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August 2014
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Contents
VOL. 10 • ISSUE 9
STEEL AND GRACE:
A Healthy Eating Choice
Mary Heysek Page
66
Cover Photo by Stephanie Humphrey
The Redheaded Gardener
Page 10
Dehydrating Foods in Florida
Recipes
Naturally Amazing: Build a Wooden Bees Nest
Page 46
Business Up Front
Page 15
Page 50
Fishing Hot Spots
Page 18
Hillsborough Soil & Water Conservation District
Page 52
Rocking Chair Chatter
Page 22
Citrus Greening
County FFA Boasts Four Premier Awards
Dry Creek
Growing Local
Overcoming
Plant City High Debate Team Takes Top State FFA Honors
Page 56
Page 24
Page 59
Page 26 Page 28
Page 61
Hillsborough County 4-H Always Evolving
Page 32
Florida Lima Beans
Page 35
Urban Juice Co.
FSGA Kenneth Parker
Page 64
Market Watch - Urban Tea Garden
Page 38
Grove Equipment’s Customer Days
Page 42
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FFA Hall of Fame Inductess 2014
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UF Plant Doctor Problem Solvers
Page 80
August 2014
Page 81
Page 84
Fashion, Feathers & Fur
Page 86
Swaying in the Ocean Current Johnson’s Seagrass
Page 88
The Saucy Queen
Page 94
Thompson’s Nursery & Vineyard
Page 95
Invasive Inspects
Page 100
Protect Yourself from Mosquito-Borne Disease
Page 101
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Publisher/Photography Karen Berry Senior Managing Editor/ Associate Publisher Sarah Holt Editor-In-Chief Al Berry Editor Patsy Berry Do you have any idea how many people occupy our great nation? The number is a staggering 318,000,000 (and growing). Check out the web site census.gov and you can actually watch the population explosion by the numbers and see that we have a net gain of a person every 12 seconds. Would you like to guess the number of people that claim to farm as an occupation? According to http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ ag101/demographics.html it is less than one percent of the population. This is people who claim their primary occupation is farming. It doesn’t count those who may live on a farm but make their living some other way. What does this mean? One very important thing is that many children have no idea that their food doesn’t originate in the grocery store. The number of our population, both children and adult, who have never stepped on to a farm, is staggering. A huge number of our population lives in cities, so children, and their parents for that matter, seem to forget that PEOPLE grow our food. Do you think children of today actual KNOW what an egg is? How about where bacon comes from? Milk? Even oranges! This is a huge disconnect from something that we rely on for our health. The message can not be repeated enough, our youth, and many of their parents, need to be aware that their food, and fiber as well, don’t just magically appear in the store. Farmers and ranchers are there at the beginning. Not only do we need to teach our population where their food originates, we need to educate them on the relationship between food and having energy to run, play, work, and live. So don’t forget to thank the farmer and rancher for providing you with sustenance. You may not have purchased your dinner directly from them, but they are the reason we have the safest, most abundant food supply in the world. Until Next Month
Sarah
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The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. _ Numbers 6:25
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Office Manager Bob Hughens Sales Manager Danny Crampton Sales Al Berry Tina Richmond Danny Crampton Melissa Nichols Creative Director/Illustrator Juan Alvarez Photography Karen Berry Al Berry Stephanie Humphrey Staff Writers Al Berry Sandy Kaster James Frankowiak Sean Green Ginny Mink Libby Hopkins Justyna Thomson Contributing Writers Woody Gore Les McDowell
ABC Pizza..................................................91 Ag Technologies.......................................37 Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers............54 Al Higginbotham......................................31 Alan’s Air Conditioning Service............41 All World Lift Truck Co. LLC................98 Aquarius Water Refining........................82 Arrowhead Archery................................30 Astin Strawberry Exchange...................91 Bankers South Group............................70 Barbara Twine Thomaas......................68 Bill’s Transmissions.................................78 Bingham....................................................93 Brandon Auto Services, Inc...................68 Brewington’s Towing & Recovery.........16 Broke & Poor...........................................44 Cameron Financial Service...................21 Carl Hinson..............................................59 Cecil Breeding Farm..............................48 Chad Jones..............................................29 Chris Nash................................................97 Chuck’s Tire & Auto...............................34
Country Village.................................................58 Cresecent Jewelers.........................................59 Dad’s Towing.....................................................40 Diamond R Fertilizer.........................................45 Dr. Barry Gaffney, O.D. PA...............................11 Dr. Pat Almerico................................................33 Dr. Stacy White.................................................54 Exo Creative......................................................68 Everglades Farm Equipment........................104 Farm Bureau Insurance-Valrico....................90 Farm Bureau Insurance/Jeff Sumner............51 Farm Credit.......................................................89 Fashion, Feathers & Fur..................................87 Felton’s................................................................43 Fischbach Land Co............................................17 Florida Mineral, Salt & Ag Products..............14 Florida Strawberry Growers Asso................99 Forbes Road Produce........................................14 Fran Haasch.......................................................76 Fred’s Market Restaurant................................19 Gator Ford.........................................................44 Grass Pro Shops...............................................96 Grove Equipment Service...............................47 Grove Equipment Service..............................92 Gulf Coast Tractor............................................73 Harold’s Feed & Pet Supply..............................3 Harrell’s Nursery, Inc........................................91 Haught Funeral Home......................................72 Helena Chemical-Tampa.................................69 Highland Corporation......................................23 Hillsboro Bank...................................................27 Home Protection Pest Control........................89 Hydraulic Hose & Cylinder, Inc.......................36 I-4 Power Equipment.......................................58 Janet Daugherty..............................................49 Jarrett-Scott Ford..............................................2 Johnson’s Barbeque........................................89 Jon & Rosie’s Tree Farm................................101 Keel & Curley Winery......................................13 Key Plex............................................................103 Loetscher Auto Parts........................................82 Malissa Crawford..............................................25 Mark Smith Excavating....................................91 Moreno Ranches, Inc........................................85 Mosaic..................................................................23 Nicole’s Cleaning Service................................78 Pathway BioLogic..............................................77 Patterson Companies.......................................65 Plant City Awning..............................................91 Plant City Homestyle Buffet.............................5 Plant City Tire & Auto....................................91 Railroad & Industrial Fed Credit..................40 Rick Cochran.....................................................79 Robert Bauman.................................................75 Savich & Lee Wholesale.................................21 Seedway.............................................................82 South Fl Baptist Hospital..................................7 Southside Stores LLC...........................20 & 55 Southwestern Produce......................................51 Stephanie Humphrey........................................84 StingRay Chevy.................................................62 Sweet Life Farms.............................................65 The Southern Barn..........................................17 Thompson Nursery & Vinyard.......................78 Timberlane Pet Hospital & Resort...............25 Trinkle,Redman,Swanson,Coton,...................69 Verti-Gro, Inc.....................................................16 Walden Lake Car Wash & Service...............91 Wasabi Japanese Steak House.......................9 Wayback Burgers.............................................95 Wells Memorial..................................................83 Willie’s.................................................................81 Windfield.............................................................91 Zaxby’s ..............................................................63 WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
ER Needed?
Hospital Included.
Just in Case In case it’s more serious than you thought, our full-service Emergency Center is connected to South Florida Baptist Hospital and features the services you may need on-site: n Operating rooms n Team of physician specialists n Heart Center
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For a physician referral or more information:
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BC1403144-0614
100 South Mulrennan Road • Valrico, FL 33594 • 813-685-9121 100 South Mulrennan Road • Valrico, FL 33594 • 813-685-9121
A BUSY TIME FOR YOUR A NUMBER OF THINGS FARM BUREAU DearDear Readers: Readers:
A BUSY TIME FOR YOUR FARM BUREAU
An early reminder. Our Hillsborough County Readers: FarmDear Bureau annual meeting is coming up OcI am both humbled and honored to have been toberelected 2. Please mark your Hillsborough calendars now and president of YOUR County planIFarm to attend with your family. More informaBureau. All of us owe a debt of gratitude am both humbled and honored to have been to tion elected will be coming the mail. I look forward outgoing president Danny Aprile for his years of president of in YOUR Hillsborough County to seeing you there. service to our organization. I promise to do my Farm Bureau. All of us owe a debt of gratitude to
best to continue theDanny momentum forth. outgoing president Aprile he forcarried his years of It was nice to see that our FFA speech teams from service to our organization. I promise to do my Plantbest High School and farmer, Strawberry Crest AsCity atosixth generation Florida I know the continue the momentum he carried forth. Highmany School took top and second all place challenges and opportunities of ushonors have at the state FFA competition Orlando. in recent agriculture industry and that isIin an industry As athe sixth generation Florida farmer, know the There’s more on those honors and others that is global. Our major challenge is to continue many challenges and opportunities all of us haveour localintoFFA members won in edition ofmust IN produce the food our growing the agriculture industry andthis thatpopulation is an industry THEthat FIELD. The Plant City team goes on to the have while the lands devoted to farming continue is global. Our major challenge is to continue national competition, taking inmarket October. toproduce diminish. The good thing isplace that the to the food our growing population must Good luck to the Raiders! for our products continues to expand. Our task have while the lands devoted to farming continue is diminish. to effectively challenges while to Themeet goodthose thingdual is that the market You for will also see a story in this edition about protecting our precious environment. I am confident our products continues to expand. Our task yours truly and my selection as the new execuwe are up to that task and I look forward to helping is to effectively meet those dual challenges while tive protecting director of the Florida Strawberry Growers us all do our part to assure that we do so. our precious environment. I am confident
Association. I am honored and humbled we are up to that both task and I look forward to helping withus my selection. Our strawberry growers Let me also tell you about the other new all do our part to assure that we do so.officersare very elected important toboard us for by your lastmany month.reasons, They are: and I lookLet forward to working with them and helping Vice President Will Womack, Treasurer Ray Wood, me also tell you about the other new officers to assure their future. I would also like to exSecretary Michelle Williamson and Member-Atelected by your board last month. They are: pressVice myPresident thanks to Ted Campbell for his efforts Large Bill Burnette. My thanks to each of them and Will Womack, Treasurer Ray Wood, on behalf of the association these past six years our board for their willingness to serve. Secretary Michelle Williamson and Member-Atand Large wish Bill himBurnette. the veryMy best in retirement. thanks to each of them and
serious implications. Once you become familiar with it, I encourage you to contact your elected officials in Congress and let them know where you stand. Essentially, we want the agency to the challenges our local industry partners face as deal realistically with real world imthey strive to produce the the highserious, quality products plications this contemplated Anything ourchallenges markets of demand. Those tours are rule. hard the our local industry partners facework as less would be most harmful to our industry. and represent many hours of support from our they strive to produce the high quality products
industry colleagues. thanktours themare and those our markets demand.We Those hard work Please remember if you belong to group that legislators and regulators who take the time to and represent many hours of support fromaour has questions about our industry, keep us in learn first hand about agriculture in our area and industry colleagues. We thank them and those mind. We have several board members and volhow and why we need their ongoing awareness, legislators and regulators who take the time to unteers be pleased to area meetand and dishelp and support. learn first who hand would about agriculture in our cuss just about any aspect of agriculture with how and why we need their ongoing awareness, your group. Contact information is listed below There’s more. Ag-Venture, our program for bringing help and support. and thanks you for your interest. the story of agriculture to children through school activities, is going on and we will again be particiThere’s more. Ag-Venture, our program for bringing Please remember it isn’t necessary for you to be pating in Farm City Days through which we bring the story of agriculture to children through school involved directly in agriculture to participate; the story of agriculture to our friends living in activities, is going on and we will again be particinor doin you be through a farmer or rancher Tampa. pating Farmhave City to Days which we bring to be-
long to of Farm Bureau. In to supporting the story agriculture to our addition friends living in our important industry and helping to assure Lastly, if you are not a member of our Farm Bureau Tampa. our future, membership family, please Farm join us.Bureau It isn’t necessary that youfor be your a family brings its own rewards. If you haven’t farmer or rancher to join. Please visit Lastly, if you are not a member of our Farm Bureau checked outjointhe of belonging, http:// hcfarmbureau.org or call 813/685-9121 family, please us. benefits It isn’t necessary that you for beplease a do. The modest fee associated with family memmore information. farmer or rancher to join. Please visit bership in Farm Bureau is a813/685-9121 great deal. To http:// hcfarmbureau.org or call for learn more about Farm Bureau, please visit: http:// Once again, I am honored to be your president and more information. hcfarmbureau.org or your call 813/685-9121 for more my very best to you and family. information. Once again, I am honored to be your president and my very best to you and your family.
Sincerely, As Iboard am sure of willingness you have come to realize our for all their to serve. Speaking as the agriculture in Hillsborvacation timevoice is over.ofWe are particularly busy at Thank you, oughAs County, I hope that you all give some seriFarm Bureau. This month we are completing the I am sure all of you have come to realize ous vacation consideration to what our federal third of our tours during whichEnvironwe take timelegislative is over. We are particularly busy at Thank you, mental Protection Agency is contemplating with elected and appointed officials to several of Farm Bureau. This month we are completingour the regard toofits “Clean Water” rule. There’s agricultural businesses in this areas which so theywe can see Kenneth Parker - President third ournew legislative tours during take quiteelected a bit and to this anticipated regulatory matter agriculture at work, some of the best management appointed officials to several of our and agricultural Ipractices encourage you to learn more. of see the that have been put andcan learn of businesses in this into areasplace soSome they Kenneth Parker - President key points of this issue are on the web at http:// agriculture at work, some of the best management bit.ly/1rr8hdi. national Farm practices thatOur havestate been and put into place and learnBuof reau colleagues are actively involved since Board it has of Directors
Kenneth Kenneth
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Kenneth Parker, President; Will Womack, Vice-President; Ray Wood, Treasure; Michelle Williamson, Secretary; Member-at-large; Bill Burnette; Board members: Roy Davis, David Drawdy, Jim Dyer, Jim Frankowiak, Board of Directors Glenn Harrell, Chip Hinton, John Joyner, Greg Lehman, Erin Nesmith, Jake Raburn, Marty Tanner, James Tew, Kenneth Parker, President; Will Womack, Treasure; Michelle Williamson, Secretary; RonVice-President; Wetherington, Ray and Wood, Ray Wood, Member-at-large; Bill Burnette; Board members: Davis, Director David Drawdy, Jim Dyer, Jim Frankowiak, Judi Whitson,Roy Executive Glenn Harrell, Chip Hinton, John Joyner, Greg Lehman, Erin Nesmith, Jake Raburn, Marty Tanner, James Tew, Ron Wetherington, and Ray Wood, INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2013 W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M Judi Whitson, Executive Director
THE FIELD M AGAZINE August 2014 INTIINN HE FIELD AGAZINE 20132014 THE FIELDMM AGAZINE NOVEMBER August
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August Days of Summer By Shannon P. Mitchell, The Redheaded Gardener Daily central Florida monsoons and the heat index are smothering me right now. Every morning during the work week, I slog to my real job in the stifling humidity frantically trying to get the AC in my 13-year- old dodge truck to sputter out its last tendrils of coolant just so I can breathe. Yet still I have a hankering to garden. I must be a glutton for punishment. I am wiser though. If I garden, it’s early in the morning or later in the evening. I wear my sunscreen and the bug spray and my granny wide-brimmed straw garden hat. The weekends are taken up with my trips to Lowe’s to purchase more mulch or fertilizer. I’m racing the weeds daily. With all this extra moisture everything is reaching for the skies. It’s a bit more labor intensive this time of the year, but I have also concentrated on adding some hardscape (with a little help I must admit). A big thank you to Guillermo and his two sons, Guillermo Jr. and Elias Melendez. They have helped me with building a nice new brick walkway that now reaches towards the center of my backyard from my patio as well as numerous new garden beds this summer. It ends in a bare patch of grass awaiting the energy to add a fire pit. I’m hoping for a cooler fall so I can make more use of this backyard space with my family. We live in Florida. We are the envy of the upper 48 in spring, fall and even winter so we 10
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should be able to enjoy the outdoors a bit more. As a result, I’ve carved out the time to make this backyard space more inviting. It’s been a summer of change. I’ve added some tropicals because my backyard is a bit of a furnace – it faces the east with very little shade. There are no large trees to speak of since we had to take down a rotting water oak after the hurricane blitz in 2004 that hit Florida. I also created a bed just for the butterflies and moved some plants around to better advantage. Because this is a space for outdoor living, I’ve created some beds and pockets of edible landscaping. Plants and shrubs are now thriving in this backyard sunny patio space. Future shade providing ornamental and fruit trees are now gracing the privacy fence at the edge of the property. Potted vegetables, water tub gardens and succulents decorate my patio slab and soften the edges a bit. The trees are not large yet, but they will grow. In the surrounding vegetable beds, more Roma tomatoes are providing end of season treats along with a sprawling watermelon vine that’s taking over the world. One of my favorite additions is a Fern Leaf Bamboo, Bambusa multiplex ‘Fernleaf’. It’s deep green, wispy leaves and graceful WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
canes are reminiscent of a jungle’s edge. I planted it in a large whiskey barrel so it wouldn’t spread or run rampant and under planted it with some contrasting maroon and lime colored coleus. My collection of smaller potted succulents, agaves and aloes are soaking up the sun and flourishing in the heat. They are sheltered a bit by the eaves so as not to get too much moisture from our afternoon rain showers. They like to be a bit on the dry side. Butterflies are drawn to the native red and white salvia, Salvia coccinea, native wild Petunia, Ruellia caroliniensis and the Passion Vine. Basil, Fennel Dill and Milkweed supplement as extra larval food sources for caterpillars. The dragonflies are in abundance now that I’ve added a couple of tub water gardens. The pink-tinged white waterlilies are blooming and the tadpoles are frolicking to the delight of my youngest. The Florida Prince peach tree I planted earlier this year is doing well and my turkey fig has begun leafing out profusely. Two divided Birds of Paradise are recovering from their recent trim and move. My Mango, Lime and Papaya trees are finally growing taller and getting bushier. It may take a few years for them to produce well, but I’m patient. I like to start small and build up. I just added three varieties of jasmine shrubs and vines so that future summers will smell all the sweeter when the blooms burst out. A friend also brought me two Angel Trumpet (Brugmansia) trees which I planted in one of the soggier low spots against the fence. Both seem to be enjoying the extra moisture. To cap it all off I now have a nice bed surrounding the peach tree and patio filled with orange and yellow blooming Bulbine frutescens plants contrasted with Mexican Petunia “Purple Showers” and sunshine yellow lantana. Talk about butterfly and bee smorgasbord. I can’t wait until it all fills in. In the meantime, I’m enjoying seeing the growth and blooms. Every day there is something new to discover in the backyard. Stay cool and happy gardening.
