In The Field magazine Hillsborough edition by Berry Publications, Inc

INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

APRIL 2013

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Contents

VOL. 9 • ISSUE 6

Features Strawberry Festival Results and More 54 55 61 82 92 94

Pag es - J a ke M ax w e ll - Ashlyn Gude - H orti cul ture – Show R esu lt s – U. S. Ag r ic u l tu re – B o ot h Wi nn er s

Growing a Yarden

A Garden by the River

Page 10

Page 50

Helping Low Income

Strawberry Grub

Nations

Station

Page 12

Page 52

Tampa Bay

Broad Benefits

Fishing Report

Page 56

Page 18

OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Danny Aprile ..............................President Bill Burnett ..........................VicePresident Jemy Hinton ..............................Treasurer

DIRECTORS FOR 2012-2013

Amanda Collins, Roy Davis, David Drawdy, Jim Dyer, James Frankowiak, Stefan Katzaras, Greg Lehman, Kenneth Parker, Jake Raburn, Alex Ritzheimer, Marty Tanner, James Tew, Patrick Thomas, Ron Wetherington, Michelle Williamson, Will Womack, Ray Wood

Judi Whitson, Executive Director 813.685.9121

Magical Mushrooms

Page 59

Rocking Chair Chatter

Rescue Us

Page 22

Page 68

Blueberry Growers Paul Little

Page 29

Page 70

Florida Sapodilla Adopt, Don’t Stop!

Page 33

Page 76 Why Turfgrass Fails Changes Ahead

Page 39

Page 100 Growing Knowledge

Page 44 4

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APRIL 2013

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INTHE FIELD MAGAZINE

APRIL 2013

From the Editor

ITFM Staff PUBLISHER/PHOTOGRAPHY Karen Berry EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Al Berry SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR/ ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Sarah Holt EDITOR Patsy Berry

We are always looking for a better, more economical way of doing things. Life changes, the way of doing things evolves, and often times the old ways are lost. While I have read it before, I just saw “Take a little good advice from an old farmer,” and thought, here are some things that are not going to change. You know the old adage if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? Well, here you go. I hope you enjoy the few jewels I selected to share with you. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong. Life is simpler when you plow around the stump. A bumble bee is considerably faster than a tractor. Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads. Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you. It doesn’t take a very big person to carry a grudge. You cannot unsay a cruel word. Every path has a few puddles. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty. The best sermons are lived, not preached. Most of the stuff people worry about is never gonna happen anyway. Don’t judge folks by their relatives. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time. Don’t interfere with somethin’ that isn’t bothering you none. If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’. Always drink upstream from the herd. Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in. If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

Until Next Month,

Sarah

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

In The Field Magazine is published monthly and is available through local Hillsborough County businesses, restaurants, and many local venues. It is also distributed by U.S. mail to a target market, which includes all of the Greenbelt Property owners, members of the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau and Strawberry Grower’s Association. Letters, comments and questions can be sent to P.O. Box 5377, Plant City, Florida 33563-0042 or you are welcome to email them to: info@inthefieldmagazine.com or call 813-759-6909 Advertisers warrant & represent the descriptions of their products advertised are true in all respects. In The Field Magazine assumes no responsibility for claims made by advertisers. All views expressed in all articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Berry Publications, Inc. Any use or duplication of material used in In The Field magazine is prohibited without written consent from Berry Publications, Inc. Published by Berry Publications, Inc.

INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE APRIL 2013

OFFICE MANAGER Bob Hughens SALES MANAGER Danny Crampton SALES Al Berry Tina Richmond Danny Crampton CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mona Jackson PHOTOGRAPHY Karen Berry Al Berry Stephanie Humphrey STAFF WRITERS Al Berry Sandy Kaster James Frankowiak Sean Green Ginny Mink Libby Hopkins Lindsey English CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Woody Gore Les McDowell

Index of Advertisers ABC Pizza................................................................90 Ag Technologies......................................................62 Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers .............................25 Antioch Feed and Farm Supply............................78 Aquarius Water Refining.......................................80 Astin Strawberry Exchange .....................................9 Badcock....................................................................23 Bill’s Transmissions .................................................65 Bingham...................................................................46 Boots and Buckles...................................................56 Brandon Auto Services, Inc. ..................................90 Brandon Region Hospital......................................66 Brewington’s............................................................32 Broke & Poor..........................................................14 Brownlee Citrus & Garden Center......................40 Cameron Financial .................................................23 Cecil Breeding Farm...............................................45 Chuck’s Tire & Automotive ................................13 Crescent Jewelers ................................................ 41 Dad’s Towing........................................................86 Day Dreams Spa..................................................84 Discount Metals...................................................17

Index of Advertisers Dr. Barry Gaffney O.D. PA.............................................44 Driscoll’s............................................................................99 Dukes Chiropractic Health Clinic, P.A..........................65 EcoWater...........................................................................58 Eshenbaugh Land Company..........................................28 Fancy Farms .....................................................................57 Farm Bureau Insurance...................................................77 Farm Bureau Insurance/Jeff Sumner..............................79 Farm Credit.........................................................................9 Felton’s ..............................................................................51 Fischbach Land Company............................................104 Fishhawk Sporting Clays ................................................53 Florida Dept. of Agriculture............................................20 Florida Strawberry Festival ..................................48 & 49 Florida Strawberry Growers Assoc.....................36 & 37 Forbes Road Produce ........................................................7 Fred’s Market.................................................................. 26 Gator Ford........................................................................43 Gladstone..........................................................................40 Grimes Hardware Center ...............................................67 Grove Equipment Service ..............................61, 63 & 95 Halfacre Construction Company...................................99 Harold’s Feed & Pet Supply...................................3 & 81 Harrell’s Nursery, Inc.......................................................90 Haught Funeral Home....................................................75 Helena Chemical-Tampa ................................................17 Hillsboro State Bank........................................................91 Hillsborough County Farm Bureau...............................80 Hinton Farms Produce, Inc.............................................26 Home Protection Pest Control .......................................74 I-4 Power Equipment ......................................................42 Jane Baer Realty.............................................................102 Jarrett-Scott Ford................................................................2 Johnson’s Barbeque..........................................................90 Jon & Rosie’s Tree Farm.................................................74 Ken’s Well Drilling & Pump Service, Inc.......................40 Key Plex ............................................................................21 Loetscher Auto Parts .......................................................79 Malissa Crawford............................................................57 Mark Smith Excavating ....................................................7 Meryman Environmental, Inc........................................93 Mid Florida American Pit Bull Terrier Assoc................41 Mike Milliron...................................................................74 Mosaic...............................................................................14 Myers Cleaners.................................................................43 Parkesdale Market .............................................................5 Pathway BioLogic............................................................38 Plant City Tire & Auto Service, Inc. ................................7 Platinum Bank..................................................................34 Railroad Credit Union.....................................................93 Ranch Rodeo ...................................................................35 Savich & Lee / Stalnaker.................................................24 Seedway ............................................................................26 Shrimp & Co Express.....................................................79 Southeastern Trophy Deer Association .........................73 Southside Farm & Pet Supply .............................30 & 31 South Florida Baptist Hospital .......................................88 Southwestern Produce Company...................................27 Squeal Deal.......................................................................74 Stephanine Humphrey.....................................................19 Stingray Chevrolet .........................................................103 Super Service Tire & Auto..............................................69 Tampa Bay Times............................................................84 The Hay Depot................................................................97 Timberlane Pet Hospital & Resort................................84 Trinkle, Redman, Swanson, Coton, Davis & Smith .................................................................69 Vertigro .............................................................................25 Walden Lake Car Wash ..................................................32 Walk In BINGO.................................................................9 Wells Memorial................................................................11 Wert’s Welding & Tank Service, Inc..............................86 Willie’s ...............................................................................90 Woodside Dental..............................................................11 Zaxby’s..............................................................................60 W W W. 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You Too, Can Be A Winner

Hey Readers, hidden somewhere in the magazine is a No Farmers, No Food logo. Hunt for the logo and once you find the hidden logo you will be eligible for a drawing to win a FREE No Farmers No Food Sticker. Send us your business card or an index card with your name and telephone number, the number of the page which you found the logo and where on that page you located the logo to:

InTheField速 Magazine P.O. Box 5377 Plant City, FL 33566-0042

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

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INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

APRIIL 2013

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

WORKING HARD ON YOUR BEHALF AND OUR’S, TOO Talking to Our Legislators Dear Readers: I am pleased to report that you and your interests were well represented before our legislators in Tallahassee last month. Board members Erin Nessmith, Will Womack and Roy and Leta Davis, as well as our Executive Director Judi Whitson, met with legislators and Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Adam Putnam to tell each of them what is important to all of you for their consideration during the legislative session. This was part of Florida Farm Bureau’s annual Legislative Day. There is an article in this edition of IN THE FIELD that goes into greater depth about the issues that are our current legislative priorities: Greenbelt, Agritourism, Research Funding, Water, Regulations and Immigration. I urge you to read this article and if you have an opportunity to speak to any of our lawmakers, please keep these priorities in mind. Individual Tallahassee meetings took place with Representatives Ben Albritton, Mark Danish, Dan Raulerson, Dana Young and Sen. Tom Lee regarding our priorities and the importance of not reducing the annual budget for citrus research. We met on the Florida House floor with Rep. Jake Raburn, Speaker Will Weatherford, Rep Steve Crisafulli and others. Our group also participated in the social networking event that took place in conjunction with this annual gathering. Thanks to our Hillsborough County Farm Bureau “delegation” for taking advantage of this opportunity for personal contact with lawmakers, all of whom favored and support our priorities.

It has been a while since the Strawberry Festival took place, but I want to express my appreciation to those Farm Bureau members that were involved. It was great to note that more than 526,000 attended despite the chilly weather at the outset of the Festival Lastly, let me remind you once again that membership in Farm Bureau is not limited to just farmers and ranchers. Farm Bureau is a low cost, high value grass roots organization comprised of families across the country. Take a few minutes to visit our website: www.hcfb.org or call 813/685-9121. We would be pleased to have your family join us.

Thank you,

Danny Danny Aprile President

Board of Directors

Danny Aprile, President; Bill Burnett, Vice-President; Jemy Hinton Member-at-large; Amanda Collins, Roy Davis, David Drawdy, Jim Dyer, Jim Frankowiak, Stefan Katzaras, Greg Lehman, Kenneth Parker,Jake Raburn, Alex Ritzheimer, Marty Tanner, James Tew, Patrick Thomas, Ron Wetherington, Michelle Williamson, Will Womack and Ray Wood, Judi Whitson, Executive Director 8

INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE APRIL 2013

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• A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. • An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain. • Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur. • In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10. • A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours. • A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. • A dime has 118 ridges around the edge. • The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world. • In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak. • The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. • Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister. • The average person falls asleep in seven minutes. • There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball. • “Stewardesses” is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand. • In Greene, New York, you cannot walk backwards and eat peanuts on the sidewalk during a concert. • In Hartford, Conn., you may not, under any circumstances, cross the street walking on your hands. • In ancient Egypt, killing a cat was a crime punishable by death. • In 1925, fifty-percent of the people married were men.

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INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

APRIIL 2013

Growing a Yarden By Libby Hopkins

pened to the couple in the short time they have been farming, the name is quite fitting. “Nate lost a finger while slaughtering a duck,” Charlei said. Nate will tell you a different story as to how he lost his finger. “Charlei’s story is not true, I was rescuing a kitten from an alligator!” Charlei is quick to reply, “Yeah, a kitten with sharp teeth!” The couple didn’t grow up with farming backgrounds. Both of the couple’s parents had little gardens off and on while they were growing up. Nate’s dad was into composting, but other than that neither one of them really liked gardening, let alone farming. “I really had no interest in gardening,” Charlei said. All of that changed when the couple lived in a 240 square foot house in Temple Terrace. “We were composting, so we decided to plant a little garden,” Nate said. “We used the body of an old dresser to compost in and we planted in the drawers because it’s all we really had at the time.” They also used buckets and whatever else they could find to plant seeds in until they moved to their current location in Tampa. Since the garden was beginning to grow, they decided to try their hand at livestock. “We first thought about getting chickens for eggs, but then we decided we should get ducks because I had one as a kid,” Charlei said. “It was kind of all downhill from there because we got more ducks then we originally planned.” They needed to grow enough food to feed the ducks so it could be a sustainable situation. They soon realized there were some great benefits to owning ducks. According to GRIT Magazine (www.grit.com), “Gardeners and households in Asia and Europe have kept waterfowl as a useful addition to the backyard menagerie for centuries and for good reason, ducks are hardier, lay more eggs, have long more productive lives and they are funnier and more charming than the popular backyard chicken. They can lay up to 350 eggs a year, which will weigh 20 percent to 35 percent, more than a chicken egg.” Duck eggs are also great for caking because they have more elasticity than chicken eggs.

hen you hear the words, Gnarly Farms, what comes to mind? A farm filled with farmers that look like they are cast members of the T.V. show, “Duck Dynasty?” You might imagine the farm being planted on land that is surrounded by barbed wire and they plow the fields with Harley’s instead of tractors. This is most definitely not the case when you meet Nate and Charlei Scott, the couple that own Gnarly Farms. They are a sweet, young couple that gets dirty by growing love and lovely things in the process. Their farm isn’t on a vast piece of property either, it’s located in the back yard of their rental property in Tampa. The couple has a garden, or as they say, a “yarden,” chickens, rabbits, ducks (including a duck pond) all on a 10th of an acre of land situated on a corner lot. They came up with the name for their “farm” as a play on both their names Nate and Charlei. “At first we tried awkward spellings of the names, but they didn’t work, so then we just decided to go with the word gnarly,” Charlei said. Given some of the things that have hap-

INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

APRIL 2013

The couple kept trying new things and started planting more vegetables to the point that they turned their back yard from a sandlot to a thriving garden. Charlei’s favorite part of gardening is the seeds. “We joke that I buy seeds the way some women buy shoes,” she said. “Except the nice thing is that instead of getting sore feet, I get food from the things I buy!” The food they have is amazing. The couple started learning how to can their food and make jams, jellies and preserves. Some of their jellies are even named after some of their friends. “The Bellamy” was the first one in their friends’ names series of jellies. I myself bought their Lemon Curd and the Peni Jeans Spiced Pumpkin Jelly on a recent visit to their booth at The Twilight Market in Ybor City. The market is held at The Roosevelt 2.0 every Tuesday night from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. “The idea was originally to sell our produce and things like jam, jelly, bread and homemade soda, but it seems the produce has become the side show and people are all over the jam and jelly,” Charlei said. I can vouch for how delicious their jellies are because I am hooked on the two I bought at the market! The couple hopes to one day have a real farm where they can expand but for right now they are happy doing what they are W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

doing. “We may not always come out ahead financially, but we raise some of our own meat because we believe that knowing our food was not abused from birth to the dinner plate is important and worth spending some of our hard-earned money,” Charlei said. “Our goal is to use local and organic or both because when we started gardening we really didn’t care where our seeds came from and now we use all non-genetically modified seeds.” For more information on Gnarly Farms, you can visit their website at www.gnarlyfarms.wordpress.com. The Twilight Market at The Roosevelt 2.0 is located at 1812 N. 15th Street in Ybor.

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INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

APRIL 2013

Helping Low Income Nations Confront Contemporary Challenges By Jim Frankowiak

reater international cooperation is the key to helping meet and resolve many of the problems facing the world today. Challenges such as food insecurity, poverty, disease, climate change and financial instability know no borders and are global in scope. “In an effort to better support low income nations as they confront these challenges, many donor countries, multilateral organizations, international finance institutions and foundations are increasingly working together to improve the coordination and effectiveness of development assistance,” said Dr. Walter T. Bowen, Director, International Programs for the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Part of that second phase included an early March weeklong visit to the U.S. by Thomas Jacques, Haitian Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development. Minister Jacques and his delegation began their visit with meetings with the USAID in Washington and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. The balance of the delegation’s visit took place in Florida and included UF/IFAS facilities at Homestead, Belle Glade, Apopka, Balm and Gainesville. As a strategic partner in the Feed the Future initiative, Brazil brings expertise and resources that complement those of the U.S., which “offers the possibility of more effective capacity building, technical assistance, policy engagement and promotion of development for the benefit of developing country partners,” Bowen noted.

“Trilateral Cooperation is one innovative approach agreed to by the United States and the Government of Brazil, whereby the two governments partner to implement cooperation activities in a third county. The University of Florida is the lead institution in an alliance with U.S. Agency for International Development/Brazil (USAID/Brazil) to negotiate, plan, coordinate and implement the USAID-funded component of the Trilateral Cooperation Agreement between the United States and Brazil.”

For Haiti, the goal of the trilateral program is to reduce poverty and hunger by improving agricultural productivity, food security and human nutrition through the joint effort of U.S., Brazilian and Haitian partners. The trip to the U.S., including visits to UF/IFAS Research and Education Centers, USDA facilities and the UF campus, is part of the consultative process designed to help plan successful interventions in Haiti. A similar visit will soon be made by the Haitian Minister and a joint delegation to Brazil.

The first phase of the agreement was designed to focus on improving food security and nutrition in Mozambique. A second phase is now being implemented that will expand the program to include Haiti and Honduras. “All activities are aligned with the U.S. Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative referred to as Feed the Future,” said Bowen. Additional information on Feed the Future is available at www.feedthefuture.gov.

