In The Field magazine Hillsborough Edition

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Contents

VOL. 10 • ISSUE 9

The Southern Barn Page

66

Cover Photo by Stephanie Humphrey

The Redheaded Gardener

Page 10

Canning for a Cause

Page 52

Business Up Front

Page 15

Fishing Hot Spots

Page 18

Rocking Chair Chatter

A Persevering Miracle

Page 53

Federally-Funded IR-4 Project Helps Dometic Specialty Crops

Page 56

Page 22

Building a Pallet Herb Garden

Waters of the U.S.

Page 60

Page 24

Meet the Minks

Blueberry Family Health Foundation

Page 64

Page 25 Dry Creek

Agriculture Awards Announced for 2014

NATURAL, ORGANIC, GMO

Market Watch - o.e. market

115 Years Young: First Baptist Church Midway

Hillsborough County Fair Expanding & Adding Events

Florida Rambutan

Naturally Amazing: DIY Portable Air Cooler

Page 70

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Page 74

Page 28

Page 80

Page 32 Page 35

Page 84

Fruit Networking

Page 38

A Closer Look: Ancient Wisdom

Page 85

Gray Bats

Page 42

Hurrincane Prepariness For Small Businesses

Gentle Spirits

Page 88

Page 46 Recipes

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Publisher/Photography Karen Berry Senior Managing Editor/ Associate Publisher Sarah Holt Editor-In-Chief Al Berry Editor Pasty Berry I love being outdoors. In the evening, sitting in my backyard, or kicking it in the hammock are things I would really love to do in the small amount of down time I have in my life. However, one small detail keeps me inside. No, it isn’t the heat of Florida, it is the swarm of mosquitoes that seems to zoom in on me the instant I step out the door.

Office Manager Bob Hughens Sales Manager Danny Crampton Sales Al Berry Tina Richmond Danny Crampton Melissa Nichols

Now, it doesn’t have to be evening for these lovely critters to come after me. I have been bitten and harassed Creative Director/Illustrator in the morning, afternoon, evening, you name it, they Juan Alvarez find me. What can I do? Photography Karen Berry The list of mosquito repellents you can purchase is endAl Berry less. I’ll let you do the research to find one that works Stephanie Humphrey best for you if you have the same problem I have with the little bloodsuckers. But there are things you can do Staff Writers Al Berry around the house to minimize the breeding grounds. Sandy Kaster James Frankowiak 1. Keep gutters clean Sean Green 2. Keep the pool clean and chlorinated Ginny Mink Libby Hopkins 3. Be sure containers that may collect water have a hole drilled in the bottom so water doesn’t collect. Contributing Writers 4. Fountains should be aerated Woody Gore 5. Dump birdbaths or other things that may hold water Les McDowell twice a week Also, keep your yard neat so the adult mosquitos don’t have a place to “rest” for the day. Then head outdoors to enjoy your backyard. Until Next Month

Sarah

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

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ABC Pizza..................................................91 Affordable Garage Door........................61 Ag Technologies.......................................31 Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers............54 Al Higginbotham......................................34 Alan’s Air Conditioning Service...........86 Aquarius Water Refining........................78 Arrowhead Archery.................................37 Astin Strawberry Exchange...................91 Bankers South Group..............................71 Bill’s Transmissions.................................79 Bingham....................................................87 Brandon Auto Services, Inc...................68 Brandon Regional Hospital...................73 Brewington’s Towing & Recovery..........9 Broke & Poor...........................................45 Cameron Financial Service...................23 Cecil Breeding Farm..............................30 Chad Jones................................................9 Chris Nash................................................95 Country Village........................................36

Dad’s Towing.....................................................43 Dr. Barry Gaffney, O.D. PA...............................11 Dr. Pat Almerico.................................................13 Dr. Stacy White.................................................54 Exo Creative......................................................68 Everglades Farm Equipment..........................96 Farm Bureau Insurance-Valrico....................90 Farm Bureau Insurance/Jeff Sumner.............41 Farm Credit.......................................................89 Felton’s..................................................................51 Fischbach Land Co............................................14 Florida Strawberry Growers Asso................55 Forbes Road Produce........................................14 Fran Haasch.......................................................58 Fred’s Market Restaurant................................23 Gator Ford.........................................................40 Grove Equipment Service...............................47 Grove Equipment Service...............................44 Grove Equipment Service..............................92 Gulf Coast Tractor............................................48 Harold’s Feed & Pet Supply..............................3 Harrell’s Nursery, Inc........................................91 Haught Funeral Home......................................72 Helena Chemical-Tampa.................................69 Highland Corporation.......................................17 Hillsboro Bank...................................................27 Home Protection Pest Control.........................21 Hydraulic Hose & Cylinder, Inc.......................36 I-4 Power Equipment.......................................59 Janet Daugherty...............................................65 Jarrett-Scott Ford..............................................2 Johnson’s Barbeque.........................................21 Jon & Rosie’s Tree Farm.................................91 Keel & Curley Winery......................................63 Key Plex..............................................................93 Loetscher Auto Parts.........................................79 Malissa Crawford..............................................12 Mark Smith Excavating....................................91 Mosaic..................................................................43 Pathway BioLogic..............................................77 Patterson Companies.......................................49 Plant City Awning..............................................19 Plant City Homestyle Buffet.............................5 Plant City Tire & Auto....................................91 Platinum Bank..................................................62 Railroad & Industrial Fed Credit..................40 Rick Cochran.....................................................82 Robert Bauman.................................................75 Savich & Lee Wholesale..........................20-21 Seafood Dive.......................................................9 Seedway.............................................................79 South Fl Baptist Hospital..................................7 Southside Stores LLC............................29 & 76 Southwestern Produce......................................41 Stephanie Humphrey........................................84 Sweet Life Farms..............................................49 The Southern Barn..........................................23 Thompson Nursery & Vinyard.......................53 Timberlane Pet Hospital & Resort.................17 Trinkle,Redman,Swanson,Coton,...................69 Verti-Gro, Inc....................................................68 Walden Lake Car Wash & Service...............91 Waller’s Power Equipment...............................16 Wasabi Japanese Steak House.....................45 Wells Memorial..................................................83 Willie’s.................................................................81 Windfield.............................................................91 WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


ER Needed?

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Just in Case In case it’s more serious than you thought, our full-service Emergency Center is connected to South Florida Baptist Hospital and features the services you may need on-site: n Operating rooms n Team of physician specialists n Heart Center

n Intensive Care Unit n Lab and imaging

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301 N. Alexander St. | Plant City

For a physician referral or more information:

(813) 443-2037 or PlantCityEmergency.org

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BC1403144-0614


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

A BUSY TIME FOR YOUR TAKE A BOW FARM BUREAU DearDear Readers: Readers:

A BUSY TIME FOR YOUR FARM BUREAU

People in agriculture typically go about their Dear business with little fan However, I am Readers: both humbled andfair. honored to havethere been are timeselected whenpresident it is important for us to recognize of YOUR Hillsborough County someIFarm of them for special achievement that esBureau. All of us owe a debt of gratitude am both humbled and honored to have beenis to pecially beneficial to all of us engaged in and outgoing president Danny Aprile for his years of elected president of YOUR Hillsborough County benefitting from thisofindustry. service to our All organization. promise to do myto Farm Bureau. us owe aI debt of gratitude best to continue theDanny momentum forth. outgoing president Aprile he forcarried his years of

Ourservice fellowtoFarm Bureau member Carlour organization. I promiseDennis to do my ton best was in last month’s edition of As atofeatured sixth generation Florida farmer, I know theIN continue the momentum he carried forth. THEmany FIELD for hisand selection as Florida challenges opportunities all of usFarmer have of the Year, ageneration well-deserved honor. Please in athe agriculture industry and that isI an industry As sixth Florida farmer, know thejoin withmany me isthis month as we recognize and thank that global. Our major challenge is to continue challenges and opportunities all of us have StateintoRepresentative Jake Raburn forindustry hismust exproduce the food our growing the agriculture industry and thatpopulation is an cellence in agricultural leadership during this have while the lands devoted to farming continue that is global. Our major challenge is to continue last to legislative session. Jake, is market an emeritoproduce diminish.the The good iswho that the food ourthing growing population must tus member of our board here in Hillsborough for our products continues to expand. Our task have while the lands devoted to farming continue County, named one ofdual Legislators is diminish. to was effectively those challenges while of to Themeet good thing istwo that the market the Year and Champion of Agriculture. Both of protecting our precious environment. I am confident for our products continues to expand. Our task thoseiswehonors came from Florida Farm Bureau. are up to that task and I look forward to helping to effectively meet those dual challenges while us all do our to assure that we do so. confident protecting ourpart precious environment. I am

