynn Barber, Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM (FFL) Agent, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Hillsborough County Extension
Nine years ago, I wrote an article about being a lazy gardener. To this day and, I believe, for the remainder of my gardening days, I will remain one. You, too, can have a beautiful garden while maintaining a lazy gardener lifestyle. Right plant/right place, the first of the nine FFL principles, includes consideration of site conditions. Other components are hydrozoning, considering plant size and keeping it simple. Right Plant/Right Place: Analyze sun, shade, water requirements and soil composition. Lazy Watering: Hydrozone – group plants by water needs, use microirrigation and harvest rain water for ornamental plants, not edibles. Size: Determine garden dimensions, mature plant size and laziest number of plants needed to fill space. Lazy and smart gardeners do not plant for instant gratification but for mature plant size saving time, work and money. Keep It Simple: If you are too lazy to water during dry spells, plant drought resistant bloomers or wait until the rainy season to plant. If you are too lazy to rake leaves or pine needles when they fall, create self-mulching landscape beds. If you are too lazy to plant annual flowers, plant perennials.
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Sweat Savers: Repeat your successes and plant re-seeders. Deadhead for more blooms and to save seeds. Use a timer system to perform 15 minutes of a dreaded gardening activity, then stop when the timer goes off. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish!
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Time Saver: Wear gloves. Saves time cleaning your hands and fingernails. Maximize Your Laziness: Use your friends wisely, start a friends gardening group, learn to love volunteer plants and permanently borrow plants from your friends and neighbors. Asking first is always a wise move! Divide and relocate perennials: no money spent, save on gasoline and no need to shop. Wait a minute!! No shopping???? Lazy Maintenance Plants: Slow growers need less pruning. Wide spreaders means fewer plants required. Drought tolerant require less watering. Pest and disease resistant need less Lazy Pest Management. Low Demands and High Returns include: Dracaena, Plumbago, Firecracker Bush, African & Walking Iris, Thryallis, Pentas, Firebush, Croton, and Salvia. These are just a few. For more ideas, order your own copy of The Florida-Friendly LandscapingTM Guide to Plant Selection and Landscape Design from watermatters.org. My article next month will present Limitations to Lazy Gardening. More gardening information is available at http://sfyl. ifas.ufl.edu/hillsborough/ and http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu. To view and register for our upcoming workshops, please see our calendar of events at: http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/hillsborough/ upcoming-events/.
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Florida Tomato Month
By Alison Grooms, MPH, CPH, CHES® Nutrition & Health Agent with UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County
Did you know that the month of April is recognized nationally as Florida Tomato Month? Florida tomatoes are grown commercially throughout the central and southern regions of Florida with the season typically beginning in October and ending in June. Historically, tomatoes originated in South and Central America but are now an internationally loved food. Cultures from across the world have adopted tomato cuisines as their own and have formulated some of the most popular dishes passed down between generations. You can put them in a salad, on a pizza, in a sauce, as a topping – the possibilities are endless! It’s no surprise tomatoes are one of the most frequently eaten vegetables in America, second to the potato. Tomatoes, however, are not a true vegetable. Botanically speaking, they are a fruit. The definition of a fruit is a “seed-bearing structure that develops from the ovary of a flowering plant.” Tomatoes were classified as a vegetable historically for tax and trade purposes and remain as such today. Additionally, in our western culture, vegetable classification is vague in that any vegetation can be categorized as a vegetable but most often is driven by culinary influence and cultural traditions, rather than biology. Vegetation with savory flavors that are often served in main entrées (like tomatoes) are what Americans typically categorize as vegetables, while those whose flavors are sweeter and served in desserts, are identified as fruits.
This antioxidant is lycopene. Lycopene has been researched for its effects on disease reduction – including prevention of some cancers, heart disease, and even sunburns. Other notable benefits of this powerful antioxidant include prevention or delayed onset of certain eye diseases, pain reduction, deceleration of bone loss, and increased protection against memory loss and seizures. Lycopene is one of the few nutrients that becomes even more available for use by the body once it is cooked or processed (like when canned). So get out your nonna’s Italian spaghetti sauce recipe, or try your friend’s abuelo’s gazpacho soup recipe from Spain, and start enjoying the benefits of consuming those delicious Florida tomatoes in new and familiar ways. *For a delicious and nutritious dish using Florida tomatoes, check out this recipe and log on to https://www.floridatomatoes.org/ for more fun facts about Florida tomatoes. Also, check out UF/IFAS Extension’s upcoming can-
ning class on tomato canning at http:// hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu.