“The purpose of the visits to both countries is to build awareness of the science, technology and innovation that may exist for addressing poverty and hunger in Haiti,” said Bowen. “Following these visits, a joint work plan will be developed to address specific needs for meeting programs goals and to link those needs with applied research, education and extension opportunities, including a prioritization of potential interventions.” •

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Our Priorities Have Widespread Support HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FARM BUREAU MEMBERS REPRESENTED AT ANNUAL LEGISTATIVE DAY By Jim Frankowiak Photos by Ron OʼConner - Farm Credit

here’s no better way to have our state legislators know what’s important to us than to speak to them face to face. Florida Farm Bureau has long recognized that and annually spearheads its Legislative Day, an opportunity for members throughout Florida to meet with their legislators on behalf of members and share with them the priority issues for agriculture in the Sunshine State. Hillsborough County Farm Bureau was well represented this year in Tallahassee as board members Erin Nesmith, Will Womack, Roy and Leta Davis and Executive Director Judi Whitson. “We had the opportunity to meet with State Representatives Ben Albritton, Mark Danish, Dan Raulerson, Dana Young and State Senator Tom Lee,” said Whitson. “In addition, Representatives Jake Raburn and Steve Crisafulli, as well as Speaker Will Weatherford met with us on the House floor.” “Our discussions were wide-ranging, but always included the priorities set collectively by Florida Farm Bureau representatives from across the state,” Whitson noted. “It was great that all of the legislators we spoke to favored and supported all of our priorities.” Those priorities at the time of this writing include: • Greenbelt – preservation of this agricultural assessment for property tax considerations, potential removal of antiquated provisions, eligibility based on agricultural land use • Agritourism – redefine agritourism to clarify that only operations that are explicitly linked to production agriculture can be so classified, plus certain liability limits • UF/IFAS and FDACS Funding – secure “proper” funding for entities • Citrus Greening Research Funding - $9 million for research aimed at finding a solution to citrus greening, which is threat ening the viability of the citrus industry • Water – science-based regulations that taken into account agri culture’s dependence on a consistent water supply and continu ing efforts to keep Florida’s water clear • Duplication of Regulations – expansion of the Agricultural Lands and Practices Act to include protection from regulations from any governmental entity if the activities are already regu lated by state or federal agencies • Immigration – reform is a federal issue. Without a viable federal guest-worker program, virtually anything that the Florida legislature passes will make it more difficult for Florida farmers to find workers W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

For the latest on priority issues and the position of Florida Farm Bureau, visit: www.floridafarmbureau.org. In addition to personal meetings with selected legislators, the Hillsborough County contingency also participated in the evening social event, which attracted Farm Bureau members from across the state, presenting the various types of agriculture in Florida. Though not directly related to the Legislative Day initiative, the University of Florida released news late last month regarding the significant growth in agbioscience in the state over the past decade. The Battelle report detailed a 134 percent growth in research and development expenditures over the 2000 – 2010 timeframe. That study also showed agriculture, forestry and fisheries production in a 13-state region of the southeastern U.S. plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands generates $240 billion in regional economic activity and supports more than 2.2 million jobs, with labor income totaling $62 billion, UF said in a news release. Batelle is a global research and development organization. “I think what this study clearly tells us is that for Florida to continue to see this kind of economic growth, we’ve got to continue to invest in these areas,” said Jack Payne, the UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources. “Agriculture and related sciences touch nearly every aspect of our lives. They’re a robust driver of our economy and they will help our state thrive as the country pulls itself out of a rough economy.” The UF release noted “Agbioscience, as defined by the report’s authors, includes not only research related to the food we eat, but the development, production and use of plant and animal organisms for food, health, fuel and industrial applications.” The full Battelle study is available at: http:/ / www.LSU AgCenter.com/ SouthernAgbioscienceImpact INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

APRIL 2013

Dealing With Botrytis in Strawberries By Jim Frankowiak

ruit rot, specifically Botrytis fruit rot, which is also known as Gray Mold, is a widespread challenge for strawberry growers. A research team, headed by Plant Pathologist Dr. Natalia Peres at the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Gulf Coast Research and Education Center and her colleagues, has come up with recommendations for dealing with this pervasive problem for growers. Though an ongoing problem, a widespread outbreak of Botrytis in February of 2012 was the stimulus for this most recent program. “This disease gets to the strawberries in the field through flowers, but may remain dormant until favorable environmental conditions arise, causing the disease to develop,” said Peres. These conditions include cool temperatures (between 60 - 70º) and prolonged hours moisture levels (>12 hours). “While this typically occurs in the field, it sometimes takes place after harvest when the strawberries are with the consumer.” Several fungicides from five different chemical groups had been used to treat this disease when it occurred, but “after last year’s outbreak we discovered resistance to all but one of these fungicides had become widespread,” she said. The study involved 470 samples taken from 12 different strawberry fields after the outbreak last season. Of the five fungicides: Pristine, Scala, Elevate, Topsin and Switch “our study found only Switch to be fully effective.” While it is good to have one effective fungicide “it is just a matter of time before the fungus will become resistant to that fungicide, too, if it is overused” Peres said. The industry is developing new fungicides – Fontelis, Luna and Merivon – but “it is important to note that they come from the same chemical group as Pristine which has become less effective in fighting Botrytis,” she said. Fontelis is registered and now available to growers and Luna and Merivon are expected to be available next strawberry season.

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“Fungicides used to control strawberry diseases are similar to antibiotics used to fight human disease,” noted Peres. “Unless they are rotated, the microorganisms (fungus or bacteria) will develop resistance and their effectiveness will diminish.” Strawberry growers had typically sprayed fungicides on a preventative basis. “We recommend spraying be limited to those times when conditions are favorable for disease development,” said Peres. To help growers determine when conditions are favorable, Peres and her colleagues suggested enrollment in the Strawberry Advisory System (SAS), a currently free service thanks to grants from the USDA. SAS underwent trials at GCREC from 2006 – 2012 and at commercial fields since 2010. SAS is valuable for a number of reasons. Fungicide applications timed to those periods when conditions are favorable for Botrytis “will likely reduce the number of fungicide applications and thus the chances for the fungus to develop resistance to those fungicides,” said Peres. “It should provide the same type of control as the conventional approach but with reduced costs for the grower and fewer impacts to the environment.” SAS utilizes the various weather stations that makeup up the Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) plus new stations at Plant City and Floral City that were obtained with USDA grant funds. “Growers have the option of visiting the SAS website, receive emails or texts advising them of conditions that are favorable for disease development,” said Peres. The website presents weather conditions in color format. Green coloration indicates a low risk, yellow a moderate risk and red a high risk for either Botrytis or Anthracnose, another disease impacting strawberries in Florida. Growers may register or find added information on SAS by visiting http://agroclimate.org/tools/strawberry. SAS is a capability based on the AgroClimate website. AgroClimate is a service of the Southeast Climate Consortium, which includes eight institutes of higher education. Here in Florida, those members are Florida State University, the University of Florida and University of Miami. The consortium is committed to “developing partnerships and solutions for managing climate risks to agriculture and natural resources.” “When SAS indicates moderate risks are prevalent, growers are advised to spray with the fungicides Captan, Thiram, Elevate, Scala or Fontelis, saving the most effective fungicide, Switch, when conditions are highly conducive for fungus growth,” said Peres. “The information available on the AgroClimate site is helpful for many different crops not just strawberries. Those include blueberries and various grains.” The site also has climate forecast information based on probability for “El nino” type conditions of cooler and wetter conditions or “La nina” conditions marked by warmer and drier conditions during the strawberry production months. • W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

APRIL 2013

by Captain Woody Gore

CIVILITY & CONSIDERATION Simple Words to Understand…

Civility - ci·vil·i·ty 1. Courteous behavior; politeness: 2. Courteous act or utterance. Consideration - con·sid·er·a·tion 1. Process of giving careful thought to something. 2. Kind and considerate regard for others.

oratory of verbal repartee often including profanity regardless of who is near. When this occurs it’s often difficult to maintain a non-confrontational attitude, especially when someone’s calling you every name in the book and your nine year daughter, son and sometimes wife are with you.

Occassionally, when anglers get together, the sharing of fishing and adventure stories results in hours of companionship that could lead to quality friendships. However the pressure to catch fish, inexperience, and often overcrowded fishing areas can and often does increase the strain on people’s tensions. This crazy behavior often undermines what otherwise should be a relaxing and fun day on the water.

However, it’s to your emotional and often physical advantage to totally ignore their future attempts at provocation. Very often as you venture out for a relaxing day on the water, you will encounter folks with the mental and emotional capacity below the age of three and lack the ability to comprehend everyday logic.

Everyone is guilty! It’s called our tempers and unless you’re an extremely patient person, on daily doses of Valium, you’re likely to lose yours at some time or another. Although not deliberately we’ve all done it, we unintentionally cut someone off, take a little too long getting our boat into or out of the water, or getting a little too close to another angler.

Nevertheless, there they are in a boat, fishing, and guess what? All the water around them for a square mile belongs only to them and you or no one else should dare get too close. Whenever you find yourself in this situation, here’s the deal, if you offend some dim-witted individual, just wait till they’re finished with the insults and yelling, simply say you’re sorry and continue your day by totally ignoring them.

And when we do, we must brace ourselves for that all familiar “hey idiot stare” or an

However, should you engage the situation, more times than not, you will lose your

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composure, become emotionally involved, and give the other person control of your emotional state. When actions and tempers flare, the possibilities exist for that situation to escalate, often to a point of physical confrontation or violence. Whenever that happens… no one wins. Always remember… “Never give anyone control over your emotions.” Common sense, on the other hand, what the world refers to as wisdom, requires little education, but does require the ability to think and reason. Common sense combined with everyday civility and consideration makes our lives much brighter and more fun. In closing let me say that fishing is a great individual and family pastime offering a source of relaxation, entertainment, and most of all fun. Nothing will ruin the day more than getting upset with someone or having them upset with you. Be courteous, use common sense and think before you act. Don’t let an insignificant nothing turn a fishing trip into water rage… after all “It’s only fishing - not life or death.”

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further than Tampa Bay. It usually gets full of threadfins and that means Mackerel and Bluefish. Drift the bait schools or anchor around markers tossing out a white baits or threadfins, and hang on. Shinny artificial lures like silver spoons also work. Offshore: Expecting the weather to remain stable, the winds should stay fairly calm for some warm water offshore action. While temperatures will often affect the near-shore bite, cooler offshore temperatures turn fish on. If it’s a snapper you’re after… it’s a great time to go fishing for these tasty fish. Also expect large Mangrove Snapper action at night around the full moon.

“LET ’S GO FISHING” TAMPA B AY FISHING REPORT APRIL 2013 Inshore: April fishing is hot and the fishing should be off the wall. The weather will be cooperating and we’re anticipating a good bite to kick off the summer. Snook: Depending on tides and lunar phases, snook fishing is going gangbusters with nice fish caught on both live bait and artificial lures, which should continue through the summer. Snook are still closed so revive them quickly and return them gently to the water. Redfish: Redfish are found almost everywhere in the bay area. Search for them around oyster bars and early grass morning flats. Expect good early morning topwater action on the flats and along mangrove shores. Work both incoming and outgoing tides.

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Spotted Sea Trout: Trout fishing has been exceptional all year and unless something drastic happens we can expect it to continue all summer. Look for really nice size trout on Tampa Bay grass flats, especially deeper edges on outgoing tides. Cobia: Cobia should start traveling the flats and open water, sometimes as singles or groups and normally always behind large Rays. Keep your eyes peeled, toss your bait close and the battle begins. Tarpon: Tarpon anglers should check the beaches and bridges. Threadfins, crabs and larger sardines should do nicely. Toss them directly into the path of rolling tarpon and hang on. Bridge Tarpon are always fun. Be ready to cast off your anchor line and buoy and give chase. Mackerel & B luefish: If you are looking for some great light-tackle action, look no

Expect good catches of grouper, amber jacks, triggerfish, sharks, sea bass, and dolphin (mahi-mahi). There are also some pompano still hanging around the wrecks and, as always, goliath’s ready to eat anything you catch. If you’re interested in booking a trip, please visit my website or give me a call: “GIVE ME A CALL & LET’S GO FISHING” Guiding and fishing Florida waters for over 50 year’s and the results are always the same “Memorable Fishing Adventures.” For information on booking single or multi-boat charters, or organizing company or corporate events call: Capt. Woody Gore Mobile: 813-477-3814 Office: 813-982-2034. Please visit my website at WWW.CAPTAINWOODYGORE.COM or Email me at WGORE@IX.NET COM.COM

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Then there’s the story of an 80 year old couple who were having problems remembering things, so they decided to go to their doctor to get checked out to make sure nothing was wrong with them. When they arrived at the doctors, they explained to the doctor about the problems they were having with their memory. After checking them over, the doctor told them that they were physically okay but might want to start writing things down and make notes to help them remember things. The couple thanked the doctor and left. Later that night while watching TV, the man got up from his chair and his wife asked, “Where are you going?” He replied, “To the kitchen.” She asked, “Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?” He replied, “Sure.” She then asked him, “Don’t you think you should write it down so you can remember it?” He said, “No, I can remember that.”

have noticed that the older I get the less I remember. Thank goodness for my Day Timer or I would be in deep trouble. Now it’s different with my wife. She remembers everything. Patsy can tell you where and when she bought every piece of clothing in her closet. Not only that, but she has another remarkable ability. When she wakes up in the mornings and her joints ache, she says the humidity is high and it’s going to rain. Ninety percent of the time she is right. I had lunch at the Whistle Stop in down Plant City a few weeks ago and overheard a couple of old fellas chit-chatting about how things were going in their lives. One of them said, “I’ve had two bypass surgeries, a hip replacement, new knees, fought prostate cancer, diabetes, can’t hear worth a flip and I can’t remember anything.” The other guy spoke up and said, “I know how you feel. I take 20 different medications that make me dizzy, winded, and have blackouts. I have poor circulation and can hardly feel my hands and feet anymore. On top of all that I can’t remember if I am 90 or 93. I’ve lost all my friends but you. But, praise the Lord, I still have my driver’s license!”

The other fellow spoke up. “My wife said her body was totally out of shape, so her doctor gave her permission to join the YMCA here in Plant City, where she joined an aerobics class for seniors. It didn’t last long. On the first trip she said she twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for a half-hour. And by the time she got her leotards on, the class was over.” The conversation continued as they swapped stories. One said, “I can’t remember how to work a lot of these new fangled gadgets. The other morning I wanted to warm a cup of coffee and caught myself trying to enter my PIN number on the microwave.” 22

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She then said, “Well I would also like some strawberries on top. You had better write that down because I know you’ll forget that.” He said, “I can remember that, you want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.” She replied, “Well, I also would like whipped cream on top. I know you will forget that so you better write it down.” With irritation in his voice, he said, “I don’t need to write that down! I can remember that.” He then fumes into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes he returned from the kitchen and handed her a plate of bacon and eggs. She stared at the plate for a moment and said angrily: “I TOLD you to write it down! You forgot my toast!” I read recently where doctors have discovered a chemical found in high concentrations in celery and in peppers that could halt memory loss as we get older, but the problem seems to be that people are forgetting to eat them. They are working on a special guide for the over 55 to read pointing out their daily dose of celery. It is hoped that those with the most severe memory loss will forget to wake up. Maybe it is good to have memory loss every once in a while. It would have been for the guy who went to the supermarket and noticed an attractive woman waving at him. She says hello. He’s rather taken back because he can’t place her. He says, “Do you know me?” To which she replies, “I think you’re father of one of my kids.” Now his mind travels back to the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and says, “My goodness you’re the stripper from my bachelor party. Now I remember.” W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

She looks into his eyes and says calmly, “No, I’m your son’s teacher.” Then there’s story of Mr. and Mrs. Cornwall having dinner with long time friends, George and Mary Willis. The two women go into the kitchen for a moment, leaving the men to talk. One of the men says to the other, “The Mrs. and I went to the nicest restaurant last night.” “Is that right?” the other inquires, “What was the name of it?” “That’s just it,” he replies, “I can’t recall.” “Say, what’s the name of that red flower that has thorns all over it?” “A rose?” he responds. “YEAH, THAT’S IT!” he says energetically. Then he whirls around and yells into the kitchen, “Hey, Rose, what was the name of that restaurant we went to last night?” In closing it was Mark Twain that said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” •

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

Georgia Pecans (Frozen) Halves and Pieces 1 lb bag .................$9 2.5 lb bag .............$22.25 5 lb bag.................$44 10 lb bag...............$87

Foodhooks.........................................$22 Baby Butter Beans ............................$15 Green Beans.......................................$14 Pole Beans .........................................$14 Speckled Butter Beans.....................$14 Blackeye Peas....................................$14 Butter Peas ........................................$14 Conk Peas .........................................$22 Crowder Peas ....................................$14 Pinkeye Peas......................................$14 White Acre Peas................................$14 Sugar Snap Peas ...............................$15 Zipper Peas........................................$14 Green Peas .........................................$14 White Corn.........................................$14 Yellow Corn........................................$14 Cream White Corn 4#........................$6 Cream Yellow Corn 4#.......................$6 Collard Greens ...................................$13 Mustard Greens..................................$13 Turnip Greens ....................................$13

Spinach ...............................................$13 Cut Okra .............................................$13 Breaded Okra.....................................$13 Whole Okra ........................................$13 Sliced Yellow Squash........................$13 Sliced Zucchini ..................................$13 Brussel Sprouts .................................$14 Baby Carrots......................................$14 Broccoli ..............................................$14 Cauliflower .........................................$14 Mixed Vegetables..............................$14 Soup Blend.........................................$14 Blueberries 5# ...................................$15 Blackberries 5# .................................$15 Dark Sweet Cherries 5# ...................$18 Mango Chunks 5# .............................$15 Pineapple Chunks 5#........................$15 Whole Strawberries 5# ....................$15 Peaches...............................................$15 Green Peanuts ...................................$15

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

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Dry Creek

Flying Horses By Les McDowell Photos Courtesy of Linda Constant

We couldn’t afford a horse, but I made due. I had a stick horse and would run through the house. I would use a limb and leave two branches on the end for ears. OK, I’ve made my point. That little boy in me always loved horses. Dad knew this and one day to my surprise he said, “Go look out behind the barn.” There it was, not a horse like Silver or Trigger, but a, well... an animal with long ears. I really didn’t care though. It had four legs and looked kind of like a horse. But instead of a whinny, out would come a he haw! I loved that burro and called him Tonka. The years rolled by like a wagon wheel on one of my favorite westerns. Since then I’ve owned a lot of horses and I guess you could say my dreams of Flying Horses came true. No, I never had one where, like in my dreams, they could fly. Though I’ve had a few that sent me airborne. But I’ve written an episode for Dry Creek called, Flying Horses. This story tells of a deep love for horses. That dreams can and will come true. For that little boy in every man or that little girl in every women, who loved a horse, will remember back. Remember that sweet smell or listening to it chew in the dark. I guess I’d better get back to work on Dry Creek. There’s still more words to add to my story of Flying Horses. Then tonight after I drift off to sleep I’ll fly above the tree tops... then in the morning my steed will bring me back to Dry Creek. “Everybody knows where Dry Creek is, cause it’s inside each one of us.”

y love affair with horses started many years ago. I loved Trigger, Champion, Topper, and all the steeds of my western heroes. I dreamed of having a horse of my own. In those dreams, my horse had a silver saddle and a long flowing mane that flew through the air. Really, I wasn’t crazy, just a boy who wanted one so bad that it filled my mind and I rode them on into my dreams.