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Business Up Front By Justyna Thomson
Arrowhead Archery Shop: Little Red Bow to Pro.
Hunting season is off to a start and many agree that the best way to get into those woods is with a bow, before the use of guns is allowed. During Florida’s sultry summer heat, we get a little more than four weeks of bow season and what hunter would turn down extra hunting weekends before the others move in? It goes without saying that if you’re going to hunt with a bow, you need the right equipment and to be set up properly. Jonathan Swindle at Arrowhead Archery Shop, is your man. No matter what level you’re at, Arrowhead Archery is the place to be set up with the appropriate equipment and is the resource for all your bow hunting and archery needs. Being a family-owned Christian business, this shop’s commitment to treating customers like family is evident. You’ll always get a warm greeting and the personalized attention Jonathan believes his customers deserve. Not only that, they are Tampa Bay’s only authorized Hoyt Archery dealer, which is the top company in the bow industry. They are also a top dealer for other quality brands such as Matthews and PSE. With their onsite indoor range, customers have the opportunity to try equipment, take lessons, and meet other likeminded enthusiasts. It’s truly a one-stop shop with a full service repair center and a taxidermy services.
“Most popular setups are for Hog, Deer, and Turkey, but we setup bows for anything from Buffalo to Elephants,” Jonathan says while passing by a 2000-pound Water Buffalo head on the shop’s wall. Jonathan’s friendly voice may sound familiar if you have listened to radio shows dedicated to hunting. Jonathan is a former host sharing favorite hunting stories, and you can spot him at many outdoor shows as a speaker. And if all goes well, he may be back on the air in the near future. “Our clients range from 3-years to 80-years,” Jonathan said as he walks toward their onsite range, occupied by local youth practicing their skills. “Kids are picking up on the sport, and
these guys come here to hang out and practice,” explains Jonathan who has a soft spot for the youth and is dedicated to helping clubs promote the sport. “If it’s for the kids, I’ll do it.” Recent popular movies with bow hunting, such as the Hunger Games, have spiked interests in this sport among youth, which can grow into a very fulfilling and skillful hobby. One that comes with significant responsibilities that can be instilled by Arrowhead Archery’s Pro Staff of certified USA Archery Instructors who help all their customers reach peak potential in hunts, tournaments, as well as their own personal goals. “Parents often come in concerned about spending money on something their kids may not want to do for long enough, but if they’re set up with the right equipment and are taught properly in a positive environment they’ll keep at it,” said Jonathan, and he is dedicated to continued learning and has his eye on attaining his wildlife preservation certification. Jonathan Swindle’s passion for bows began over 30 years ago with his red kid’s bow from Walmart. This bow had no chance in his hands, and the broken pieces were quickly replaced with a real one purchased from the only archery shop in the area, that belonged to John Davis. The same shop Jonathan owns today, that he purchased from John Davis seven years ago. “I still have that bow,” Jonathan stands by one of many hunting trophies on the shop’s wall, a 600-pound hog head. “This one is from a community hunt from upper Hillsborough.” Jonathan explained that it took some effort by a whole community to take down this particular aggressive hog. “They don’t get this big from being stupid.” It’s not all about hunting in this shop. Archery is an important outlet and a way to relieve stress. “You can’t just go out in your backyard and shoot off your guns at a target,” says Jonathan. “But I can go and shoot my bow.” “God puts in our hands what will keep us focused,” adds Jonathan. Clearly Archery isn’t just business in this shop.
Arrowhead Archery Shop www.arrowheadarcheryshop.com • 10818 U.S. 92, Tampa, FL 33610, USA 813.621.4279 WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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Fishing Report & Ethanol Fuel at Pump August 2014 They’re at it again: Missouri Corn Growers Pushing for More Ethanol at the Fuel Pump -
Consumers Asked to Pay for an Ethanol-At-All-Cost Agenda
States (BoatUS) says that smart consumers have learned that corn-based ethanol has not lived up to its expectations as America’s green fuel and that higher ethanol blends – those being encouraged by the MCGA – are incompatible with outboard boat motors, generators, lawn mowers, motorcycles, and so many other engines. “Ever since 10% ethanol gas has been on the market, boaters have experienced problems with engine and fuel systems. Now, with higher blends like 15% ethanol (E15) coming to the pump, consumers need to be really careful about misfueling,” said Boat US Government Affairs Senior Program Coordinator David Kennedy. “On a boat, bad fuel can escalate quickly to a stopped engine, placing those aboard and the boat itself in jeopardy. And boaters know that higher ethanol blends, such as E15, will only cause more damage to outboard boat engines. The EPA has specifically prohibited the use of E15 in marine engines, and currently, there is not one boat motor designed or warrantied to use with more than E10.” Article by Boat US: D. Scott Croft
This Ethanol fuel situation is going to keep escalating until it really becomes a problem for recreational and commercial fishing and, in general, the boating industry. If you’re not careful with the fuel you purchase you can end up with some major engine problems not only with your outboard boat motors, generators, lawn mowers, motorcycles, but so many other engines. We’ve got to keep our eyes and ears open to what’s going on around us and not let this ethanol get any worse than it already is. Below is an article from BoatUS that show another push by the Missouri Corn Growers trying to up the ethanol level in our fuels 10% to 15%. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. July 8, 2014 – Are wise consumers of gasoline being pushed to use a fuel that doesn’t work in their boats, lawn equipment, and other small engines? A June 24 statement from the Missouri Corn Growers Association (MCGA) blames current high gasoline prices on volatile markets and calls for more ethanol at the gas pump to lower gas prices. However, Boat Owners Association of The United 18 18
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Added BoatUS’ Kennedy, “While all of us are tired of shelling out an arm and a leg for gas, boaters are also sick and tired of having engines fail and paying large repair bills. Boat US strongly believes renewable fuels are an important part of our nation’s energy future, and we aren’t anti-corn farmer. But as a country, we can’t ignore the fact that corn-based ethanol may not be the savior – or profit center – that many had hoped.”
Let’s Go Fishing! REDFISH - August should see more redfish action around the Tampa Bay area. This past month we could find lots of single and a few small schooling fish, but getting them to take live bait with any consistency was often difficult. We seemed to have better luck using cut bait on the bottom with the rod in the rod holder. We also had decent success using shrimp around mangroves and docks. The Bay notoriously produces good catches of redfish, you just need to find the ones ready to eat. Redfish will push into the Mangrove lined shores and oyster bars on incoming tides where live bait normally produce good catches along with cut bait. Early morning artificial lures fished on the grass flats and around the mangroves usually offer some excellent excitement as well. Work both incoming and outgoing tides. WWW. WWW.IIN NTTHE HEFFIELD IELDM MAGAZINE.COM AGAZINE.COM
Gene Tipton Past Pres Altidas Cigars
SNOOK - Snook fishing will continue strong this month with some larger fish still in the passes and on the beaches. Expect those near the passes to congregate near the deeper holes and back eddies. They often appear to have lockjaw but patience seems to pay off when looking for larger fish. Snook of all sizes like dead bait, especially the big ones. Simply cut the tail off a threadfin and let it lay on the bottom. Artificial lures usually produce some awesome action and if you’re past the learning curve, tossing plastics to waiting snook can be loads of fun and excitement. SPOTTED SEA TROUT – Tampa Bay Trout have come back like gangbusters. It’s not unusual to catch a limit of nice eighteen to nineteen inch trout for dinner on any grass flat provided you’re on good incoming or outgoing tides. Trout fishing is always fun, especially when you find some larger fish willing to eat. If you’re free-lining white bait or shrimp and the current is moving, you might need to add split shot to keep the bait down. In water five feet or shallower try a popping cork, but again you might want to add a little weight.
Mike Duke
MACKEREL & BLUEFISH - Tampa Bay has its share of mackerel and bluefish and fishing this month should be great. Just look for schools of threadfins, put out a chum bag and hold onto your rod and reel. The mackerel will actually wear you out to the point of putting your rod and reel down and taking a seat. For some exciting top water action try tail hooking your bait and let it work against the current. This forces the bait to the top for some great top water strikes. SNAPPER – Seems there are plenty of grey snapper in the bay. Just find some structure and rig up with small pinfish or the first hatch greenbacks, drop them down and hold on. “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 Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, Bradenton, and Sarasota areas for over fifty years, he offers world class fishing adventures and a lifetime of memories. Single or Multi-boat Group Charters are all the same. With years of organizational experience and access to the areas most experienced captains, 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 him a call at 813-477-3814
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• Sneezes normally exceed 100 mph, while coughs clock in at around 60 mph. • Your body has enough iron in it to make a nail three inches long. • Feet have 500,000 sweat glands and can produce more than a pint of sweat a day. • Humans are the only animals that can produce emotional tears. • The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet in the air. • Your ears secrete more earwax when you are afraid than when you aren’t. • The human head remains conscious for about 15 to 20 seconds after it has been decapitated. • The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger, left hand. • The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot repair itself. • By 60 years of age, 60% of men and 40% of women will snore. • The human body is estimated to have 60,000 miles of blood vessels. • Less than one-third of the human race has 20-20 vision. • Everyone has a unique smell, except identical twins, who smell the same. • Your nose can remember 50,000 different scents. • The three thing pregnant women dream most of during their first their three months of pregnancy are frogs, worms and potted plants.
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Left Handed People I have always been a southpaw, and my handwriting is terrible. Thank goodness for the typewriter. My left-handed writing is used mostly to pay our monthly bills. On a more positive note, right-handed people use the left side of their brains. Left-handed people use the right sides of their brains. I guess that means only left-handed people are in their right mind. There’s no denying it, left-handers are the odd men out. Sure, lefties make up about 10 percent of the population, but, frankly, it seems like society has forgotten about them with right-handed gadgets, awkwardly designed desks, cooking tools that fit comfortably in your right hand (now that’s just wrong!). What causes someone to become a southpaw? Scientists aren’t exactly sure, but research points to a complex collaboration between genes and environment. While no exact set of “leftie genes” have been discovered, people who dominantly use their left hands do have more left-handed family members. And researchers have found different brain wirings in righties vs. lefties. But no matter what it is that drives someone to use their left paw, science has also uncovered a particular set of personality traits that left-handed people tend to have. So for all of you lefties, leftie-loving righties and ambidextrous folks out there it’s time to brush up on your left-handed knowledge and help put an end to leftie discrimination once and for all. Being left-handed puts me in the minority, but at least I am in good company. Famous people and celebrities such as Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Jay Leno, Mark Twain, Natalie Cole and Whoopie Goldberg were/are left-handed. Men are one-and-half-times more likely to be southpaws than women. I found some interesting facts about being left-handed. The nails on the left hand tend to grow faster than on the right hand. The Egyptians thought is was good luck to enter a house left foot first. Of the five people that designed the Macintosh computer, four were lefthanded. Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution with his left hand. A few years back Burger King published a full page advertisement in the April 1st edition of USA Today announcing the introduction of a new item to their menu: a “Left-Handed Whopper” specially designed for the 32 million left-handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new whopper included the same ingredients as the original Whopper, but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day Burger King issued a follow-up release revealing that the LeftHanded Whopper was a hoax, and thousands of customers had gone into their restaurants to request the new sandwich. At the same time, 22
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according to the press release, “many others requested their own ‘right-handed’ version.” Believe it or not the farming industry has a lot of left-handed equipment. Left-handed plows, hoes, and many more. They even make a left-handed sawmill! Have you ever noticed while sitting on the pot that 95% of the time the toilet roll holder is on the right side of you and so close you can barely unwind it? Not sure who named it, but there is a town in West Virginia named Left Hand. It has only one service station and more than 200 graveyards within 20 miles. Looney Cemetery is one of the oldest on the side of a mountain. Over the years some of the land has eroded away sending some of the buried down the side of the mountain. According to ABC News, lefties “are more likely to be schizophrenic, alcoholic, delinquent, dyslexic, and have Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as mental disabilities. They’re also more likely to die young and get into accidents.” An indirect consequence of that fun little tidbit is that lefties are also far more qualified to make a joke about all those things. And doesn’t who a good dyslexia joke love? Getting out of bed with the left foot first means that you will have a bad day and be bad tempered, i.e. getting out of bed on the wrong side. A ringing in the right ear means that someone is praising you, in the left ear it means that someone is cursing or maligning you. An itchy right palm means that you will receive money. An itchy left palm means you will have to give money. Wedding rings worn on the third finger of the left hand originated with the Greeks and Romans who wore them to fend of evil associated with the left-hand. The right hand often symbolises ‘male’ while the left hand is ‘female.’ If you hear the sound of a cuckoo from the right it will be a lucky year. If the sound comes from the left it will be unlucky. If your right eye twitches you will see a friend, if it’s your left eye that twitches you’ll see an enemy. When dressmaking, it’s believed to be bad luck to sew the left sleeve onto a garment before the right sleeve. It is thought to be bad luck to pass a drink to another person with your left-hand or anticlockwise around a table. If you apply an ointment with the forefinger of the right hand the sore will not heal. This is because this finger is said to be the ‘poison’ finger. Passing or pouring wine with the left hand leads to bad luck. Driving on the left started so that horse riders could use their whips in the right-hand to fend off other road users. The left hand does worst in the parable of the sheep and goats. The sheep are set on Christ’s right hand and the goats on the left. Those on the right inherit the kingdom of god while those on the left depart into everlasting fire (to quote Matthew 25: verse 41: “Then he will say unto those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Studies have shown that left-handers are more likely to have allergies than right-handers. There you have it. That’s all I know about being left-handed. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
We help hardworking farmers nourish our growing world.
That’s our promise. As the world’s population increases, the demand for affordable food increases with it. The Mosaic Company helps the world grow the food it needs by providing farmers with essential crop nutrients. Today, more than half the phosphate fertilizer used by U.S. farmers is produced right here in Florida. Mosaic’s more than 3,000 Florida employees are honored to help farmers put food on the table for millions of families – including yours. Join in Mosaic’s promise at www.mosaicco.com/promise.