I would also like totask express my appreciation to we are up to that and I look forward to helping co-chairs of our Young Farmers and Ranchers Let me also tell you about the other new officers us all do our part to assure that we do so. group, Tiffany Dale andlast Erin Nessmith, for their elected by your board month. They are: workLet with that very important segment ofWood, our Vice President Will Womack, Treasurer Ray me also tell you about the other new officers membership. Our group has been selected by Secretary Michelle Williamson and Member-Atelected by your board last month. They are: Florida Farm Bureau to receive the Young FarmLarge Bill Burnette. My thanks to each of them and Vice President Will Womack, Treasurer Ray Wood, ers and Activity Award. Tiff and Erin our Ranchers boardMichelle for their willingness to serve. Secretary Williamson and Member-AtwereLarge recognized for “development quality Bill Burnette. My thanks to each of of them and programs that allow young farmers and ranchAs I am sure all of you have come to realize our board for their willingness to serve. ers tovacation grow through action and leadership.” time is over. We are particularly busy at Farm Bureau. month are completing As I am sure allThis of you havewe come to realize the Outreach in the county is an ongoing committhird of our legislative tours during whichbusy we take vacation time is over. We are particularly at mentFarm of Bureau. our To that end, we hosted elected andboard. appointed officials to several of This month we are completingour the a “Lunch and Learn” session last for the agricultural businesses in this areasmonth so theywe can see third of our legislative tours during which take board and other members of the industry agriculture at work, some of the best management elected and appointed officials to several of our to helpagricultural them properly getting thecan word practices that haveprepare been into place and learn businesses in put thisfor areas so they seeof

that in the immediate future.

By the same token, if you belong to a group that wants to know about some aspect the challenges ourmore local industry partners face asof agriculture, to meet with your they strivewe to would produce be thepleased high quality products group and have a discussion that answers our markets demand. Those tours are hard work the challenges our local industry partners face as your questions provides with the opportunity and strive represent many hours ofussupport from our they toand produce the high quality products to spread the word about our industry. Call the industry colleagues. We thank them and those our markets demand. Those tours are hard work number below and we will work out the legislators and regulators who take the time to and represent many hours of support from our details.

learn first hand about ourthose area and industry colleagues. Weagriculture thank theminand Our Executive Director, Judi Whitson, how and why we need their ongoing awareness, legislators and regulators who take the time to recently attended a national Ag in the Classroom help and learn first support. hand about agriculture in our area and conference and asked me to remind parents that how and why we need their ongoing awareness, the Florida Ag in the Classroom website, www. There’s more. Ag-Venture, our program for bringing help and support. faitc.org, lots oftoAg activities children the story of has agriculture children through school can do at home while off fromfor school. activities, is going onthey’re and we again be particiThere’s more. Ag-Venture, ourwill program bringing pating in Farm City Days through which we bring the story of agriculture to children through school Please remember it isn’t necessary for you to be the story of agriculture to our friends living in activities, is going on and we will again be particiinvolved directly in agriculture to participate, Tampa. pating in Farm City Days through which we bring

norstory do you have to be a farmer rancher to bethe of agriculture to our friendsor living in long to Farm Bureau. In addition to supporting Lastly, if you are not a member of our Farm Bureau Tampa. our important and helping to be assure family, please join industry us. It isn’t necessary that you a our future, Farm Bureau membership for your farmer or rancher to join. Please visit Lastly, if you are not a member of our Farm Bureau family brings haven’t http:// hcfarmbureau.org or rewards. If call 813/685-9121 family, please join its us. own It isn’t necessary thatyou you for be a checked out the benefits of belonging, please more information. farmer or rancher to join. Please visit do. The modest fee associated with family http:// hcfarmbureau.org or call 813/685-9121 for membership in Farm Bureau is a great deal. To Once again, I am honored to be your president andlearn more information. more Bureau, please visit: http:// my veryabout best toFarm you and your family. hcfarmbureau.org or call 813/685-9121 Once again, I am honored to be your presidentfor andmore information. my very best to you and your family. Sincerely, Thank you,

Kenneth Kenneth

Thank you,

Kenneth Parker - President

out agriculture on variousat issues facing agriculture. It was Kenneth Parker - President work, some of the best management greatpractices to see that thehave interest andinto broad been put place representaand learn of tion in attendance. We will be doing more of of Directors Board

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Kenneth Parker, President; Will Womack, Vice-President; Ray Wood, Treasure; Michelle Williamson, Secretary; Member-at-large; Bill Burnette; Board members: Roy Davis, David Drawdy, Jim Dyer, Jim Frankowiak, Board of Directors Glenn Harrell, Chip Hinton, John Joyner, Greg Lehman, Erin Nesmith, Jake Raburn, Marty Tanner, James Tew, Kenneth Parker, President; Will Womack, Treasure; Michelle Williamson, Secretary; RonVice-President; Wetherington, Ray and Wood, Ray Wood, Member-at-large; Bill Burnette; Board members: Davis, Director David Drawdy, Jim Dyer, Jim Frankowiak, Judi Whitson,Roy Executive Glenn Harrell, Chip Hinton, John Joyner, Greg Lehman, Erin Nesmith, Jake Raburn, Marty Tanner, James Tew, Ron Wetherington, and Ray Wood, INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2013 W W W. I N T H E F I E L D M A G A Z I N E . C O M Judi Whitson, Executive Director

INTIN FHE IELD MM AGAZINE 2013 IHE N TTHE FFIELD IELD M AGAZINE AGAZINE NOVEMBER JJuly uly 2014 2014

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Aloe… Aloe is anyone out there?

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Oh my, it’s July. It’s HOT. My external gardening activities are slowing down right about now and mainly consist of weeding, watering, harvesting and clean up. Preferably in the early morning or dusky cooler evenings. The afternoon summer rain deluges are setting in and the mosquitos are on the rise. It’s rough out there for gardeners. Spring annuals are melting into the ground – literally- and many perennials are blooming out and beginning to store their energies for the next season. You also see some of our favorite southern trees blooming around this time of year, like our glorious Crape Myrtles, Magnolias, Lisgustrum and Beautyberries. The Hibiscus shrubs and tropical vines are flourishing in the sultry heat. My Wisteria is taking off again and will soon need some curbing to prevent it from taking over my nearby swing. So, as I sat down to try and bring you some gardening knowledge for this month, I had to think about plants that survive these muggy Florida summers. It’s hard to believe but there are a numerous varieties that can. A few I mentioned above, but usually only as long established plantings. As I began to think about this plant or that, it suddenly came to me. It’s summer and one of the best gardener’s aides for summertime heat is Aloe. 10