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Watch Dry Creek on BlueHighwaysTV, Channel 246 on Verizon Sat nites at 7:30. Go to DryCreekT V.Com for more information. Check us out at drycreektv.com

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BLUEBERRY GROWERS GATHER FOR SPRING MEETING

Discuss Challenges, Opportunities By Jim Frankowiak

ore than 350 blueberry growers from across Florida gathered at the Trinkle Center on the campus of Hillsborough Community College at Plant City in early March to discuss labor regulations, new varieties, disease and weed control, irrigation and more. Higher attendance was expected, but low temperatures the night before no doubt meant a sleepless night for growers from northern areas of the state and forced absence from the gathering. Prompted by questions raised by attendees at the last meeting of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association, the spring session began with labor-related presentations. Dr. Fritz Roka, an agricultural economist, Food and Resource Economic, Southwest Research and Education Center at Immokalee presented an “Overview of Farm Labor Concerns in Florida.” That presentation led to “Common Violations of Wage and Hour Labor Laws” by Ms. Monique Perez, Wage and Hour Investigator with the U.S. Department of Labor, Tampa. Extension Weed Scientist, Dr. Peter Ditmar with the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences discussed “spring and Summer Weed Management in Florida Blueberries.”

blackberries and strawberries. “Among blueberries, Southern Highbush appears to be more susceptible than Rabbiteye to SWD oviposition, but more research is needed before final conclusions are drawn.” The recommended Integrated Pest Management system, according to Liburd, involves effective monitoring, the use of cultural techniques, such as field sanitation and rotation of pesticides, with high levels of success achieved from Danitol® at the lower of two recommend rates of application. “Our studies found no increase in effectiveness with higher rates of Danitol,” he said. Other pesticides used in the study included MustangMax™ and Delegate®. Liburd also offered growers tips for helping to identify SWD, as well as trap design and the best baits. “Overall, prompt trapping and identification followed by weekly spraying and rotation of pesticides are critical to an effective IPM system.” Additional information on each of the spring meeting presentations is available by visiting: http:/ / floridablueberrygrowers.com/ grower/ presentations/

Following lunch, Dr. Oscar Liburd, entomologist, Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, gave an update on the spotted wing drosophila (SWD) control termed of significant importance by Braswell “because this is a challenge which each of our growers can do something about as opposed to waiting to see what transpires in Washington or elsewhere with other industry concerns.” Liburd considers SWD a new, invasive pest in Florida that renders berries non-marketable if not controlled. “It is estimated that last year the overall impact of the spotted wing drosophila was $55 million,” he noted. SWD is native to Southeast Asia and first identified in Japan in 1931. It came to Hawaii in 1980, California in 2008 and to Florida a year later, specifically in Hillsborough County. “That was in traps not blueberries,” said Liburd, who was assisted in his research by graduate student Lindsy Iglesias. The female SWD, unlike other flies, has the potential to lay up to 600 eggs, resulting in prompt infestation and the ability to move from plant to plant. Liburd’s study included trapping at 15 blueberry farms in nine counties from Suwanee County southward. This was done to gauge infestation and to determine the best trapping system and design. “Citrus County ranked highest in infestation followed by Alachua and Orange counties. Trap designs and other findings of Liburd’s studies are available at http:/ / fruitnvegipm.ifas.ufl.edu. Included with those findings was the fact that “bait, not visual stimulus, was more important to trapping success.” “Our studies have also determined SWD is attracted to many different types of berries, not just blueberries,” he said. They include W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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HOW TO ENJOY Sapodillas are juicy and delicious when eaten out of hand. Simply wash, slice in halves or quarters with a knife, remove the large seeds, scoop out the flesh with a spoon and eat.

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

resh Florida sapodilla is a sweet, delicious fruit that tastes like a mixture of pear, cinnamon and brown sugar. Native to Central America, the sapodilla was introduced to Florida in the 1800s and thrives in our warm and sunny weather. Florida sapodillas bear the most fruit from late April to September. Many cultivars of this tropical fruit exist and range in size, shape, and sweetness. The outside of a sapodilla resembles a potato, with brown leathery skin and a small, roundish shape. Inside, the flesh is a yellow to brown color with a grainy texture much like that of a pear. There are multiple hard, black seeds in the flesh. Interestingly, the bark of the sapodilla tree is rich in a gummy latex substance called “chicle” that is used to make chewing gum.

NUTRITIONAL PROFILE According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, one medium sapodilla (170 g) contains 141 calories, 0.75 g of protein, 1.87 g of fat, 33.9 g of carbohydrate, and 9 g of fiber. It provides 40% of the Daily Reference Intake for vitamin C, 14% for dietary fiber, 10% for potassium, 8% for iron, 4% for calcium, and significant amounts of vitamin A, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, and folate. For a fruit that tastes like a dessert, sapodillas contain plenty of vitamins and minerals. VITAMIN C Florida sapodillas are an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamin C, providing almost half of your daily needs in one fruit. Regular consumption of fruits rich in vitamin C helps the body fight off infections, resulting in fewer colds, or colds of shorter duration. This antioxidant also neutralizes harmful free radicals from the body. Antioxidants may reduce W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

the risk of some diseases, including several forms of cancer. Additionally, vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis in the body. Collagen is the main structural protein in the body required for maintaining the integrity of blood vessels, skin, organs, and bones.

Other ways to enjoy this tropical fruit include: • Slice and toss into salad, cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt • Puree and freeze for a sorbet • Boil and strain to make jam, jelly, sauce, or syrup • Mash fruit and add to cake batter, pancake batter, or pie filling • Use sapodilla chunks in a crisp or cobbler • Slice in half, mix flesh with cottage cheese and serve in the shells • Slice and fill a shortcake shell for a twist on strawberry shortcake Enjoy fresh Florida sapodillas today. This sweet, delicious fruit is the perfect dessert and is bursting with nutrients.

DIETARY FIBER Amazingly, one serving of this dessert-like fruit provides over one third of your daily needs for dietary fiber. Fiber has several important roles in the body. It helps your digestive system run smoothly and prevents constipation. Fiber also helps protect the membrane of your large intestine from cancer and other conditions by speeding up transit time through the gut. Fiber can also help lower LDL (the “bad type”) cholesterol, increase feelings of fullness, and stabilize blood sugar levels. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, a diet high in fiber may decrease the risk of several types of cancer including colon, rectum, breast, and pancreas.

Selected References http:/ / www.hort.purdue.edu/ newcrop/ m orton/ sapodilla. html http:/ / www.ipmcenters.org/ cropprofiles/ docs/ FLmameys apoteandsapodilla.pdf http:/ / edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ http:/ / www.fairchildgarden.org

MAGNESIUM Sapodillas are a great source of magnesium, the fourth most abundant mineral in the body. Magnesium is essential for hundreds of biochemical reactions. Among its important functions are regulating heart rhythm, supporting bone health, stabilizing blood sugar levels, and maintaining normal blood pressure and normal functioning of muscles and nerves.

HOW TO SELECT AND STORE It can take some skill to pick the perfect sapodilla. Choose one that has smooth, brown skin and can easily separate from the stem without leaking latex. Immature, unripe fruit will have green, rough, sandpapery skin. However, sapodillas can be picked while immature and will ripen and soften at room temperature in five to seven days. The perfect time to eat the fruit is when it feels firm, with some give, when squeezed. Ripe fruit can also be refrigerated for up to one week. If the sapodilla feels soft, it’ll be mushy inside. INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

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Seen In The Field!

ancy Farms held a strawberry U-Pick on March 16. This is an annual fundraising event to benefit 4H programs and help to sponsor scholarships for summer camp, leadership and citizenship opportunities.

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2013 Florida Strawberry Growers Association FSGA wants to thank the growers and Associate members that contributed their time, money, and equipment to make this years display a huge success! The Florida Strawberry Festival速 is a great opportunity for us to tell our story to thousands of people from all over the country.

Florida Strawberry Growers Association Tel: 813-752-6822 36

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• Subsoil – This is the next layer which is usually about 10”-30” deep. This layer contains little organic material and little oxygen. Subsoil often provides the compacted construction base. • B edrock – This is the underlying surface that does not support plant growth.

Why Turfgrass Fails

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

often hear homeowners say that their turfgrass is failing. What do they mean by fail? I think that they mean that the turfgrass is not living up to their expectations. Expectations can vary greatly from the desire to have deep green grass year round to having a 100% weed free lawn. Well, neither of these expectations is reasonable. When I define a turfgrass failure, I mean that the turfgrass is difficult or impossible to maintain with a good appearance using standard maintenance practices. Standard maintenance practices are those recommendations made by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) including proper mowing height, fertilizing and irrigating the right amount at the right time of year, and using integrated pest management to manage pests and disease. Turf that that does not respond to standard maintenance practices is often an indication of a deeper problem. By deeper, I mean there may be problems with the soil. So, please, do not assume incorrectly that turf that does not respond to standard maintenance is due to a pest or disease problem. No amount of pesticide will solve a soil problem. During development of property there are many forces at work. Between property owners, developers, general contractors, landscape architects, and landscape installers, compromises may have been made that are not in the best interest of growing turfgrass. Add to these factors, regulations that require a compacted base on which to build, deadlines, restricted budgets, and poor design and we may have just set up the turfgrass for failure. Unfortunately, we wrongly tend to assume that everything has been done to ensure a successful landscape.

Soil is the basis for any healthy turfgrass. The soil is composed of three basic layers: • Topsoil – This is the top 2”-10” where roots grow. Plants need topsoil to grow well. Ideally, this topsoil contains organic material and should be about 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay. That combination allows for good water and oxygen exchange to the root system. W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

When sod is installed directly on subsoil it is similar to laying the turfgrass directly onto concrete. The roots have difficulty penetrating the soil and may not establish that 4 inch to 8 inch deep root structure characteristic of healthy turfgrass. Additionally, rainfall and irrigation may runoff rather than seep into the turfgrass root zone. Because the sod growers keep the turfgrass fertilized and healthy prior to cutting, the turfgrass may appear healthy for a while, but may eventually fail. New turfgrass does not need fertilization for at least 30-60 days after installation due to the residual nutrients from the grower. Another soil factor is pH. In basic terms, soil pH is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. Different types of turfgrass thrive in certain pH ranges. For example, St. Augustinegrass does best in a pH range of 5.5 to 7.4 and Bahiagrass grows best in a pH range of 5.5 to 6.4. Outside of the ideal pH range turfgrass will suffer. This is due to the availability of certain required nutrients at different pH ranges. Adding more nutrients will not correct a pH problem. Managing the pH of existing soil can be difficult. But, first you must get that pH test done to know how to manage the soil or to determine what to plant. The UF/IFAS Extension Soils Laboratory performs soil pH tests and makes recommendations to manage pH. Most Extension offices have soil sample kits available for you to utilize to collect the sample and mail to the laboratory. The bad news about soil pH is that there is no practical means to permanently lower a high pH. This is why it is so important to know the soil pH prior to making a planting decision. The number one Florida Friendly Landscaping™ principal is “Right Plant Right Place.” If you do not know your soil pH, you cannot possibly know what to plant, including which type of turfgrass. In many cases, developers and landscape installers prepare the site with mixed soils. Over time problem areas develop, where some areas look good and others fail to thrive. This appearance develops because in some areas poor underlying soil does not support proper root development or nutrient uptake. Using a soil probe or soil profiler to take a look at the underlying soil is helpful. A professional may then be able to develop a plan to improve the soil structure and eventually the appearance of the turfgrass. Even if you manage your turf according to standard maintenance practices and your soil is perfect, other factors such as poor design, poor irrigation, or poor sod quality can affect the success of your turfgrass. For more information on establishing and maintaining turfgrass refer to UF/IFAS publications at http:/ / edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ or contact your local Extension Service. •

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ello everybody! I would first like to apologize for my hiatus last month but I'm happy to say that my column is back and better than ever. During the last two months we have had an incredibly large amount of events that FFA has sponsored and Hillsborough County FFA was as successful as ever!

Fair Play

We started off February at the Florida State Fair with a multitude of duties ranging from working at the animal shows, counting patrons at the Ag Hall of Fame Building and doing anything else asked of us in order to make sure the fair ran as smoothly as possible. The fair was an amazing experience that Finally, after the Festival ended, my team and I went to Tallahassee to also helped to bond my team. host Ag on the Hill. This event is an opportunity for FFA to interact with Next we moved to Haines City, where the best and brightest of Florida FFA the Florida Legislature. It was a rousing success, as 180 blue jackets took convened to begin the delegate process for State Convention. This confer- over the Capitol, meeting with legislators and even getting a tour of the ence, State Leadership Summit, lets the members have the chance to make a House of Representatives Chamber. change they think needs to be made in our association. As a student led organization, this process is fundamental for FFA. As an added bonus the As the year winds down, the State Officer team's schedules do the oppoparticipants also got the chance to sit in on a meeting of the Florida FFA site. In the next month we will be hosting multiple CDEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, choosing the Association Board of Directors and went on tours of a blueberry farm and candidates to run for next year's state officer team, and I will be visiting the state of California to present at their State Convention. As always if an elephant breeding facility. you have any questions comments or concerns feel free to email me at After a quick two day break, I turned around and began my volunteering david.walden@flaffa.org and I will respond to you as quickly as I can. stint at the Florida Strawberry Festival. Anybody from Plant City will tell you that this is one of the best times of the year (aside from all the traffic of David course). The Festival truly is a display of Hillsborough FFA and all of memDavid Walden â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Area V State Vice President ber's hard work they put into their animal projects.

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Growing Knowledge By Libby Hopkins

eople have all kinds of hobbies. Some like collecting antiques, while others may crochet, but Shannon Mitchell of Plant City, has a hobby that she wants to share with the community. Her hobby is gardening and she is going to be the new gardening columnist for “In The Field.” Her column will be called, “The Redheaded Gardener” and through the column, she hopes to share a variety of gardening tips and her knowledge on gardening. “I recently completed a master’s degree in environmental horticulture with the idea of someday being able to combine my general knowledge with my passion, which is gardening,” Mitchell said. You could say gardening is in her blood. Both her parents were very active in gardening and her father worked for more than 30 years for Miller Chemical and Fertilizer in Plant City. Her dad also worked with her grandfather, growing up in his greenhouse and landscaping business. “My family has had an interest in various fields of agriculture, from citrus farming to ranching throughout the years,” Mitchell said. “So, I’ve been around it all my life.”

Her undergraduate degree is in communications, but even then, gardening tugged at her heartstrings. She took landscaping as one of her electives then in 2009 went back to school for her master’s degree and decide to purse environmental horticulture. She loved learning about plants that are native to Florida. Some of the plants that are native to our area have some crazy names like American Hop Hornbeam, Beach Morning Glory, Black Eyed-Susan, Cat’s Tongue and Elliot’s Love Grass to name a few. “Part of what a native plant does for your garden is, it’s able to attract wild life to your garden, whether it’s insects, butterflies, pollinators or larger mammals or amphibians,” Mitchell said. She also learned what plants are best suited for blocking out sound and how to design gardens by planting the right plants in the right place. She realized that gardening can also be quite relaxing and a great stress reliever. “Gardening is my stress reliever and it’s a place I can go to, be creative, and design things on my own and I can have a sense of relaxation,” Mitchell said. “I’m out in nature and I can feel my hands in the dirt.” 44

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According to the website, Discovery Fit and Health (www.health.discovery.com), “Gardening is a great source of relaxation and stress reduction. Given that antidepressants are some of the most commonly prescribed medications, a prescription for some flowers, plants or tomatoes might be a refreshing change. Researchers commonly note the positive mental outlook obtained by those participating in gardening. A stronger connection to the earth is also noted. Gardens may help with healing. Hospitals and treatment centers are encouraged to ‘go green’ to help lower stress and improve social interaction in their facilities. Gardens represent yet another surprising answer to help our declining health care system. Benefits in nutrition, activity level and reduction in anxiety are just a few of the positive outcomes. Positive mental health and better community cohesiveness are other pros desperately needed in tough economic times.” The National Institute of Health recommends 30-45 minutes of gardening three to five times a week as a part of a good strategy to combat obesity. It can burn as many calories as 30 minutes of heart-healthy aerobics. Mitchell started small in the beginning of her garden. Herbs were her first plants. “When I first got into gardening, I had a real strong interest in growing herbs and scented plants,” Mitchell said. “I feel like some of the benefits of growing scented and textured plants, are, seeing, hearing, touching and smelling. Taking advantage of your senses in the garden can bring great understanding and great joy of our natural world.” She was really drawn to different kinds of herbs because they are considered very useful. Many different health foods, spices and seasonings come from herbs and they are very easy to grow for first time gardeners. Her column is going to offer gardening tips and advice to gardeners who are just starting a garden or have been gardening for a while. “I hope the readers of the magazine will take my advice and tips for what they are worth,” Mitchell said. “I have a general knowledge of gardening and I’m not a master gardener yet, though it’s a goal I have set for myself.” Part of what she gets out of gardening is that she is able to renew her environment while creating a nice environment her kids can grow up in and appreciate. Mitchell has two daughters, ages 3 and 15. Her goal with the column is to help the people in the community understand some interesting facts and information about gardening and to provide access to some of local gardening resources. She hopes the column is successful and it brings more readers to the magazine. •

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New Survey Pegs Strawberry Industry at Crossroad By Jim Frankowiak “Growers rank Mexican competition, government regulation and labor shortages as the top three challenges and threats facing the Florida strawberry industry,” said Guan. For growers this poses the question of the dumping of strawberries in the U.S. by Mexican growers and the need for a U.S. government investigation of dumping. It must be noted, however, that several major U.S. strawberry growers are also growing in Mexico, an additional and complicating factor. Overall, Mexican growers have the advantage of lower labor costs, less regulation and government subsidy of the investment in greenhouses. “While these are advantages related to the total U.S. market, it is important to realize Florida and Mexican strawberry growers compete head-to-head at the same time, unlike other U.S. markets,” said Guan. s the future of the Florida Strawberry Festival at stake? That’s neither a trick nor smart alecky question. It is a question that may arise sooner than later unless the industry and all of its stakeholders take action to overcome the serious challenges they face today and for the foreseeable future.