Tom Pospichal, Manager Mosaic Agricultural Operations, Florida
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By Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam
Citrus Greening
As many of you know, one of America’s favorite beverages is at grave risk. Though Florida’s citrus trees have overcome many challenges over the last five centuries, including freezes, hurricanes and canker, its latest challenge poses an existential threat to the industry. In 2006, a tiny insect the size of a pin introduced citrus greening to Florida. Trees infected with citrus greening produce bitter, misshapen and unmarketable fruit. Worse, infected trees die within five years. Now, this deadly disease has spread to every citrus-producing county in the state and infected more than half of Florida’s citrus groves. A casual glance at almost any grove will reveal evidence of its destruction. We have reached a crisis point. Production of Florida oranges is at a 30-year low. In its heyday, the citrus industry produced nearly 250 million boxes of oranges per season, but the most recent citrus forecast predicts we’ll produce just over 100 million boxes of oranges this year. Florida’s citrus industry has a $9 billion economic impact on our state and supports more than 75,000 jobs, all of which are currently at risk. This industry’s decline and ultimate devastation would have a ripple effect on communities throughout the state. Fortunately, there is strong financial support for Florida’s citrus industry to fight the spread of citrus greening and support research for a cure. Florida growers alone have con24
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tributed an estimated $70 million to this cause. The federal government has also committed more than $130 million, and the state government has committed nearly $20 million more. We’ve also seen support from major corporations like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, signaling they are not ready to give up on America’s favorite breakfast beverage. With this financial support, we must use every tool in the toolbox to find a solution. Some options showing promise include thermal therapies and antimicrobial treatments. We’re also employing techniques to prevent the spread of greening until there is a cure, such as partnering groves in close proximity to one another to maximize the effectiveness of bio-control strategies and releasing parasitoids to stop the vector responsible for spreading greening. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in hopes of finding a solution soon, is already preparing to help the industry rebuild. We’ve expanded our budwood facility in Chiefland to provide growers with the resources they need to replant lost trees. We just opened a new germplasm facility in Lacrosse, which will enable us to release up to 30 new varieties per year. We’re committed to save Florida’s citrus, but we must work together toward this goal. History has proven that Florida’s citrus industry can overcome the challenges that come its way. Furthermore, one of America’s favorite beverages, as well as its economic impact and the jobs it supports, are too precious to let go. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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what is it? America’s First Frontier
By Les McDowell
Photos by Linda Constant
More and more folks are learning about Dry Creek the TV series, but there are still many who haven’t a clue to what is being filmed right in their back yards. As the creator of Dry Creek, it’s my goal to have people embrace what we are doing on our 40-acre piece of property to bring alive the rich history that has been hidden in the swamps of our area for so many years. The other day I saw a stock trailer pulled by a four wheel drive truck with a Florida Beef license plate proudly attached to the front bumper. In the trailer there were two saddled horses with yellow rain slickers draped across their saddles. These guys where headed out to gather cattle in the swamps and oak hammocks of this land. We don’t call them Cowboys, they were Cow Hunters, and from a long line of Cow Men. To me the sight of them and their muddy truck was like royalty with a halo of rich history around them and their rig. No where in America can you uncover a history so stunning. That muddy truck and the Cow Hunter that drove it brings us to Dry Creek, a place where time has forgot. A time where you had to be tough just to survive. Where people cared for each other. A place filled with stories that even the best writers in Hollywood would marvel at. For those of you who have never watched Dry Creek here are 26
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a few paragraphs that will set the tone. Dry Creek is a small frontier town nestled among the Palmetto and Scrub Brush of early Florida, America’s First Frontier. Long before there was a James Town, horses and cattle were brought here. It is a place whose history has been buried in the dark swamps. Everyone has heard the western stories of Tombstone and the expansion Westward. But Dry Creek will bring the stories out of the dark swamps where it all begun. It’s the people that make up any town and brings it to life. Dry Creek parallels its native Cyprus’s tree. To survive in the swamp its roots have adapted to reach above the water line to breath. Dry Creeks residents have learned to survive in America’s First Frontier by pulling together using prayer, heart and grit. To gather wild cattle and hogs from the swamps. To deal with hurricanes, gators and snakes to survive like the Cyprus to just stay above water and breath. The folks of Dry Creek are made up of many colorful tough souls. The day a wagon came into town carrying a little girl with Yellow Fever, Dry Creek’s true colors would be tested. Everybody knows where Dry Creek is .....it’s inside each and everyone of us. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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Overcoming By Melissa Nichols
Inspirational stories occur in nearly every place in the world, stories about people who are able to overcome situations and persevere despite the odds against them. In Plant City a very inspirational young man is attending school, actively participating in FFA and persevering. It is amazing to see young men and women dedicate themselves to a project even when it takes so much of them to see it through. Zachary “Zach” Bozeman is one of these young men. So many youth in today’s society have a list of reasons to excuse themselves from being active, whereas Zach has a valid reason and he refuses to let that limit him. When Zach was born he had a heart defect - Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. He only has one working ventricle in his heart. By the age of three he had undergone three surgical repairs and during the repairs, suffered two strokes that left him partially paralyzed on his right side. Zach had to learn to overcome the lack of use of his right arm and learn to walk with a significant limp of his right leg. The strokes not only left him with physical limitations but also with cognitive limitations. Despite the odds stacked against him, when Zach started middle school in 2011, he decided to join the Turkey Creek Middle School FFA Chapter. Previously a member of a local 4H group he was eager to get more involved in agriculture. Advisor Buddy Coleman saw much potential 28
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in Zach and welcomed him with open arms. Zach began raising and showing swine and in 2013, he was rewarded with the Hillsborough County Fair Grand Champion Hog! This year he was Reserve Grand Champion at the Florida Strawberry Festival. These awards were dreams come true for Zach. Raising market hogs is sometimes an exhausting experience for him since he has had to learn to care for them, including walking, feeding and bathing, with the use of just one arm. Zach’s father, Danny, has helped him, not doing it for him, but giving him assistance. It has taken a huge amount of dedication on Zach’s part to see these projects through without frustration. He is very thankful for the help from his parents, Kerri and Danny, his sister Kelsey and his advisor Buddy. FFA has been a life changing experience for Zach. Not only has he raised the market hogs, he has competed in Ag Abilities the last three years. He has made lifelong friends and been an active part of his chapter. When asked about accomplishments other than his Grand and Reserve Championships, Zach said, “I have had to learn how to be in front of large crowds and how to carry myself and not let my disability bother me.” He also said he has had to overcome his last surgery, done to correct the damage to his leg that occurred from his leg rotating, making walking difficult. In this surgery, they WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
broke his leg to attempt to repair it. He has had several setbacks but is currently in physical therapy, learning to walk again, and, for the time being, he is utilizing a wheelchair to get around. Zach is determined not to let this get him down. He is looking forward to August when he will start at Plant City High School. He plans to join the FFA chapter there and continue to show animals. He would like to show steers like his sister. With his determination, nothing can keep him down. He is an inspiration to his peers and the adults around him. Zach has big plans. After high school he plans on going to work with his Aunt Karen at KP Realty. His Aunt Karen doesn’t know it yet, but Zach has big plans to change the name ZB Realty. His philosophy is, “With hard work and a good attitude you can do anything you want to, it also helps to be able to laugh and have fun. Whenever I get frustrated and say, “I can’t,” I always have my parents or my sister to help me and tell me “I can.” Giving up is not an option in my family.” Zach also has a huge heart. He said, “First and foremost I am thankful to God for sending me amazing doctors and the perfect family (his entire family), without them I wouldn’t be here today. I am also thankful for my amazing teachers who have taught me to make the best of my situation. I am also thankful for my hog buyers, my Uncle Steve and Mr. Sam who have invested in my future. And last but not least, I am thankful for my FFA Advisor at Turkey Creek Middle, Buddy Coleman, who always encourages me to be the best I can be.” We can all learn something from Zach Bozeman, some may learn to not give up no matter what, others may learn that they can do anything they put their minds to, I have learned that God gives very special gifts to very special people and Zach has blessed everyone who knows him. FFA is not just for kids who are perfectly healthy, it is also for kids who need to overcome obstacles, it is a great program all around. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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Hillsborough County 4-H: Always Evolving, Continually Educating
By: Brent Broaddus, Brandi Yancy, Jackie Hunter & Holly Jordan
The roots of the 4-H program in Hillsborough started in 1912 with the founding of tomato and corn clubs, which were coordinated through what is known today as the Extension Service. These programs fell under the direction of Miss Mollie Evers of Plant City. Miss Evers was a school teacher who received her position simply due to a friendship she had with the school superintendent. Her annual salary during this time was $150, which she used to purchase canning supplies and train fare. Girls who were members of the tomato clubs would preserve and can the surplus of tomatoes grown in the county. Boys worked in similar clubs which were known as corn clubs. These clubs were coordinated by Jack Peters and Tom Kelly, positions that later became known as the County Agriculture Agents. They focused on production agriculture, mostly swine projects. Many of the 4-H clubs that were established during this time were started in the schools and the club titles were based on the town in which they met, such as the Brandon 4-H Club or Seffner 4-H Club. The eastern Hillsborough 4-H clubs were organized and met in the schools in Plant City. The rural schools of that area, commonly known as “Strawberry Schools,” scheduled their school terms and 4-H programs to conform to the strawberry harvest season of January through March. This was needed because most family members in the Plant City area were needed to help out with harvesting the strawberry crops during peak production months. During the 1930’s, typical 4-H events included showing livestock at the fairs and participating in land, livestock, and citrus judging contests. 4-H events for the girls included sewing and cooking projects and contests such as dishwashing, sandwich making, posture, and table setting. 32
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The focus of the Hillsborough Extension Service Agriculture and Home Demonstration Agents also shifted away from 4-H and more toward priority special war programs during this time, which were eventually terminated in 1945. Even with the shift toward war efforts, the 4-H program still managed to implement new programs during this time such as the first 4-H Achievement Day, the first 4-H Club Dairy Show coordinated by the Tampa Chamber of Commerce (Jan. 10, 1947), and the first Junior Agriculture Show for 4-H boys, girls, and FFA members (Dec. 18, 1946). The 1950’s and 1960’s were a time of great social change for 4-H members. Boys and girls 4-H club programs, which were kept separate in prior years, were now starting to be coordinated together. Although the boys and girls still met in separate 4-H clubs, they hosted and planned social events together such as picnics, parties, and wiener roasts. In1965 boys and girls from Hillsborough County participated in overnight camping trips together. Another major trend during this decade was increasing the number and availability of 4-H programs focused on urban boys and girls who did not have an agricultural background. This also included programs for AfricanAmerican youth in the early 1960s. Sudella Ford, Home Economics Agent, worked with the African-American 4-H clubs in Hillsborough County. The two largest of these clubs at that time in the county were located in Bealsville and Citrus Park. Although these clubs were segregated from the white clubs in the county, all 4-H members came together at the Florida State Fair where African-American and white girls participated in the fashion show together. In addition to the social changes that were taking place during this time, there was a shift in the responsibility of the 4-H program. The program that was previously coordinated by both Agriculture and Home Demonstration Agents together was brought under the leaderWWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
ship of what is known today as the County 4-H Agent. Virginia Hill Coombs was the first agent in Hillsborough County whose full responsibility was management of the 4-H program. She was housed in the Plant City, FL office during the mid 1960s. To complete this era of the program, the first 4-H Tropicana Public Speaking Contest was held in 1969 for Hillsborough County, which continues today. In 1974 the three offices of the Extension Service all merged together at a central headquarters in Seffner. This office still houses the Extension Service today. During the 1970s more and more clubs shifted out of the schools and into the local community, which is our current method of club delivery today. Later into the 1980s and 1990s, many new and innovative 4-H programs were established to reach clientele who were not part of the traditional club program. Programs such as the Ag-Venture Program, 4-H School Enrichment, Seat belt safety contest, grant programs (recycling and water conservation) and Weed and Seed reach non-traditional 4-H members in urban and rural areas. Many of these programs are still in place today with the addition of the Operation Military Kids Program and 4-H clubs at MacDill Air Force Base. While 4-H still has agriculturally based projects and programs, clubs now spend time incorporating other areas in addition such as robotics, photography and the creative arts. 4-H Clubs also reinforce Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in all projects, as science is everywhere. 4-H programs promote science awareness in everything we do in addition to promoting citizenship, leadership and healthy lifestyles that build the resilient youth that are ready to join the workforce being prepared for whatever their future has in store for them. Youth who are part of 4-H report better grades, higher levels of academic competence, and an elevated level of engagement in school. They are nearly two times more likely to plan to go to college and are more likely to pursue courses in a career in science, engineering, or technology. The new 4-H year starts September 1, 2014 and if you would like to find out what 4-H community clubs are in your area to get involved with please call the Hillsborough County 4-H office at 813-744-5519.
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Florida
Lima Beans
By Sandy Kaster, M.S. Clinical Medicines, B.S. Nutrition Science
Summertime in Florida may be hot, but the warmth provides a good climate for lima beans, pole beans, and butter beans to grow. Fresh Florida lima beans are in peak season now and are prized for their delicate flavor and buttery texture. Many varieties of lima beans exist and the Fordhook is the most popular type in the United States. The pod is roughly three inches long, flat, and curved. Inside the inedible pod are two to four kidney-shaped seeds, which are the lima beans. While the most common colors of lima beans are green, other varieties come in purple, speckled, red, brown, or white. Mild in flavor, lima beans are starchy in texture, much like a potato. Dried, canned, or frozen lima beans can be purchased year-round.
mineral is also a component of three other enzymes in the body and is involved in various metabolic reactions.
NUTRITIONAL PROFILE Fresh Florida lima beans are as beautiful and delicious as they are nutritious! Lima beans are an excellent source of molybdenum and a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, and manganese. These legumes are also good sources of folate, phosphorus, protein, potassium, vitamin B1, iron, magnesium, and vitamin B6.
Protein Lima beans are a great vegetarian source of protein and contain a wide variety of amino acids. When combined with a grain, such as brown rice or whole wheat pasta, lima beans can be a complete protein, which contains all the essential amino acids necessary for the body’s functions. A one cup serving of cooked lima beans contains almost 15 grams of protein, in addition to fiber. Both protein and fiber provide long-lasting satiety. Another benefit of consuming this vegetarian source of protein is that lima beans contain almost no fat, and none of the harmful saturated fats found in meat.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, one cup of cooked lima beans (188g) contains 216 calories, 14.7 g protein, 0.7 g fat, 39.3 g carbohydrate, and 13.2 g of dietary fiber. It also provides 313% of the Daily Recommended Value (%DV) for molybdenum 53% for dietary fiber, 49% for copper and manganese, 39% for folate, 29% for phosphorus, 27% for potassium, 25% for vitamin B1and iron, 20% for magnesium, and significant amounts of other minerals and vitamins. Soluble & Insoluble Fiber One serving of cooked lima beans provides more than half of your daily requirements for fiber. A one cup serving of lima beans contains 13.2 g of fiber, of which 9.7 g is the insoluble kind and 3.5 g is the soluble type. Both types of fiber have a myriad of health benefits, including lowering cholesterol and preventing blood sugar spikes after a meal. Lima beans have a low glycemic index, which means that glucose does not rise as high after consuming beans as it does some other starchy foods. In fact lima beans help to maintain blood sugar control due to high levels of fiber and protein, which slow absorption and prevent spikes in glucose. Additionally, fiber helps to prevent colon cancer and promote bowel regularity. Insoluble fiber is wellknown for its effects in preventing constipation, as well as in preventing diverticulosis and irritable bowel syndrome. Soluble fiber, also found in high amounts in foods such as oatmeal and apples, is powerful in lowering cholesterol. Molybdenum A single serving of lima beans contains a whopping 313% of your daily requirement of the trace mineral, molybdenum. This mineral is part of sulfite oxidase, an enzyme that detoxifies sulfites. People who are sensitive to sulfites (a preservative commonly added to prepared foods) may have headache or rapid heartbeat if they consume sulfites. Molybdenum helps counter these effects. This WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
Iron This important mineral boosts your energy level and prevents anemia. A single cup of lima beans contains almost a quarter of your daily iron needs and is a great vegetarian, fat-free source of iron. Iron is an important part of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to the rest of your body and is also involved in metabolism. Iron is particularly important for those who are at risk of iron deficiency such as older adults, menstruating women, pregnant women, or those who follow a meat-restricted diet.
How to Select and Store Fresh lima beans are a summertime treat in Florida and their taste and texture is well worth the work of shelling them from the pods. Choose lima beans that are firm, deeply colored, and free of yellowing or wrinkling. Fresh lima beans can be stored for up to a few days in the refrigerator when kept whole in their pods. Once shelled, the beans become much more perishable. Dried lima beans can be stored for up to six months in a dark, cool place, and frozen ones can be stored for up to six months in an air-tight plastic bag in the freezer. How to Enjoy Before using fresh lima beans, rinse under running water and remove any debris. Soaking lima beans in water before cooking can reduce the type of carbohydrate associated with flatulence and can also shorten the cooking time. Dried lima beans should be soaked for at least six hours or overnight before cooking. Drain soaking water and rinse before cooking beans. Ways to enjoy lima beans include: Stir fry with ham and green leafy vegetables Use in a stew or casserole Mash and combine with mashed potatoes and other root vegetables Serve whole, boiled lima beans in the pod as you would edamame Puree lima beans with herbs for a fresh dip Roast in oven with olive oil, salt, and pepper for a crunchy snack Combine lima beans with carrots, potatoes, and turnips for a hearty vegetable soup SELECTED REFERENCES http://www.sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu http://www.whfoods.com INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
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Contact Ag Technologies, the Southeast’s leading precision ag company. Ken Lodge 239-322-8357 I T F 877-585-4GPS | www.southeastprecisionag.com WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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August 2014 Authorized
37 Ag Dealer
An Organic Life Experience
By Libby Hopkins photos by Javier Garcia
Did you juice today? No, I don’t mean did you drink your orange juice at breakfast this morning, or grab a quick apple juice during lunch. Did you have juice for breakfast, lunch and dinner? No? Well maybe you should. Juicing is becoming more and more popular nowadays because we are becoming more aware of what we are putting in our bodies and how it affects us. We want to feel healthy and energized. Todd Lax is part owner of the Urban Juicte Company in Tampa. He and his best friend/business partner, Kevin Kenny were looking for their next big business venture. “We are serial entrepreneurs and we have worked together on everything from legal mediations to high end hotels to telecommunications,” Lax said. He was born and raised in Tampa, so he wanted their next business venture to stay local. Lax’s wife has suffered with migraine headaches her whole life. She tried everything to alleviate her pain but nothing seemed to help. The couple watched a documentary called “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.” In the film, a man encounters a woman who started juicing to help relieve her migraines. Lax’s wife decided to give juicing a try. It worked. “I’m a Southern boy who loves his meat and potatoes, so I wasn’t up for juicing, but since it helped my wife, I thought I would give it a try,” Lax said. “It wasn’t that bad.” Lax decide to do some research on juicing to see if it could be the next big business venture he and Kenny were looking for in Tampa. The two men had their eye on an old vacant building in downtown Tampa. Public records showed that the building was originally known as the Easley Building and it was built in 1895. “It’s the second oldest building in downtown Tampa and we did some research on the building only to find that if was once listed as a fruit stand,” Lax said. This was the sign the two men needed to open a juicing business. Urban Juice was born. 38
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Lax and Kenny traveled to New York and Los Angeles to look at other juice businesses. They liked them but felt they were exclusive and only marketed to themselves. “We wanted to build a brand from the bottom up that was inclusive,” Lax said. “We want everyone from soccer moms to polished attorneys to feel comfortable coming into our business.” Urban Juice is about many things such as art, music, technology, health and fitness. It’s also about relaxation and socialization, but both Lax and Kenny wanted you to know it’s about you. They want you to have an organic life experience. “We designed Urban Juice to be a modern day Starbucks but built around juice rather than coffee,” Lax said. Urban Juice offers a number of cold pressed juices that are pressed on site. All of the produce they use for juicing comes from local farmers and venders. Keeping things local is extremely important to Lax and Kenny. Keeping things local and healthy is one of the reasons Urban Juice is becoming so popular in the downtown Tampa area. The other thing Urban Juice is becoming known for is their juice cleanses. “It’s not rocket science what we are doing here, its fruits and vegetables, “ Lax said. “Juice to feel good.” Our bodies become impure by the things we eat, the environment and even the air we breathe. Juice cleansing is a great way to give our bodies a much-needed break to recharge and reset itself. Urban Juice offers 1day to 7 days cleanses. “This allows you to focus on your body for a few days and get your body right,” Lax said. “Cleansing will show you just how good your body can feel after having healthy, organic juices in it for a few days.” If you can’t make it into the shop for your juice cleanse, you can order it online and they will deliver it to you. Delivery it limited though and there is a charge for delivery outside of their area. Urban Juice also wants you to focus on your mind, body and WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
spirit. Lax and Kenny are working on opening the next phase of Urban Juice called Veya Fit Spa. The spa will be located on the second floor of their building and it will feature a massage area, yoga, fitness classes and group fitness. “We want to call this a living building,” Lax said. “We want to have a business that is all about you and your lifestyle.” They want you to enjoy your life by either stopping in to pick up some juice or to get a massage or do some yoga. Lax and Kenny are also looking into expanding Urban Juice Company by opening other little shops or kiosks called “Juice Boxes” in the Tampa Bay area and beyond. If you would like to learn more about Urban Juice Company or if you would like to order some of their juices, you can visit them on the web at www.ujco.net or call 813-357-9995. Urban Juice Company is located at 510 N. Franklin St. in downtown Tampa.