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Aloe vera is one plant I always have in my garden, both in the ground and in containers. It has a long, varied and traditional history in gardening mainly because of its well-known herbal use in treating burns or minor scrapes and cuts. It is believed to provide anti-infection qualities and has also been used to treat certain skin conditions such as eczema. And who doesn’t remember their mom snapping off a leaf and treating a summer sunburn after a day of swimming? I have used mine over and over for small kitchen or curling iron burns with great success. The really nice thing about this plant is that it loves the summer heat. What’s fascinating about this plant for me now is that I’ve discovered the fact that there are more than 300 species above and beyond the regular garden variety Aloe that you may have grown up with in your mother’s or grandmother’s garden. Some are more medicinal and some are more ornamental. It’s the ornamental varieties that I’ve been collecting lately. Their sizes, textures, colors and forms vary widely and they make very unusual specimens for my container gardens on my sunscorched back yard patio. They have SURVIVED the swampy furnace of Florida and are fairly low maintenance. I hit them with the hose gently about once a week and they THRIVE! They cannot go completely without water. As a “succulent,” Aloes typically have fleshy leaves that “hold” or retain water. Most have an upright or spiky growth habit WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


and they generally are easy to propagate from “pups” that form off the main plant and can be cut and rooted on their own. Of course they can be propagated via seed as well. They like dry growing conditions (you can use the cactus soil mix from the big box store) and often get along well with cactus varieties in companion container plantings. Many varieties also have spectacular, brilliant bloom spikes. In containers, I generally top with pea gravel to dress the soil and keep water and dirt from splattering the leaves. I will caution you that although though they are heat hardy, they are not freeze hardy. If you plant them in the landscape you may want to cover them during times of extreme cold. If in containers just bring them inside until the freezing weather passes. In addition to cactus, they grow well with other succulents in mixed plantings. A few varieties that I have collected lately and that you should give a try include Aloe ‘Christmas Carol’ which has bright scarlet edges surrounding deep holly green leaves, Aloe ‘Dorian Black’ which despite its name appears mostly white and Aloe ‘dumetorum” which snared me with its more prostrate form and tall bloom spikes with crimson bells tipped in white. Happy Gardening and stay out of the heat! WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

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Business Up Front

By Jim Frankowiak

For Platinum Bank Area President David Sullivan, the bank’s keys to success come from some straightforward concepts that have grown the bank from a single location in 1997 to seven today and $500 million in assets, offering a range of personal and business banking products and services. The bank’s Plant City branch has been open for a decade and has followed the model that has worked for Platinum Bank since its inception in Brandon 17 years ago. “At that time, a group of Brandon civic and business leaders came together to organize a financial institution to serve the needs of the local community and to fill a void that had been left when a local financial institution had been sold,” said Sullivan. “Among them were a number of past chamber presidents and the owners of several well established businesses who all believed there was a need for a bank with a local focus and local ownership.” Today, Platinum Bank, which is headquartered in Brandon, also has branches in Tampa, Winter Haven, Plant City and in Lakeland, plus its newest branch in Dunedin in Pinellas County. Sullivan notes that each branch includes bank shareholders from the local community. “In line with our emphasis on local ownership, is our commitment to creating a team of local executives and staff members,” he said. “We also encourage our local shareholders to become active members of each of our branches’ advisory boards.” Beyond that emphasis of local ownership, Platinum Bank strives to become part of the team that each of its customers needs for long term success and viability. “I liken it to a three-legged stool with those legs labeled A, B and C,” said Sullivan. “There is always a need for legal counsel and that’s the Leg A. The same is true of a Certified Public Account and that’s the C leg. We hope to become the Banking

or the B leg for our customers and work with them to do what is right for their particular endeavor, rather than trying to sell them the particular banking product being emphasized at a certain time. And, we want to be on their team as valued advisors not just today, but well into the future. “The late Bob Tanner opened the Plant City Office and did a wonderful job as he set the stage and laid the foundation for our Plant City presence,” said Sullivan. Platinum Bank in Plant City now has a staff of nine, including four active lenders: Sullivan, Matt Buzza, Susan Baggett and Tommy Pollock. That brings up another example of how the bank differs from most other financial institutions. “We make our banking decisions for our Plant City customers right here in Plant City,” said Sullivan. “There is no need to wait on decisions to be made in another state. Those important decisions are made at each of our branch levels. Another way to put it is that Platinum Bank pushes the highest possible authority down to the lowest possible level.” Sullivan, who is a Plant City native, is married to the former Susan Redman who is the principal of Tomlin Middle School and they have three sons, Aaron, 26, is with U.S. Trust Bank in Fort Worth, Texas; Bradley, 23, co-owns and manages the UPS store in Plant City and Christopher, recently graduated from Samford University, is joining Synovus Bank in Atlanta, GA. In addition to his local position as Market President, Sullivan is Senior Executive Vice President of Platinum Bank. He is involved with the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, a director of the Florida Strawberry Festival, Hillsborough Community College Foundation board member, Vice President of the South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation and a South Florida Baptist Hospital Trustee board member.

For more information, visit: www.platinumbank.com or the Plant City branch at 1804 James L. Redman Parkway. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

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If you only had one choice, which fishing bait what would you pick? Let’s hope it would be shrimp!

Why… because everything eats shrimp, even anglers.

Tampa Bay Fishing Report JULY 2014 Regardless of the species you’re targeting you can’t go wrong by having a few dozen shrimp along. And if you’re like me, being extremely fond of these tasty little rascals, what I don’t use catching fish, I always take home and enjoy a little shrimp cocktail before supper. It’s simple to prepare. Pop the heads off, bring a small pot ½ full of water to a boil, add two tablespoons of seafood boil, add one tablespoon of sugar, add one teaspoon of chopped garlic, and the shrimp, then boil till they turn pink. Drain the shrimp, allow to cool a few minutes, peel em’ and eat em’. When it comes to live bait fishing, anglers have their own preference. However, they almost unanimously agree that nothing rates higher than the very present shrimp. Simply put… everything in Florida waters eats shrimp. Consequently, if you’re searching for something that catches fish year round… guess what? It’s a live shrimp. This highly adaptable bait catches everything from pinfish to tarpon and even sharks. Pressure of work got you stressed and you need to relax? Just go fishing. If you are looking to forget the world’s problems or feel like taking the kids out for some afternoon rod and reel fun, shrimp would be a great way to do it. Free-lined on a hook, under a popping cork or, one of my favorites, rigged with a bucktail jig and tipped with the tail 18 18

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section of a fresh shrimp, fishing this simple rig around the mangroves, flats or structure usually result in more catching and less fishing. Inshore: July fishing is hot, humid and certainly requires that extra precautions be taken when it comes to heat exhaustion. So, keep yourself hydrated with plenty of fluids. Heat exhaustion has a tendency to grab you when least expected and if not recognized in time is sometimes fatal. So, whether you are fishing, boating or just enjoying the outdoors during the summer, remember to drink plenty of fluids, wear cool clothing, a hat, and use sun block. Provided you can stand the heat fishing should be remarkable. We can expect water temperatures to climb into the eighties and low nineties. High water temps also means trouble for live bait, so watch your livewells, especially if you’re using greenbacks. High water temperature means low oxygen levels, especially in shallow water. Not only the bait suffers, but fish also need oxygen rich water. So when you fish shallow look for areas with good tidal flows and changing water. Throughout the bay you’ll find deeper cuts and washes around and through grass flats, mangrove islands, oyster bars and shady mangrove shores. These are good starting points for many species. WWW. WWW.IIN NTTHE HEFFIELD IELDM MAGAZINE.COM AGAZINE.COM


Ben Baarsyohldan 6 ye

Captain Gore,

SNOOK - Depending on tides and lunar phases, snook usually spawn around the full moon. Individual females may spawn every two days releasing over a million eggs per occurrence. For that reason, handle with care, revive quickly and return them gently to the water. Snook fishing is going gangbusters with nice fish caught on both live bait and artificial lures. This should continue through the summer. REDFISH - Redfish are found almost everywhere in the bay area. Search for them around oyster bars and early morning flats. Expect good early morning topwater action along grass flats and mangrove shores. Work both incoming and outgoing tides. 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 sized trout on Tampa Bay grass flats especially deeper edges on outgoing tides. COBIA - Cobia will be traveling the flats and open water, sometimes as singles or groups and normally always behind large Rays. Keep your eyes peeled, toss them your bait 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. I’m starting to see plenty of tarpon moving up into the Bay area.

I always enjoy reading your fishing report in “In the Field” Magazine. As a very proud dad, I thought I would share my son’s first redfish. (Landed) He lost one right at the boat about five minutes before this one. This fish was caught in lemon bay (Englewood area) not far from stump pass using cut bait. The fish was 27”. Ben Bayhan is 6 years old and loves to fish. This big redfish only fueled his passion. Thanks for the great reports. David Bayhan “Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing” – 813-477-3814 Captain Woody Gore is the area’s top outdoor fishing guide. Guiding and fishing the Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, Bradenton, and Sarasota areas for over fifty years, he offers world class fishing adventures and a lifetime of memories. Single or Multi-boat Group Charters are all the same. With years of organizational experience and access to the areas most experienced captains, Woody can arrange and coordinate any outing or tournament. Just tell him what you need and it’s done.