To meet these growing challenges, Guan has a series of recommendations that are part of his coping strategy and they include improving efficiency, diversifying risk, developing and embracing new technology and new varieties of strawberries. “The solution to labor shortages and the cost of labor lies with the development of mechanized harvesting equipment that is cost-effectively priced,” he said.

Much of this information came as the result of a comprehensive industry survey conducted by Zhengfei Guan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Agricultural Economics at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences with the collaboration of Extension Agent Alicia Whidden. Drs. Vance Whitaker and Bielinski Santos were also an important part of this project.

“The industry must address these challenges at this time and seek the assistance of all stakeholders to foster changes,” he said. This includes funding for research of new varieties particularly those with early season yields and mechanical harvesting equipment, policy changes that will create a more level “playing field” between growers in the U.S. and Mexico.

The grower survey, which includes both mail and personally-secured responses, is not yet complete, but Dr. Guan is highly confident the survey’s preliminary findings will not change. “Thanks to the participation of Extension Agent Whidden, we were able to personally survey the majority of grower respondents,” Said Guan. “Through those personal meetings and mail responses we have information that represents 40 to 50 percent of the acreage of the strawberry fields in our area. I do not anticipate any significant deviation in what additional respondents will tell us, but I hope to conduct an additional 10 to 15 interviews.”

“U.S. growers have to consider ways to enhance their efficiency and diversify their risk and that may mean considering new practices and technology, as well as multi-crops.”

Though Dr. Guan has been in his current post for only a little over a year, his review of global market information, coupled with industry concerns, suggested the need for the survey, which was funded by UF.

“These are significant and major considerations for growers, but they must take action as industry survival is at stake,” said Guan. In Florida, that is a $400 million industry (farm gate value and a total economic contribution estimated by some sources over $1 billion) while for the U.S. in total the industry accounts for $2.5 billion annually.

Guan notes Florida strawberry revenues and yields are down, while Mexico “is a newly emerged market power. Mexico has the same production window as Florida with significant impact on the U.S. market,” he said. Additionally, Mexico is producing 2.5 to 3 times Florida production and the figure is on the increase. “Mexico acreage planted in strawberries has grown from just over 17,000 acres in 2011 to 25,100 in 2013. Mexican exports of strawberries to the U.S. are also growing dramatically.” During that same period, exports have grown from less than 90,000 metric tons to about 160,000 metric tons. This information came from the U.S. Department of Commerce. Additionally, the price for U.S. fresh strawberries has fallen with the influx of Mexican strawberries.

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There are aspects of this challenge that faced tomato growers in the recent past. “There was an unrealistic bottom price that growers in Mexico and Florida agreed to. It was renegotiated to a more realistic level and that has been beneficial to tomato growers here,” said Guan, who said similar actions may be needed to help domestic strawberry growers.

Guan is also seeking additional research funding that would permit him to determine the Mexican production cost structure, food product safety standards, specifics about government subsidy of protected agriculture and other information that is vital to this overall effort. If the industry and its stakeholders do not quickly address the challenges they face, the question regarding Florida Strawberry Festival posed at the beginning of this article may become reality. •

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THANKS

FOR

SUPPORTING

THE

EDUCATION

YOUTH

AGRICULTURE

2013 F LORIDA STRAWBERRY F ESTIVAL ®

2013 Plant Grand Champion Chloe Wineinger

2013 Steer Grand Champion Jake Maxwell

Antioch Critters 4-H

MAJOR SHOW SPONSORS

SUNSHINE STATE FEDERAL SAVINGS & LOAN

Durant FFA

2013 Swine Grand Champion CF INDUSTRIES THE HAY EXCHANGE PATTERSON COMPANIES

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Ashlyn Gude Turkey Creek FFA

BUYERS BLUE RIBBON FARMS CENTRAL MAINTENANCE CHEMICAL DYNAMICS COLEMAN, BUDDY CONRAD, JASON & STEPHANIE CONSOLIDATED LAND CARE & PEST DAVIS FARMS DAVIS, ERIC – E.L.M. EAST BAY FFA FARM BUREAU INSURANCE FURU, BOB

GALLO, MAYRA GARDNER, ALICIA GRAN, STEPHEN GRIFFIN FARMS GRIFFIN, RUSSELL & EVA HAGIN, KEVIN & PAM HARRELLS NURSERY HILDBRANDS, BEA IN THE FIELD MAGAZINE JSLAC NURSERY KEEL, BILLY KEMNER, RICHARD LEHMAN, GREG LINGO, LARRY LOTT, RICK

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MARTIN, LEE NEWSOME FFA ALUMNI O’BRIEN, SUSAN O’NEAL, JENNIFER PLANT DIRECTIONS, INC. POPPELL INSURANCE PROGROWERS PURVIS, DAN QUALITY FIRST, INC. RANDALL, RODNEY REYNOLDS, JEFF SHEPARD, BRIAN SHIVER, GREG SIKES, STEVEN & TINA SPARKMAN, MIKE

STEWART, RON & KARRIE SUNCOAST PLANT NURSERY SUNSHINE STATE FEDERAL SWINT, RALPH & CYNTHIA SWINT, WESLEY TOMASELLO, MARIE TOUCH OF HEALTH WALKER, JOHN WATKINS, EDDY WHS LAND WOOD’S TREE FARM WOODARD’S NURSERY W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

BUYERS ALL STATE TERMITE & PEST CONTROL AMS SHORTHORNS ANTIOCH FEED ARROWHEAD ARCHERY ASTIN FAMILY FARMS ASTIN FARMS ASTIN STRAWBERRY EXCHANGE AUTOMOTIVE MARKETING SERVICES BIG TIMBER CATTLE COMPANY BIG TRUCK RENTAL BLUE RIBBON FARMS BRANDON FARMS BRANDON TRANSMISSION BUDDY & DIANE SWINDLE CENTRAL MAINTENANCE & WELDING CF INDUSTRIES CHARLIE GRIMES FARMS CHEMICAL DYNAMICS CONTROLS & WEIGHING SYSTEMS COUNTRY SIDE PROPANE CROP PROTECTION SERVICES DON STINE CONSTRUCTION DUKES’ CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CLINIC ED & KELLY DUNCAN ESI GROUP, INC. FARM CREDIT OF CENTRAL FLORIDA, ACA FLORIKAN E.S.A .

FORBES RD. PRODUCE FRED’S SOUTHERN KITCHEN G & G FARMS GRAND CHAMPION CONSORTIUM GRIMES HARDWARE CENTER GRIMES PRODUCE CO. GROUND LEVEL, INC. HAROLD'S FARM SUPPLY HIGHLAND PACKAGING SOLUTIONS JOHNSON BARBEQUE MATHIS FARMS MIDWAY FARMS, LLC MORROW STEEL MOSAIC FERTILIZER, LLC PALLETS PLUS PATTERSON COMPANIES PETERSON INDUSTRIES PHILLIPS DEVELOPMENT & REALTY LLC POPPELL INSURANCE PUBLIX SUPER MARKETS, INC. RESERVE CHAMPION CONSORTIUM ROCKING S FARMS SAN-WAY FARMS SWEET LIFE FARMS THE CAR STORE, INC. THE HAY EXCHANGE TWO RIVERS RANCH WESTCOAST ENTERPRISES WETHERINGTON TRACTOR SERVICE

BUYERS AGRICULTURAL SOLUTIONS AMS SHORTHORN ANTIOCH FEED ASTIN FAMILY FARMS ASTIN FARMS ASTIN STRAWBERRY EXCHANGE BINGHAM ONSITE BLUE RIBBON FARMS BRANDON BODY SHOP BRANDON FARMS BREWINGTON’S TOWING & RECOVERY C. HARWELL CONSTRUCTION CF INDUSTRIES CHARLIE GRIMES FARMS CIF DISTRIBUTING, INC. DON STINE CONSTRUCTION ENERGY SERVICES INC. FARM CREDIT BARRY FLECK FLORIDA TRADITIONS BANK FORBES RD. PRODUCE FRED JOHNSON G & G FARMS W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

GRIMES HARDWARE CENTER GROUND LEVEL, INC. HAROLD’S FEED HIGHLAND PACKAGING SOLUTIONS RICK LOTT M & M BERRY FARMS MCQUAIG FARMS MIDWAY FARMS MNM CONSTRUCTION MORROW STEEL MOSAIC FERTILIZER MPB FARMS, INC. NETTLE’S SAUSAGE PATTERSON COMPANIES PHILLIPS DEVELOPMENT & REALTY POPPELL INSURANCE, INC. PUBLIX RAMM TRANSPORT ROCKING S FARMS SWEET LIFE FARMS BUDDY & DIANE SWINDLE THE HAY EXCHANGE WESTCOAST ENTERPRISES GERALD WILLIAMS

2013 Scholarship Sign Sponsors AMS SHORTHORNS ARROWHEAD ARCHERY SHOP BILL MCCLELLAND MEMORIAL (SWINDLE FAMILY) CHARLIE GRIMES FARMS, LLC CIRCLE G FARM & RANCH, LLC CONSOLIDATED LAND CARE DON STINE CONSTRUCTION, INC. DUKES CHIROPRACTIC HEALTH CLINIC DURANT FFA ALUMNI FARM BUREAU INSURANCE FARM CREDIT OF CENTRAL FLORIDA FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, PLANT CITY FLORIDA MINERAL & SALT FLORIDA TRADITIONS BANK G & G FARMS, LLC GRIMES HARDWARE CENTER, LLC GRIMES PRODUCE COMPANY, LLC GROUND LEVEL HAROLD'S FARM SUPPLY HILLSBORO BANK HOME PROTECTION PEST CONTROL, INC. HOPEWELL FUNERAL HOME JARRETT-SCOTT FORD JIM REDMAN MEMORIAL (Trinkle, Redman, Swanson, Coton, Davis & Smith, PA) JIM WALDEN MEMORIAL (LINDA WALDEN FAMILY) KELLER WILLIAMS REALTY LACY BROWN SPECIALTY ADVERTISING, LLC LONESOME G RANCH / SOUTHERN DEVELOPERS MIDWAY FARMS, LLC MORROW STEEL PALLETS PLUS PATTERSON COMPANIES PLANT CITY FFA ALUMNI POPPELL INSURANCE ROADRUNNER VETERINARY CLINIC ROTARY CLUB OF PLANT CITY ROY PARKE MEMORIAL (PARKE FAMILY) STRAWBERRY CREST FFA ALUMNI SUNSHINE STATE FEDERAL SAVINGS & LOAN WESTCOAST ENTERPRISES

Make Plans to Attend next year’s

Florida Strawberry Festival® Feb 27 – Mar 9, 2014 INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE APRIL 2013

A Garden by the River By Libby Hopkins

id you ever get a late night food craving? Were you thinking of snacking on something salty or sweet as you made your way to the frig or the pantry? When you opened the frig or the pantry, did you find a treat to satisfy your craving? For some people late night cravings carry over to the following morning and all through the day because their frig or pantry are bare due to having little or no food. Each year, more than 35.5 million Americans face a constant struggle against hunger, including more than 12.6 million children. These numbers would be even higher if people in our community were not kind, caring and quick to respond to those in need.

The Tampa Bay Network To End Hunger, Tampa Bay Harvest, The Tampa Bay Urban Food Forum, The Salvation Army, Lowry Park Zoo, Whitwam Organics and the JP Morgan Chase Foundation saw a need in the Tampa community. All these organizations came together to collaborate on The Sustainable Living Project or The Garden by the River, as its volunteers affectionately call it. The men behind this project, or “garden geeks” as they call themselves, are David Whitwam of Whitwam Organics in www.whitwamorganics.com) and Tampa, (w Will Carey of Tampa Bay Harvest (www.tampabayharvest.org). The men met at a chance meeting a few years ago at ECO Farms in Plant City. Whitwam believes their meeting was divine intervention. “I went to volunteer at ECO Farms on a Monday and the previous Friday was my last day of working at my full-time job. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to run my new organic business or where I was going to get the money, but Will and I started talking and we realized we had a lot of the same views,” Whitwam said. “That meeting took place in November and by January I was working on my first project 50

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with Will. God puts people in your life for a reason.” The project came about from a series of meetings and cooperation from all the organizations involved, as well as a check from the JP Morgan Chase Foundation. Chase decided to invest in the project with Tampa Bay Harvest on the land provided by The Salvation Army, which is across the street from the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa. “All of this began with an effort to get healthy foods to folks in need in our community,” Carey said. “We are working with the folks at the zoo, as well as the Boy’s and Girl’s Club and others in an attempt to incorporate as much of the community as we can, comfortably.” Whitwam designed the garden, which currently consists of 10 raised grow boxes. Eight of the boxes are 16ft. by 4 ft. and the other two boxes are 16ft. by 2ft. and are raised higher off the ground so volunteers who are wheelchair bound can access them. “It’s a design I have used on many projects and it’s very successful,” Whitwam said. “The beds were planted about four weeks ago and we did our first harvest at the end of March.” The official ribbon cutting for the Sustainable Living Project will take place on April 22, Earth Day 2013.

and the Hillsborough County School and Nutrition Services. “I will be coming to work with the folks involved with the garden 24 times throughout the year to focus on gardening and sustainability and why we need gardens,” Whitwam said. The second phase of the project will add Tilapia tanks, fruit trees and other produce as the project moves forward over the next three years. “It is an overall three year plan to complete and then hopefully it will become a part of the community for decades to come,” Carey said. Another component of the project will be a retail/wholesale element that will sell produce, compost, seedlings, fruit trees and tilapia. “This is one in a series of like projects, linked together in an effort to educate, maximize and utilize all that is available and to help create sustainable lifestyles at all levels while getting fresh healthy food to as many as possible,” Carey said. “We hope to get corporate and private supporters for more grow boxes, we have room for at least 50 more.” For more information on The Sustainable Living Project, you may contact Carey at 813-943-9224 or visit the project’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ GardenByT heRiver. The garden is located at 918 West Sligh Avenue in Tampa.

The garden is going to be managed by The Salvation Army because they own the property that is home to the garden. They plan on bringing in volunteers to tend the garden and the food grown will be going back to local food organizations that are supported by The Salvation Army. The educational aspect of the project will be as important as the actual gardens. This will be accomplished with regular classes held by Whitwam and others, including the Hillsborough County Extension Services W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

Meet Jan Boyd 8 years - cashier at Felton’s

Specialty Meats Ducks, Capons, Fresh Ham, Rabbits, Quail, Fresh & Smoked Turkey Wings and Drumsticks, Beef and Pork Kidneys, Hog Heads, Hog Maws, Pork Skin, Tripe & Honeycomb Tripe, and Alligator Meat. • We Accept TECO Payments • Western Union Money Orders 49¢ each

by Dave Galloway

otwithstanding my doctor’s strict orders to stay at least a half mile away from the Strawberry Festival, I found myself standing at the stone building gates, driven to enter and partake, once again of the verboten fruit, and accompaniments found therein.

mer dance studio & meat mart) where he processes deer, hog, gator and other meat. I had the alligator sausage and it was great. I made a point of returning and buying sausages on each trip to the festival, to get a good base for the other treats that were bound to be less healthy.

Perhaps, I mused, the “strict orders” were in fact, guidelines, not “orders”, and that half mile could be construed as half an arm’s length, given how easy it is to confuse oneself about distances. And anyway, I saw thousands of folks, including my friends and family, who wanted my company and fellowship inside the gates. I gave in.

From Shane’s I went straight to the bottom of the pit. Deep-fried butter. Deep fried snickers. Deep fried Milky Way, Reeses peanut butter cup, Oreos, and cookie dough. Seriously, how do you explain fried butter? Well you take a glob of fat, roll it in dough, add some cinnamon(?) and deep fry. Same for peanut butter cups, candy bars, cookies. Really? Yup. I have to admit, its…what is the word I’m looking for? Oh yeah, I know, its Crap. There is no way rolling it in dough and deep frying it can help a peanut butter cup, or a snickers. You take one or more of the most beloved candies and fry them so they are melting in their assigned dough, with powdered sugar… Crap is the only word. That doesn’t mean that its not sellable, oh, no, they are selling it by the ton, and we are all helping them out. I did.

The first stop was Shane Smith’s Hungry Gator booth, selling sausage and gator bites. Shane recently opened his shop downtown in the old police station (for52

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There is an old joke about using lawyers instead of lab rats for some experiments, because there are some things a rat just won’t do. Well, there are some things a lawyer won’t do, at least this lawyer, and that is eat a bacon cheeseburger on doughnut. But, once again, that doesn’t mean nobody will do it, the landscape is littered with those who have eaten the same, and allowed themselves to be photographed doing it. After seeing the fried crap and doughnut hamburger joints, I had to have a healthy treat, and found a small chicken booth that serves wonderful grilled chicken with or without rice and other healthy selections. Its right in the middle of the bad boys, and from my observation, is losing it’s BUTT selling healthy treats. I convinced my wife to at least try the fried Oreos, (one bite) and the Snickers (small bite) but then sprung for a Nippy’s buttermilk dipped, non-greasy corn dog, which she reported was wonderful. We then hit the mini donut shop that makes tiny donuts before your eyes with either powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar on

Immediately next door to the fried butter/cookie/candy/joint is Carousel. Carousel is the purveyor of pork chop-ona stick and turkey legs, both of which are arguably healthier treats, but also the bacon cheeseburger on a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Yes, its true, you can have your run of the mill burger on a doughnut, or have an ice-cream burger, a mac & cheese burger, or an every-day burger, all at the same Carousel. W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

them, each of which is excellent. I think the little donuts deal is some kind of ministry work. I bet they get a lot of listeners with those donuts

of my annual stops. Unfortunately, the gyro was just as tired as the workers in the booth Sunday night when they were planning their escape after 11 days.

We passed on the Hot Waffle Ice Cream sandwich and funnel cakes to walk a bit, but had to jump back in when we met Amish Doughnuts. They are made from scratch and are huge, like a giant pretzel, which they also sell. The doughnuts are $3 each and you don’t feel like it’s too much, but the deal is 3 for $8. My second trip there, with five of us, I opted for the deal, so that I got to hold two of the doughnuts and dispensed the same with the result that I had a chance at more doughnut than is available when you share one with your wife.

Note to self for next year if I go to the festival, get the gyro early, then look for the next new thing, then try to understand my doctor’s orders a little better. Oh yeah, my wife wanted me to add a CAVEAT about the crap noted. We only tasted it. After all, we are not hawgs. CAVEAT II: We didn’t even taste the fried butter.