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Grove Equipment’s Customer Days In times past, a farmer or agriculturalist, would seek field help in the form of oxen and donkeys and other beasts of burden. They’d tediously till the ground as they walked behind the beasts. Now, in this age of advancement, farmers and agriculturalists are blessed with motorized help. Recently, Grove Equipment got the chance to preview and demonstrate some of the newest products on the market. We spoke with Alvie Still, the Store Manager at the Plant City office, to get the scoop. Alvie provided a little background information and history. He told us, “Grove Equipment is a family owned business; I guess they’ve been in business some-odd 43 years. We sell agricultural farm equipment. Our main brand is Massey Ferguson. We also sell Mahindra brand tractors; the implements are Bush Hog and Woods. We are actually one of the largest Massey Ferguson dealers in the state of Florida. We have two stores, our home office and store is in Bartow, and the store in Plant City is the second store. It’s been here 20 years and I’ve been here 14 years. I’ve been doing this since 1979. I was in business for myself and then my father desired to retire so I came to work here for David McKeeman, and his son, Robby. They are the owners of the family-run company. His father, Bob McKeeman started Grove Equipment.” We asked Alvie to tell us about Customer Days they recently sponsored. He explained, “Massey Ferguson chooses some of its top dealers throughout the country. They have this program they call New Horizons to introduce new products. Government regulations have forced everybody in the agricultural industry to meet these new Tier 4 emissions requirements and along with that, Massey Ferguson has introduced new products, new tractors and new models that are compliant with that. They chose thirteen dealers in the United States to be part of the New Horizon’s group and we were fortunate enough for them to select us to be one. It was to bring down product specialists, service and parts specialists to introduce a product to make people aware of the new features and new designs.” In case you didn’t know, Tier 4 emissions standards were signed by the EPA on May 11, 2004. However, they’re being phased into effect over the time period of 2008-2015. Ultimately, these new standards require that emissions of NOx and PM be 90% reduced. The way to do this requires control technologies like advanced exhaust gas after treatment. The concept is to make emissions from farming equipment (and other large pieces of equipment) more comparable to those standards instituted for highway vehicles. This is quite an endeavor and Massey Ferguson wanted to show potential 42
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customers that it was up to the challenge thereby providing an exceptional product introduction experience for all who attended the luncheon. We were curious about attendance, and exactly what the luncheon entailed, so we asked Alvie to give us an overview. He shared, “I’m going guess there were probably 30 there. The venue was at the Hilton Garden Inn on the Lakeland Airport. We set up to have our lunch there and one of the senior marketing specialists made a slide presentation going over the products. Then we went out and did ride and drive time on the different models of tractors and they answered any questions pertaining to the different models as far as application, horsepower, what the tractors would be suited to do in the agricultural industry. We had several tractors out there to drive. We had the 5613, a 4608, a model 2615, a 1736, a GC2410.” He paused then, recalling each and every model, and then with excitement added, “We had a 6615 with a loader! Karen Berry, publisher of In The Field, rode in it. It’s a big tractor and it will travel like 35 miles an hour! It has what they call a CVT transmission where you actually don’t feel any shifting or anything. It has all the modern controls and features. It’s just a really high-tech tractor. It was the best one there by far. It was the one everybody had interest in.” With all the hype he used to describe it, I’m a little sorry I missed the opportunity! He continued describing the turnout, “The people that attended were from various industries. We had blueberry growers, strawberry growers, road side mowing contractors, cattle ranchers and municipalities; the city of Lakeland was in attendance, too. AGCO Corporation, which owns Massey Ferguson, was there. There were probably eight reps which ranged from product specialists, finance specialists, parts and service.” Each of the AGCO attendees were there for the sole purpose of answering questions and demonstrating products. It was apparent that they wanted to make their new technologies user friendly and showcase their move to meet Tier 4 standards. Those interested in learning more about the tractors that were exhibited can visit the Grove Equipment website at: www.groveequipment.biz . You are more than welcome to call Grove for any additional assistance. The Plant City store’s number is (813) 759-8722, or if you’d like to speak to someone in Bartow please call (863) 537-1345. The people at Grove Equipment are there to serve your agricultural equipment needs and would love to talk to you. Give them a call! WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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Florida FFA Hall of Fame to Induct Five in 2014
The Florida FFA is pleased to announce the 2014 FFA Hall of Fame Inductees. The inductees are James Edward Jeffries, Archie and Emelie Matthews, Marion Caradine Riviere, Leon A. Sims and Olin Thomas Stoutamire. The recipients will be inducted into the Florida FFA Hall of Fame during the 8th annual awards celebration Monday, September 29 at the Florida FFA Leadership Training Center near Haines City.
James “Jim” Jeffries of Plant City taught agricul-
ture education in Florida middle and high schools for two decades before becoming supervisor of agribusiness and natural resources education for the Hillsborough County School District where he served for another two decades.
Archie Matthews served as a district director of the Florida FFA Alumni Association for two decades and wrote a book that promotes Florida’s agriculture industry and its impact on everyday life. Emelie Matthews is involved in FFA activities as Archie, taking on roles at the Florida FFA State Convention, including registration, information, and election procedures. Archie and Emelie currently reside in Alachua, Florida. Marion C. “Bud” Riviere served as Florida FFA
Association Executive Secretary before becoming principal at Gainesville Agribusiness Center where his program became a national model for instructing agriscience students. He later became dean of Workforce Development and Continuing Education at Chipola College. Riviere recently retired and now resides in Clanton, Alabama.
Leon A. Sims
of Tallahassee, was an agriculture
teacher for many years before joining the Florida Department of Education’s Vocational Division in 1966, where he served in many capacities until 1989. He was inducted into the Florida Vocational Association Hall of Fame in 1993.
Olin Thomas “Tom” Stoutamire of Hosford, Florida, spent 13 years as the agriculture teacher at Sebring High School. He worked for more than 20 years as an Area Agricultural Education Supervisor with the Florida Department of Education, supervising agriculture education programs and FFA activities. “We are proud to honor these wonderful leaders for their commitment and dedication to the Florida FFA over the years,” said Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. “Their efforts have helped the FFA in our state to better educate students, parents and entire communities about the importance of Florida’s agriculture industry.” Bill Hamm, President of the Florida FFA Foundation Board of Directors states “these individuals are to be highly commended for their years of service and dedication to the enhancement of agricultural education and FFA.” If you have questions, need further information or would like to purchase tickets to this prestigious event, contact Gary Bartley at 863-439-7332 x 6321 or ggbartley@hotmail.com. FFA makes a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.
July 17, 2014 was the 98th anniversary of President Woodrow Wilson signing the Federal Farm Loan Act in 1916, which created what is today the Farm Credit System. To celebrate, Farm Credit of Central Florida offices had a commemorative cake baked by Special Assets Loan Officer, Jessica Slaughter (Center). Joining the celebration are FCCF President & CEO, Reggie Holt (L) and Executive VP & Chief Credit Officer, Craig Register (Right).
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Recipes
Courtesy of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Lobster Carambola Citrus Salad
Chef Justin Timineri
DIRECTIONS 1. For dressing, bring orange juice to a boil in a saucepan, reducing liquid by 1/2. Cool in a small bowl.
2. Whisk in the orange juice, honey, oil and salt. Set aside.
3. On individual plates, arrange carambola slices, orange and grapefruit sections, lobster and black beans on salad greens.
INGREDIENTS 1 cup orange juice
4. Drizzle with orange salad dressing and serve.
2 tablespoons honey 1/4 cup canola oil 1 teaspoon salt 4 medium carambolas, sliced 1 cup orange sections 1 cup grapefruit sections 1 pound cooked lobster tail meat, sliced 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained salad greens, chilled
DIRECTIONS
Ingredients Black Bean Sliders 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 onion, finely chopped 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup carrot, shredded 1/2 cup cornmeal 1/2 cup breadcrumbs 1 tablespoon chili powder
Black Bean Sliders Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add onion and let cook until tender and slightly caramelized. Transfer onion to a large mixing bowl. To this bowl add beans, carrots, cornmeal, breadcrumbs, chili powder, salt, cilantro, and water. Use a large spoon or your hands to mash it all together. If the mixture is too dry to hold together add more water, one tablespoon at a time.
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1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1/4 cup water 14 slider-sized buns Spicy Orange Sauce 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt 1 tablespoon orange juice 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Hand-form bean mixture into patties to match the size of the slider buns. Heat remaining oil in a large skillet and pan-fry patties about 3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and crisp. Add more oil to the skillet as needed. Drain patties on absorbent paper. Dress with lettuce, tomato and Spicy Orange Sauce, and serve on slider buns. Spicy Orange Sauce Mix all ingredients together and serve on sliders.
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HILLSBOROUGH
CONSERVATION DISTRICT Tampa Bay Regional Envirothon The Tampa Bay Regional Envirothon, or “Environmental Olympics” allows high school students in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties the opportunity to use what they have learned in the classroom to resolve environmental issues in the field. Both teachers and students enjoy the Envirothon’s in-class learning that combines hands-on, outdoor activities. Student teams are exposed to scientists and experts in the field who coach and guide their learning experience. Teams, consisting of five members per team, then compete in local Envirothons and winners advance to state/provincial/territorial contests. Top teams head to the North American Envirothon, a week-long culminating competition hosted by one of the states/provinces/territories in North America, where over $100,000 in scholarships and prizes are awarded. Through the program, students develop an understanding of effective teamwork, resource management and ecology. At the same time, they gain valuable exposure to a range of disciplines and possible career paths. On Thursday, March 20, 2014, the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District sponsored the 2014 Tampa Bay Regional Envirothon at Upper Tampa Bay Park, Tampa, FL. It was a very pleasant day at Upper Tampa Bay Park with 23 Hillsborough County schools and two Pinellas County schools attending. The annual competition focuses on the following five main areas of study as developed by its respective professionals, called Resource Specialists: Aquatics – Monica Rivera, P.E., Current Environmental Issue – Lynn Barber, Florida52 52
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Friendly Landscaping Agent for the Hillsborough County Extension of University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and Susan Haddock, Horticulture/Integrated Pest Management & Small Farms Agent for UF/IFAS, Forestry – Rob Northrop, Extension Forester for UF/ IFAS Hillsborough County Extension, Soils – Juan Vega, Area Soil Scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Wildlife – Jeanne Murphy of Sensing Nature, LLC. This year’s Current Environmental Issue is “Sustainable Local Agriculture/Locally Grown.” At a sixth testing station, Oral Question, teams were also judged on how well they verbally presented their knowledge of Current Issue topics to Resource Specialist Julie Vogel, Environmental Science and Technology Instructor for St. Petersburg College, Seminole campus. Teams recognized for academic achievement in those above categories are as follows: Snipe Dynasty (Canterbury School of Florida) received the highest score in Aquatics; Golden Peacocks (Lakewood High School) received the highest score in the Current Issue; Golden Peacocks (Lakewood High School) received the highest score in Forestry; Newsome Wolfpack (Newsome High School) received the highest score in Oral Question; Club Soda Not Seals (Plant City High School) received the highest score in Soils; and Newsome Wolfpack (Newsome High School) received the highest score in Wildlife. The Regional Winners are: 1st Place – Canterbury School of Florida, 2nd Place – NewWWW. WWW.IIN NTTHE HEFFIELD IELDM MAGAZINE.COM AGAZINE.COM
The Regional Winners are
1st Place
some High School, and 3rd Place – Plant City High School. Newsome High School, representing Pinellas County, and Canterbury School of Florida, representing Hillsborough County, both advanced to state-level to compete at the Florida Envirothon on Saturday, May 10, 2014 at Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center, Lamont, Florida.
2nd Place
This event would not have been possible without the assistance of the volunteers, Resource Specialists, Upper Tampa Bay Park, Park Manager (Brian Evarts) and park staff, the backing of Hillsborough County Public Schools’ Supervisor of Secondary Science (Dan McFarland), and the sponsorship received from MOSI, The Florida Aquarium, Southwest Florida Water Management District, Tampa Bay Water, Tampa Bay Wholesale Growers, Hillsborough Soil & Water Conservation District’s Board, Mosaic Fertilizer, Fisher Science Education, Florida Strawberry Festival, Hillsborough Parks, Recreation & Conservation Department, Monica Rivera P.E., Sensing Nature, St. Petersburg College – Seminole Campus, UF/IFAS Hillsborough County Extension, and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. Together, they all provided great support for the participating teams to have an effective and enjoyable competition.
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3rd Place
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813-752-2379
Mon. - Sat.: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Western & Outdoor Wear, Farm, Ranch & Pet Supplies 3014 S. Jim Redman Pkwy. (Hwy. 39 S) Plant City, FL • www.southsidestores.com WWW. WWW.IIN NTTHE HEFFIELD IELDM MAGAZINE.COM AGAZINE.COM
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County FFA Boasts of Four Premier School Chapter Awards By Cheryl Kuck
State Parlimentary Procedure Winners – Durant School with State of Florida winning Parliamentary procedure Team who will travel to the National FFA Competition in Oct. of this year. From the left;Tim Cribbs Durant FFA Advisor, Mariah Kunze, Mylie Feaster, Alyssa Shepherd, Kaitlyn Taylor, Keri Greenwood, Clint Walden and Haley Smith State FFA Vice President. *Mylie Feaster (third from left),a member of the Durant Senior FFA Chapter, was elected area 5 state vice president of The Florida FFA Association * Photo by Suzanne Cribbs
Here in Florida’s agricultural heartland we are all aware of or involved with the FFA. Our state can boast of over 300 FFA local chapters consisting or more than 15,000 middle and high school student members. Of those chapters and members, 300 state-wide applicants endeavored to reach the top pinnacle of proficiency levels while schools vied for premier school status based on their year-long program of activities which included student achievements in projects, career development events, competitions, and community service, during the 86th Annual State of Florida FFA Competitions held in Orlando June 30 through the July 4. The convention brought together approximately 4,000 students, teachers and agribusiness members in support of agricultural education and state-level awards were granted to schools and students for their outstanding levels of excellence in various categories.
cultural issue related to Methyl Bromide, which has affected Plant City Strawberry growers. This team will be preparing to present this issue at National Convention in October. Team member Benji Padgett was also chosen to present his talent on the stage at the convention. One of the agriculturally important community initiatives securing the Turkey Creek Middle School selection as a Florida Premier FFA Chapter was their tradition of hands-on agricultural teaching that began in 1936 when the Turkey Creek FFA Chapter was formed. Their hands-on philosophy is ongoing as this year’s FFA student strawberry projects included; working with children in Head Start programs, a tactile learning experience with the visually impaired, and a U-pick Cancer Society Relay for Life event in the fields adjacent to the school, sponsored by Astin Farms, that raised more than $1000 for cancer research.
Hillsborough County can be proud of having four schools considered “Florida’s Finest” FFA Chapters garnering the state award and title as a Premier Chapter. The schools receiving the state awards were J.G. Smith (the Jr. Chapter) and Plant City (Sr. Chapter) High School, FFA Advisors Leigh Cason and Michael Paul, Turkey Creek Middle School, FFA Advisors Allison Sparkman and Buddy Coleman and Tomlin Middle School, FFA Advisors Jason Steward and Kayla Giorgi. These schools will be represented in competitions for the national awards to be held Oct. 29 through Nov. 1 in Louisville, Kentucky.