Visit his website at: WWW.CAPTAINWOODYGORE.COM send an email to wgore@ix.netcom.com

or give him a call at 813-477-3814

SNAPPER – The Bay is loaded with these tasty fish. Although not as big as the offshore grays, they are big enough to give you a terrific tussle on light tackle. Remember, these are reef species and the new laws require the use of circle hooks when using live or dead baits. Shrimp or cut sardines on a ¼ oz. knocker rig works great. Many of these fish will suspend rather than sit on the bottom. MACKEREL & BLUEFISH - If you are looking for some great light-tackle action, look no further. Tampa Bay is full of threadfins and that means Mackerel and Bluefish. Drift the bait schools or anchor around a marker, toss out a white baits or threadfins, and hang on. Shinny artificial lures like silver spoons also work. WWW. WWW.IIN NTTHE HEFFIELD IELDM MAGAZINE.COM AGAZINE.COM

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85% of plant life is found in the ocean. Armadillos have 4 babies at a time and are all the same sex. Goldfish can see both infrared and ultraviolet light. A bear has 42 teeth. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. The only continent with no active volcanoes is Australia. Camel’s milk doesn’t curdle. An elephants ears are used to regulate body temperature. The Amazon rainforest produces half the world’s oxygen supply. Only female mosquitoves bite. The Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific. The cheetah is the only cat that can’t retract its claws. Japan is the largest exporter of frog legs. Your foot is the most common body part bitten by insects. A blue whale can weigh as much as 30 elephants and as long as 3 large tour buses.

Smokin’ WE’RE

WWW.johnsonbarbeque.COM winter haven • plant city

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Colonoscopy I was having dinner in the Directors Lounge during the Florida Strawberry Festival and Dr. Michael Salvato sat down with me. As we ate he mentioned that at my age I needed to have a colonoscopy. He said a colonoscopy is the best available test for detecting and preventing colon cancer. He suggested I stop by his office after the Festival and he would set it up. Although I get squeamish just passing a doctors office in my car, I followed his advice and went in to his office. From what I had heard from other’s that had the exam, a colonoscopy is slightly worse than being buried alive, or walking over hot coals, or taking your kids to Wal-Mart. Mike showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Turkey Creek, Brandon and back to Plant City. When he started to describe my procedure I didn’t hear anything after he said the physician would stick a tube six feet long up my behind and look for such things as polyps, cancer and hemorrhoids the size of a regulation soccer ball. I spent the next few days nervously awaiting a call from the gastroenterologists. They called and gave me instructions of what I had to do the day before the exam. As per their guideline I didn’t eat any solid food the day before the exam, all I had was some chicken broth, which was nothing but flavored water. That evening I took their prescribed MoviPrep. I took a oneliter jug, filled it with lukewarm water. (For those of you that are not familiar with metric system, a liter is about 14 gallons of water) I put in a couple of packets of the MoviPrep and stirred it up until it dissolved. I had to drink the whole jug within an hour. It tasted like horse slobber and toilet cleanser mixed together, with a hint of rotten grapefruit juice. I wondered if Patsy, my wife, would be scarred for life if she finds me lying in a pool of MoviPrep “effects” on the bathroom floor. Let me tell you I had an action packed evening. Finally dozed off on the commode about midnight. Who ever wrote the instructions on the MoviPrep label thought they were being cute. It said, “After you drink it, you will notice ‘a loose, watery bowel movement will occur.” That’s sorta like saying jump out of an airplane without a parachute, and you will hit the ground hard. 22

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NASA must have invented that stuff. I’ll bet it could be used to launch the space shuttle. There were times when I wished the commode had a seat belt. That stuff was so powerful my bowels started singing ballads. One song I recognized was, “The Wind beneath Your Cheeks.” I spent several hours in the bathroom. Boy this stuff worked to epic proportions. It cleaned me out good and proper. But that wasn’t the end of it. I had to drink another liter of MoviPrep and go through it again. When it was over I was weak as pond water, staggering around as if I was on a six-week drunk. The next morning, early, they wheeled me into the examining room, where the doctor and a nurse, along with an anesthesiologist, were waiting. I didn’t see that six-foot tube, but I am sure it was there somewhere. Here they go! They rolled me over on my side, and the anesthesiologist hooked something up on my hand and stuck a needle in it. Pretty soon I got drowsy, and I could faintly hear the radio they had playing a song entitled, “Looking Up Your Back Door’! The next thing I remember was waking up in my room. A nurse was looking down at me. She said, “How do you feel?” I replied, “Fine, but my rear end feels like someone stuck the flag the Marines raised on Iwo Jima in it.” She said, “Mr. Berry, the doctor will be by shortly, but I can tell you, you passed the exam with flying colors. I asked her if I was a good patient, and she said, “Yes, you were. And quite talkative I might add.” What did I say?” I asked. Well the first thing you said was, “Careful Doc, you’re going where no man has gone before”! Then you started singing, “You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out,” but the one that we all cracked up about was when you said, “Now I know how a Muppet feels!” I know a lot of you folks reading this column need to have this exam. I am so eager for you to do this that I am offering a special to the first 50 that take the exam. When you have your exam, let me know by sending me a self-addressed stamped envelope addressed: Colonoscopy Limited Offer, ATTN: Al Berry, In the Field Magazine, 1501 South Alexander St., Suite 102, Plant City, Fl. 33566. I will send you back a special 8 x 10, color certificate, suitable for framing with my signature recognizing you as a Charter Member, of the Al Berry Colonoscopy Club. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


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Waters of the U.S. By Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam

Despite the federal government’s long history of egregious overreach and land grabs, it recently outdid itself.

ers and industrial dischargers will be subject to new and increased regulations.

In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released proposed rules that have the potential to slow – if not reverse – America’s fragile economic recovery. The proposed rules redefine the term “water” in the Clean Water Act, fundamentally changing the intent of the act while dramatically expanding the EPA’s jurisdiction and control over untold bodies of water in the United States and subjecting them to further regulation.

If the proposed changes go into effect, every one of these landowners will be required to obtain a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to build the simplest of structures. This puts the future of Florida’s businesses at the mercy of the federal government and on the timeline of the Army Corps of Engineers. And neither are shining examples of efficiency or common sense.

Previously, the definition of water was generally defined as navigable waters – and waters closely associated with them. These waters were important for commerce and transportation of America’s goods and people. The new definition of water, however, removes “navigable” and adds “other waters” that may have a “significant nexus” to waters already under EPA’s jurisdiction. In addition, the proposed definition includes terms which would expand federal jurisdiction to isolated wetlands far removed from any navigable water and even captures many shallow ditches and ponds that only occasionally hold any water at all.

This is the most significant expansion of federal government regulation on Florida in a quarter of a century, and one that is not based on sound science and has not been adequately studied. And it will be a drain on our state’s economy at a time when we have just recovered from the financial crisis and Great Recession.