EASY CAPRESE SALAD:
Ingredients: 3 tomatoes sliced into ¼ inch thick slices ½ teaspoon of salt 1 pound of fresh mozzarella cut into ¼ inch thick slices Ground black pepper (to taste) 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil 1 Tablespoon of balsamic glaze ½ cup of fresh basil leaves Directions: 1.) Wash the tomatoes and basil leaves. 2.) Alternate laying the slices of tomato and mozzarella onto a tray. 3.) Top each piece with a couple of basil leaves. 4.) Drizzle the olive oil over top of the basil, tomatoes, and mozzarella. 5.) Sprinkle salt and pepper over the dish. 6.) Drizzle the balsamic glaze over all of the above ingredients using a back and forth motion. 7.) Enjoy immediately! INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
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No matter which way you choose to define them, tomatoes are a nutritious addition to any diet. Tomatoes are naturally fat free, low in sodium, a good source of vitamin A, and meet 10 percent of the daily adult requirements for potassium. They are also a great source of vitamin C, which plays a role in immune system function, collagen production, wound healing, and antioxidant activity. Tomatoes contain one of the most powerful antioxidants found in foods.
CASE WATSON MAKING HIS MARK
By Jim Frankowiak
Photo by Berry Sweet Memories by Dee Dee
Winning Grand Champion Steer Exhibitor honors at the Florida Strawberry Festival is a very noteworthy achievement. This year’s winner, Case Watson, brought new meaning to that honor. The reason is pretty straightforward: A little over a year ago, Case was not involved in showing cattle whatsoever, he was focused on school and baseball.
“He has also participated in several FFA Career Development Events, which his parents support as chaperones,” noted Coleman. Those FFA events have included forestry, livestock judging, and the state land judging competition recently held in Milton, FL, with Case taking 19th overall state honors and the Turkey Creek team ranking 11th in Florida. “Case has done an outstanding job leading our chapter this year, and I’m looking forward to see the great things that he does in the future,” said Coleman.
What happened since is a pretty remarkable story for this Turkey Creed Middle School 8th grader. It all began when his Agriculture Teacher and FFA Advisor Buddy Coleman had Case help feed the animals at the school. “I noticed that he was very comfortable around them,” said Coleman. “At that time, I had a couple of rams that I needed to show, but because of their size, I needed someone who would not be intimidated by them. Though Case was nervous on the first day of practice with the rams, he learned quickly and did not give up. “I wasn’t sure about showing sheep at first,” said Case. “As I got further into it, I liked it.”
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“Chase Farris, who had shown the rams the year before, worked with Case and gave him pointers on how best to handle the rams,” noted Coleman. “Case also impressed me by putting in extra time working with all of his assigned sheep through the year, so that he could do his best at shows. Both of his parents are very supportive of not only Case, but the entire Turkey Creek FFA Chapter where Case currently serves as President.