In addition to the recognition as a state FFA Premier Chapter, Tomlin Middle School received the state title for Parliamentary Procedure. The parliamentary team members are; Kendall Gaudens-Chairman, Caroline Brummer-Secretary, Mackenzie Steele, Matthew DelCastillo, Lily Batley, Reagan Brown, Madi Conrad and Anna Ress. They were coached by Wesley Joyner, an Alumni member and strong supporter of the program. Sixth grader Emma Poole was one of nine FFA members from across state chosen to perform a talent on stage. She chose to play the piano and played, “Peace in the Midst of the Storm.” Tomlin’s Meats Judging Team placed first in the state. Meats Judging Team members Matthew DelCastillo, Cole Harrell, Tyler Wright and Garrett Barnes received recognition, as did Ornamental Horticulture Demonstration Team Members Abbie Deweese and Reagan Tears for First Place in Artistic Arrangement and Madi Conrad and
Plant City Sr. High School also took First Place in State for Agricultural Issues; Ari Fry, Ashlyn Yarbrough, Gresham Stephens, Benji Padgett, Megan Todd, Taylor Grimes and Lauren Schism. This team of freshman students presented a political debate on Paladin, an agri56 56
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Landscape Management Proficiency Award - Alex Fernandez wins State Proficiency Award in the area of Landscape Management. From the left; Travis Thelge Area III State FFA Vice President, Alex Fernandez state award recipient, Tim Cribbs FFA Advisor, and Brett Wasden State FFA Vice President. * Photo credit to Suzanne Cribbs
Turkey Creek Premier Chapter Award – From the left; Travis Theige Area III State Vice President, Jacob Gainer Turkey Creek former President, Buddy Coleman Turkey Creek FFA Advisor, Megan Stein State FFA President. *Photo courtesy of Florida FFA
Delaney Flower received a First Place in Landscaping Design.
the FFA to students, as well as, FFA members around the state of Florida. She will also travel to the National FFA convention as a delegate for the Florida FFA Association.
Premier Chapter Awards are sponsored by Crop Production Services, a corporation producing fertilizer, seed and crop protection products, as well as, agronomic services in the United States and portions of Canada. “We proudly sponsor these awards with the knowledge that our country’s agricultural future is in the hands of our exceptional FFA youth,” said Justin Bunch CPS marketing manager. Steinbrenner High School FFA students Kellie Zambito and Emily Casper received a First Place Award for their Artistic Arrangement in the category of Ornamental Horticulture Demonstration. Their Career Development Event FFA advisor was Bridgette Compton. Strawberry Crest High School’s Anna Conrad was selected as the top Florida FFA State Star Greenhand award recipient. The ‘Greenhand’ is awarded each year to the top freshman member who excels in their first year and shows great promise for success within the FFA. Victoria Harris, a graduated senior, was elected to serve as the State FFA Secretary for the next year. Advisors for Strawberry Crest are Susan Mayo, Julie Alfonso, and Michelle Cesario. The Durant High School Senior FFA Chapter took part in four state Career Development Events (CDE) with their Parliamentary Procedure team receiving a First Place FFA State Award. Team members Clint Walden, Keri Greenwood, Mylie Feaster, Kaitlyn Taylor, Alyssa Shepherd and Mariah Kunze will compete at the National FFA Convention in October representing the state of Florida. Mylie Feaster, a member of the Durant Senior FFA Chapter, took part in the Job Interview CDE winning the state title. She was elected to the position of Area 5 Florida State Vice President. During her one-year tenure she will be traveling and promoting agriculture and WWW.IN INTTHE HEFFIELD IELDM MAGAZINE.COM AGAZINE.COM WWW.
Durant students, Cassidy Hasting and Alex Fernandez received State of Florida FFA First Place Proficiency Awards for Sheep Production and Landscape Management. Next, their proficiency award applications will be sent for judging to the national awards selection committees. The Durant Chapter also received 10 State Farmer Degree’s (the highest degree that the Florida Association can give to any member). The Farmer Degree’s were awarded to Jacob Belisle, Dayton Dry, Mylie Feaster, Miranda Lane, Alyssa Shepherd, Alex Fernandez, Cole Edbrup, Konnore Long, Heather Ross and Tori Griffith. Eight additional members Haley Smith, Morgan Beasley, Kennedy Dean, Jerri Rowell, Jesse Coleman, Kelsey Newsome, Miranda Mayo and Allie Thomas were also introduced as American Farmer Degree recipients and will receive their degree’s at the National FFA Convention in Kentucky. Mark Hamilton of the Riverview High School FFA Chapter is the winner of this year’s Dairy Production Proficiency Award. He began his project when his uncle purchased him a registered Jersey heifer when he was eight years old. “Caring for animals teaches you a lot about responsibility,” says Mark, who now owns over 15 head of dairy cattle. He has gained certification in artificial insemination and has bred several of his own heifers that will calve this year. In the future Mark plans to continue growing his herd while promoting the dairy industry. Riverview FFA Advisors are Karen and Dane Hamilton. In addition to Hamilton, another Dairy Proficiency finalist from Hillsborough County is Aaron Dunn of Eisenhower Middle School. Dunn is a dual member of 4-H and FFA. The Eisenhower FFA Advisor and continued on page 60
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GROWING LOCAL: Different and Surprising Aspects of This Trend By Jim Frankowiak
The growing trend of consumers seeking food grown locally has a number of different perspectives that are manifest through various inquiries fielded by Hillsborough County’s Agricultural Economic Development Manager Simon Bollin. First, some interesting facts about Hillsborough and surrounding counties. “Right here in Hillsborough County there are currently 229 companies that process food,” said Bollin. “This includes companies that produce baked goods and other food items, to breweries and even a company that makes vodka from sugar cane. And, while interest in locally grown food is a growing trend among consumers, existing businesses are showing interest, too.” Ferg’s Sports Bar, which will soon be opening a location in downtown Tampa, is a case in point. “Mark Ferguson is on the verge of expanding his locations and he’s also interested in finding local producers able to provide him items he uses daily. Items such as lettuce and tomatoes for his sandwiches and salads,” said Bolin. “There are many reasons why local food processors and businesses such as Ferg’s have an interest in working with local producers. Freshness is one; better pricing is another since the cost of shipping is lower than if the items are sourced outside of our area. And there are some who see the importance of supporting local producers. Some seek local suppliers since they feel strongly about all three,” said Bollin. “Whatever the motivation, that growing interest is great for agricultural producers and our economy.” Bollin also noted that if you expand the geography and include Manatee, Pasco and Polk counties, “there are an additional 300 food processing firms to those here in Hillsborough County. That means a total of 529 food processing companies in operation within a four-county area with many of them committed to finding locally grown fruits and vegetables to use in the items they produce,” he said.
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This growing interest in sourcing locally grown items is a trend that is not limited to the local area. “From time to time I receive calls from companies outside this area and from other states,” said Bollin. “One that came a short time ago that is really interesting was from a company located in Ohio that was looking for a source of different items to use in the preparation of kosher MRE’s.” Most would recognize MRE’s as meals ready to eat typically associated with the military and food items armed forces eat while in the field. Bollin said MRE’s are also popular with that segment of the population planning for disasters and other events that would jeopardize the availability of food items. Regardless of the motivation, this growing trend requires action on both sides. “Producers need to make it easier for companies to find them and vice versa,” said Bollin. There are two websites that serve as good starting points. “Hillsborough County’s website is one source for local producers and potential consumers to find one another,” said Bollin. The county’s website is Hillsborough Grown Consumer directory at: http:// www.hillsoroughcounty.org/BusinessDirectoryii.aspx. “Additionally, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has also recognized this trend and producers and consumers can find one another on the FDACS’ website U-Pick Farm Locator: http://www.freshfromflorida.com/ Divisions-Offices/Marketing-and-Development/ConsumerResources/Buy-Fresh-From-Florida/U-Pick-Farms.” ”I would anticipate that the various food processing associations and agricultural producer groups will utilize various social media tactics to take advantage of this trend to the benefit of their members. That action will be a win-win for all,” said Bollin.
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Parlimentary Proceedure State FFA 1st Place team, Tomlin Middle School, with their FFA Advisors and Agriscience teachers Jason Steward and Kayla Giorgi : Team members included Kendall Gaudens - Chairman, Caroline Brummer - Secretary, Lily Batley, Reagan Brown, Madi Conrad, Matthew DelCastillo, Anna Ress & Mackenzie Steele
Agricultural teacher is Susan Carpenter. Hamilton, Dunn and two others were top finalists who received awards sponsored by Dairy Farmers, Inc., as a special project of the Florida FFA Foundation. The Florida FFA Agricultural Proficiency Awards program recognizes outstanding student achievement in agribusiness gained through establishing a new business, working for an existing company, performing agriscience research or otherwise gaining hands-on career experience as part of a mandatory supervised agricultural experience designed to develop specialized skills in over 30 categories that can be applied toward future careers.
Chapters. It’s my belief that Hillsborough County should be leading the state with chapters getting this award. In fact, I would like to see every school in the district getting it. That’s a lofty goal; however, there is the challenge for all of my teachers,” states Walden. Congratulations on the excellence of our Hillsborough County FFA Chapter Schools, their FFA Advisors, Agricultural teachers and students with the desire to succeed in continuing to undertake the present and future challenges of Florida’s greatest assets now regarded universally as agribusiness. It’s about our land and how we utilize it; the planting, growing, harvesting, nurturing, animal husbandry, science in infinite formations, as well as, limitless inspiration… a reflection of nature’s bounty and beauty.
FFA 2014 Award Pam Walden - FFA Blue and Gold Award for outstanding service and commitment to the Florida FFA – From the left; Brett Wasden Area 4 state FFA vice-president with Blue and Gold State of Florida Award recipients for outstanding service and commitment, John Hoblick Florida Farm Bureau Federation president and Ceo and Pamela Walden Supervisor Hillsborough County Agriculture & JROTC, Florida FFA Foundation Board of Directors. Photo by Stephanie Farmer
This year, the very special FFA Blue and Gold Award for outstanding service and commitment to the Florida FFA Association was presented to Pam Walden, Supervisor Hillsborough County Agriculture & JROTC. “I volunteer quite extensively for the FFA Association, judging contests at the state and national levels and overseeing contests at the state level. I also have done the State Stars over Florida Tour with the State Officers for the past few years, judging the most outstanding FFA student projects to help determine the State Star winners. I am excited that we have so many chapters that have qualified as Premier FFA 60 60
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FFA 2014 Ornamental Horticulture Award - First Place Artistic Arrangement- Kelly Zambito and Emily Casper from Steinbrenner High School * Photo by Kellie Zambito WWW.IIN NTTHE HEFFIELD IELDM MAGAZINE.COM AGAZINE.COM WWW.
PLANT CITY HIGH SCHOOL AGRICULTURE DEBATE TEAM TAKES TOP STATE FFA HONORS Strawberry Crest Comes in Second By Jim Frankowiak Raiders ruled at the 2014 Florida FFA State Convention that recently took place in Orlando. The Plant City High School/ J.G. Smith FFA Chapter Agriculture Issues Career Development Event (CDE) Team of Arie Fry, Megan Todd, Ashlyn Yarbrough, Gresham Stephens, Benji Padgett, Lauren Schism and Taylor Grimes took top state honors and will be heading to Louisville, Kentucky in late October to compete at the national level. The team is coached by Leigh Anne Cason, FFA Advisor and Agriculture Department Head. The Plant City FFA Chapter also received Premier Chapter status and had a Proficiency Award finalist, Keylee Christie. The Strawberry Crest High School Team – Marcus Hobbs, Morgan Lee, John Banks, Shannon Gill, Savannah Vida, Haley Flack and Corey Newcomb – won 2nd place in the state competition. “In addition, Strawberry Crest FFA members Haley Riley placed 2nd in the state in the FFA Creed contest, while Anna Conrad was named Florida Star Greenhand and Victoria Harris was elected State FFA Secretary,” said Career & Technical Department Head Susan Mayo. The Agricultural Issues CDE is designed to expose FFA members to the selection, research, planning and presentation of an agricultural issue; to acquire knowledge and skills in community leadership; to become familiar with issues facing agriculture at all levels; to understand agricultural issues analysis, to further awareness of agricultural issues in the local community; to foster integration of agricultural issues analysis in school academic subject areas; to promote career choices by providing an opportunity for individuals to become acquainted with industry professionals and to foster teamwork, leadership and communications skills. Participation is limited to active FFA members in grades 9 – 12 with teams consisting of 3 – 7 individuals. The event format includes the selection of a topic from areas stipulated by the National FFA Organization with contemporary research undertaken by team members as an integral part of the portfolio that must be developed for the specific issue selected. CDE regulations detail portfolio format and components. CDE teams are required to have a minimum of five high quality public forum presentations prior to their state qualifying event. Presentations are limited to 15-minutes, followed by a five-minute question/answer session. Presentations include both pro and con sides of an issue and are scored by a panel of judges in accordance with Ag Issues CDE Team Presentation Scorecard.
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The Plant City High School team topic focused on the use of Paladin, a relatively new chemical fumigant used by Plant City area strawberry producers. While growers find this chemical to be efficient, cost-effective and safe for the environment, residents have expressed concern by the sulfurlike odor, respiratory irritation and lingering effects of the fumigant. The Raiders’ team presented the issue at six forums: Plant City Chamber of Commerce, Plant City Lion’s Club, Rotary Club of Plant City, Hillsborough County Farm Bureau, Kiwanis Club of Plant City and University of Florida, Plant City Campus Collegiate FFA. “I am very proud of our team and the hard work each member has put forth,” said Cason. “I also truly appreciate the community support we have received in the forums that were held. We all look forward to the national competition in October and hope we will be able to continue our successful track record.” The Creed Competition, in which Haley Riley of Strawberry Crest won 2nd place, requires presentation of the FFA Creed from memory and answering questions about its meaning and purpose. The event is open to active FFA members in grades 7, 8 and 9, and is designed to build self-confidence and enhance presentation skills. The Florida Star Greenhand honor is presented to the top freshman member or members who excel in their first year and show great promise for success within the FFA. That honor was bestowed upon Anna Conrad, also of Strawberry Crest High School. FFA has as its mission to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. The FFA motto – Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve – gives members words to live by as they experience the opportunities in the organization. Congratulations to the FFA members at Plant City and Strawberry Crest high schools. Good luck to the Raiders in Louisville later this year
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It’s Fried Pickles season. Lightly breaded, fried to perfection and served with creamy Ranch dressing. Try them before the crop is gone! 2901 1/2 James Redman Pkwy. • Plant City 813.752.1971 #IndescribablyGood Limited time only. Prices may vary by location. © 2014 Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc. “Zaxby’s” is a registered trademark of Zaxby’s Franchising, Inc.