As you can imagine, with our unique topography and hydrological makeup, Florida stands to suffer more than any other state by this expansion of federal government authority. Think about how many parts of Florida are occasionally or seasonally wet, especially in agriculture - Florida’s second largest industry. Millions of acres of the Florida landscape will fall under federal jurisdiction if the rule as drafted goes into effect. Landowners such as developers, foresters, farm24

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Even members of Congress – who can rarely come together on an issue – have partnered to fight this crippling overreach. More than half of the members of the U.S. House of Representatives have called for the proposed rule to be repealed and 84 organizations representing farmers and ranchers across the country endorsed their letter calling on the rule to be withdrawn. Despite the chorus of objections, the EPA intends to finalize this rule before the end of the President’s term. For the sake of Florida agriculture, and Florida’s economy in general, we must work together to convince the EPA to ditch the rule. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


BLUEBERRY GROWERS FORM CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO ENDING TYPE 2 DIABETES IN CHILDREN By Jim Frankowiak Driven by the staggering growth of Type 2 diabetes among children, families in the blueberry industry came together and founded the Blueberry Family Health Foundation (BFHF) in October of 2013 with a vision to end this form of diabetes. Once a disease only affecting adults, type 2 diabetes is beginning to plague children in record numbers. With one in three children in the U.S. overweight, childhood obesity is the number one risk factor for type 2 diabetes in children. “The good news is that type 2 diabetes in children is preventable,” said BFHF Executive Director Kari Rosenfeld. Many industry members involved with the organization have family members afflicted with type 2 diabetes. In Kari’s case it was her daughter who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as a sevenyear-old in 1993. Past Florida Blueberry Grower’s Association President Bill Braswell shares Kari’s experience and supports the goals of the BFHF. “It is an opportunity for blueberry growers to step forward and lead a philanthropic effort for children,” said Braswell. The BFHF is a public nonprofit, and will exist as an independent charitable entity that any company, family or individual can support. The foundation was unveiled at the North American Blueberry Council meeting in February 2014 to industry leaders. Since then, the BFHF has received resounding support from growers and marketers who believe in the foundation’s mission and see this as an excellent opportunity to give back and to make a real difference in the lives of children and their families. More than 90 percent of people with diabetes have type 2. Unlike type 1 diabetes, which cannot be prevented, type 2 is linked to lifestyle, lack of proper diet and exercise. Here are some of the risk factors for associated with the development of type 2 diabetes: • Being overweight, in the 85th percentile or above based on age and gender • Having a parent or sibling with diabetes • Being of African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American or Pacific Islander descent • Higher than normal blood glucose (sugar) levels • High blood pressure • Cholesterol (lipid) levels are outside of normal levels. HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) is less than 35 or triglyceride levels higher than 250 • Lack of regular physical activity • Skin around neck or armpits that appears dirty • Blood vessel problems effecting your heart, brain or legs WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

Treatment for type 2 diabetes involves healthy eating (weight loss, if overweight) and being physically active most days of the week. Some may need medication and/or insulin. Prevention can be achieved by losing weight, if overweight; eating a variety of foods that are low in fat and reduce the number of calories you eat each day; physical activity of at least 30 minutes most days of the week; getting enough sleep, treating depression and becoming a nonsmoker may also help prevent diabetes. “Through education and lifestyle changes, we can eradicate this condition in children,” said Rosenfeld. “However, it will take the dedication of everyone – at individual family, community and national levels to turn this crippling and unnecessary epidemic around.” The mission and vision of the BFHF is to improve the lives of children and families by supporting research, education and wellness initiatives. “We plan to do this by uniting our resources in agriculture with the diabetes community to design, fund and implement preventative programs that initially focus on kids’ unhealthy snacking,” said Amelie Aust, BFHF board president and second generation owner at Fall Creek Nursery. “Kids today are eating three times as many snacks as they did 30 years ago, and experts believe these extra calories are a key culprit for childhood obesity. Bringing about this type of serious behavior change in children and their families must be done through the systems children are currently living in the family, the school and the community. We are asking all the hard questions, from assessing barriers to access, education, socio-economic and cultural norms. “Our goal is grand, but we are determined. Agriculture has the resources, the expertise and the influence to make a difference, and the time is now, Aust says. This year, the BFHF is building funding and infrastructure to design programs scheduled to roll out in 2015. To design programs and identify partnerships, the BFHF team is pulling together through leaders from agriculture, diabetes, public health and food service to think outside the box and build a multiyear philanthropic strategic plan to impact unhealthy snacking in your children. “If you share our vision for ending type 2 diabetes in children, please pledge your support today,” said Rosenfeld. For more information about type 2 diabetes, the BFHF and supporting its program, visit http://www.bbfamilyhealth.org. INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

July 2014

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is Born

America’s First Frontier

By Les McDowell

Photos by Linda Constant

Let me do a quick introduction for new readers of my monthly article here at In The Field magazine. My name is Les McDowell and many of you might remember me as being on The Morning Show at WQYK and then at US 103.5. I spent years on the radio and enjoyed ever minute of it. It was said that our morning show was one of the first to be Reality Radio, meaning that I lived what was happening in my personal life out on the radio. We even won the prestigious CMA Award in 2003 for best morning show/ Major market. Well all good things have to come to an end. To be truthful, I was happy it did. My whole world changed and I found myself thinking, what now? What now was stepping out of my comfort zone and turning to doing my Cowboy Poetry on video. I did Cowboy Poetry for many years on Thursdays on the radio and now I was going to video them and put them up on You Tube. I bought a $100 Zoom camera and put one up called, “Coffee in The Morning.” I acted it out and promoted it on Facebook. A lot of the listeners from the radio show watched, also, a lot of new folks from across the country. The next thing I knew my videos were getting longer and some friends and I would act them out around a campfire with horses and wagons. People started following us and requesting for them to be longer. I started building a western 1880’s set as a backdrop for the videos. Then as the videos got longer they turned into Dry Creek. My Facebook friends went from 150 to 5000 overnight as folks followed my dream. The dream of a place called Dry Creek. Then the press 26

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came out to visit this crazy guy who had built a complete western town with the help of friends and donations of wood. Well, a lot has happened in the four short years of my dream. Dry Creek ended up on BlueHighways TV out of Nashville. We were nominated for Best Series/ Family Friendly 2012. We were invited to Washington DC to appear on The Jim Bonanan Show, coast to coast, to discuss Dry Creek and how we were trying to bring family programing back to TV without Hollywood dollars. What started out to be short videos on You Tube, my Cowboy Poetry had turned into a passion for family programing. That passion I found was shared by many people that wanted the same thing. Let me make it clear that it wasn’t Les McDowell who put this all together. It might have been my idea but The Lord guided the boat that led my friends and I and still does to this day. No we haven’t made any money and it’s really not about the money, but something that is more important. Like the other night when I was invited to show our latest Dry Creek episode called, The Doll. It was at Tampa University at The Friends of the Sunscreen Film Festival. At the end a young lady, about 30, came up to me with tears in her eyes, repeating many of the scenes she had just watched. She told my wife and I that she came from a bad childhood and had watched Little House to get her foundation of family life, how to pray before the meal etc. Folks if my dream ends today it’s all been worth it. After all Everybody knows where Dry Creek is....... “cause it’s inside each and everyone of us.” WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


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NATURAL, ORGANIC, GMO – What’s the Difference in these Foods? By Jim Frankowiak

Mary Keith There’s been a good deal of discussion lately about food types and their designations. Some are called natural, others organic and yet others as genetically modified or GMO’s. What’s the difference? Hillsborough County Extension Faculty member, Mary Keith, who specializes in food safety, nutrition and health and holds advanced degrees in food science and nutrition, as well as licensure as a dietitian, has provided the answers to those questions and varied resources for additional information.

NATURAL As to what makes food natural, “the short answer is that ‘natural’ is not legally defined, so there’s not much stopping anyone from calling their product natural,” said Keith. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) simply says that it ‘does not object’ to the term as long as there are no added colors, synthetic substances or artificial flavors. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates food containing meat, poultry, or eggs and it says that ‘natural’ means foods that are minimally processed and contain no artificial ingredients. Other than that there are no limits,” she said. “So, while you could never go pick a loaf of bread off a tree, it can still be called ‘natural,” as long as there are no added colors, artificial flavors or synthetic substances,” Keith said. “But what else goes into it, how it and its ingredients are produced can all be exactly the same as any other loaf of bread. And since there is no specific definition and no way to determine if a food is ‘natural’ or not, there are no ways to measure if ‘natural’ foods are more nutritious, safer or in any other way more beneficial than foods that are not labeled ‘natural’,” she said. “In many cases it is more a marketing ploy to get us to buy more of that brand or to charge us more for that brand. Buyer beware!” Even though there is no measurable difference and it is impossible to prove that something is natural or not, there have been a number of lawsuits objecting to the use of ‘Natural’ on certain foods. As a result, some companies are quietly moving away from using Natural on their labels. The newer terms are “Simply”, “Simple” or “Clean.” So you can be expecting those terms to show up more often, even though they too have no legal definition. Keith noted the USDA has gone on to say, “the natural label does not include any standards regarding farm practices and only applies to processing of meat and egg products. There are no standards or regulations for the labeling of natural food products if they do not contain meat or eggs.” 28 28