We shared a pork sandwich at the Beef Wagon that Jim and Patricia Combass run, and that was an excellent sandwich, (ignoring that the best pork came from the Beef store) which makes it a must on my list of routing stops. We had Fiske Fries of course, because that is a required stop according to Amanda, one of our contacts in the former queen and court group. I closed one night with a cinnamon roll after the late show. Still hard to beat the cinnamon roll, a part of which is the show where you can watch the process of rolling them out and dealing the butter to them before rolling it up and loading the pans. The last night, I realized we hadn’t had a gyro, so we wrapped up our “eating our way around the grubfest” by getting a gyro at the Gyro sales stop that is on the SW corner of the old armory building, one W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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Jake Maxwell

2013 Grand Champion Steer Exhibitor By Lindsey English

“Champions don’t become champions in the ring, they are merely recognized there,” said John C. Maxwell. “If you want to see where someone develops into a champion, look at their daily routine.”

or Strawberry Crest senior Jake Maxwell, his 10 years of hard work put into his livestock projects was recognized in the ring on March 6, 2013 when his steer was announced as Grand Champion. “Being grand champion my senior year feels pretty good, knowing all of my work put into him paid off,” said Jake.

Deciding on a Maine-Chi-Angus from MP & Ford Cattle Co. was the first step to achieving his Grand Champion dreams. As the months progressed the work put into his steer got harder, but would later be worth it in the end. “I would say the hardest part of raising my steer this year was getting him to gain weight when we wanted him to,” Jake said. “But the best part was being able to experience the hard work paying off with my friends when we showed at different prospect shows and at the festival.” The evening of March 6, was the deciding moment as all ten exhibitors in Jakes class lined their steers up to go into the ring. It was show time. As the judge contemplated he finally selected Jake and his steer for first place. Following winning his class, Jake was selected the heavy weight division grand champion. Then as he and the two other division champions entered the ring for the final time, Jake Maxwell and his steer were selected as the 2013 Florida Strawberry Festival Grand Champion.

For Jake Maxwell his work began in the early months of 2012 when it was time to pick out his final steer for the 2013 Florida Strawberry Festival. Jake Maxwell’s 1285 lb steer was sold on March 9, 2013 to a group of buyers comprised of over 50 people. •

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Ashlyn Gude

2013 Grand Champion Swine Exhibitor

eing grand champion swine exhibitor is definitely something to squeal about! For 13-year-old Ashlyn Gude of the Turkey Creek FFA Chapter, that was exactly her reaction as she and her 268 lb Hampshire pig, Dori, were selected as the 2013 Florida Strawberry Festival Swine Grand Champion. From early October to the first day of the Florida Strawberry Festival, 4-H and FFA students of all ages raise their swine projects with one goal in mind. For Ashlyn Gude grand champion was a dream that soon became a reality. “Knowing that out of all the other kids who worked just as hard and were after the same thing I was, being selected with the grand champion pig is absolutely amazing!” Ashlyn exclaimed. This being her second year showing, Ashyln’s hard work certainly paid off this year. It takes dedication and patience when it comes to raising an animal. Ashlyn, along with the other swine

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By Lindsey English

exhibitors, experienced the early mornings and the late nights of feeding and caring for their animals. They each learned valuable skills and techniques that helped them not only improve, but enjoy their projects. “My favorite part of raising Dori was being able to show her off at the Festival after I had worked so hard to get her to that point.” On Saturday March 2, 2013 Ashyln Gude’s Grand Champion pig was bought by Sam Astin for $18 per pound. Nothing could make a student feel more proud once they know they have completed their project and that they have earned something for all of their efforts put into raising their animals. For Ashlyn Gude the 2013 Florida Strawberry Festival Swine sale marked the end of all her hard work and opened up opportunities for her to look forward to. •

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Broad Benefits, Varied Garden Types By Jim Frankowiak

EXTENSION OFFERS GUIDANCE FOR COMMUNITY AND SCHOOL GARDENS

he impetus for developing and operating community and school gardens is as diverse as the gardens themselves. For schools, a garden is an innovative teaching tool, while community gardens offer multiple ways to benefit area residents. This interest in gardening has led Hillsborough County Extension Service to develop and introduce a new program that offers broad guidance for the development of community and school gardens. “Community gardens tend to focus on vegetables, while school programs include vegetables plus shade, native plants, butterfly and other types of gardens,” said Program Coordinator Julie Franklin. “Regardless of the type of gardening, our program is based on the nine principles of Florida-Friendly landscape.” That includes:

g Right Plant, Right Place g Water Efficiently g Fertilize Appropriately g Mulch g Attract Wildlife g Manage Pests Responsibly g Recycle g Reduce Stormwater Runoff g Protect the Waterfront “Community gardens permit participants to control production of food, provide access to fresh food and help promote exercise and nutrition,” said Franklin. “They are great for those with limited yard space and also help to revitalize neighborhoods.” Franklin has worked with groups throughout Hillsborough County and they include churches and community organizations, as well as schools. “The motivation for community projects of this type varies from cost-savings and the desire to control what goes into a consumer’s food to wanting to help others during these difficult economic times. They also foster a greater sense of community by enabling par56

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ticipants to connect with others in the same area. We have also seen this type of initiative revitalize a neighborhood,” she said. Garden types run the gamut from vegetable, herb, butterfly and sensory to those that offer wildlife habitat, therapy, appeal to native species of plants, therapy and shade. School gardens offer “students to the opportunity to learn and build self-esteem, as well as providing interactive lessons tied to the care of the garden,” said Franklin. “Additionally, students are taught life skills, the importance of responsibility and a sense of ownership. They also come to find out where the food they eat comes from and enhance science and environmental perceptions.” Allied groups are becoming engaged in school garden projects, too. “Hillsborough County Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers and Ranchers are organizing a project to support a garden at Giunta Middle School and “the highly successful Ag in the Classroom project is introducing Gardening for Gardens,” said Franklin. Part of her support for that program involves informational sessions for interested teachers. “Our program is designed to help facilitate the development of gardens and we do that by sharing what we have determined to be the keys to successful gardens,” said Franklin. “Teamwork – the labor to get the job started and continuing operation, locating a sunny area for the garden’s location, a water source, soil preparation and the Florida-Friendly landscape principles are all important. We also help detail appropriate integrated pest management for the gardens, necessary maintenance, potential funding sources and clearly articulated rules and responsibilities. Franklin is available to meet with community and school groups interested in developing a garden. There is no charge for program services. She can be reached by phone, 813-744-5519, Extension 54109, or by email: franklinju@hillsborough.org. W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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Magical Mushrooms By Libby Hopkins

I love mushrooms! I love them stuffed, fried, sautéed, grilled; I even love them raw.

ot everyone is in agreement with my love for mushrooms. I’ve been asked numerous times, “Do you realize you are eating a fungus?” Yes, I do know I’m eating a fungus, but what I didn’t know was all the health benefits that are tied to my favorite fungus. For centuries, the Chinese and Japanese have used Reishi mushrooms as a medicine for liver disorders, hypertension and arthritis. Through in vitro and human studies, researchers have found that Reishi mushrooms have anti-allergic, ant-inflammatory, anti-viral, anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties. In vitro experiments also indicate that Reishi mushrooms may help fight cancer tumors. They have also been known to make you feel calmer. According to Healthcastle.com (www.healthcastle.com) “Individuals can consume Reishi mushrooms every day to support immune function, peace of mind, and physical vigor. Reishi is available in syrups, soups, teas, tinctures, tablets and by injection. Form and dosage should be decided with the help of a healthcare professional.” Cindy Short is an esthetician and the owner of Esthetic Escapes in www.estheticescapes.com). She started taking Reishi mushValrico (w rooms a few years ago to help alleviate stress. “I’m a busy woman, I’m a wife, a mother to three children and I’m a business owner,” Short said. “My life is non-stop and I started looking into natural ways to help keep my system in balance and not be so stressed out.” She started doing research on Reishi mushrooms and found out about all the benefits they offer. “They have helped me so much and I feel great,” Short said. Emily Shapiro Wenzel is the President of The Florida Herb Society in Clearwater (www.floridaherbsociety.org). Although mushrooms are not herbs, Wenzel still finds many uses for them in her everyday life, just like Short. “I enjoy using a variety of mushrooms and adding them to soups, teas or meals. They each have a unique flavor,” Wenzel said. “I tend to enjoy the meaty, smokey flavors and often times on hand I’ll have Portabella or Crimini mushrooms, Shiitake (powdered and dried) and dried Reishi.” She said if she is feeling sick or run down, she’ll add them to something she’s eating to give a medicinal boost to her immune system. Portabella mushrooms are a great source of riboflavin, niacin and thiamine. Porcini mushrooms have copper, potassium and protein. They also work as an antiinflammatory. All mushrooms have high fiber, protein and are rich in B vitamins. Research has even shown they can reduce the risk in many cancers. Maitake mushrooms help in the battle against breast cancer. A half of a cup per day of Maitake mushrooms is said to be able to sweep the system, find abnormal cells and cause them to selfdestruct. Turkey Tail mushroom extract is also known to help the immune system and fight cancer as well.

White mushroom has a special carbohydrate that stokes the metabolic fire and maintains blood sugar levels. A strong metabolism means more burned fat. Three ounce per day for four to six weeks has been said to yield substantial weight loss. Theses mushrooms are also high in selenium which not only aids weight loss but is showing to have positive effects on prostate cancer.” Shiitake mushrooms can help fight tumors. They contain lentinan which is a natural antitumor compound. It is also an excellent source of vitamin D and is good for fighting infections. Mushrooms can also benefit diabetics. They have no fats, not cholesterol and are very low in carbohydrates. They contain natural insulin and enzymes which help to break down sugar or the starch of the food. They are known to contain certain compounds that help liver, pancreas and the other endocrinal glands which promote formation of insulin and its proper flow. Diabetics often suffer from infections, particularly in their limbs. The natural antibiotics in mushrooms can help protect them from life threatening infections. Not everyone likes mushrooms and some of them can look very creepy, but don’t judge a book by its cover so to speak. More and more research is showing that they can have some great health benefits and maybe save your life one day. Just remember that next time you order a pizza with no mushrooms! •

White mushrooms can help with weight loss and prostate cancer. According to Fitday.com (www.fitday.com), “This category includes the familiar Button mushrooms, Cremini, and the Portabella. The W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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Plant City Garden Club Horticulture Competition

A Strawberry Festival Tradition for More Than 40 Years By Cheryl Kuck

(the breeding and growing of decorative plants) to establishing nutritional fruit and vegetable plants.

or more than 40 of the 62 years the Plant City Garden Club has been established they have been a part of the Florida Strawberry Festival, exhibiting the work of green thumbs throughout the area and judging, as well as encouraging, entrants of all ages to enjoy gardening in all its infinite facets, from Ornamental Horticulture

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Jan Griffin, the garden club festival horticulture exhibit and competition coordinator said, “I am pleased that the Strawberry Festival continues to want us to show the gardening skills in our community, schools and 4-H clubs. This year there were over 160 entrants. We are here, not only to present and judge the fruits of their labors, but also to answer every question of the many people that visit our exhibit during the Festival. If there is any question we are unable to answer at the time we actually contact them later with the sought-for answer.” Of particular pride is their school gardening and teaching initiative, guided by Lisa Firm, who goes into the schools and gives free plants so that before the Festival students can learn to take care of their individual choice of plants for approximately six weeks in preparation for the horticulture exhibit.

In the Junior Division, Tim Wrey from Jackson Elementary, received best of show for his Dwarf Ficus Tree and in the Intermediate Division, Jacob Eaton, from Tomlin Middle School, won best of show for a succulent, commonly known as a variety of the Jade plant. “Our goal is to nurture a whole new generation of gardeners. This is for the future of the whole state of Florida. We are giving back to the people a passion for what we as gardeners and growers do,” said Griffin. The Plant City Garden Club, a member of the National Garden Club and Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, holds monthly meetings at Trinity United Methodist Church. For further information contact the club by phone to President Christy Linke: 813-752-5874 or go to their web site: www.plantcitygardenclub.org.

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By Sean Green

A Closer Look

A Jest of Nature (lusus naturae)

he Internet and other media sources have become flooded with grave warnings that Florida is the target of an invasion of giant mosquitoes this year. Headlines herald a fanciful fate; “Residents and visitors will be swatting a new ''giant'' mosquito.” (ABC), “Gallinippers! Monster mosquitoes poised to strike Florida” (NBC), “Mega mosquito could invade Florida this summer”. (FOX) Some Internet sources are even warning potential vacationers to “think twice about your beach vacation this year.” (RT USA) Evolving from little more than speculation, embellished stories have become a catalyst for widespread fear and, coincidentally, an ally in the promotion of the large scale release of genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes in Florida. The insect referenced by these sources is Psorophora ciliata, a native to Florida and indeed one of the largest bloodsucking mosquitoes in the United States. Public account of this mosquito sounds like great science fiction; “it's mean, and it goes after people, and it bites, and it hurts,” says Anthony Pelaez, Director of Education at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa. This mosquito is reported to have “emptied entire schoolyards of screaming children” according to West Palm Beach investigative reporter Terri Parker. The collection of accounts that augment this otherwise moderate species include stories of these mosquitoes swooping down on a man pulling him off a bridge and 200 ft into the air before dropping him into a creek. Another story describes a voodoo princess that kept a swarm of these mosquitoes as pets that would go after the tax collectors, leaving nothing of them but shoes and a satchel in less than five minutes. These stories make it clear that the “Gallinippers” are dangerous indeed, some sources claim they will attack fish, wild animals, and pets and DEET will not even stop them from inflicting wounds that “feels like you're being stabbed." Phil Kaufman, an entomologist with the University of Florida cautions Floridians that such accounts are usually exaggerated. "Don't believe everything you read," Kaufman said. "There is a lot of misinformation out there. The fact is, Psorophora ciliata is a common

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species that we see every year in Florida. Because they are a floodwater mosquito, they will be more abundant in areas prone to flooding. An event that would cause long standing flooding of a couple of weeks, such as a tropical storm or hurricane, would be needed to trigger the population explosion described in many of these warnings. These mosquitoes are no more aggressive than any other mosquito, they will bite only when they encounter a human, and there are rarely significant populations in urban environments. The insect is bigger than most mosquitoes and although its bite hurts more, its sheer size reduces the chances of successful blood meals, you see and hear them coming and they are nowhere near as fast as smaller species. Carlos Fernandes, Director of Hillsborough County Mosquito Control, chuckled as he told a Tampa Tribune reporter that these rumors surface every year. Shelly Redovan, spokeswoman for the Lee County Mosquito Control District explains, "We actually have fewer psorophora mosquitoes than we used to." In part, because pastureland has given way to development. Of greater concern is the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), a native to Africa and established in the Americas. Unlike Gallinippers, it is a known vector for human illness such as yellow fever, dengue fever, and Chikungunya. It has evolved to depend on human environments and its adaptations distinguish it from others. Aedes aegypti are not typically found more than 300 feet from dwellings and can tolerate chlorinated water that would be inhospitable for forest dwelling species. It’s wing beat is not as audible to human beings as other mosquito species and it’s tendency is to attack lower portions of the body such as the ankles that are more difficult to defend. In fact, it is this species that forms the foundation from which the world’s first genetically modified (GM) mosquito has been created. Oxitec, based in the United Kingdom, is the biotech company responsible for the development and controversial release of millions of GM mosquitoes in the Cayman Islands, Malaysia, and Brazil and hopes to provoke similar releases in Florida. Although there have been few cases of dengue fever since October of 2010, mosquito control officials are considering the use of GM Mosquitoes to reduce populations of Aedes aegypti. Trials were to begin in Key West but the city commission has a non-binding resolution against the release until further research, demonstrable and measurable outcomes and federal approval are provided. A closer look and greater understanding of the 80 or so mosquito species in Florida may help our residence and visitors uphold a more candid alternative to speculative and hasty conclusions that are parroted in popular opinion. • W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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Rescue Us

By Libby Hopkins

Luna

icture this, you are driving home in the rain after a long hard day at work. You’re sitting at a traffic light watching the windshield wipers go back and forth in a trance-like state when all of the sudden something catches your eye and breaks the trance. You realize what you saw out of the corner of your eye was a dog running in traffic. The traffic light turns green and cars start to move and blow their horns at the poor dog that is blocking traffic. The dog is now even more frightened and runs into oncoming traffic! Your heart is now racing because you are part of the oncoming traffic that may hit the dog. What would you do?