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As this new activity progressed, Case and his parents, Doug and Jill had a family discussion about going forward and how that would work with his participation in baseball. Though both of Case’s parents had been involved in FFA while students at Plant City High School, neither showed animals. That discussion led to an agreement whereby Case would both continue his baseball activities and showing animals. Baseball has since given way to exhibiting animals, for the time being. Doug is owner of Brandon Land Clearing, a firm involved in grading work, landscape and irrigation for new home builders. He purchased the company with two other partners more than 20 years ago and ultimately became its sole owner. Jill, who majored in finance at the University of South Florida, helps her husband with his business and is also involved in real estate sales with Charles Rutenberg Realty, primarily in the eastern Hillsborough County area. Case is their only child. The Watson’s have cows on the pastures adjacent to their home that are bred, “and we intend to sell their calves for show heifers and steers,” said Case. “We also have a comWWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
mercial cow/calf operation of about 150 head that we sell calves from.” That is a venture jointly owned and operated by Case’s dad and family friend, Marc Sewell, who is both a farmer and rancher in the Plant City area. “When our friend Marc Sewell found out that I was showing sheep, he offered me a heifer to show,” said Case. “I showed both sheep and a heifer at the Florida State Fair and Strawberry Festival in 2018. After that experience, I made the commitment to raise a steer for the 2019 Strawberry Festival and purchased “Dale,” who became the Grand Champion Steer, from Lloyd Lay. “I then joined the Junior Florida Cattlemen’s Association (JFCA) and participated in the JFCA Jackpot Series of prospect shows throughout Florida in 2018 with Dale and my other show calves.” The JFCA consists of both producer and non-producer members under the age of 21 wanting to “serve Florida’s cattle industry.”
Photo by Berry Sweet Memories by Dee Dee Sewell took reserve grand champion honors at the festival while exhibiting as a student at Turkey Creek Middle School. Dale brought Case a record sale with seven people coming together and paying $37/pound for Dale. The proceeds from the sale and add-ons combined for a total of more than $50,000. “I am grateful to everyone that supported me in my first steer project. I would especially like to thank the group of buyers, Astin Farms, Pipe Pros, Florida Insurance Center, Eric’s Land Management, Mathis Farms, Todd’s Lawn Care and an anonymous supporter. Their generosity means so much to me.” Case plans to put the proceeds into a savings or investment account to use in the future. But there’s more. “I would like to pay it forward in some way by either sponsoring a project for a fellow student to be able to experience raising a steer or by contributing to the livestock scholarship fund through the Florida Strawberry Festival,” said Case.
Case is already working on his next steer projects. In the fall of last year, he purchased “Willis,” a steer that will be shown at the Hillsborough County Fair in October. The week after the festival ended, he had another steer in the barn. “Malcom,” Case’s Florida Strawberry Festival steer for 2020 arrived and Case Photo by Berry Sweet Memories by Dee Dee is currently working to break him.
Case’s “commitment” requires on average 30-hours a week for the feeding and care of his show animals. The whole family is vested in the animals and participating in the prospect shows is something that they enjoy doing as a family. Case starts and ends the day feeding his show animals, along with a regular schedule of bathing and grooming. “We want our animals to have healthy hair and that comes from a regular schedule of bathing,” he said. There’s also practicing for shows and that means adjusting show ring strategies and actions to match the personalities of the individual animals, leading to award-winning performances. Case is most appreciative of the support he receives from his parents and Sewell who “was instrumental in getting me started and helped us pick out my first steer, which turned out to be a grand champion,” said Case. “He also helped guide me every step of the way, and was always available if I had questions. He taught me how to adjust feed based on which nutrients were required at certain times and also coached me in all aspects of showmanship.”
As to the future, Case will most assuredly continue the family cow/calf operation, but as far as college and a specific career path are concerned no final decisions have yet been made. He will move on to Durant High School after graduating from Turkey Creek Middle School, and he should fit in well with an Ag program there noted for its achievements and contributions to the industry and community. We agree with Buddy Coleman and his plan to “see what great things Case does in the future.”
The Jackpot Series awards are coming up later this year and Case and his parents look forward to the year-end tally of points won. “Case did well with the calves he showed in the series but we’ll have to wait and see what the final points are,” said Jill. Getting back to Case’s Florida Strawberry Festival honor, there’s a substantial monetary dimension to his grand champion win, which is also believed to be the only ever achieved by a Turkey Creek Middle School exhibitor. Coincidentally,
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NEWS BRIEFS
Compiled by Jim Frankowiak
Farm Bureau Members Offered Savings on Caterpillar Machines & Attachments
its mission to protect American agriculture and natural resources.
Florida Farm Bureau members have an opportunity to save up to $5,000 on eligible Caterpillar machines, and an additional $250 credit on work tool attachments purchased at the same time. These discounts may combined with other discounts, promotions, rebates that may be available from Caterpillar or local dealers.