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KENNETH PARKER NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF STRAWBERRY GROWERS ASSOCIATION; TED CAMPBELL RETIRES By Jim Frankowiak Sixth generation Florida farmer Kenneth Parker has assumed the Executive Director’s post of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA) with the retirement of Ted Campbell. Parker’s selection, which was a unanimous pick of the FSGA board of directors, “was a very good choice for us,” said FSGA President Shad Simmons of Simmons Farms. “Kenneth has a strong background in agriculture, has dealt with our members as a crop advisor for the last twenty years and is a person easy to deal with,” added Simmons. “He is also well known in the industry and recognizes the challenges our growers face. His involvement with Farm Bureau has also given him valuable experience that will be beneficial in his new role.” Parker is a Hillsborough County Farm Bureau board member and its current president. Campbell, who has been the FSGA executive director for the last six years, echoed Simmons’ comments about Parker and also expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to work with and serve the strawberry growers. “I knew how to sell agricultural products thanks to my previous positions, but not how to grow them,” said Campbell. “This has been a true learning experience for me and I sincerely appreciate my treatment from the growers and the knowledge of growing I have developed. I will miss the people that have come to be my friends, but I will not forget what I have learned about growers and the challenges they face and the important role they have in our economy and the food we enjoy.” Campbell’s retirement plans include travel, golf and attention to items on his ‘honey-do’ list. Parker and the growers are engaging in a “new game” when it comes to Florida strawberries and the future of this local industry, but first, some important facts. The industry details annual crop value at approximately $400 million. “However, that more than doubles when you consider employment and the overall ripple effect such as processing, shipping and other services and impacts the industry has,” noted Campbell. “This is a very high value crop in a small area. We are talking about less than a 30-mile radius and a very significant economic impact.” The “new game” is the focus of the FSGA and Parker going forward. “We can’t continue as simply a commodity item,” said Parker. “We have to be the consumer’s choice during those months when our berries are available so that our growers will realize a better return for their efforts and investment in their crops. We are working with researchers to develop 64
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new varieties of strawberries that will help give us a competitive edge. However, that is an ongoing focus since any edge is only temporary. I look forward to those efforts and sharing the results with consumers,” he said. Parker is also responsible for overseeing two other entities under the FSGA and its staff: Florida Strawberry Patent Service and the Florida Strawberry Research and Education Foundation. The former is involved in licensure and sales of Florida strawberry varieties globally and the latter, continued development of new varieties. In addition to the development of new varieties of strawberries and disease management, Parker will also focus on association membership retention and growth. A life-long resident of Hillsborough County, Parker was raised at Welcome. He has been married to his high school sweetheart, Dee Newsome, for 26-years and they have two children: Jerrod and Calli Jo. Jerrod is married to Summer Norris Parker and he serves as a crop advisor for Chemical Dynamics. Calli Jo is married to James Baker who is with Grimes Farm. She is teacher at Knights Elementary. A deacon and Sunday school teacher at Welcome Baptist Church in Lithia, Parker is also an Associate Director of the Florida Strawberry Festival and serves as superintendent of the steer committee. He also serves on the Hillsborough County strawberry and vegetable advisory committee, member of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, as well as Hillsborough County Farm Bureau. Prior to joining the FSGA, Parker was associated with Chemical Dynamics as a Certified Crop Advisor, assisting strawberry growers to “maximize marketable yields by making sound recommendations based on current research that is cost-effective and promotes good stewardship of natural resources.” Parker is also a partner at the South Prong Ranch, a commercial cow-calf and hay operation near the Welcome community in Lithia. He is committed to agricultural education and enjoys helping FFA and 4-H members with their livestock and crop projects. “These young people are the leaders of the future and they represent what is right with America,” he said. “Their projects help build excellent character, sound work ethic and personal responsibility.” Best of luck, Kenneth and thank you, Ted. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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d - Packed with fresh spinach, grape tomatoes, chick peas, black beans, red and green weet onion, cucumber, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, and feta cheese. Topped off with a lemon dressing made with grape seed oil. 12.00
Salad - A protein packed salad that is filling and tasty. The beans vary but always include ns and chick peas, as well as corn, diced red peppers, green peppers, and red onions mixed wine vinaigrette dressing. 10.00 Cookie Snacks – Made without flour or sugar. Made with oats, flaxseed, bananas, apples, $4.00
(Price includes delivery) (Menu additions and changes can be found on our website.)
www.steelandgrace.com order: Visit our website, message us on Facebook, email MaryHeysek@steelandgrace.com, telephone or text 813.763.4660
A Healthy Eating Choice By Jim Frankowiak
Mary Heysek has been in the health business for more than two decades. She continues, but in a different way with the introduction of Steel and Grace, a Plant City-based company offering a line of healthy eating products “delivered to your place of business or your home. Our goal is to promote healthy eating habits,” says the Steel and Grace Facebook page and website: steelandgrace.com. “I was raised in Brandon and the Plant City area with the majority of my family here in Plant City,” said Heysek. “My grandfather Fletcher Lett was a local farmer and he farmed citrus, strawberries, onions, peppers and other items. He farmed in Springhead. Back in time he owned the property where the new First Baptist Church is relocating on Jim Redman Parkway.” “So, I guess you could say I’m home grown. I have an intense interest in cooking and healthy eating. One thing I love to do is take a recipe that everyone loves and make it healthy, fresh and guiltless. The good news: we can prevent a lot of illness and disease by making better nutrition decisions” Heysek began her first health-related business more than two decades ago. “Initially I started a company called MedLink which was a placement firm for physicians and medical personnel,” she said. “We recruited nationwide for positions that were all in Florida. We also handled medical billing and transcription for location physicians. I started MedStat 20 years ago to meet the needs of local medical practices struggling to submit insurance claims and manage the business side of their practices. Things were much different then, of course, most everything was done on paper. Claims were printed or typed and there were only minor regulations in place. At that time, I was married to a local oncologist and it was a natural fit to begin a business that not only helped his practice, but also met the needs of other local physicians.” That business continues today and Heysek continues to be involved as senior executive. The company has 14 employees and services clients across Florida from Miami to central Florida and on to the Panhandle. 66
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“Things have changed dramatically over the last 20 years,” said Heysek. “All transactions are primarily electronic, most physicians are using an electronic medical record package, the government has added significant restrictions and regulations making it difficult for physicians to keep up. In that sense, MedStat is even more important in the healthcare business than it has ever been. Eight years ago I took on a partner, Joe Castagno, an expert in the healthcare industry and a previous executive with WebMD. He brought the experience and understanding of the changing healthcare landscape we needed. Joe runs the daily operations of MedStat. This has allowed me to explore my other passions, healthy living and eating in particular. With MedStat’s success it seemed like an opportune time to begin a new venture, building on both my startup and small business experience to launch Steel and Grace. Working with physicians for 20 years, the care they provide to patients has created an awareness of the health issues most people deal with on a daily basis. Steel and Grace provides a healthy alternative for people.” The Steel and Grace name for the new company came from Heysek and her niece, Ashley. “We put our brains together trying to think of a name,” she said. “We wanted it to be modern, chic, fun and exciting – a name that would not limit us in the products we offered as the market changes. Steel says to be as strong as you can be physically and mentally and Grace adds a touch of elegance and Grace to the business.” Heysek had many help to get the business established and that included family, friends and others. “In addition, I consulted with Cindy Krueger, MPH, who is the president and founder of Preservion, Inc. She specializes in designing therapeutic lifestyle protocols. She is also a contributing author to Food & Nutrients in Disease Management, which is a medical textbook spearheaded by Johns Hopkins University. My mother, Linda Turner, also helps in the salad preparations. She has offered a lot of ideas and suggestions on current and future products. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
“I wanted to contribute to helping make people healthier. Most of the people I know are extremely busy and want to eat healthy. Health issues greatly contribute to loss of quality of life. Adding fresh foods daily helps avoid problems that lead to extended health problems. A lot of health issues can be avoided by making healthier choices. Your body is your house and if you don’t take care of it, you have to leave. There are no tricks to eating healthy and getting away from the toxic foods that break your body down. The best and healthiest way to fuel your body is to eat foods that are fresh, whole and from local markets.” “For some it’s a matter of life. By eating cleaner, I’ve seen people with many illnesses not only have better quality of life, but also to help manage many diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and many more. There are even studies that show a link to diet as a major contributor to our increased ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) diagnosis. So for me, it’s not just a matter of weight control. This is a simple, convenient, easy way to add freshness to meals. For example, just having the salad or adding a piece of chicken, fish or even a pizza. I have some clients that are using them in business luncheons, small gatherings and lunches since we deliver. We are not really thinking of it as a weight loss product, but just to add something convenient and easy that is healthy to a person’s diet. We do have a client that told us that she substituted one meal a day with one of our salads and she lost seven pounds with no other changes in her daily routine.” Steel and Grace currently offers four salads that are the “people’s favorites” on the basis of research Heysek conducted. The four salads are:
Additionally, Steel and Grace is offering a Coco Cookie Snack made with no flour or sugar – bananas, crushed apples, flaxseed, coco and oats. All items are fresh and should be eaten within three to five days of delivery. The salads are delivered in 32-ounce jars, except the Five-Bean Salad, which is contained in a 16-ounce jar. Each is $10 and that includes delivery. Coco Cookie Snacks are $3 each. Products are made fresh daily with no preservatives and are 80 percent organic. Heysek says plans are in work to add desserts, Asian Noodle Salad, Fruit Salad, breakfast and Cake of the Month. “Our menu will periodically Evergreen Salad with Blueberries & Strawberries – a fla- change and will offer additions depending upon the season. In vorful mixture of romaine lettuce, leafy spinach, blueberries, the winter we are planning on adding tasty, healthy soup items. strawberries, honey glazed walnuts, shredded carrots and gorgonzola cheese served with a tasty honey vinaigrette “I love this business and I love making it easy for people to eat dressing. healthy. Our concept is that you don’t have to do a complete overhaul, just add some health additions and swap some things Southwest Salad – an updated, but traditional blend of out. I have four boys – 19-year-old triplets Alex, Harrison and southwest ingredients including black beans, yellow corn, Spencer and 13-year-old Sam – who can eat a LOT, so I underred and green peppers, scallions, olives, cheddar blend of stand how difficult it is to keep it healthy, affordable and give cheese and romaine lettuce, offered with a lime cilantro vin- them a full stomach. We have used these salads in our everyday aigrette dressing. life. For example, grill some chicken, fish or steak and add the salad. We have even used the bean salad in a stir fry over brown Power Salad – packed health with fresh spinach, grape to- rice. Living here we have a lot of opportunity to take advantage matoes, chick peas, black beans, red and green peppers, of locally-grown fresh produce. I want to help make it easy for sweet onion, cucumber, pine nuts, sunflower seeds and feta people to add our products to their daily routine. My goal to cheese. Topped off with a lemon vinaigrette dressing made make Steel and Grace a viable option versus driving through a with grape seed oil. fast food restaurant.” Five-Bean Salad – a protein packed salad that is filling and tasty. The beans vary monthly, but always include black beans and chick peas, as well as corn, diced red peppers, green peppers and red onion mixed with a red wine vinaigrette dressing. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
In addition to the Steel and Grace website, you can message the company on its Facebook page or email Heysek directly at MaryHeysek@aol.com. Telephone or text Steel and Grace at 813/763-4660. INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE
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Market Watch: Urban Tea Garden by: Libby Hopkins
Caption for photo of Shelby Odor and the tea ladies: Shelby Odor (Center) is the owner of Urban Tea Garden. She started her tea business because she wanted to offer her clients tea that was healthy for them, not harmful to the environment and beneficial to the harvesters of the raw product. In my never ending quest to get healthy and in better shape, I’m always looking for foods or beverages that fill me up, taste good and are good for my body. My latest health addiction is tea. I am becoming quite the tea connoisseur. My favorites are mint tea and chamomile tea. I’ve also done some research on the health benefits of tea. According to WebMD (www.webmd.com), “All teas are derived from the Camellia sinensis plant, a shrub native to China and India, and contain unique antioxidants called flavonoids. The most potent of these, known as ECGC, may help against free radicals that can contribute to cancer, heart disease, and clogged arteries. All teas have caffeine and theanine, which affect the brain and seem to heighten mental alertness.” The WebMD site also said Green tea helps fight against bladder, breast and lung cancer to name a few, while it also prevents clogging of the arteries, burns fat, counteracts oxidative stress on the brain, reduce risk of neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. It also reduces the risk of strokes and improves cholesterol levels. Black tea has the highest caffeine content and studies have shown that black tea may protect lungs from damaged caused by exposure to cigarette smoke and reduces the risk of stroke. White tea has the most potent anticancer properties compared to more processed teas. Oolong tea is found to lower bad cholesterol levels. One variety of oolong, Wuyi, is heavily marketed as a weight loss supplement, but science has not backed this claim. Pu-erh tea is made from fermented and aged leaves and studies have shown that it reduces LDL cholesterol. Armed with all this knowledge from my research, I took a trip to the Seminole Height’s Sunday Market to visit the folks at the Urban Tea Garden. They had an amazing selection of teas to smell and tastes. Some of the teas smelled out of this world and I was hard pressed to figure out which ones I wanted to buy. I ended up getting their Sleepy Tea (chamomile) and their Hibiscus Cooler tea. Both were flavorful and the sleepy tea helped me fall asleep as well. Good stuff! Shelby Odor is one of the owners of the tea company. She grew up in the beautiful farmlands of Iowa and then later moved to Tampa and married her husband, who she said is her “best friend.” Together they have four children, two grandchildren and love organic food and cruelty-free products. “I appreciate things that are handcrafted,” 74
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Odor said. “I also believe we have the right to know what’s in our food.” Odor started drinking tea for health reasons and when she did her research on the benefits of drinking tea, she decided making tea was the perfect business for her. “I wanted tea that was healthy for my customers, not harmful to the environment and beneficial to the harvesters of the raw product,” Odor said. “I searched for about six months for a blender and I finally connected with one in California who believes in the same principles I do.” Her tea blender has been teaching her the Ayurveda principles. “Ayurveda means ‘The Science of Life’ and focuses on achieving optimal health through balance of mind, body and consciousness,” Odor said. “An example would be certain herbs and botanicals such as chamomile and lavender are staples in relaxing.” This knowledge helps her to come up with different tea flavors. “My customers are the ones who help me decide the flavor, too, by their requests they send me,” Odor said. “The feedback they give me is great and I have a lot of repeat customers. When you get repeat customers and visitors from other states who continue to purchase tea, you know you’re doing something right.” Some of the flavors Odor offers at her tea stand and online through her website include Apple Tea’ni, Green Pomegranate, Moroccan Mint, Passion fruit Jasmine and Tropical Pineapple to name a few. She also carries a product called Matcha, which is used for energy. It was originally created during the Song Dynasty in China. It is made from a shade grown green tea known as Gyokuro, which is steamed and then dried. After the steaming process, the leaves are separated from the stems. “The leaves alone are called tencha and are ground into a beautiful green neon powder called matcha,” Odor said. “Matcha is used for its ability to give us energy. Some people drink it straight and others like to mix it into protein drinks.” Odor said it could be mixed into fruit juice as well. Odor loves being a part of the different markets in the Tampa Bay area and she hope more people will try her teas and become repeat customers. “Local customers are why Urban Tea Gardens exists,” Odor said. “They are the reason I am able to do what I love to do which is sell and create teas.” If you would like to learn more about the different teas Urban Tea Gardens offers, you can visit them on the web at www.urbanteagardens.com or call 813-454-9711. You can visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/urbanteagardens to see what markets they will be at in the Tampa Bay area. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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LEADERSHIP THROUGH SERVICE United States Air Force Veteran 24 Year Veteran of the Tampa Police Department
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UF PLANT DOCTOR PROGRAM PRODUCES INTERDISCIPLIANRY PLANT HEALTH PROBLEM-SOLVERS Preparing Students for High-Demand Careers By Jim Frankowiak
In the “old days,” the period prior to 1999 before the University of Florida established its Doctor of Plant Medicine (DPM) Program, agricultural consultants succeeded with on the job experience and a Bachelor of Science degree. “However, agricultural consulting has become an increasingly complex field,” said Dr. Amanda C. Hodges, Director, DPM Program, Department of Entomology and Nematology. “A quality consultant must be able to integrate the academic disciplines of agronomy, entomology, nematology, plant pathology, soil science and horticulture in order to solve contemporary plant health problems,” said Hodges. “This has manifested itself in a demand for graduate level training prior to entering the crop consultant profession.” “Agriculture is not only important to the families producing our crops, but also from a national and worldwide food security perspective. The decisions made in the field are very important, and we need dedicated, bright and hard-working talent to fill career vacancies,” Hodges said. “Most of our graduate programs do not prepare students for high-demand interdisciplinary careers. The UF DPM program was formed in 1999 as the first worldwide doctorate interdisciplinary degree. Graduates of our program may become consultants, government or university scientists or may pursue other careers in the private sector.” “Due to the success of Florida’s program and employer demands for a highly skilled workforce, the University of Nebraska began the second professional plant health doctorate degree (DPH) in 2009. Students from either program have multiple job opportunities upon graduation. We currently have 22 students in the program at UF. We could easily increase our student numbers five or six fold and our students will still find quality jobs. “At times, all of us involved in the Plant Doctor Program still find ourselves explaining why this program exists,” noted Hodges. “The Plant Doctor programs are so exciting and novel that the concept is not well understood within traditional academic thinking. Nonetheless, it is important to remember that traditional academic programs have not been producing applied, interdisciplinary plant health problemsolvers. That’s why the Plant Doctor programs exist.” 80 80
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The UF DPM Program was established in 1999 by the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS). Key departments involved in program establishment included Plant Pathology, Entomology and Nematology and Agronomy. The DPM mission is “to provide premier professional doctoral training for plant scientists. Graduates are important team members and leaders in industry, the private sector, government and academia.” Plant Doctors have the opportunity to pursue careers as diagnosticians, crop consultants, plant inspectors, survey specialists, regulatory scientists, extension specialists, private industry consultants, small business owners, applied research specialists, managers or other plant health professionals. Each student plans his or her program of study with a supervisory committee and each committee consists of one member of the graduate faculty in the competency areas of: Entomology and Nematology; Plant Pathology; and Plant, Soil and Weed Science. Additional information on the DPM program and career paths of its alumni is available by visiting: www.ufplantdoctors.org. The DPM program is an intensive doctorate-level graduate level training program for students interested in plant health diagnosis and management. Program students complete rigorous coursework and two substantial internships. Only DPM students jointly enrolled in one of UF’s discipline department M.S. or Ph.D. programs complete a thesis or dissertation. DPM student often participate in applied research within laboratory programs, and may participate in the publication of peer-reviewed scientific and extension papers. The DPM program is currently a partnership among faculty members and teaching faculty within the departments of Entomology and Nematology, Plant Pathology, Agronomy, Horticulture Sciences, Environmental Horticulture, Soil and Water Sciences, Food Science and Human Nutrition and the School of Forest Resources and Conservation. “In addition to the diverse job potential for our graduates, the new curriculum approved during the fall of 2013 strengthens the internship requirements of the program, provides added flexibility and reduces the overall cost burden,” said Dr. Hodges. Additional information on the DPM Program, including career paths of its alumni, is available by visiting: www.ufplantdoctors.org. WWW. WWW.IN INTTHE HEFFIELD IELDM MAGAZINE.COM AGAZINE.COM
DEHYDRATING FOODS IN FLORIDA: Best Just for Herbs By Jim Frankowiak
Dehydrating foods to preserve them is a process that is thousands of years old. “But it was developed and practiced in areas that are much, much drier than Florida,” said Hillsborough County Extension faculty member Mary Keith, who specializes in food safety, nutrition and health and holds advanced degrees in food science and nutrition as well as licensure as a dietitian. “We live on a peninsula, surrounded by water with lakes and rivers all around us. It is too humid here! “Humidity and dehydration are opposites,” said Keith. “When we dehydrate foods we try to take out enough moisture so that bacteria, molds and yeasts cannot grow. Dehydrating when there’s already a lot of moisture on the outside means that it will take longer to get the food we are attempting to preserve dry enough to be safe.” The longer it takes to get the moisture out of the food we are processing, the more it costs us, the more the color and texture of the food will be affected, and the greater the vitamin loss there will be. Some vitamins, especially C and A, are broken down when they are exposed to air, light and heat. The longer the food being dehydrated is exposed, the more vitamin loss there will be. “Yes, fruits can be treated with sulfur to preserve the vitamin A, but that destroys one of the B vitamins, thiamin,” she said. “So, there is still a loss. You can steam or blanch some things, but that puts more moisture into something you are going to then turn around and try to take the water out of.” “Often we slice or dice the food we wish to preserve since this will speed up the moisture removal. That exposes more of the surface to drying, and helps more water to get out. But all of that exposed area also means more vitamin loss and color change.” “Some things can be dried fairly easily,” said Keith. “Herbs are one. We don’t eat them for their vitamins, minerals or fiber. They are mostly thin, flat leaves that we don’t have to peel or slice. They have lots of natural pores for the moisture to use on its way out. So, we can hang herbs in a breezy location and expect that they will get dry enough to keep without changing too much.” Dehydrating small amounts of foods for backpacking might be worth it, but it’s not the way to preserve the majority of your
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food supply. “You need to realize that to dehydrate peaches or carrots, any other fruit or vegetable or even meats and fish here in our humidity, means that we have to use electricity to speed up the process. That costs money,” noted Keith. “Even little tabletop dehydrators will be less efficient here than in a drier part of the country.” “If you are trying to dehydrate foods, it is important to be sure you get enough moisture out of the pieces so they won’t mold. Dehydrated vegetables should be brittle,” said Keith. “That means hard enough that if you bend a piece, it snaps in two, or if you tap it with a hammer, it shatters.” “Fruits should be leathery. You can bend a piece and it won’t break, but it is firm. If you pinch a piece of dried fruit between your thumb and finger, you should not be able to slide the top and bottom edges of the fruit separately. If you can feel a soft or slippery middle to the piece, it is not dry enough,” said Keith. “Or, if you fold a piece of dried fruit in half, the sides should not stick to each other. Meat jerky should be very leathery. If you bend a piece of jerky, the edges should break in sharp points.” Once foods have been dried sufficiently, they should be properly stored “so that they are sealed and humidity can’t get back into them. Storing them in the dark will help preserve some color and vitamins, too,” said Keith. “If you store dehydrated food in clear plastic bags, keep the bags in a can or box that will keep them dark.” There are some things that should never be dried at home, “they are just too risky,” advised Keith. “Milk and eggs, fish and chicken or poultry are just too likely to be carrying Salmonella to be safely dried at home. If you want those for your food supply, buy them.” Keith offers a range of food, nutrition and health information resources and classes to residents of Hillsborough County. She may be reached via email: mkeith@ufl.edu or by phone: 813/744-5519, Ext. 54136. Extension is an educational service provided by both the University of Florida and Hillsborough County. Its website is: http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu.