I’ll tell you what I would do, I would put my car in park, get out of my car, block traffic and try to save the dog. That’s what I would do because that’s what I did three years ago to save a stray I later named “Olive.” She changed my life that day and I can never thank her enough because she introduced me into the world of dog rescues. 68

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Dr. Layton and Luna

Chelsea and Walter

I already had one dog and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep Olive so I went online looking for help. I found Dogma Pet Rescue of Tampa (www.dogmarescue.org). Amy Howland is the Co-Director of Dogma and her organization was wonderful with Olive. I became a “foster mom” for Olive and they helped me with her care. Dogma Pet Rescue is a 501©3 non-profit, all volunteer, all breed rescue that takes in abused and displaced dogs who would otherwise have no where to go and/or would be euthanized. “What sets us apart are that my Co-Director and I started Dogma with the intention of giving ‘rescue’ a good name,” Howland said. “It’s very disheartening to hear someone say that they had a bad experience with a rescue so they bought their dog instead of adopting.” My “foster mom” status didn’t last very long because I ended up keeping Olive. My current status is “failed foster” but it’s a good thing because I continued to stay in contact with the folks at Dogma and they introduced me to Dr. Christy Layton of Timberlane Pet Hospital and Resort and Second Chance Boxer Rescue, both in Plant City. www.timberlanevet.com) is Timberlane (w much more than a pet hospital, it’s a rescue as well because of a new program where veterinary hospitals take animals that were on the list to be euthanized at Hillsborough County Animal Services. They foster and medically treat them until they can find a forever home. “Your local veterinary hospital is another wonderful option to find your new family member. Hospitals routinely have stray animals brought to them, as well as working with owners who are no longer able to keep their pets for various other rea-

David and Phoenix

sons,” Dr. Layton said. “We care for the animals until they are adopted, in all cases providing care from our own finances.” Dr. Layton is also a strong supporter of the Hillsborough Animal Health Foundation and their AWAKE program. It’s a comprehensive approach to animal issues in Hillsborough County and it represents four major components: Animal Welfare, Adoption, Kids (health), and Education. These four elements are the focus of the overall plan to reduce euthanasia and improve the welfare of companion animals in the county. Some veterinarians and animal rescue organizations see the AWAKE initiative as a good start in solving feral cat over-population. “The veterinary community wants to participate in a long term solution that benefits all citizens of the community, including feral cats,” Layton said. “We believe a hybrid program that includes the principles of trap, evaluate, neuter, vaccinate, adopt and contain (in sanctuaries) makes the most sense and takes into consideration all the relevant concerns.” Second Chance Boxer Rescue is on a mission to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home dogs throughout the state, specifically Boxers, who otherwise would likely be euthanized. Bill Gray is the president of organization and he believes adoption is the way to go when you want to add furry addition to your family. “Why in the world, if a family has room in their home and their heart to add a family member, would they allow a good dog to die in a shelter rather than provide that dog a loving home,” Gray said. ... continued on page 72 W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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Devotion and Endurance

Paul Little By Ginny Mink

g teachers, just like any other profession, consist of the proud and the humble. Personally, I prefer the humble ones, those who constantly try to redirect the conversation from a focus on themselves to a focus on the students or the FFA, or anything else, really. Of course, this can often make for a challenging interview, especially when the object is to highlight the Ag teacher you’re speaking to. Thankfully, Paul Little, one of the Ag teachers at Chamberlain High School, is the right mixture of both humility and pride. He starts off by telling us a little bit about himself. “I grew up down in Naples and the school system down there didn’t have any agriculture programs. I was always fooling around with plants and doing cuttings, starting plants, propagating plants. I always had an interest in anatomy, animals. I came to Tampa to study zoology and chemistry with a minor in physics. My favorite class was comparative anatomy, doing all the dissecting. At that point I knew I wanted to do something with anatomy or medical and I always had an interest in going into counseling or the ministry.” Certainly that’s an odd conglomeration of interests, but Paul explains how it all came together via God’s plan for his life. He continues, “When I started commuting to Gainesville, this was before computers so you couldn’t take online classes, one of the persons I rode back and forth with was an agriculture major and he was running a nursery on the side, but he wanted to run the nursery full time. He’s the one that got me interested in teaching agriculture because it tied zoology, anatomy, and counseling students all together. Even though I didn’t know it at the time, the Lord had a plan and tied it all together as a profession for me!” We know that the Bible tells us that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose and Paul definitely feels that this verse has applied to his career. Interestingly enough, the gentleman that Paul was carpooling with at the time was Burns Warfield. In case you don’t know why that’s interesting, Paul explains, “He became the Ag teacher at Chamberlain.” Actually, Burns helped Paul get his first Ag teacher interview, though not in Hillsborough County. Paul says, “I started out teaching five years in Pasco County before I transferred to Chamberlain. I started at Chamberlain in 1980. I taught with

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Burns for one year and then he quit to run his nursery full time. So I’ve been in Hillsborough County since 1980.” A quick mathematical calculation and you discover that Paul has been teaching well over 30 years, almost 40 to tell you the truth! Therefore, he knows a good deal about the history of his school and even the history of Hillsborough County’s Ag program. He recalls, “Chamberlain’s Ag program started in 1956 when Chamberlain split off from Hillsborough High School. When I came here in 1980, Chamberlain was the northernmost school in the county with agriculture so we covered a good rural part of the county and it’s not rural any more. In fact, our students are at a disadvantage because our feeder school does not offer Ag and FFA, so our students start from scratch in the 9th grade. At some high schools in the county students begin in the FFA in the 6th grade.” One can tell that this situation is a bit depressing for him, as he is a strong believer in the value of agricultural education. He returns to his reminiscing though and explains, “Back then, the agriculture program in the county was one semester and one year of courses. We had a wide variety of classes back then: horticulture, forestry and wildlife, landscape design, agriculture mechanics and the livestock production classes, and of course, teaching FFA and leadership was a part of all those classes. In the early ‘80s we were a one teacher department and now we’re up to three! The demographics of Chamberlain’s neighborhood have definitely changed. It’s become more urban, more inner city. In the ‘80s when the school system was beginning to put the IB programs in, our school was trying to plan ahead so as not to lose our W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

brighter students, so I volunteered to teach Russian. So I taught two periods of Russian for three years, then the foreign language department took that over and the German teacher started teaching it.” At this point, Paul’s pride kicks in, “From that point on our program has continued to grow. About 15 years ago I started a veterinary assisting program and that program has continued to grow to two full time teachers, me and Hope Turain. Our third teacher teaches all the agriculture classes: Ag communications and agriscience and agritechnology, her name is Deanna Locke. Now most of our classes are offered for honors points. Between the three of us we have probably 450 students and our FFA chapter is about 135. Being in the city limits our students can’t raise any large livestock, cattle or horses. But every year our students exhibit ducks, turkeys, miniature goats, rabbits, chickens and market hogs. They exhibit them at the county fair, Strawberry Festival and state fair.” Paul switches gears and describes the facilities, “We have a large greenhouse which Ms. Locke uses with hydroponics and in our land laboratory area we have our animal pens and space for vegetable gardens and Mrs. Turain’s and my room are filled with all types of animals for the veterinary assisting program that we teach. This gives students all kinds of hands-on experience

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with different animals and how to restrain them if they work in a vet’s office. We show how to take care of them, feed them. We have several different types of snakes, ferrets, tropical fish, turtles and tortoises, dove, parakeets, cockatiels, conures, sugar gliders, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, mice, rats, hermit crabs, in addition to the chickens, rabbits, turkeys, ducks and goats.” Talk about a menagerie. He concludes the interview by boasting about his students and their impressive accomplishments. He says, “Several of our students got blue ribbons on the record books and judging of their blue ribbon animals, so they’re waiting on their premium checks. We have one student, Megan Regalado, that will be getting her American FFA Degree; she’s been working at Shell’s Feed Store for five years and she’s still working there while she’s a student at the University of South Florida and she’ll be receiving her degree at the National FFA Convention. Over the years, Chamberlain has had several American FFA Degree recipients, two State FFA Officers and several that have gone on to become agriculture teachers and county extension agents.” Given his 33 years at Chamberlain, we’d say he’s been quite successful and after talking to him, he didn’t sound like he was in any hurry to give it up. No doubt the county and its students have benefited from his devotion and endurance. •

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Naturally Amazing Activities

Dyed Seashells By Sean Green

Are you looking for something to do with the left over egg dye? If you have already tossed it out, you may be lucky enough to find some in the clearance section of the stores. That old egg dye is great for coloring seashells. The colors are a nice pastel and look much more natural than paint. Any kind of dye can be used. I have not tried it yet, but fabric dye has a reputation of working better than food dye. I can attest that fabric dye has colored things I never intended to color and it did not seem to matter that it was not made of fabric.

Materials: Seashells Dye (egg dye, food dye, fabric dye) Vinegar Salt Water Small pot (smaller is better)

• CLEAN

THE SEASHELLS WITH WATER AND AN OLD TOOTHBRUSH

• IN

A SMALL POT, MIX 1 TABLESPOON VINEGAR AND SALT PER CUP OF WATER AND DYE (ENOUGH TO COVER THE SHELLS) DYE TO A SOFT BOIL, REDUCE HEAT, AND SIMMER UNTIL YOU HAVE THE COLOR YOU WANT

• BRING

Red will be the fastest, easiest, and darkest of the dyes. The other colors will vary in their ability to soak into the seashell. If the seashell is not accepting the color very well, try adding more Vinegar. Seashells are made of mostly calcium carbonate layered over a protein and mineral base. Vinegar dissolves calcium allowing more of the dye to soak in. Most shells are thick enough that you don’t have to watch the clock and worry about it. It is perfectly safe to let them soak for a day or two. Thinner shells may become translucent which looks really cool. 72

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“Resscue Us”... continued from page 68

Bill and Circles

Since SCBR incorporation, they have placed 60 dogs in “fur-ever” homes. Recently, Gray’s organization took on two dogs with a lot of needs. “Circles” was an owner surrender from Lakeland, and allegedly the victim of domestic violence. He has a broken back, damaged spinal cord, his left rear hip and knee both have significant damage. Gray was advised to put Circles to sleep. Circles had other plans. “He wants to live and have fun,” Gray said. “You can see that as soon as you meet him.” SCBR is trying to raise money to pay for Circles’ rehabilitation and surgeries. “Lucy” and her pups came to SCBR from Panama City. She was pulled by the organization from a kill shelter. Lucy and her pups all have upper respiratory infections and Lucy was not able to produce enough milk for her pups. “None of these doges are Boxers,” Gray said. “Some days we are a boxer rescue Lucy, owner of Lark Photo in name only. We approach and Framing with Lucky rescue with the attitude that we will not know what is possible until we try and meet the impossible.” If you would like to make a donation to Circles or Lucy, you can visit SCBR’s website at www.saveaboxer.org. Dogs and cats aren’t the only animal in need of rescue and adoption. Birds are in need, too. Sherry Leybovich works with the Florida Parrot Rescue in Tampa. Like Dogma, they too are a 501©3 non-profit all volunteer organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and placement of companion parrots. “Unfortunately, dogs and cats aren’t the only creatures that suffer abuse, parrots do, too,” Leybovich said. “We have foster homes all over the state where our parrots are fostered until they are adopted.” I hope Olive, Circles, Lucy and all the other animals in need of good homes will inspire you to adopt and not shop the next time you want to add a pet to your family. •

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MARY ELLEN BUTLER, of Plant City, Florida died on Tuesday, March 26, 2013. She was the daughter of the late John R. and Mary Ellen Ellis Ayscue Sr. CECIL E. SMITH, 88 of Dover went home to be with his heavenly Father March 25, 2013. He was born January 21, 1925 in Elba, Alabama. JOHN ROBERT SAPP, JR., 23 of Dover died March 25, 2013. Born August 23, 1989 in Tampa, Florida, he was the son of John Sapp and Patricia Johnson Sapp. DANIEL GLENN FUTCH, 57 of Plant City, Florida died on Saturday, March 23, 2013

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Born in Plant City, Tuesday, February 21, 1956, he was the son of the late Danny and Marlene Morrison Futch.

HAROLD JOHNSON, 80 of Dover, Florida died on Saturday, March 23, 2013 Born Friday, November 18, 1932, he was the son of the late Homer and Ruth Hendrix Johnson. He was the beloved husband of Tiny Barlow Johnson. RICHARD C. HOLT, 83 of Plant City, Florida died on Friday, March 22, 2013 Born Sunday, October 6, 1929 in Cairo, Georgia, he was the son of the late Henry Holt and the late Lula Williams Holt.

DOLLIE” ELVIRA MARTHA KNOWELL MANSELL, 92 of Turkey Creek/Dover/Plant City, Florida died on Friday, March 22, 2013 at Melech Hospice House. Born Tuesday, April 6, 1920 at Edison Junction, FL she was the daughter of the late Luther (L.D.) and Edithmae Burtz Knowell.

MARILYN L. RINGLEY, 81 of Plant City passed away Sunday, March 17, 2013, at her sonʼs home in Valrico. Born September 20, 1931 in Warren Ohio, to the late Merle Post and the late Ethel Merrifield Post. She was the wife of the late Adam Ringley.

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In the Field Sales Manager Danny Crampton and Lucky

In The Field publisher Karen Berry and Hope

Adopt, Don’t Shop! By Dr. Christy Layton

ooking for a new four legged or feathered family member? Look no further than your local veterinarian, animal rescue group, or Hillsborough County Animal Services (HCAS). Before you look to a pet store for your new pet, please think of one of these wonderful alternatives. If you adopt from one of these groups instead, you are saving the life of an amazing animal in our county. Purchasing from a pet store promotes the horrible conditions that occur in many puppy mills, unfortunately the source of pets for most stores. In Hillsborough County, we are fortunate to have a large variety of animal rescue groups. Rescue groups range from those which are breed specific to those with a variety of breeds available and also include cat only and bird only rescues. These groups get animals from a number of different sources. Some accept animals from private citizens that they can no longer keep, some pull from Hillsborough County Animal Services to give the animals another chance at adoption and some groups get the animals as strays that have been found on the streets. Rescue groups provide for these lucky animals through the use of “foster” homes. These fosters play a huge role in the lives of the animals because without them, the rescue group could not house all of the animals in its care. The animals are examined and treated by a veterinarian, with basic medical needs including sterilization, vaccination, and micro-chipping provided. Some animals are taken in with a long list of medical issues that are treated prior to adoption. The good Samaritans in rescues adopt animals in a variety of ways. Because rescue groups are attached to every animal in their care, you may notice that the adoption process is not always quick. With strong adoption policies, rescue groups are able to ensure their rescued pets have a wonderful forever home. When you adopt from a rescue, take the extra time with the process and rest assured you will

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have lifelong help from that group should you need it. And please remember that Most of these groups function on a completely volunteer basis and are (501c3) charitable organizations. Your contributions are tax deductible and in most cases the only way they exist, and without volunteers their efforts are limited. If you are not currently looking for a forever friend but would like to help, these amazing groups are always looking for more volunteer help, foster homes, monetary support, pet food and pet bed/toy donations. With your support and financial contributions, more pets can be saved. Your local veterinary hospital is another wonderful option to find your new family member. You may not be aware, but veterinarians in our county adopt out thousands of pets every year in Hillsborough County. Hospitals routinely have stray animals brought to them, as well as working with owners who are no longer able to keep their pet for various other reasons. These veterinarians care for the animals until they are adopted, in all cases providing that care from their own finances. Many also rescue animals from HCAS when they would otherwise be euthanized, just like rescues. These pets can be seen on the veterinary hospital’s website or on www.HAHF.org. The Hillsborough Animal Health Foundation is the veterinarians local charitable Foundation, and does a great deal of work in trying to save animals in Hillsborough County. Their website is exceptional, and has a tremendous amount of educational information on important topics like preparing for hurricane season and how to prevent heat stress. The site also lists participating veterinary hospitals that are likely to have pets available for adoption. Finally, too many think of our local animal control (HCAS) on Falkenburg Road as “dogcatchers,” but in reality, they are a wonderful resource when looking for a new family member. They typically have more than 100 dogs and cats looking for forever homes. Most animals have no reason to be at the facility other than their previous owners let them down. Many have been found as strays, and others surrendered by their owner due to a change in home situation or job loss. The last amazing dog I adopted from HCAS was surrendered because “he was too old.” A year later, he still has much life left in him; and he lives it to the fullest every day. Recently, HCAS extended their hours to 7 days a week, 10am-7pm to make it easier for pet seekers to visit. Between the rescue groups, veterinary hospitals, and HCAS, there are many options to choose from in a new pet. Young to old, small to large, male or female, black or white, purebreds or mixed, energetic and ready to be your running partner or couch potato - whatever you are looking for, you will find your four legged or feathered friend with just a little bit of looking at a rescue group, veterinary hospital or HCAS. Just remember, to help save lives in our county, it starts with adopting a pet instead of purchasing one from a pet store! Save a life – Adopt, Don’t Shop! • W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

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W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E .C O M

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4892 Sun City Center Blvd. Sun City Center, FL 33573

P O Drawer L Plant City, FL 33564

12880 E US Highway 92 Dover, FL 33527

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• Food Plot Mix • Attractants • Feeders • and much more!

Harold’s Feed & Pet Supply

Open: M-F: 8 to 6 pm Sat: 8-5 pm Closed Sunday

Full Line of Feeds 813-689-1570

Corner of Martin L. King Blvd. & McIntosh Rd. Dover, FL 33527

New Applications Available April 1st 81

2013 Beef Show Winners Held in the Swindle Family Pavilion Sponsored by The Hay Exchange AWARDS

WINNERS

j All Breeds Grand Champion Heifer j Reserve All Breeds Grand Champion Heifer j All Breeds Grand Champion Bull j Reserve All Breeds Grand Champion Bull j Bred and Owned Heifer Grand Champion j Breederâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cup Reserve Grand Champion Heifer j Bred and Owned Bull Grand Champion j Bred and Owned Bull Reserve Grand Champion j Angus Heifer Grand Champion j Angus Heifer Reserve Grand Champion j Angus Grand Champion Bull j Brangus Heifer Grand Champion j Brangus Heifer Reserve Grand Champion j Brangus Bull Grand Champion j Brangus Bull Reserve Grand Champion j Other Breeds Grand Champion Heifer j Other Breeds Reserve Grand Champion Heifer j Other Breeds Grand Champion Bull j Other Breeds Reserve Grand Champion Bull j Shorthorn Heifer Grand Champion j Shorthorn Heifer Reserve Grand Champion j Simmental Heifer Grand Champion j Simmental Heifer Reserve Grand Champion j Simmental Bull Reserve Grand Champion j Commercial Heifer (English) Grand Champion j Commercial Heifer (English) Reserve Grand Champion

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Makayla Goble (Commerical English) Justin Barthle (Brangus) Jesse Bibby (Chi Maine) Justin Barthle (Brangus) Ethan Vaughan Ethan Vaughan Kaleb Williams Jacob Burnette Taeler Dupre Ethan Vaughan Brandon Buckholt Justin Barthle Quinn Carter Justin Barthle Quinn Carter Bailey Buchanon Yancey Ray Jesse Bibby Whitney Kirby Anna Conrad Madi Conrad Miranda Mayo Nicholas Maute Dusty Cook Makayla Goble Blair Buchanon

j Commercial Heifer j

(Brahman) Grand Champion Melissa Chaucey Commercial Heifer (Brahman) Reserve Grand Champion Hailey McDaniel AWARD & WINNERS

Herdsman Juniors

j 1st Paige Gran j 2nd Dillan Fox j 3rd Aidan Vaughan Intermediates j 1st Jacob Burnette j 2nd Kaitlyn Byrd j 3rd Clayton Brock Seniors j 1st Harley Byrd j 2nd Allyson Polston j 3rd Leann Farkas Showmanship Juniors j 1st Madi Conrad j 2nd Kendall Locke Intermediate j 1st Jacob Burnette j 2nd Kaylee Stallard j 3rd Cassidy Polston Seniors j 1st Meagan Meredith j 2nd Justin Barthle j 3rd Taylor Lee Bailey Greenhand Award j Megan Todd