Users can search the site by type (plant or animal), keyword (avian, fruit fly, cotton, etc,) or by the specific pest or disease. Access the page at: www.aphis.usda.gov/pests-and-diseases.
Interested Farm Bureau members may contact their county Farm Bureau office or by calling 352-374-1585.
NRCS Provides Technical Assistance at No Cost The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides conservation technical assistance to private landowners, conservation districts, tribes and other organizations at no cost. NRCS delivers this assistance through its voluntary Conservation Technical Assistance Program (CTA) participants interested in conserving natural resources and sustaining agricultural production. Additional information is available by contacting the Plant City Service Center, 201 South Collins Street, Suite 201 or by calling 813-752-1474.
SIXTH ANNUAL STRAWBERRY PICKING CHALENGE RAISES OVER $90,000 FOR R.C.M.A.
UF Blueberry Program has Web-Based Resource for Florida Growers Florida blueberry growers have access to the University of Florida blueberry program’s web-based resource with information and data on 38 different southern highbush cultivars developed at UF, including descriptions of characteristics, best suited growing areas and fruit quality and yield data. The site – blueberrybreeding.com – offers added information on staff members, helpful blogs and other information resources.
Deadline for NRCS Ag Easements April 25 The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications to fund agricultural easements in Florida until April 25. NRCS provides financial and technical assistance to conserve working lands and wetlands through two programs: the Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) and Wetlands Reserve Easements (WRE). For more information, contact NRCS District Conservationist Diana Allevant-Echevarria at the NRCS office in Plant City, 201 South Collins Street, Suite 201, by telephone: 813-743-4882 or by email: Diana.Allevanet@fl.usda.gov.
UF Ranked 33rd Among University Ag and Forestry Programs Globally
The 6th Annual Wish Farms Strawberry Picking Challenge presented by Monte Package Company raised more than $90,000 benefitting the children of Redlands Christian Migrant Association, (RCMA). RCMA operates child-care centers and charter schools serving Florida’s low-income rural population, particularly the children of agricultural workers. Since the inaugural event in 2014, the challenge has raised more than $513,000 for RCMA.
USDA LAUNCHES NEW HEALTHY EATING CAMPAIGN The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has begun a new campaign to help simplify the nutrition information reaching Americans daily. The Start Simple with MyPlate campaign provides ideas and inspirations we can Incorporate into our daily lives to help improve our health and well being over time. The USDA recommends visiting www.choosemyplat.gov/ startsimple to get started.
USDA LAUNCHES WEB PAGE FOR PESTS AND DISEASES
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has a new “Pests and Diseases” webpage, listing all programs managed by APHIS as part of
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Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) recently released it 2019 World University Ranking by Subject and the University of Florida holds the 33rd position in the Agriculture and Forestry Category. Wageningen University in the Netherlands holds the top global ranking in that category. This is the 7th year the London-based firm has ranked universities around the world in this category to “help prospective students identify the world’s leading schools their chosen field.”
FDACS Encourages Submissions of Material Lists for “Operation Cleansweep” FDACS anticipates allowing a minimum of 1,000 pounds free for pick-up per “Operation Cleansweep” participant of qualifying material. First round pick-up dates have not been announced, but FDACS is encouraging potential participants to submit their material lists as soon as possible. Forms must be filed for each where items are to be picked up. Forms can be secured by contacting Shannon Turner via email: Shannon. Turner@freshfromflorida.com or by calling: 850-617-7853. Items that do not qualify for free pick-up include fertilizer (unless it is pesticide-coated: paint (antifouling paint is acceptable), empty pesticide containers, gas cylinders or sludge. Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC) recycles plastic containers that are 55-gallons or small and USAg Recycling, Inc., recycles containers larger than 55-gallons. The company can be reached via www.usagrecycling.com or by calling 800654-3145. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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NEW ENTOMOLOGIST JOINS GCREC FACULTY By Jim Frankowiak
Entomologist Sriyanka Lahiri, Ph. D., has joined the faculty of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) as an assistant professor. Her research program focuses on developing management strategies for insect and mite pests of small fruit crops, including strawberry, blueberry and blackberry. Dr. Lahiri’s program emphasis is on determining basic and applied ecological knowledge of pests and their natural enemies and competitor species. This knowledge will be used to better integrate biological, chemical, cultural, physical, and other controls. She collaborates locally, nationally and internationally with researchers from multiple disciplines and works closely with industry and grower groups to identify and address pest concerns. Prior to joining the GCREC faculty, Dr. Lahiri was a postdoctoral research scholar at the University of Georgia – Tifton, working with Dr. Michael Toews on the integrated pest management of sugarcane aphid in sorghum. She also worked in a similar capacity at North Carolina State University, working with Dr. Dominic Reisig on the integrated pest management of kudzu bugs in soybeans. She received her doctorate from North Carolina State University in 2014. She was mentored by Dr. David Orr and her dissertation was entitled: The Potential for Conservation Biological Control of Pentatomids and Plataspids in North Carolina. Dr. Lahiri also holds advanced degrees in Zoology and Environmental Sciences from the University of Delhi, as well as an undergraduate degree in Zoology with honors.