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ORGANIC FDA, which regulates all foods except meats, poultry and egg products, does not have or enforce any rules regarding organic or organic labeling. However, manufacturers and producers may contract with any of several private certifying organizations. These organizations verify that the food is being produced following organic guidelines, and then allow the manufacturer to put the organic label or seal on the product. USDA regulates production processes and the processing of meats, poultry and egg products. In 1995, the USDA’S National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) offered the following definition for the term Organic: “Organic agriculture is an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.” “Organic is a labeling term that denotes products produced under the authority of the Organic Foods Production Act. The principal guidelines for organic production are to use materials and practices that enhance the ecological balance of natural systems and that integrate the parts of the farming system into an ecological whole.” “Organic agriculture practices cannot ensure that products are completely free of residues, however, methods are used to minimize pollution from air, soil and water.” “Organic food handlers, processors and retailers adhere to standards that maintain the integrity of organic agricultural products. The primary goal of organic agriculture is to optimize the health and productivity of interdependent communities of soil life, plants, animals and people.” The USDA consumer brochure, “Organic Food Standards and Labels: The Facts,” offers this definition, said Keith: “Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled ‘organic,’ a government-approved certified agency inspects the farm where the food is grown Continued on pg. 78

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115 Years Young: First Baptist Church Midway By: Ginny Mink There are few things that stand the test of time, particularly since this world is so focused on bigger and better. When confronted with something that has conquered hurricanes and upward mobility some people stutter. How can something so seemingly insignificant remain? This is a valid question however the answer is very direct, it’s not insignificant. History and those attached to it are invaluable! One hundred and fifteen years ago Midway Baptist Church was established. At the time there was no Southern Baptist church in the Wilder road vicinity. People had to travel a good distance into Plant City to attend church. Since they were using horse drawn carriages, or their own two legs, any inclement weather sharply hindered progress. Therefore in 1899, Mr. Frank Martin and Mr. C.A. Kendrick helped create the still standing Midway Baptist Church. Mr. and Mrs. Calfrey Wilder donated one acre of land on which to establish the church building. They started building in 1901 but services were held in the strawberry school adjoining the property until the church was completed. Strawberry schools are an important part of Plant City history. They enabled children of strawberry farmers to assist their families during the strawberry planting and harvesting seasons. Strawberry schools were open from April until December. Those who attended say that having to endure school during the hottest months was no big deal as there wasn’t any air conditioning at that time anyway. This was a time when little boys carried pocket knives everywhere and were adept at utilizing shotguns. Children were needed to help with the harvest 32

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in order to sustain the family unit. Simpler times can often be longed for and yet as simple as the lifestyle was, the living it was far from easy! Strawberry schools lasted until 1956. Most of them were without electricity and boasted boys’ and girls’ outhouses. Some had three teachers for up to eight grades. Midway’s strawberry school was probably no different and those attending Sunday services would have brought hand fans in the hotter months and piled on the clothes in winter. The first church building on the property, once completed, consisted of donated timber and labor. The shingles were made from the Cyprus on overflowed land nearby. Prior to completion, Midway called its first pastor, Reverend E.L. Todd. His salary was a whopping twenty-five cents per member, per month. If that’s not incentive to increase attendance we’re not sure what is! Until 1944 pastors were only called to serve for one year at a time. Midway Baptist only met twice a month for actual church services, but Sunday school always happened whether in the morning or the afternoon. In 1930, when Reverend W.D. Cowart became the pastor, he led them into a full time ministry including weekly services. Over the years, the church increased its focus on missions and joined the South Florida Association (which later broke into smaller parts creating the Shiloh Association). Vacation Bible School happened on the property for the first time in 1950. Many areas of growth have occurred over the years, from adWWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


ditions and sales of land, parsonages and buildings. Yet, the heart of Midway remains. The church was established to be a light in a community that was missing God’s touch. It was placed midway between two other Southern Baptist churches and has somehow remained steadfast. It is a landmark and a blessing in the middle of its community. Sunday, June 22, First Baptist Church Midway celebrated its 115th anniversary. Over 200 people were in attendance. Communion was held in the spirit of worship and praise. People who had been separated from the church came home and new visitors were welcomed with open arms. Afterward there was a grand feast prepared by those who regularly attend services at Midway. All were welcome to stay and enjoy the family atmosphere.

I attend Midway each Sunday and decided I would ask my Mammaw to come with us for the celebration. She’s been to some of the other events at church but she’s never been to a service. At the end, Mammaw said to me, “That’s the oddest church service I’ve ever attended in my life.” I thought, oh dear, she hated it (it’s a little contemporary). However, she continued, “And I enjoyed every minute of it! I felt the Spirit of worship here!” I think her comments sum up the reason we attend Midway. She also revealed the reason Midway has lasted 115 years, God is doing something there and He obviously wants it to remain a beacon in Plant City!

Midway is striving to make a difference in the community as well as the world. It provides free formula to families in need (5 cans a Midway’s oldest member was honweek per family), gives out bags of ored with flowers and applause. supplies and snacks to the homeMrs. Deryl Sturgis is 100 years old and can be Mrs. Deryl Sturgis is 100 years old less and supports pastors in India seen on the second row every Sunday. and can be seen on the second row and Africa. Those who attend every Sunday. She’s been a member Midway recognize the gift that at Midway for at least thirty years. comes with salvation and thereThere are other members with lifefore they try to imitate Christ’s long attachments, Carmen Cato, Frances Futch, Betty Lou example. If you’re in need of assistance feel free to contact the Futch, Martha Christie, and Catherine Crowley just to name church, they will do whatever they can. First Baptist Church a few. Carmen is the church’s financial secretary. Midway is located at: 2902 Midway Rd and the phone number is: (813) 752 7209.

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Florida

Rambutan

By Sandy Kaster, M.S. Clinical Medicines, B.S. Nutrition Science A visually spectacular fruit, the Florida rambutan is a delicious, juicy summer fruit in its peak season now. The outer part of the fruit is round to oval shaped, red or yellow, and covered with soft hairs. The shell is removed to reveal a soft, white or pink pulp that is sweet and juicy, with floral notes. The pulp has a grape-like texture, and surrounds a single, glossy brown seed, which is inedible. The flavor is sweeter than the lychee and is sometimes described as a cross between a lychee, kiwi, and grape. Grown widely in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, the rambutan is also grown to a smaller extent in Florida and Hawaii. A member of the Sapindaceae family, the rambutan is in the same family as the lychee, longan, canepa, pulasan, and guarana. Rambutan trees typically fruit twice a year, and are harvested in July and August and again in December and January. NUTRITIONAL PROFILE The rambutan is considered a great source of vitamin C, copper, phosphorus, and potassium. The fruit is naturally low in calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, a 100g portion of fresh rambutan (approximately 10 fruits) contains 68 calories, 1 g protein, 0.1 g fat, 16 g carbohydrate, and 3 g of dietary fiber. It also provides 40% of the Daily Recommended Value (%DV) for vitamin C, 10% for manganese, 9% for copper, 5% for potassium, 4% for phosphorus, riboflavin, and magnesium, and plentiful amounts of other valuable nutrients including iron, calcium, and niacin. Vitamin C: For a strong immune system A single serving of rambutan can meet almost half of your daily vitamin C requirement. Vitamin C is well known for its ability to support a strong immune system. It is also involved in cancer prevention, healthy blood circulation and wound healing. Vitamin C acts as a potent antioxidant in the body, neutralizing harmful free radicals and preventing its damaging effects in cells. Vitamin C also has anti-inflammatory properties that make them helpful for protecting against conditions such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, where inflammation plays a big role. By fighting cell and tissue damage, Vitamin C protects against cancer and other diseases, such as the common cold. This vitamin also enhances iron absorption from other foods, which reduces the risk of anemia. Additionally, it aids in the development and maintenance of healthy capillaries, gums, and skin, as well as strong bones and teeth. Consuming rambutans are a sweet and easy way to get more of this important vitamin! Copper: For iron absorption and more Copper plays a role in a wide range of physiological processes throughout the body. This mineral is involved in iron utilization, development of bone and connective tissue, production of melanin (pigment) in hair and skin, and the elimination of free radicals. It also aids in proper functioning of the thyroid gland and preservation of the myelin sheath that surrounds all nerves. Copper, as well as vitamin C, helps your body absorb more of the iron you eat. A serving (about 10 fruits) of rambutan also contains about 3% of your daily iron requirements. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