Bill McClelland Scholarship Sponsored by CF Industries j Quinn Carter - $800.00

Jim Thompson Senior Award

j Ashli Dyes

2013 Dairy Show Contests Sponsored by Tractor Supply AWARD & WINNERS

Showmanship â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Novice

j 1st j 2nd j 3rd j 4th j 5th

Courtney Lawlor Tiara Paquette Rachel Carter Macey Soltis Rachel McKinnerney

Junior Showmanship (exhibitors 10 years old and younger) j 1st Nicholas Hammer j 2nd Austin Holcomb j 3rd Emily Linton j 4th Jake Braglin j 5th Blane Rogers

Intermediate Showmanship

(11-14 year old exhibitors) j 1st Chas Waller j 2nd Gracie Lee j 3rd Jesica Kleist j 4th Siera Linton j 5th Izabella Valverde Honorable Mention - Macey Soltis

Senior Showmanship (15+ year old exhibitors) j 1st Brandon Carey j 2nd Arista Georgiou j 3rd Brooke Freeman j 4th Dakota Smith j 5th Maraha Hange

Premier Showmanship Award

j 1st

Brandon Carey

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2013 Dairy Show cont. CLASS WINNERS Ayrshire

Holstein

j Class 12 Jersey j Class 10

Brandon Carey Kyleigh Glenn

j Class 1 Aiden Heidt j Class 3 Aaron Dunn j Class 5 Aidan Heidt j Class 6 Aidan Heidt j Class 12 Savannah Busciglio Brown Swiss j Class 1 Aaron Bingham j Class 2 Ashley Bingham j Class 3 Blane Rogers j Class 5 Blane Rogers j Class 6 Aaron Dunn j Class 10 Chas Waller j Class 12 Gracie Lee Guernsey j Class 1 Aaron Dunn j Class 2 Austin Holcomb j Class 5 Austin Holcomb j Class 7 Austin Holcomb j Class 10 Rebecca Holcomb j Class 11 Savannah Busciglio Holstein j Class 1 Chas Waller j Class 2 Connor Sutton j Class 3 Connor Sutton j Class 4 Connor Sutton j Class 5 Chas Waller j Class 6 Chas Waller j Class 7 Arista Georgiou j Class 10 Nicholas Hammer j Class 12 Brandon Carey Jersey j Class 1 Nicholas Hammer j Class 2 Jessica Kleist j Class 3 Zoe Wallace j Class 4 JT Bruggeman j Class 5 Savannah Busciglio j Class 6 Gracie Lee j Class 10 Kyleigh Glenn j Class 11 Chas Waller j Class 12 Gracie Lee

RESERVE SENIOR CHAMPIONS Brown Swiss

JUNIOR CHAMPIONS Ayrshire

Junior All Breeds Bred by Exhibitor Award

j Class 6 Aidan Heidt Brown Swiss j Class 6 Aaron Dunn Guernsey j Class 5 Austin Holcomb Holstein j Class 6 Chas Waller Jersey j Class 5 Gracie Lee RESERVE JUNIOR CHAMPIONS Ayrshire

j Class 5 Aidan Heidt Brown Swiss j Class 2 Ashley Bingham Guernsey j Class 2 Austin Holcomb Holstein j Class 5 Chas Waller Jersey

j Class 5

Savannah Busciglio

j Class 10 Guernsey j Class 11 Holstein j Class 10 Jersey j Class 12

Chas Waller Savannah Buscigli Nicholas Hammer Gracie Lee

Grand Champion Ayrshire

j Class 12 Savannah Busciglio Brown Swiss j Class 12 Gracie Lee Guernsey j Class 10 Rebecca Holcomb Holstein j Class 12 Brandon Carey Jersey j Class 10 Kyleigh Glenn RESERVE GRAND CHAMPIONS Ayrshire

j Class 6 Aidan Heidt Brown Swiss j Class 10 Chas Waller Guernsey j Class 5 Austin Holcom Holstein

j Class 6 Jersey j Class 12

Chas Waller Gracie Lee

THE RICHARD KAHELIN ALL-BREEDS CHAMPION AWARD Holstein

4-H Junior Division Individual Placings

j 1st Chas Waller j 2nd Hunter Fioretto j 3rd-Tie Michael Fioretto/ Connor Sutton j 4th-Tie Michael Fioretto/ Connor Sutton 4-H Senior Division Individual Placings

j 1st j 2nd

Caleb Allen Hannah Madigan

j Class 12 Brandon Carey Premiere Exhibitor j Chas Waller

FFA Middle Division Team Placings

j Austin Holcomb

j 2nd

Eisenhower Middle School FFA (Aaron Dunn, Ashleigh Denney,

j Rebecca Holcomb Junior Herdsman j 1st Logan Shoop j 2nd Aaron Dunn j 3rd Austin John Senior Herdsman j 1st Caleb Allen j 2nd Savannah Busciglio j 3rd Jordan Heinke

j 3rd

Mann FFA #1 Team (Sarahann Sweeney, Emily Bryant,

Senior All Breeds Bred by Exhibitor Award

Charlie Hunter Memorial Sportsmanship Award

j Allyssa Thayer

j 1st

Ashley Sanchez, and Kyndall Tucker)

Amber Geisler, and Sydney Wendel)

FFA Middle Division Individual Placings

j 1st j 2nd j 3rd j 1st j 2nd j 3rd

j 1st

SENIOR CHAMPIONS Ayrshire

j 2nd

j Class 12 Savannah Busciglio Brown Swiss j Class 12 Gracie Lee Guernsey j Class 10 Rebecca Holcomb

j 3rd

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Sexy & You Know It (Chas Waller, Aaron Bingham, Connor Sutton, and Rachel Carter)

Hillsborough/Manattee (Hunter Fioretto, Michael Fioretto, Austin Holcomb, and Rebecca Holcomb)

Critters & Gang (Coley Riley, Chelsea Woodard, Nicholas Hammer, and Shay Cason)

Gracie Lee Marybeth Stewart Kyndall Tucker

FFA Senior Division Team Placings

4-H Dairy Judging Contest 4-H Junior Division Team Placings

Tomlin Middle School FFA (Gracie Lee, Ethan Vaungh, Marybeth Stewart, and Sean Yagins)

Riverview FFA (Maraha Hange, Brooke Pappas, Ty Hamilton, and Jordan Heinke)

Armwood FFA (Joe Boyles, Nany Diaz, Nicole Overton, and Samantha Southerland)

Leto Sr. FFA "B" Team

(Rafael Acosta, Alexis Carrasco, Ariel Coen, and Adrianna Prado)

FFA Senior Division Individual Placings

j 1st Nicole Overton j 2nd Jordan Heinke j 3rd (Tie) Alexis Carrasco & Tiara Paquette j 4th (Tie) Alexis Carrasco & Tiara Paquette ...2013 Show Winners continued INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

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Adult/Pee Wee Showmanship PeeWee Showmanship

j 1st Sarah Rogers j 2nd Brooklynn Waller j 3rd Carlie Braglin j 4th Libby Sutton j 5th Garrett Linton j 6th Johann Cloete Adult Showmanship j 1st Fallon Curran j 2nd Holly Whetsell j 3rd Ann Hammer Costume Ball Funniest Category

j 1st j 2nd j 3rd j 4th j 5th

Nicholas Hammer Law & Order SC Mooooooo Kyleigh Glenn Bath Loathe & Moostuizing Soap Logan Shoop The Astronaut & The Moon Hunter Fioretto Sheriff & Cowvict Rachel Carter Hunter & 4-Point Buck

Prettiest Category

j 1st j 2nd j 3rd j 4th j 5th

Shay Cason Strawberry Queen & Princess Sarah Rogers The Masterpiece of Dance Rebecca & Colby Holcomb John Deere Buddies Caleb Allen Hamish Moooofie Trinket/Dairy Games Tiara Paquette Good Night Mooon

2013 Lamb Show and Costume Contest Held in the Swindle Family Pavilion Sponsored by Sunbelt Rentals

SHOWMANSHIP Junior Division

j 1st Ava Hasting j 2nd Bailey Brock j 3rd Brenna Mae Sturgis Intermediate Division j 1st Cole Hanson j 2nd David Paul j 3rd Abby Davis Senior Division

j 1st j 2nd j 3rd

Kendall Reed Darby Hasting Morgan Sistrunk

Black Face Division Late Spring Ewes

j 1st Blue Morgan Sistrunk j 2nd Blue Kyle Almskog 2-Year-Old Ewes j 1st Blue Christian Pelfrey j 2nd Blue Samuel Sands j 3rd Blue Stetson Smith j 4th Blue Jerri Rowell Early Spring Ewes j 1st Blue Daniel Paul j 2nd Blue Cheyenne Sommer Aged Ewes j 1st Blue Morgan Sistrunk j 2nd Blue Morgan Sistrunk j 3rd Blue Jesse Coleman j 4th Blue Samuel Sands Aged Rams j 1st Blue Stetson Smith

Grand Champion Black Face Ewe Morgan Sistrunk Hannah Madagen & Judson Hancock Reserve Champion Black Face Ewe Christian Pelfrey Dairy Dynasty Grand Champion Black Face Ram Austin John - Milk & Cookies Stetson Smith Zoe Wallace Moo-ilk Truck & Milk Man Michael Fioretto - Strawberry Chef White Face Division Alyssa Thayer - Vampire & Bat

Most Original Category

j 1st j 2nd j 3rd j 4th j 5th

Late Spring Ewes

Most Colorful Category

j 1st j 2nd j 3rd j 4th j 5th

Kendra Williamson Birthday Party Jamie Boydston Strawberry Shortcake Emma Bradley Fionna & Cowbary Bunny Tryout Blane Rogers Painting the Future of Dairy Carlie Braglin Snuggie Pajama Party

Overall Winner

j Aiden & Finley Heidt â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Marshall Dillon & Kitty

j 1st blue Cassidy Hasting j 2nd blue Bailey Brock j 3rd blue Ava Hasting j 4th blue Charli Davis j 5th blue Kendall Reed j 6th red Jessica Squitieri j 7th red Abby Davis j 8th red Jessica Squitieri j 9th red David Squitieri Two-Year-Old Ewes j 1st blue Kendall Reed j 2nd blue Kendall Reed j 3rd blue Eric Zimmermann j 4th blue Brenna Mae Sturgis j 5th red Gresham Stephens

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j 6th red j 7th red j 8th red j 9th red Aged Ewes j 1st blue j 2nd blue j 3rd blue j 4th blue j 5th blue j 6th blue j 7th blue j 8th red j 9th red j 10th red j 11th red j 12th red j 13th red j 14th red j 15th red j 16th red

Jessica Squitieri Ashley Denslow Courtney Fletcher Abby Davis

Cole Hanson Darby Hasting Darby Hasting Jessica Squitieri Cassidy Hasting Cassidy Hasting Kayleen Sweeney Eric Zimmermann Kaitlyn Cinnamon Sarahann Sweeney Kendall Reed David Squitieri Jesse Coleman Ashley Denslow Macayla Phillips Taylor Nelson Grand Champion White Face Ewe Cole Hanson Reserve Champion White Face Ewe Cassidy Hasting

Spring Rams

j 1st j 2nd j 3rd Aged Rams j 1st blue j 2nd blue j 3rd blue j 4th blue j 5th blue

Emma Grace McConnell Brenna Mae Sturgis Gresham Stephens

Daniel Paul Cole Hanson Jessica Squitieri Jesse Coleman Aubrey Davis Grand Champion White Face Ram Daniel Paul Reserve Champion White Face Ram Cole Hanson

Speckled Face Division Fall Ewes

j 1st Eric Zimmermann j 2nd Christian Pelfrey Late Spring Ewes j 1st Cheyenne Sommer Aged Ewes j 1st blue David Squitieri j 2nd blue Dalton Phillips j 3rd red Courtney Fletcher Early Spring Ewes j 1st blue Sarahann Sweeney j 2nd red Alyssa Harmazinski 2-Year-Old Ewes j 1st blue Macayla Phillips j 2nd blue Donovan Danley Grand Champion Speckled Face Ewe j 1st David Squitieri Reserve Champion Speckled Face Ewe j 1st Eric Zimmermann

...2013 Show Winners continued

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Rams

Most Creative

Spring Rams

j 1st blue David Squitieri Fall Ewes j 1st blue Eric Zimmermann j 2nd blue Charli Davis Grand Champion Speckled Face Ram j 1st Eric Zimmermann Reserve Champion Speckled Face Ram j 1st Charli Davis Rare Breed Division Early Spring Ewes

j 1st blue Siera Linton j 2nd blue Kyleigh Glenn Late Spring Ewes j 1st blue Taylor Nelson j 2nd blue Nicole Rice j 3rd blue Emily Linton j 4th blue Kyleigh Glenn j 5th blue Ambria Llauger 2-Year-Old Ewes j 1st blue Emma Grace McConnel Aged Ewes j 1st Jennifer Wayman j 2nd Brenna Mae Sturgis j 3rd Joshua Dadabbo j 4th Siera Linton j 5th Siera Linton j 6th Jerri Rowell j 7th Lindsay Short j 8th Siera Linton Grand Champion Rare Breed Ewe j 1st Jennifer Wayman Reserve Champion Rare Breed Ewe j 1st Brenna Mae Sturgis Spring Rams j 1st blue Emily Linton j 2nd blue Jerri Rowell Aged Rams j 1st Morgan Higgins j 2nd Siera Linton j 3rd Lindsay Short Grand Champion Rare Breed Ram j 1st Emily Linton Reserve Champion Rare Breed Ram j 1st Morgan Higgins Overall Champion j 1st Cole Hanson Costume Contest j 1st Place j 2nd Place j 3rd Place j 4th Place j 5th Place

Kyleigh Glenn- “Bath Loofah & Baaath Soap!” Jesse Coleman- “Han Solo & Chewbacca” Lindsay Short- “Buzz Light-year & Jesse” Christian Pelfrey- “The Hunter & his Moose” Samuel Sands- “Cowboy & Horse”

Most Funny

j 1st Place j 2nd Place j 3rd Place j 4th Place j 5th Place

Nicole Rice- “Ringling Brothers Greatest Ella-Sheep Show on Earth” David Squitieri- “Kung Fu Panda” Charli Davis- “Duck Dynasty” Stetson Smith- “Elderly Husband & Wife” Kyle Almskog- “Twilight Wolf & Vampire”

Most Colorful

j 1st Place j 2nd Place j 3rd Place j 4th Place j 5th Place

Taylor Nelson- “Clown & her Baloon Animal” Kayleen Sweeney- “Sheep-Diddy & Back Round Dancers” Donovan Danley- “Mardi Gras Float” Bailey Brock- “Madeline & her Masterpiece of Fun” Ashley Denslow- “Gordan Fisherman & Dorie”

Held in the Patterson Co. Livestock Arena Sponsored by Gulf Coast Turf & Tractor

Baaaad Pirates”

Most Elegant

j 1st Place Ava Hasting “Queen Sheep & First Maid” j 2nd Place Jennifer Wayman “Once Upon a Time” j 3rd Place Ambria Llauger “101 Sheepmations” j 4th Place Kyleigh Glenn “Bath Loofah & Baaath Soap!” j 5th Place Sarah Ann Sweeney “FFA Royal Court”

Best Overall

j 1st Place j j j j

Nicole Rice “Ringling Brothers Greatest Ella-Sheep Show on Earth” 2nd Place Donovan Danley “Mardi Gras Float” 3rd Place Taylor Nelson “Clown & her Baloon Animal” 4th Place Bailey Brock “Madeline & her Masterpiece of Fun” 5th Place Eric Zimmermann “The Leprechaun & His Sheep”

2013 Poultry and Rabbit Show Held in the Patterson & Co Livestock Arena

RABBIT Grand Champion j Jackson Smith Reserve Grand Champion j Joseph Swinson Best Fancy j Logan Haines Best Commercial j Katryn Johnson

POULTRY Most Original

2013 Plant Show Results

j 1st Place Eric Zimmermann “The Leprechaun & His Sheep” j 2nd Place Morgan Higgins “MVP Everest Oh Ram & Coach” j 3rd Place Aubrey Davis “Nurse & Doctor” j 4th Place Jesse Squitieri “Princess Leia & an Imperial Walker” j 5th Place Macayla Phillips

Black Cochin Hen-Grand Champion of Show j Ethan Fernanadez White Rock- Reserve Champion of Show j Grace Pipkins Wyandotte Silver Laced Hen Best Exhibition j Ashlyn Ledbetter Rhode Island RedBest Opposite Production j Justin Wilkenson

Grand Champion j Chloe Wineinger Antioch Critters 4-H Three 15 Gal. Podocarpus Spirals Reserve Champion Taylor Harrell j Tomlin FFA Five 15 Gal. Lucky Nut Trees Champion Woody Ornamentals j Aubrey Lingo - Tomlin FFA Five 15 Gal. Knockout Rose Standards Champion Foilage Plants j Makayla Gephart - Lennard FFA Five 7 Gal. Rubber Plants Champion Hanging Planters j Reagan Brown - Tomlin FFA Five 12” Lipstick Plants Champion Miscellaneous j Jonathan Wagner - Durant FFA Bromeliad Collection Champion Liners j Lily Batley - Tomlin FFA Azalea Trays Awards of Distinction Jonathan Wagner, Durant Orchid Basket Lily Batley, Tomlin FFA Five 7 Gal. Azalea Standards Keegan Lee, Strawberry Crest FFA Five 15 Gal. Yesterday Today and Tomorrow Plants Reagan Brown, Tomlin FFA Ten 7 Gal. Variegated Azaleas Chloe Wineinger, Antioch Critters 4H Four 7 Gal. Loropetalum Poodles

2013 CF Industries Youth Steer Show Held in the Patterson Companies Livestock Arena Grand Champion j Jake Maxwell Strawberry Crest FFA chapter Steer weight - 1285 lbs. Reserve Grand Champion j Justin Stallard, Durant FFA chapter, Steer weight - 1234 lbs. Division 1 Champion Kennedy Dean Class 1 j 1st Place - Breanna Tarlton j 2nd Place - Kacee Lewis j 3rd Place - Shelby St. Amant j 4th Place - Ethan Sistrunk j 5th Place - Darby Hastings j 6th Place - Morgan Boykin j 7th Place - Riley Brown j 8th Place - Courtney Key Division 2 Champion Justin Stallard Class 2 j 1st Place - Zachary Campbell j 2nd Place - Dusty Cook j 3rd Place - Faith Gude j 4th Place - Emily Heidel j 5th Place - McKenzie Greene j 6th Place - Katelynn Lewis j 7th Place - Morgan Gaudens