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Born and raised in Bokaro Steel City (Jharkhand), an industrialized area in eastern India, Dr. Lahiri’s father is a chemical engineer. Her mother has an undergraduate degree in Psychology and is a homemaker. Once India gained its independence, there was a great deal of collaborative assistance from other countries in Bokaro and rest of India, particularly from the US, UK, and Russia. This led to the development of the steel industry along with advances in the area’s school
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system, transportation, medical facilities, and more. “What had been very rural became quite cosmopolitan,” she said. While an undergraduate, Dr. Lahiri worked with Indian farmers, helping to diagnose vegetable infestation. This was an informal activity that took place at area markets. “That interaction put reality into perspective for me,” she said. “The challenges facing farmers have and continue to lead to suicide and gave me focus, ultimately leading me to studies in entomology, as well as policy.” Dr. Lahiri noted the challenges facing farmers in her homeland continue today along with drought, climate change and politics Dr. Lahiri is married to Ananda Shanka Bhattacharjee, who holds a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Utah. He is currently a post-doctoral research scholar at the University of Illinois – Champaign – Urbana. At this time, Dr. Lahiri and her husband visit one another every few months, but utilize various social media capabilities for frequent communications with one another. This is also true of communications with her parents in India. “I am also fortunate that my mother and father can periodically visit with me for extended periods of several months,” she said. Dr. Lahiri and her research support the mission of the GCREC which is “to develop and share new, science-based information and technology that will help Florida’s agricultural industry compete in the global marketplace. She and her GCREC colleagues work diligently to maintain and enhance the quality of Florida’s natural resources and agriculture. Specializing in different disciplines, the researchers work on a variety of ever-changing projects from breeding new, disease-tolerant fruit and vegetable varieties, to development of new treatments to control weeds. The GCREC is located in south central Hillsborough County on a 475-acre tract that features working research fields and state-of-the-art clean housing and laboratory facilities. More information about Dr. Lahiri and her research program and the GCREC is accessible at: https://gcrec.ifas.ufl.edu. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
CROP INSURANCE: IT PAYS TO MANAGE YOUR RISK When you purchase risk management coverage with Farm Credit of Central Florida, we return a portion of our commission as patronage dividends to eligible stockholders. Patronage dividends could help lower the cost of insurance premiums, saving you money as you manage your risk. Farm Credit of Central Florida is glad to discuss how we can save you money on your crop insurance with patronage dividends. Feel free to contact our crop insurance specialist, Regina Thomas, at 407.721.4687 or rthomas@farmcreditcfl.com. Patronage dividend distribution is subject to eligibility. Certain limitations, conditions, and exclusions apply for crop insurance. Please refer to the policy for more details.