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Naturally Amazing Activities
By Sean Green
Photo courtesy of BlueberryTalk.com
Build a Wooden Bee Nest Block Bees are cool to watch (with respect) and great to have around the garden. This project will give wild bees a place to live in your yard or garden and at the same time, provide an opportunity to be involved with citizen science projects such as Native Buzz sponsored by University of Florida (UF). Once established, you can observe the habits of wild bees, understand which wild flowers they like best, and slowly transform your garden into a great habitat for healthy wild bees. The dimensions listed below are suggested by UF for those that want to participate in the citizen science project Native Buzz. Good science requires standardized data, if the dimensions of your project do not match the suggested dimensions, you can still participate in the citizen science project, just let them know the dimensions you are using.
Here are some suggestions:
Material:
• Scorch the wood block with fire to make it dark (DO NOT PAINT) • Use a chunk of firewood that still has bark on it • Use a block of wood that has been laying on the ground for a while
Drill Bits: small (1/8’’ or 3.18 mm), medium (3/16’’ or 4.76 mm) large (3/8’’ or 9.53 mm) Preservative Free Lumber 4x4 4x6 Tree Stump (similar dimensions or is larger) Fallen Log (similar dimensions or is larger) * Wood selection: Bees are most attracted to dark nest blocks.
Secure the block of wood between 1 and 6 ft off the ground. • Use a protected location with light shade. • Attach the block to a large visible landmark to help bees locate the nest after foraging (fence, tree,) Drill holes of various diameter at least 1” apart from each other Different species will choose different size holes. Drill holes at least 3” deep but not all the way through the wood. (deeper holes are thought to result in more female offspring)
Sign up to participate in Native Buzz at: http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/ellis/nativebuzz/Join.aspx Monitor your Bee nest and submit data: http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/ellis/nativebuzz/step3.aspx
813-767-4703 301 South Collins Street, Suite 101, Plant City, Florida 33563
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By Libby Hopkins
What comes to mind when you think of a fashion show? Models dressed in the latest beautiful styles, right? Sure you do. How about dogs, cats and birds walking the runway with those models? You weren’t expecting that thought to come into your head, but for those who have attend Fashion, Feathers and Fur the last three years, it seems the perfect way to have a fashion show…with animals. Dr. Christy Layton and her staff at Timberline Pet Hospital and Resort in Plant City came up with the fashion show idea three years ago as a way to give financial help to the local animal rescues in the area. “We wanted to help them financially as well as getting the word out on the need for people to foster, rescue, and donate to these amazing organizations,” Layton said. “We threw around all the ideas of making money for these groups and through a lot of time and effort on behalf of our solely volunteer committee, Fashion, Feathers and Fur was born.” The event is in its fourth year now and it will be held on Saturday, September 27 at 6:30 p.m. at the Winthrop Barn Theater in Riverview. Tickets are $50 and all of the money raised will go to the Florida Parrot Rescue, Dogma Pet Rescue, Hillsborough Animal Health Foundation and Second Chance Boxer Rescue. “We gave back $25,000 last year to the four charities,” Layton said. She is currently looking for event sponsors, auction items and volunteers. “We are always looking to have new sponsors added to our event,” Layton said. “Not only is it great for the charities but it’s great advertisement for the business as well. Animal advocates are notoriously loyal and always promote companies that are known to ‘give back’ to the animal community.” The charities involved are extremely happy with this event because it helps them to help animals in need. The Hillsborough Animal Health Foundation (HAHF) used the proceeds from the fashion show to sponsor the Pit Bull Vaccine Clinic that was held last February in Town and County in Tampa. The balance of their funds from the fashion show has been saved for the Vets for Pets Charitable Clinic that will be opening later this summer. “All of us in the animal business have been struggling to keep up with the unwanted pet population,” said Don Thompson, Executive Director of HAHF. “The love for animals keeps us motivated, as they are completely helpless and did not choose their circumstance.” Two of the charities involved with the fashion show, Dogma 86
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Pet Rescue and Second Chance Boxer Rescue, as well as Timberline Pet Hospital and Resort, have seen a rash of unwanted puppies and dogs being dumped at their locations. Bill Gray is the director of Second Chance Boxer Rescue in Plant City. He is thankful for the money his charity received last year from the fashion show and for Dr. Layton helping him care for the recent influx of dogs his rescue has been getting. “I could not keep this rescue going without the help of Dr. Layton, my volunteers, fosters and donations,” Gray said. “The money from last year’s fashion show ended up being 10 percent of my operating budget.” Gray is also planning a fundraiser to in September to coincide with Fashion, Feather and Furs. His rescue is hosting a Drag Queen Bingo at Hamburger Mary’s in Ybor City on Monday, September 22 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $10 and Gray has challenged his volunteers to raise $1,000 before the event. If they meet the challenge, he said he would dress in drag for the bingo. “If they raise $2,000, I will shave my goatee and legs along with dressing in full drag,” Gray said. “If they raise $3,000, I will get up on stage at the bingo and lip-sync to the song ‘It’s Raining Men’ along with the other drag queens being my backup singers.” Gray is determined to raise money and help the animals at his rescue get the care they need and find forever homes. Amy Howland is one of the directors at Dogma Pet Rescue in Tampa. Last year she brought one of her rescues, a little Chihuahua named Oliver Twist, who needed some expensive medical care to the show. Because of the fashion show, Oliver was able to receive the care he needed. “We would not have been able to save Oliver Twist if it hadn’t been for Fashion Feathers and Fur,” Howland said. “Now he has received the best vet care and will have a great quality of life with some lucky family.” Like Second Chance Boxer Rescue, Dogma has taken on a lot of unwanted puppies recently. Howland and Gray both find it hard to say “no” to any animal that comes their way. “This is much more expensive for us and the spaying, neutering, micro chipping and vetting is solely on us, but our focus is on the welfare of the dogs and we will always do what is best for the dogs,” Howland said. “We also have a great group of the most dedicated volunteers who never fail to step up and help.” If you would like to learn more about the rescues involved with Fashion Feathers and Fur or if you would like to purchase tickets to the fashion show, you can visit the fashion show’s website at www.timberlanevet.com/fff. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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Swaying in the Ocean Currents:
Johnson’s Seagrass
By Ginny Mink
When someone tells you that there’s seagrass in danger, I wonder what comes to mind? I’m no biologist and so initially, I have to admit, I’m thinking about the grasses that grow along the dunes. For whatever reason, underwater grass didn’t even cross my mind. Maybe I’m just wholly uneducated, or maybe you’re in the same boat. Needless to say, doing an article on Johnson’s seagrass (halophila johnsonii), a threatened species, was hugely enlightening and I hope to shed that same educational light on the readers herein. I had the privilege of conversing with Penny Hall, a research scientist on the Seagrass Research Team for the FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission). She’s quite knowledgeable in the seagrass arena though that’s not where she got her start. Rather, she shared, that she was more interested in the algae that grew on the seagrass. Eventually that fascination opened her up to a greater appreciation of the seagrasses themselves and now she says she could spend days snorkeling in a seagrass bed. Perhaps that seems odd to you. Yet, seagrass is a vital part of the ecology and an important habitat for many water-dwellers. Particularly, Johnson’s seagrass is a documented food source for the threatened green sea turtles and the endangered West Indian Manatees (and who doesn’t love manatees?). It’s also essential for the benthic area of the ocean. Yes, benthic is not a familiar word so I’ll just tell you that it means the bottom of a body of water. Interestingly enough, Johnson’s seagrass likes to grow in deeper areas than most other seagrasses. It prefers the intertidal zone, the coastal lagoons, and is crucial as a means of shelter and as a nursery habitat for the life there. I understand that seagrass may not be that exciting and yet, it’s a critical part of ocean ecology. Johnson’s seagrass handles salinity and temperature better than most other seagrasses. It reproduces asexually, another thing that separates it from its kin. Johnson’s seagrass is a unique two-leafed entity and it’s threatened. Thankfully, it hasn’t reached the endangered mark but continued focus on its environment and threat factors is ongoing. As a member of that research team, Penny Hall shared, “I was on the Johnson Seagrass Recovery Team as one of the state members. When they first list a species as threatened they have to assemble a team to write a recovery plan. I was working as a state seagrass biologist. Before that, the guy that I worked for at Harbor Branch was one of the people that discovered Johnson’s seagrass as a species in the early eighties. I’ve known Johnson’s seagrass ever since it was determined to be a distinct species. It’s a tiny little plant, it has only two blades at each node.” She continued, “There are two that look very similar. For many years people didn’t look at it closely enough to real88
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ize it was different. One has little teeth on the edges of its blade and the other doesn’t. One flowers prolifically, but Johnson’s seagrass doesn’t do that. It only has female flowers, there have been no male flowers that have been found. Then when people started looking closely they realized that it was very geographically limited. So, it grows from Sebastian Inlet to Northern Biscayne Bay and that’s its entire range. It’s very rare in that range, you only see it here and there, and it doesn’t produce seeds and that’s the reason it was listed as a threatened species. It has such a limited geographic distribution and it’s so patchy and rare in that distribution.” There are some issues here, which makes the story a little more interesting. She revealed the current controversy, “It’s very closely related to a species in the Pacific called, Halophila ovalis, and the recovery team is doing some genetics work right now with some people in Australia to make sure it’s a distinct species. People have always known it is very closely related to that species but we still don’t know if it might be the same. It’s up to the geneticist to decide if it’s still a distinct species. So there’s some genetic work, too. That’s something that is ongoing.” Perhaps Johnson’s seagrass isn’t as rare as people have previously thought. Unfortunately, we won’t know until the genetic testing is complete. We asked Penny what the plan might be to increase the population of Johnson’s seagrass here. She said, “The plant does what the plant does. We don’t know how much there was before because we didn’t know it existed. So, it’s different from most endangered species where you had a lot of it. Like: there were lots of alligators and then there weren’t very many alligators so they made a plan to make there be more alligators and then there were more alligators so they took it off the threatened species list. But, it’s not going to be like that; it will never be that way. There may be as much Johnson’s seagrass as there has ever been. The plan for Johnson’s seagrass was to study how it behaves, what its biology was, how patchy it was, what it seemed to like, what it doesn’t. So we have learned a lot over the last 15 years about how it operates. It seems to be in the same general locations over many years and about in the same abundance. So what the recovery plan says, is that there’s enough stable population over its geographic range to sustain it. Those are the kinds of things that we do to take it off the threatened species list but there may never be more of it than there is now. We just want to make sure it has a good stable population.” In closing she told us, “It suffers the same threats as all other seagrass species: poor light quality, propeller scarring and dredging and filling and all those sorts of things. There are regulations against all of those.” So, we’re left wondering about this wee-little plant swaying in the ocean currents. Is it rare? Is it alone in the benthic boundaries? I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the geneticists decide. Until then, Johnson’s seagrass remains on the threatened list. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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This is the face m have eaten on ost people make after they e of Intensity Academy’s Extreme Lolli pops.
By Libby Hopkins “Michelle Northrup is known as “The Saucy Queen” since she started her gourmet hot sauce company called “Intensity Academy.”
Who doesn’t love hot sauce? Ok, so maybe you don’t like the kind of hot sauce that makes you break out in a sweat while tears are running down your face, but a little spice won’t hurt you. The origins of hot sauce date back to B.C. According to the website, The Kitchen Project (www.kitchenproject.com) “Hot sauce is about as old as we can find traces of civilization. Clues of hot sauce containers and the use of it have been dug up in archeological digs, and when dredging up sunken ships. The Aztecs living where South Mexico is now used chilies as far back as 7000 B.C. They began cultivating them probably before 3500 B.C. They were used for flavor but also for medical purposes.” The website also said that Columbus most likely brought the peppers to Europe and India where they became popular in any culture that enjoyed spicy cuisine. Evidence of hot sauces have been found in all kinds of ancient ruins and ships showing that it has been important in making food more palatable as well as being medicinal aiding in digestion and is great for the liver. It is also believed that it releases endorphins with that surge of hot when you eat chilies. Michelle Northrup of Intensity Academy in Tampa has made hot, mild, chili, and sweet sauces her life and business. Northrup is the mother of three 17-year-old boys and she started her hot sauce company, Intensity Academy, seven years ago when she was faced with a challenge from her sons’ schoolteacher to create a meal out of carrots that were grown in the school’s organic garden and bring it to school so it would inspire the students to eat more vegetables. “I have been known to take an almost empty pantry and turn it into a 3-4 course meal,” Northrup said. “I brought the carrots home and thought that the natural sweetness in the carrots would balance beautifully with peppers, so I came up with a chicken carrot hot sauce.” She made nachos, dips and salsas and brought them to the school for the students and staff to taste. “They loved them and they kept telling me every thing was really good,” Northrup said. She started seriously thinking about what she had just created. Northrup started doing hot sauce research at her local grocery store and realized that the store offered nothing quite like her sauce. “I started looking at the ingredients and honestly I couldn’t
pronounce them nor did I want to eat them,” Northrup said. She decided to try her hand a making and bottling her own sauce. She started to look into how much it would cost her and her husband to create and bottle one batch of her sauce through a manufacturer. “So my husband decided to take the risk,” Northrup said. “It was either going to work or everyone we knew was going to get a gag-gift of hot sauce for Christmas.” Her sauce was a success and it lead to making more sauces in different flavors and her getting the nickname, “The Saucy Queen.” “That was seven years ago and we’ve won over 50 national awards,” Northrup said. She and her sauces have appeared on numerous local and national TV shows and she has traveled around the United States speaking about her sauces at different trade shows. Intensity Academy’s sauces are not like any other hot sauces around. They are infused with Northrup’s favorite drink, organic green tea. “I drink a lot of green and chai tea and I knew I had to create my gourmet sauces with something other than water,” Northrup said. “I was the first the very first sauce company in the nation to come up with an organic tea as an infuser in the bottling process.” Some of her gourmet sauces include Carrot Karma Hot Sauce, Chai Chipotle Chup, Chai Sweet Chili, Green Tea Gourmet and Chai Thai Teriyaki sauce to name a few. Her most intensely hot product is her Extreme Lollipop. “It has Ghost Peppers, African extract, Thai Peppers and organic Thai tea in it,”Northrup said. At the different trade shows she does, she hosts contest to see who can eat one. “It helps to have unique products like this to help build my brand,” Northrup said. Another part of her business that is important to Northrup is giving back to the community and keeping her sauces in local small businesses. “Every time I am contacted by a charity or non-profit, I give them gift baskets or I donate bottles of sauces,” Northrup said. “Doing this helps me build my business grass roots instead of paying for marketing all while helping all these amazing charities at the same time.” Northrup has another project in the works called The Sauceology Group. “My husband and I are going to be opening up a manufacturing plant of our own where we can start making products for small businesses and restaurants,” Northrup said. If you would like to learn more about the sauces available at Intensity Academy you can visit their website at w w w. i n t e n s i t ya c a d e m y. com or call Northup at 813-299-3600.