...2013 Show Winners continued W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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...2013 Steer Show Winners continued

j 8th Place - Nicholas Andrlik j 9th Place - Keegan Lee j 10th Place - Jesse Coleman

j 10th Place - Kayla Mishler Class 9 j 1st Place - Aly Joyner j 2nd Place - Jarrett Gillman j 3rd Place - Clay Joyner j 4th Place - Jessi Varnum j 5th Place - Jacob Burnette j 6th Place - Jacob Coggins j 7th Place - Benson Cain j 8th Place - Dalton Davis j 9th Place - Levi Mayo j 10th Place - Justin Jordan j 11th Place - Brittany

Division 3 Champion Jake Maxwell j 1st Place - Kennedy Dean j 2nd Place - Abigail Jett j 3rd Place - Kaleb Tew j 4th Place - Clinton Walden j 5th Place - Sara Snapp j 6th Place - Alyssa Shepherd j 7th Place - Cassidy Hastings j 8th Place - Nicholas Fernandez j 9th Place - Kyle Maidens Smothers j 10th Place - Tyler Glenn Senior Showmanship j 11th Place - Kailee Trainer j 1st Place - Morgan Belsley j 12th Place - Tyler Griffin j 2nd Place - Kyle Lee Class 4 j 3rd Place - Jake Maxwell j 1st Place - Haley Smith Intermediate Showmanship j 2nd Place - Kennedy Sewell j 1st Place - Justin Stallard j 3rd Place - Morgan Belsley j 2nd Place - Kacee Lewis j 4th Place - Cole Ebdrup j 3rd Place - Nicholas Andrlik j 5th Place - Andrew Gmytruk Junior Showmanship j 6th Place - Landon Mack j 1st Place - Cassidy Hastings j 7th Place - Johnathan j 2nd Place - Anna Conrad Upthegrove j 3rd Place - Meredith j 8th Place - Taylor Kelly DelCastillo j 9th Place - Dustin Mayo Class 5 2013 CF Industries j 1st Place - Raelynn Nichols Youth Swine Show j 2nd Place - Alexander Held in the Patterson Companies Fernandez Livestock Arena j 3rd Place - Dustin McMath j 4th Place - Kelsey Newsome Grand Champion j 5th Place - Linda Sanchez j Ashlyn Gude j 6th Place - Jessica Andrlik Turkey Creek Middle j 7th Place - Ashley Gallops School FFA j 8th Place - Alexus Williams Reserve Grand Champion j 9th Place - Savannah j Jayce Ware Busciglio Country Folks 4-H j 10th Place - Shelby Keely Class 1 Class 6 j 1st Place - Taylor Grimes j 1st Place - Justin Stallard j 2nd Place - Jonathan Rowell j 2nd Place - Daniel Paul j 3rd Place - Shylen Denmark j 3rd Place - Miranda Mayo j 4th Place - Joshua Lewis j 4th Place - Heather Ross j 5th Place - Jamee Townsend j 5th Place - Adeline Port j 6th Place - Jena Willis j 6th Place - Jacob Thornton j 7th Place - Tori Griffith j 7th Place - Michaela Dry j 8th Place - Sydney Watson j 8th Place - Dalton Dry Class 2 j 9th Place - Dustin McMath j 1st Place - Clayton Brock j 10th Place - Gregory R. j 2nd Place - Jeremiah Ford Berrios j 3rd Place - Erin Lytle j 11th Place - Alexis Lee j 4th Place - Rylee Class 7 Vanstronder j 1st Place - Jake Maxwell j 5th Place - Rachelle Sapp j 2nd Place - Mylie Feaster j 6th Place - Letty Burgin j 3rd Place - Justin Gajewski j 7th Place - Richelle Sapp j 4th Place - Kade Greene j 8th Place - Alyssa Grimes j 5th Place - Sadie Carr j 9th Place - Traile Robbins j 6th Place - Meredith j 10th Place - Brianna Harp Delcastillo Class 3 j 7th Place - Shelby Landers j 1st Place - Jace Stines j 8th Place - Macy Gay j 9th Place - Michael Garrison j 2nd Place - Jarek Hernandez j 3rd Place - Marissa Zolna Class 8 j 4th Place - Shayde Robbins j 1st Place - Jerri Rowell j 5th Place - Tyler Cain j 2nd Place - Kyle Lee j 6th Place - Jacob Sweat j 3rd Place - Dalton McHenry j 7th Place - Charles Heidel j 4th Place - Emily Register j 8th Place - Colten Drawdy j 5th Place - McKenzie j 9th Place - Jonathan Wall Wheeler Class 4 j 6th Place - Lindsey English j 1st Place - Janna Royal j 7th Place - Anna Conrad j 2nd Place - Emma Futch j 8th Place - Kristie Kettner j 9th Place - Miranda Lane W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

j 3rd Place - Whitney Alvarado j 4th Place - Staci Gossage j 5th Place - Parker Killebrew j 6th Place - Lindsey Graves j 7th Place - Meagan Petitt j 8th Place - Alexis Key Class 5 j 1st Place - Ashlyn Gude j 2nd Place - Jayce Ware j 3rd Place - Conner Watson j 4th Place - Lindsey White j 5th Place - Brenna Sturgis j 6th Place - Tyler Jensen j 7th Place - Chesley Campbell j 8th Place - Adrienne Horst j 9th Place - Corbett Wyatt Class 6 j 1st Place - Amber Harwell j 2nd Place - Braden Leek j 3rd Place - Tristan Simmons j 4th Place - Sophie Aten j 5th Place - Shawn Connell j 6th Place - Elise Griffin j 7th Place - Clayton Reasor j 8th Place - Taylor Tyson j 9th Place - Jenna Keely Class 7 j 1st Place - Connor Woods j 2nd Place - Emma McConnell j 3rd Place - Blake Zajac j 4th Place - Allison Kummelman j 5th Place - Meghan Sodders j 6th Place - Sarah Carter j 7th Place - Allison Lane j 8th Place - Brodie Brown j 9th Place - Brien Johnston Class 8 j 1st Place - Madilyn Conrad j 2nd Place - Aaron Bingham j 3rd Place - Hillsborough FFA Federation j 4th Place - Kiersten Bass j 5th Place - Cheyenne Lopez j 6th Place - Madison Simcox j 7th Place - Jenn Baker j 8th Place - Marybeth Stewart Showmanship Results Senior Showmanship

j 1st Place - Jana Royal j 2nd Place - Lindsey White j 3rd Place - Rachelle Sapp Intermediate Showmanship j 1st Place - Aaron Bingham j 2nd Place - Madison Simcox j 3rd Place - Meghan Sodders Junior Showmanship j 1st Place - Marissa Zolna j 2nd Place - Emma Futch j 3rd Place - Sarah Carter

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Auto Services Inc. “We Are A FULL SERVICE Garage” • Body Shop • Used /Reman Transmission • Engine Diagnostic/Tune Up • Brakes • Maintenance/Repairs • AC Repair GUARANTEED USED PARTS • Large selection of Used Tires • New and Used Glass Installed

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www.brandonauto.com 90

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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture at The Florida Strawberry Festival

he Florida Strawberry Festival Board of Directors were honored to welcome the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Tom Vilsack. Vilsack Served as Governor of Iowa for eight years before taking the position as Secretary of Agriculture. During his visit, Secretary Vilsack met with 25 local Strawberry Farmers who took time to express their concerns on the strawberry industry and discuss opportunities for improvements. Immediately following the meeting, the Secretary toured the Festival grounds while enjoying a strawberry milkshake from Brandon Farms. He then held a press conference with local media at the Florida Strawberry Growers Association exhibit followed by a visit to the Parkesdale Farms booth, enjoyed a delicious strawberry shortcake from St. Clements Catholic Church and ended the tour with a visit to the new Astin Farms and Swindle Family Pavilions! â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were proud to host the Secretary of Agriculture at the 2013 Florida Strawberry Festival. We feel our local strawberry farmers had a great discussion with the Secretary about the industry that has put Plant City on the map as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World,â&#x20AC;? says General Manager, Paul Davis.

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Congratulations to

The Florida Strawberry Festival

Booth Winners!

by Cheryl Kuck

urkey Middle School FFA has been working and waiting year after year for their Strawberry Festival display to win an award. Last year they were elated to receive their first award, a third place. This year the festival theme “A Masterpiece of Fun” inspired them to create Turkey Creek’s entry “Le Gobbler Museum of Art,” showing how blueberry and strawberries are grown (from plantings to the perfect products) with a historical and explanatory video of berry farming in Plant City surrounded by student paintings depicting berries and berry farming. After months of hard work, their outstanding presentation received the long-awaited first place award. Annually, area schools with an FFA program, an organization that helps young people develop life skills and education related to careers in Agriscience, are given the opportunity to showcase their work based on the festival theme. They design and build their entire booth creating a display illustrating some facet of agriculture that not only looks attractive, but is also in keeping with the festival theme and informs the public in an interesting manner. In addition to the blue ribbon, $1,000 in prize money is awarded to the winning FFA chapter. Throughout judging day, FFA students, teachers and anxious parents awaited the final verdict rendered by judges Sylvia Knox, Carol Kurdell, Steven Eichlon and Jeff Roundtree. When Agriculture Supervisor Pam Walden led the judges holding the blue ribbon to Turkey Creek’s booth, there were screams, tears, hugging and jumping for joy.

Turkey Creek Middle School FFA winning Strawberry Festival display, “Le Gobbler Museum of Art;” Delaney Lloyd and Mr. Strawberry festival mascot with Autumn “This means so much to us. All the students and parents who Tarlton Turkey Creek Middle School FFA president. Both students are 14 years-old.

helped create ‘Our Masterpiece of Fun!’ have my heartfelt thanks. Everyone pitched in and the end product is truly a masterpiece,” said Allison Sparkman, Turkey Creek Agriscience teacher and FFA advisor. Sparkman gives additional thanks and recognition to Susan and Jason Fernandez, Deborah and Buddy Coleman, Rob Wycka, Julie Hasting, Jean Bassinger, Sharla Hattaway, Christina Benitez, Tonya Lloyd, Kim Tarlton, Lisa Donini, Lanora Davis, and Sam and Buffy Astin of Astin Farms, who, she says, “supplied our berries and are always so very good to us. Turkey Creek Middle School FFA is blessed to have the support of so many wonderful people.”

Shown above at the 2013 FFA winning Strawberry Festival display, from the left; Allison Sparkman Turkey Creed Middle School Agriscience teacher and FFA advisor, Delaney Lloyd, Autumn Tarlton Turkey Creek Middle School FFA president and Pam Walden supervisor agriculture and JROTC with judges; Sylvia Knox, Carol Kurdell, Steven Eichlon and Jeff Roundtree.

FFA Booth Results

Top Winners: 1st: Turkey Creek MS 2nd: Strawberry Crest HS 3rd: Brandon HS 4th: Tomlin MS

Awards of Distinction: Durant HS East Bay HS Marshall HS Plant City HS

Left photo: Delaney Lloyd and Autumn Tarlton Turkey Creek Middle School FFA president with Allison Sparkman their Turkey Creed Middle School Agriscience teacher and FFA advisor holding placing blue ribbon on a framed fresh strawberry masterpiece at the Turkey Creek Middle School FFA winning Strawberry Festival booth, “Le Gobbler Museum of Art.”

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The annual Farm Credit Strawberry Salute Breakfast was held March 4 at Plant City’s First Baptist Church. Many officials attended to show their appreciation for agriculture and the strawberry, including Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam. Photos by Ron O’Connor – Farm Credit

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Changes Ahead in the Property Appraiser’s Office Return of the Agricultural Fact-Finding Committee By Jim Frankowiak

Bob Henriquez met Plant City strawberry farmer Carl Grooms

Bob Henriquez and Fred Montes of the greenbelt division at a Plant City strawberry farm.

In contemporary parlance,

“The Coach is in the house!”

n this case the coach is newly-elected Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Bob Henriquez, known to many as “Coach” because of his highly successful football coaching tenure at Tampa Catholic High School. The house is his county wide office with the duty and responsibility to appraise all of the property in the county. This includes real estate and tangible personal property (the equipment, machinery and fixtures) of businesses. The Property Appraiser prepares the tax roll, but does not collect taxes or determine tax rates. Henriquez is required by law to assess all property within the county each January 1, meaning the determination of the market value for hundreds of thousands of individual parcels, including residential, agricultural, multi-family, commercial, industrial and thousands of personal property accounts. That scope of work is undertaken by a staff of 130 and an annual budget of $10.8 million. In addition to appraising property, the Property Appraiser must administer homestead exemptions, agricultural classification, determine the eligibility of certain religious, charitable, educational and municipal property for tax exemption, as well as administer widow, widower’s and disability exemptions. The Property Appraiser also maintains current and up-to-date legal descriptions and ownership tax maps of all of the real property in Hillsborough County. Since winning the election in 2012, Henriquez has undertaken the process of reorganizing his office to enhance efficiencies and foster greater service to the county and its residents. “We are about

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to issue a request for a proposal for an updated website and are planning staff cross training,” said Henriquez. “I welcome comments and suggestions for residents of the county. This, as just about all we do, is a team effort.” Prior to his successful bid for the Property Appraiser’s Office, Henriquez is no stranger to government. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Princeton University, where he was a starting offensive lineman on the football team, Bob went to work for Hillsborough County’s Streets & Addresses Department to help enhance its 9-1-1 program. He later joined the county’s Planning Commission to assist in growth management. Bob is married to Carrie Vaught Henriquez and they have two children: Drew Alexander and Elin Mackenzie. He enjoys time with his family, along with fishing and golf. His community roots are deep. Henriquez is a fourth-generation Floridian, born and raised in Tampa. His grandfather, Enrique Henriquez, was the last mayor of West Tampa before it was annexed into the City of Tampa in 1925. In 1988, Bob followed his ambitions to serve his community to a new level when he was elected to the Florida Legislature as a State Representative. There, he developed a reputation as a legislator eager to put aside party politics for the good of his constituents, including members of the agricultural community. “Though raised in Tampa, I am well aware of the importance of agriculture to our area both in terms of economic impact and what agriculture means to each of us in our daily lives,” he said. After serving two terms, Henriquez was appointed to head the Pinellas and Pasco counties division of the Department of Children and Families, a position he held for three years. During his public service positions, Bob served two stints as head football coach at Tampa Catholic High School from 1990-1999 and 2005 – 2012. Under Coach Henriquez, the Crusaders reached the state championship game for the first time in school history and returned to that prominence once again in 2009. His record at TC is 128 wins and 71 losses. The Crusaders, under Coach Henriquez, reached the playoffs 13 times and won seven district titles. Since winning his new post, Bob decided to step down as the Crusader’s head coach and focus on the duties and responsibilities W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M

of his new office, leading his new “team” with his desires to serve the public with fairness, professionalism and humility. “Communications is a critical aspect of our service to the community,” said Henriquez. “I encourage all of the people we serve to contact us at any time with their cares, concerns and suggestions.” That can be accomplished online by visiting, http://hcpafl.org, by calling 813-272-1600 or by visiting any one of five locations. The Property Appraiser’s main office is in the County Center in downtown Tampa with satellite locations in Brandon, Plant City, Northwest County and South County. “As further evidence of our recognition of the importance of communication, we are reforming the Agricultural Fact-Finding Committee,” he said. “We want involvement from all of the commodities grown in the county, horticulture, dairy, cattlemen and equine interests. It is our plan that once organized we will meet regularly to discuss issues of importance to this segment of the population.” Potential representatives interested in volunteering are encouraged to email Chief Deputy Property Appraiser Warren Weathers at weathersw@hcpafl.org or by calling him at 813-276-8816. In fulfillment of the Property Appraiser’s constitutional charge to apply existing laws and statutes, Henriquez and his staff recognize the matter at hand are not always clear and “that again points out the need for communications. I also want residents of the county to know that when in doubt we will error on the side of the taxpayer. Additionally, when issues arise the outcome is not decided by a single member of our staff but a committee of staffers to thoroughly review and consider the matter before reaching a decision.”

Statistics of 2012 sales compiled by Henriquez’ office demonstrate that many of the county’s more than 460,000 parcels have seen a slight increase in their value. This increase is likely to be reflected in this year’s Truth in Millage (TRIM) notices. Though TRIM notices will not be mailed for approximately six months, “the overall value of real estate in Hillsborough County currently shows more than a three percent increase in value,” a new release from the Property Appraisers Office said. “I think this confirms the economy is indeed rebounding,” said Henriquez. While property values appear to be on the rise in the county this year, there is a significant cap protecting home owners with homestead exemption on how much of an increase they will see on assessed value of their property this year. The Save Our Homes amendment to the Florida Constitution caps the increase on the assessed value of their homestead property at 1.7 percent this year. Assuming a property owner has not made any additions to their homestead property, this means the assessed value of their property cannot increase more than 1.7 per cent over its assessed value from 2012. Assessed value is the market value of the property after the cap limit has been applied. For more information about the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser, visit http:/ / www.hcpafl.org.

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On Saturday March 16, team members for Durant and J. F. St. Martin participated in the State FFA Nursery and Landscape Contest at Pinellas Technical Center in St. Petersburg. Team members were asked to identify insects, diseases, and nutrient deficiencies that affect the horticultural industry. They also completed several practicums that included equipment maintenance, plant pruning and handling a hazardous situation. The Durant team placed second in the state competition and the J. F. St. Martin team placed 11th. Durant Team members (pictured 2nd from left) Jerri Rowell (3rd high individual), Alex Fernandez, Adrian Rivera (6th high individual) and Kathryn Tagliarini. J. F. St. Martin members included Michael Whatley, Jonathan Rowell and Jacob

“Even then, the taxpayer has the option for further consideration by contacting us and seeking added discussion,” he said. From a good news perspective, Henriquez just released information suggesting that “after five consecutive years of declining property values, Hillsborough County appears to be heading for a rebound in 2013.”

State FFA Nursery and Landscape Contest

Bob Henriquez and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam

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APRIL 2013

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813.546.1000

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Note: While every attempt is made to provide as accurate information on the property offering as possible, FISCHBACH LAND COMPANY, LLC does not guarantee the accuracy thereof. Buyer shall rely entirely on their own information and inspection of property and records.