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In The Field Classifieds ANIMALS & NEEDS
Info@inthefieldmagazine.com
Tel: 813.759.6909
MASSEY FERGUSON 431 TRACTOR
42 actual hours. In very good condition. Call us and come take a look. $7,500 ANIMAL & BIRDCAGES Equipment serving the fur bearing animal & Ask for Alvie 813-759-8722 exotic bird industry! Cages built to order. Wire by roll or foot. (813)752-2230. Call Don 2012 MAHINDRA 4025-4 Ammerman. www.ammermans.com Low hours with 6ft rotary cutter. July 14, 2019, Nov. 24, 2019 Ready to get to work! Call Alvie for additional information. $11,500 813-759-8722 BUILDING SUPPLIES
TAYLOR WAY TILLER DISC
METAL ROOFING
Thousands of 8ft. & 10ft. sheets. In Stock. Prices from $6 and up. Custom lengths available. 813-752-7088 ask for Ferris.
ALUMINUM
We have all your aluminum needs! Screen Room, carports & awnings. Call Blake (813) 752-3378
Plow - good condition. $1750.00 Call Alvie 813-759-8722
JOHN DEERE
Looking for your new tractor? Come see us at Everglades Farm Equipment. evergladesfarmequipment.com 2805 SR 60 West, Plant City 813-737-1660
WINDOW SCREENS
We make window screens of all sizes available 2005 MAHINDRA 6500 in different frame colors. 4X4, 65 hp with loader. Call Ted(813) 752-3378 1,000 hours. $15,900 Call Alvie 813-759-8722 CABINETS All wood kitchen cabinets. All wood vanities. ELECTRIC PLUCKER Granite counter tops. Custom made to your size. Plucks 4 chickens in 15 seconds. Call Blake 813-752-3378 Barely used! Call 863-409-8496
VINYL SIDDING
TILLER
Many colors and styles to choose from. Ask for Ted. 813-752-3378
5ft wide tiller. Very low hours, like new. Call 863-409-8496
MOBILE HOME SUPPLIES
Everything you need under ONE roof! Call Blake 813-752-3378
FOR SALE OLD ANTIQUE BLUE STOVE
Bread warmer, chrome trim. We are a MI Windows dealer. Our windows are You have got to see it to believe it! Call Ted for more details. 813-752-3378 energy star, lifetime warranty. Call Broke & Poor 813-752-3378
CALL FOR A WINDOW QUOTE.
FARM EQUIPMENT 2003 TAFE TRACTOR 4010
SOLD
2wd in excellent condition! $4,950. Call today and ask for Alvie. 813-759-8722
2013 MAHINDRA 5010 TRACTOR
DOORS & WINDOWS SPECIAL ORDER No upcharge. House & Mobile Home. Many standard sizes in stock. Ask for Blake. (813) 752-3378
JOBS MECHANIC NEEDED Agricultural equipment. Pay with benefits based on experience. Call David 863-537-1345
LAWN EQUIPMENT/ SUPPLIES BRAND NEW HUSTLER RAPTOR
Zero Turn Mower 52” cut, 23hp. Kohler engine, 3 year warranty. $2,999 Call Alvie 813-759-8722
PRODUCE FRESH PRODUCE
Forbes Road Produce. Open everyday from 7:30am - 8pm. Forbes Rd. & I-4 @ exit 17. Come out and see us!
MISC. FREE
Wooden Shipping Pallets All sizes! Call Alvie 813-759-8722
RUBBER MULCH
All Colors, $8.99 a bag. Call Ted (813) 752-3378
24 HOUR SERVICE
Coggins Plumbing licensed • bonded • Insured. www.cogginsplumbing.com 813-643-7173
FOR RENT
Millcreek Pine Bark Row Mulcher. For blueberry farms, six yard, PTO drive need at least a 30hp tractor. Call 863-604-2526 for rental details.
KITCHEN CABINETS & VANITIES
Get quality all wood cabinets for less than the BIG Box STORES! Call Today! Ask for Blake. (813) 752-3378
4X4 Cab with 7ft rotary cutter. Low hours. $18,500 Call Alvie 813-759-8722
PERFECTA II
TRADE • BUY • SELL? Since 2004 In The Field has been Hillsborough and Polk Countys #1 Agriculture Magazine. Call Us at 813-759-6909 to place your Ad Today!
SOLD
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8ft scratcher cultivator. Very good condition. $1,750 Ask for Alvie 813-759-8722
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