Potassium: For blood pressure control Rambutans are high in potassium, a mineral and electrolyte, which promotes healthy heart function and blood pressure control. Potassium helps regulate fluids and mineral balance, aids in muscle contraction, and helps transmit nerve impulses. This mineral counters some of the effects of consuming a high sodium diet, which helps to keep high blood pressure under control. People with low potassium levels are more prone to muscle cramps. Fortunately, rambutans and most other fruits are a rich source of potassium. How to Select and Store Select fruit with a light reddish color, free of blemishes and soft spots. Avoid those with skin that is overly dry, dark, or with wet spots. Rambutans are somewhat fragile and the quality can be maintained longer when refrigerated rather than stored at room temperature. Pat fruit dry, then refrigerate in a perforated plastic bag for up to one to two weeks. Rambutans may also be frozen whole, with the skin on, in a plastic zipper bag. Canned rambutans, found in Asian markets and some grocery stores, are the edible fruits packed in syrup, and provide a convenient way to enjoy the fruit year-round. Rambutan fruit stored in the refrigerator is firmer in texture and more translucent in appearance. How to Enjoy The rambutan is pleasantly sweet, mild, and juicy, and absolutely delicious eaten out-of-hand. To open the fruit, cut or bite through the pliable shell, then peel off the leathery skin. Enjoy the flesh, and remove the pit. Rambutans can also be incorporated into juices, smoothies, and other beverages, as well as in jam, jelly, yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream. • Add to fruit salads • Simmer with aromatics to make a simple syrup • Chop rambutan and add to cereal or oatmeal • Muddle the fruit and mix into beverages • Chop fruit and make rambutan salsa to top fish or meat • Stuff with cottage cheese or whipped cream • Tossed in salads or stir-fries • Sliced as a relish for ham or chicken • Pureed for use in sorbet or ice cream Enjoy delicious Florida rambutans while you can during its short harvest season. With its luscious texture and sweet taste, it’s a nutritious summer treat to savor. SELECTED REFERENCES www.rambutan.com http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/cropfactsheets/rambutan.html INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

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Fruit Networking By Libby Hopkins

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Cell phone technology has advanced a lot since its humble beginnings in 1973. Cell phones nowadays can program our TVs, turn the lights off and on in our houses and even set the alarms on our homes. Ethan Welty and Caleb Phillips are hoping our cell phones will be able to tell us were we can find fresh local produce. They are working on a cell phone application called Falling Fruit and they hope to launch the application in the fall of 2014. “I look forward to the spontaneity of a mobile app,” Welty said. “Being able to browse, add, and edit locations on the go will no doubt encourage more people to participate, and that’s been our goal from the beginning with Falling Fruit.” Welty and Phillips started the website, Falling Fruit (www.fallingfruit.org) as a map of urban edibles that could be updated by its users. According to the website, “Falling Fruit is a celebration of the overlooked culinary bounty of our city streets. By quantifying this resource on a map, we hope to facilitate intimate connections between people, food, and the natural organisms growing in our neighborhoods. Not just a free lunch. Foraging in the 21st century is an opportunity for urban exploration, to fight the scourge of stained sidewalks, and to reconnect with the botanical origins of food.” Welty and Phillips wanted to take the website a step further and make it available in a mobile phone application. “The app is going to be similar to the website in that it is centered around the map,” Phillips said. “Folks will be able to explore what’s in their immediate vicinity, or on the other side of the world.” Users will be able to add points to the map, just like the website, but now with pictures right where they are and in real time. They will also be able to get updates about what is being added in other locations nearby. “We also have big plans for more advanced features like multi-language support, text-only searching for folks without smart phones, searching by season, etc., which will come with time,” Phillips said. After looking at the website and reading all they have planned for the application, one would think both of the men have a background in technology, right? Not so much, Phillips is a research scientist living in San Francisco and Welty lives in Colorado and is pursuing a PhD in WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

studying glaciers in the Arctic. Welty grew up in France and traveled with his parents from farm to farm helping make cheese and baking bread in stone ovens. “Back in Seattle, where I was born, I quickly learned about many of the edible wild plants and frequented the area U-pick farms,” Welty said. When he moved to Colorado, he started to search for local produce to use in his home brewing. “The search for apples led me to mulberries, pears, plums, and ultimately to the City of Boulder Tree inventory, which gave the idea that there must be a tremendous amount of information about trees in cities locked away in municipal offices,” Welty said. “I began traveling by bicycle, with a camera and GPS to start mapping all the fruit trees I could find. By the fall of 2012, I was meeting all my fruit needs in the streets of my city.” Phillips grew up in Portland where he was introduced to wild and urban edibles. “I grew up among roadside ditches filled with Himalayan blackberries, blueberry U-pick farms in the summertime and tart apples on street trees in the fall,” Phillips said. “These days, I balance my ‘day job’ in technology with my role as an urban homesteader. I keep bees, have chickens, and work a four-season front yard garden thanks to the bay area weather.” The men set up a crowd funding website to help pay for the application and to keep the application free for its users. They reached their initial goal of $10,000 and now they are working towards their goal of $15,000 to set up the advanced features for the application. “My hope is that by increasing the mobility of the application we will enable greater and more innovative uses of the map,” Phillips said. “My first hope is the app will increase the portion of the population actively seeking out, mapping, and harvesting free food around the world,” Wetly said. “What I am most excited about is the mobile app is not only more dynamic human/plant interaction but also more spontaneous human/human interaction.” If you would like to learn more about Falling Fruit and the application Wetly and Phillip will be launching this fall, you can visit their website at www.fallingfruit. org. You can also make a donation towards the mobile application through the website as well. INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

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Farmers and Agriculturists Should Love ‘Em: By Ginny Mink

Credit the photos as follows; © Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International, www.batcon.org

The creatures of many nightmares. Those things that definitely go bump in the night (at least if their sonar is malfunctioning). Some are fearful of the supposed blood-sucking kinds while others are just terrified their hair will be dive-bombed. Yes, we are talking about bats, though not just any bats. We’re referring to the gray bat, one that is on the federally endangered listed. The gray bat, myotis grisescens, ranges from southeastern Kansas and central Oklahoma east to Virginia and North Carolina, and from Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, south to Alabama and northwestern Florida. They live in caves and develop maternity communities to keep their hairless young warm in the coolness of their cave homes. Given the vast expanse of their range the fact that there were 1.5 million in the early eighties doesn’t make one think there’s a problem. In Florida, in the nineties, there were only 10,000 during the summer and a few hundred in winter. This population has been on a drastic decline and was first recognized as endangered in 1976. There are only eight or nine caves that 95 percent of the known population hibernates in! There are a couple of factors contributing to the decline in the gray bat. The first is that they are highly vulnerable to disturbances, particularly those that interrupt their hibernation patterns. In fact, cave disturbances have been the major contributor to their endangered status. However, there’s a new enemy on the horizon and that’s known as: white-nose syndrome. Other problems to consider are forestry insecticides and crop pesticides. Bats can die from eating contaminated insects. Deforestation and impounded waterways are also creating troubles for these bats. However, the mere presence of humans with lights in their caves (and they tend to return to specific preferential sites) can create massive distresses for them. Historically, the decline in the gray bat population was initiated during the Civil War’s saltpeter production. Cave commercialization has increased the destruction and therefore cave closures and gating are necessary for protective purposes. Cave protection efforts are necessary for continued progress. However, the number of occupied caves has substantially decreased over the years. We spoke with Kevin Oxenrider, Mammal Projects Biologist, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about Florida’s gray bats. He shared, “The big thing is we only know about them occurring in one county in Florida, mostly in Jackson County where we have documentation of them hibernating in caves up there and also forming maternity colonies in those areas. In the spring and summer time females will join up in these maternity colonies and raise young.” He explained maternity colonies this way, “They form them so that they heat up the area. They go and forage at night and so they want to make sure their young stay warm. Gray bats are cave bats, they are very particular about their habitat; they require cave ecosystems to live. This is different than most of the other bats we have in Florida because other bats can form maternity colonies in things such as bat boxes, houses, trees and things. Gray bats require caves.” 42