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What do UFO’s and Dragon Fruit have in common? Thompson’s Nursery & Vineyard By Ginny Mink
Randy Thompson is no agricultural newbie. “In the eighth grade I started taking a double period of agriculture. When I was a senior, I was teacher’s assistant in the Ag class so that pretty well got me started in agriculture. I was on all the judging teams at Franklin and Hillsborough. As a matter of fact, at Franklin Junior High School, the three years I was there ‘54, ‘55, ‘56, we took first place in beef, second place in dairy and second place in swine judging. So we did pretty good and basically the same thing at Hillsborough High School in judging. I was president of the Hillsborough County Federation of FFA in 1959. I was secretary of the Hillsborough County Federation in 1958. I went to the National Convention in 1959. We lived on a 30-acre farm back then. When I was like 16 years old I owned about 15 cattle and I had a registered hog. I was pretty well into agriculture then and knew quite a lot about budding and canning and things of that nature. That’s basically how I got started out here.” It’s no wonder that someone with such extensive experience would continue in the industry. He said, “I bought this property out here in 1983. I’ve been here about 30 years and when I bought the place I had an extra house in between that was not finished and for 21 years I used that house just to store stuff. When property taxes got so high I decided that I had to do a little something to bring some more income. I refinished the house and made a rental house out of it and I still needed some extra funds so I was undecided between blueberries and grapes. I ended up putting three acres of Muscadine grapes back there. This is the sixth year that I’ll have u-picks back there. We enjoy doing that, my wife and I, and we have a certified kitchen and my wife makes homemade jelly and jams and things of that nature. It takes quite a while to make it, and she was only making like eight or nine jars at a time, so I tried to convince her to make bigger batches so she could make it a lot faster and she informed me that wasn’t the way you made jelly. She makes some of the best jellies and jams that I know of in this country! Of course we have people that come down here on vacation and they stop by and pick up a couple of cases of her jelly on their way back home. It’s getting to be pretty popular. Also, we actually make some wine here, but we’re not licensed to sell wine. What we do is we’ll run like a special sometimes, like when people pick 10 pounds of grapes we’ll give them a small bottle of wine, or if they buy 10 jars of jelly then we’ll give them a small bottle of wine. So we can give the wine away, but we cannot sell it.” Free wine sounds good to us! While grapes are certainly a big part of their nursery and vineyard, they are not the sole product growing on site. Randy continued, “We grow Florida peaches through the University of Florida Stone Fruit Program. We raise them, bud them and we sell them here. We’ve been doing that now for about three and a half years, and we sell quite a few trees. They grow very fast. The varieties that we grow and sell here are the ones that were actually made for Central Florida and we have one called a UFO, which is a flat peach and the flat peach has been around for a long, long time. The problem is that they’ve never got it where they can ship it or anything. The University took it and
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they put new genes in it so they’ve got it now where you can actually use it as a commercial peach if you want to. These peaches are very flat and they look funny. They’re quite a conversation piece. The University did a little taste test a few months ago with the UFO, the flat peach, and it seems that it is one of the best tasting peaches on the market. A lot of people want them. They are a good tasty peach. Returning to the grapes Randy elaborated, “We’ve got about 10 varieties of Muscadine grapes and we have two brand-new varieties, one of them came out in 2007. Dr. Dennis Gray, from the University developed that. It’s a black Muscadine and it’s much larger than a lot of Muscadines. It’s very, very tasty. In 2009, he came up with another one that was called the Delicious. The first one he came out with was the Southern Jewel and that one was a bunch grape. The Delicious is not a bunch grape. The demand for them since they been out? Well, if I would’ve had 10,000 of those over a year ago, I probably could’ve sold every one of them for 15 bucks apiece. That’s how popular they are. We’ve got some of them in our vineyard now, the Southern Jewel and the Delicious. What we do in our vineyard is, we take care of it. We don’t use any insecticide at all down there. You might say that our vineyard is pretty well what they call green. There’s no poisons down there at all!” No doubt that’s something to be proud of. Florida peaches and Muscadine grapes are certainly appetizing but Randy’s nursery is up on all the newfangled produce as well. In fact he says, “We started in the nursery business just about six years ago and we also grow what we call trops and exotics, like Dragon Fruit. A lot of people don’t even know what Dragon Fruit is. Dragon Fruit is actually a cactus. The only problem with the Dragon Fruit is they freeze. I thought I knew how to handle that but I had nine rows of those things and quite a pretty good-sized investment about seven years ago. I covered them with visqueen. The problem is, in the winter we have storms that come up and the storms blew all my visqueen loose and froze all my Dragon Fruit. I lost probably $35,000 in Dragon Fruit! I tore down six rows but I still have three rows left. Just now we’ve had a couple of mild winters and we have Dragon Fruit everywhere! We’re actually producing some fruit now and we sell the plants here. People in Florida can grow these and they’re delicious. As a matter of fact, there are three different kinds of Dragon Fruit with flesh in them. We have a white flesh, a magenta flesh, and we have a red flesh. Of course the magenta is really only a combination, a mix between, the red and the white. The red Dragon Fruit is second to none in lycopene, which you know is a good cancer chemical in there. They are about the highest fruit with lycopene there is so the Dragon Fruits are very popular.” In addition to the peach trees and Dragon Fruit, Thompson Nursery & Vineyard also sells Muscadine grape vines and fertilizer. You can give them a call whenever you have a question about one of their products and they will gladly assist you. Make sure you check out their website for all your planting needs: www.thompsonsnurseryandvineyard.com!
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PROTECT U.S. PRESENTS WORKSHOP ON NEW INVASIVE INSECT SPECIES OF CONCERN FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA By Jim Frankowiak
The Gulf Coast Research and Education Center recently hosted a workshop focused on three new invasive insect species of concern for our region. The new invasive pests are the bagrada bug, European pepper moth and kudzu bug. The half-day, no charge session was presented by The Community Invasive Species Network, which is also known as Protect U.S. Protect U.S. is a collaborative partnership between the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN), Regional Integrated Pest Management Centers (IPM), Unites States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA-APHIS-PPQ), National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA), the National Plant Board (NPB), Land Grant University Cooperative Extension Service and other organizations involved in exotic species extension and regulatory activities. Protect U.S. develops invasive species educational material specifically for small farm producers, homeowners, the general public and K-12 audiences and delivers this material in three formats – scripted presentations, e-learning modules and K-12 lesson plans. More information about Protect U.S. educational materials, available topics and lesson plans is available online at www.protrectingusnow.org. Educational products are available at no cost. European pepper moth, the first of the three species of concern, was covered in a presentation by Stephanie Stocks of the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who also serves as Protect U.S. Coordinator. First detected in the U.S. in San Diego in 2004 and again in 2010, the European Pepper Moth was detected in Florida in the fall of 2010. “It is a pest of many herbaceous ornamentals and field crops,” said Stocks. “The moth causes damage to leaves, fruit and stems.” Florida crops impacted by the European Pepper Moth include pepper and strawberry. Stocks provided guidance in identifying the species and detailed its hibernation and dispersal characteristics, as well as monitoring and inspection recommendations. “There are no specific chemical control recommendations yet,” said Stocks, “but applicators should consult with their county extension agents before beginning any chemical treatment.” There are certain biological controls commercially available and cultural control can be achieved by removal of plant debris, lower leaves that come in contact with the soil surface and the use of drier growth medium. The bagrada bug, first detected in the Western Hemisphere in southern coastal California in 2008 and thought to have been introduced through commercial shipping, was discussed by Dr. John Palumbo of the University of Arizona. Also known as the painted bug and harlequin bug, it is a known pest of plants in the family Brassicaceae with host crops such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. They are primarily seedling pests with their feeding causing significant crop damage and yield loss. “Distribution has spread from southern California across the southwest into Texas,” said Palumbo, “and it seems to be headed further east.” Weed hosts include London rocket and Indian mustard while stock and sweet alyssum are ornamental hosts. “It can also survive on some grasses and seeds during non cole crop production months,” said Palumbo, who offered assistance with the identification of eggs, nymphs and adults. 100
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The bagrada bug’s life cycle is impacted by temperatures, with development taking about 30days in the hottest months and up to 90days in cooler months. Populations of this pest also reach a peak in the hottest months, dropping off significantly during colder months. “It would seem Florida would be an ideal habitat for this species,” he said. “We are definitely in a preventive mode with the bagrada bug until greater knowledge is available,” said Palumbo, who discussed scouting approaches and tips. Biological control of the specie is under development while economic control requires intensive insecticide usage for the time being. The key to establishing and maintaining a quality crop requires the prevention of adult bagrada bugs from feeding on the seedlings. Shifting to the east coast, Dr. David Riley of the University of Georgia reported on the distribution and spread of the kudzu bug. Native to southeastern Asian countries, it was first detected in this hemisphere in October 2009 in the metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia area. Also known as the bean plataspid, lablab bug or globular stink bug, the name kudzu bug is pending as the accepted common name of this bug in the U.S. Since first detected, kudzu bug has spread up and down the southeastern coast of the U.S. Characterized as a strong flyer and accomplished hitchhiker, “the recent rate and distribution of kudzu bug population expansion suggests that a major proportion of the soybean growing areas in the U.S. are likely to see kudzu bugs in the future,” said Riley. “The reproductive hosts in the Western Hemisphere include kudzu, soybean, edamame and pigeon pea, while the non-reproductive or resting places for this pest include just about everywhere.” While this insect is an agricultural pest, it can also be an urban nuisance pest due to its habit of gathering in large numbers on houses and other light colored buildings. It is also important to remember, this is a stink bug and in large numbers, there is the potential for a large amount of “stink.” In addition, this pest has the potential to be a human health concern not from its bite, but from being “squished” against the skin, the results of which can lead to an itchy rash that lasts for about a week. There have been international trade implications as kudzu bug presence was reported in the spring of 2012 at Honduran ports, leading to the hold up of 4,000 cargo containers. Honduras also reported that three live kudzu bugs were collected on commercial passenger jets originating from Atlanta, Georgia. “Kudzu bugs” have piercing-sucking mouthparts and feed on stems and petioles with damaged stems exhibiting purple lesions and often developing sooty mold,” said Riley. “They are a stress inducing pest and cause soybean yield losses averaging 20 percent, but can reach up to 60 percent. Greening or plants that do not senesce for timely harvest are common.” Riley provided identification guidance and information on hibernation and dispersal, as well as monitoring and visual inspection in soybean. He concluded with the most current information on chemical, biological and cultural control, encouraging attendees to visit the website http://www.kudzubug.org/identification.html for added identification information and resources. The session concluded with hands on specimen identification and the correct procedure to follow when submitting suspect invasive insect species samples for identification and verification. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
Protect Yourself from Mosquito-Borne Disease
By Susan Haddock, Commercial Landscape/IPM/Small/ Farms Agent, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County Chickungunya (pronounced Chicken Gen-ya) is a virus that can be transmitted by mosquitoes to humans and cause illness or disease. The illness and virus was reported and discovered in Africa, Asia and Thailand in the 1950s. Translated, Chickungunya means “illness of the bended walker,” “that which bends up,” or “bended walker.” All these meanings refer to an arthritic condition resulting in a stooped posture that occurs in some patients. Chickungunya virus is new to Florida. In mid July 2014, several cases of this illness were reported in people in Florida who did not travel to areas outside of the United States where outbreaks have been reported. Previously, there have been about 100 imported cases reported in Florida in people who did travel to areas with outbreaks. This summer there have been major outbreaks in the Caribbean with over 300,000 cases reported. Outbreaks have also been reported in Africa, Southeast Asia, Reunion Island, India, Malaysia and Thailand.
How is this Virus Transmitted?
The virus is transmitted from mosquitoes to humans and back to mosquitoes. An infected female mosquito bites and feeds on a human host. During that feeding the virus is transmitted to the human host. Once the virus is present in the human host, the virus can be transferred to an uninfected female mosquito. The newly infected mosquito can then further spread the virus to unsuspecting human hosts. There are two species of mosquitoes in Florida that can transmit this virus: Aedes aegypti, known as the Yellow Fever Mosquito and Aedes albopictus, known as the Asian Tiger Mosquito. Both of these mosquitoes reproduce in standing water or water holding containers.
What are the Symptoms of Illness?
• Keep gutters clean. • Utilize mosquito dunks in rain barrels or bits in vase plants such as Bromeliades. These products contain Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis which is safe in fish habitats and standing water near households, but not in water for human consumption. Always read the label and use according to labeled instructions. • Inspect yards once per week. • Educate your neighbors on the importance of removing water holding containers.
Protect yourself from mosquito bites.
• Use air conditioning or window/door screens. • Wear protective clothing that covers as much of the body as possible. • Use mosquito repellents on exposed skin that have been shown to be effective, such as those containing DEET or Citronella. Check the label to make sure that the repellent has been EPA approved and always use the product according to labeled instructions. Do not allow young children to apply repellents. Do not rely on products that have not been found to be effective, such as devices that emit sound, bracelets, bug zappers, bug patches or consumption of garlic, bananas or Vitamin B. People infected with chinkungunya or dengue virus should avoid exposure to further mosquito bites during the first week of infection. Staying indoors or using repellents after infection will reduce the threat of further local transmission. Be an informed traveler by consulting the CDC website prior to planning travel. People at risk should avoid traveling to areas with ongoing outbreaks. The CDC website has current information about the status of mosquito-borne disease transmission around the world.
The symptoms are typically described as flu-like and appear within 1-12 days after a bite by an infected mosquito. The symptoms typically present with fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include chills, headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and/or a rash that may develop lesions. The rash usually occurs over the face and chest. In more severe cases joint pain may persist for months or years.
For more information:
Persons at risk for more severe disease include babies exposed before birth, adults over 65 years of age, and those with underlying medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
How to use Repellents Correctly
How is the Illness Diagnosed?
The only way to definitively diagnose Chickungunya is by a physician and with a laboratory blood test. Testing is performed at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a few state health departments and one commercial laboratory. Contact your medical provider for testing.
CDC Website: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ Chickungunya: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/IN/IN69600.pdf Dengue: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/IN/IN69900.pdf Container Mosquitoes: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in851 http://cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/insect/index.cfm UF/IFAS Mosquito Information Website: http://mosquito.ifas.ufl.edu
Dengue fever is another mosquito-borne virus that is transmitted by the same mosquitoes and has similar symptoms. Ruling out Dengue fever is important as the Dengue illness may be more severe and clinical management is different.
What is the Cure for the Illness?
The illness is treated with supportive care and rest. There is no specific cure and there is no preventative vaccine or medicine that will kill the virus. Physicians may recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) to reduce fever and acute pain, however, aspirin should be avoided. Other therapy may be recommended to help with persistent joint pain.
How can it be Prevented?
The best way to prevent the transmission of this virus is to control the mosquito vector. Since the mosquito vectors lay their eggs in water holding containers to complete larval development, emptying or removal of all standing water is imperative. • Empty and remove or turn over all water holding sources including: flower pots with saucer bases, tires, bottles, bottle caps, cans and lawn equipment such as wheel barrows. Hillsborough County Community Collection Centers in Lithia, Seffner, Tampa and Gibsonton accept up to 12 tires per tax paying household; additional tires must be taken to a landfill location and disposal fee paid; Ph. (813) 7445533. • Flush and replace water several times a week in bird baths and pet dishes. • Cover water harvesting containers, such as rain barrels, with netting to prevent mosquitoes from entering. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM
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Classifieds
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2002 EXISS 3H Slant w/Mid Tack and full living quarters, $31,500. Email brie1936@gmail.com for more information.
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REAL ES TATE FOR SALE – 45 ACRES VACANT LAND (Pasco County) 45 acres are comprised of gently rolling hills with big trees & solid ground. A great setting for residential development. To the east of the property is a 60 acre parcel (Lake Gilbert) that adds significant aesthetic value to the 45 acres. Zoning: AR (Agricultural-Rural) Call Heidi Cecil for more information 863-899-9620
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FOR INFORMATION on the first and only patented organic doctor approved Gentlemen’s Blend coffee contact Al at: 813-763-2220.
J OB S CONTRIBUTING WRITER Write about events in your community. Immediate openings in Hillsborough and Polk Counties. Paid per article. Responsibilities include covering community events and taking pictures. Email your resume to sarah@inthefieldmagazine.com
DOG KENNEL 10x10x6 ft Welded Dog Kennel, 11 1/2 GA Galvanized wire, ALL WELDED, 4 ft door. Heavy Duty Kennel - $295 Savich & Lee/Stalnaker 813-620-3006
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Why is the selling brand of chain saw worldwide sold at Everglades Farm Equipment?
Because we know what you expect.
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At Everglades Farm Equipment we carry the full line of the best hand held equipment on the planet. With the parts and service to keep you up and going, the right choice is STIHL and Everglades Farm Equipment.
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