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He continued, “Which leads to the reason why they are declining across their entire range in North America, there aren’t a lot of places that are suitable habitats. Those areas are being decimated: you alter temperature, you alter moisture, you disturb that area in any way, it’s going to cause it to become not suitable for gray bats to live. Right now another threat to gray bats has recently evolved: white-nose syndrome which is a fungal disease that has impacted many of North America’s cave-roosting bats.” He further expounded on white-nose syndrome, “Basically the fungus is impacting bats while they’re hibernating when they shut down their immune system and it’s unfortunately causing unprecedented mortality across all of North America, specifically in the Eastern and Midwest portions. We have not seen white-nose syndrome, or the fungus associated with it, here in Florida, yet, but it could get here at some point.” We asked about conservation efforts here and he explained, “We really have not seen many gray bats in Florida for quite some time. We participate in annual surveys of caves during the hibernation season, during the winter, to monitor and see if there is gray bat use. We also are taking a lot of steps to try and prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome, and the fungus, into Florida to protect any gray bats and other cave bats that we have in the area. Florida is the southern extent of the gray bat range so in other states there are much more aggressive conservation efforts. Because Florida doesn’t have a large number of them we basically restrict access to caves where we know that they are during hibernation. We don’t let cavers just go caving in there, but other than that, until we start finding more gray bats and figure out why they are declining, it’s very difficult for us to bring them back.” Bats really are important even if they seem a bit scary. Kevin told us, “They are a consumer of night-flying insects. Bats, in general, are the number one consumer of night-flying insects. A recent article in Science Magazine gave evidence to the fact that bats perform a critical eco-system service in that they eat so many insects. These are insects that can be problematic for humans such as mosquitos, but also for humans in terms of pest species. So, farmers and agriculturalists should really love bats because they have been shown to save them about a billion dollars per year, across America, in pesticides! They did some estimates and were able to attribute billions of dollars in pesticide savings thanks to bats!” Farmers and agriculturalists should do what they can, then, to assist in maintaining bat habitats. He concluded, “So, bats that are starting to die now because of whitenose syndrome and bats that are starting to be more rare, like the gray bat that is federally endangered, that’s a big deal not only for the ecosystem as a whole, but also for people in the sense that they’re not consuming mosquitos that can pass on disease or consuming those insects that are causing crop damage.” Bats are valuable! If you’d like more information about the gray bat, check out these sites: http:// explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Myotis+grisescens http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/five_year_review/doc2625.pdf. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


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Gentle Spirits By Libby Hopkins

The Golden Spirit Alpaca Ranch is one of the best-kept secrets of Odessa. The ranch is home to 187 alpacas. I have to say they are one of the most calm and laid-back animals I’ve ever met. I had the opportunity to learn everything there is to know about alpacas after a recent visit to the ranch. Brenda and Frank Crum are the owners of the ranch and they have made the alpacas extended members of their families. Brenda Crum has made the alpacas her passion. “I want to be the best alpaca breeder in the South East,” Crum said. When they started their journey into raising alpacas back in 2006, they had four alpacas and nine acres of land. Now they have 187 (36 of them are boarders) and 75 acres for the alpacas to roam. “I saw an opportunity with having these animals as livestock and we had some space, so we thought we should look into these animals,” Crum said. “We invested in a long term opportunity to raise livestock that keeps on giving and we strive to preserve the health of our animals with a continual focus on quality to protect that investment.” The history of alpacas can be traced back to time of the Incas. According to the Aragon Alpacas website (www. aragonalpacas.com), “The oldest known records of these animals was 1000 years before the great pyramids of Giza. The Inca nobles demonstrated their wealth by the numbers of alpacas they owned and by showing off their beautiful garments woven from soft alpaca fleece. A thriving Peruvian economy emerged and continued for thousands of years with these animals creating wealth and prosperity for their Inca owners.” There are two types of alpacas, Huacaya and Suri. The Huacaya have dense, crimped, wooly water-resistant fleece. About 90 percent of all alpacas in North America are Huacaya. Suri alpacas have very fine and radiant fiber, which grows parallel to the body in long separate locks. Only 10 percent of the alpaca population in the U.S. is Suri. 46

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Each alpaca born in the U.S. is blood typed before registering. This practice helps keep the North American standards high, the animals healthy and the breeding practices more focused on growing the best alpaca fiber around. “All our alpaca are registered with our registry,” Crum said. “It helps with our breeding decisions.” Alpacas are closely related to Llamas. They are both from a group of four species known as South American Camelids. The Llama is almost twice the size of the alpaca with banana shaped ears and is mostly used as a pack animal. Alpacas are used for their fleece, which is said to be becoming more popular than cashmere. Alpacas don’t like being held and they particularly don’t like having their heads touched. The Crum’s have two Llamas that they use for protection for the alpacas. “The alpacas don’t have a strong instinct to protect themselves,” Crum said. “They can run but they can’t run faster than a pack of dogs and they really don’t have a way of protecting themselves other than kicking or spitting.” Alpacas do spit and it doesn’t smell very nice either. The male alpacas are a bit more aggressive than the females, Crum said, but the females can become aggressive when they are pregnant or another alpaca is invading their space. The gestation period for a female alpaca is 11 ½ months (350 days) and they can breed throughout their entire life. The average life span for an alpaca is 20-25 years. Crum shares all this knowledge with all of her clients when they come to the ranch to inquire about purchasing an alpaca. She offers a complete service when you purchase an alpaca from her ranch and she does her very best to match her clients with the right alpaca. “I provide a full service,” Crum said. “Our husbandry practices, feed, supplies and other needs are developed through consultation with our veterinarian, agricultural management company, feed specialists and even other breeders.” Crum and her staff make sure WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


all their alpacas are healthy and their owners are happy. “If the buyer wants a show quality animal, we’ve got show quality animals here,” Crum said. “If they want to buy an animal to breed and not show, we breed to get the best quality fleece. She said they are paying for the teaching and the mentoring on the care of the alpaca. “I’ve spent hundreds of hours learning about these animals and a lot of money going to seminars to keep learning more about these animals,” Crum said. “We want to make sure these animals are well cared for when they leave us.”

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Crum also wants to educate the public about her alpacas and their fiber. She is hosting a Fiber Fun Day on July 26 at Golden Spirit Alpaca Ranch. The event will also have an introduction to fiber spinner class. If you would like to learn more about the Golden Spirit Alpaca Ranch or if you would like to attend the Fiber Fun Day, you can visit the ranch’s website at www.goldenspiritalpaca.com or call Brenda Crum at 813-920-2475. The ranch is located at 10937 Tarpon Springs Road.

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RecipeS Courtesy of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Chef Justin Timineri

Florida Avocado Smoothie

DIRECTIONS

1. Place avocado and milk in blender (make sure lid is on tight). Blend on high speed until smooth.

2. Add frozen yogurt and ice cubes and continue to blend until smooth and creamy.

3. Serve immediately. 4. Pour any leftovers into an ice cube tray and freeze for later use.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups fresh Florida avocado, peeled and pit removed 1 cup low-fat milk 2 cups vanilla frozen low-fat yogurt 8 ice cubes

Ingredients 4 ears corn, roasted and kernels removed from the cob 2 large tomatoes, diced 1 large avocado, peeled, seeded and diced 1/2 cup red onion, chopped fine 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped fine 1/4 cup fresh cilantro,

hand torn 1 lime, juiced (plus more if desired) 1 teaspoon powdered cumin your favorite hot sauce (for heat) sea salt to taste fresh ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all ingredients.

Stir to combine.

2. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Florida Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salsa 50

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Canning for a Cause By Libby Hopkins

They say everything that is old becomes new again as time passes by. The same could be said about the lost art of canning food. The practice is becoming more popular again since the prices of food keeps rising. People want to be able to make their food last longer. Keeping food longer is one of the reasons Rick Miller of Miller’s Tasty Treats got into canning and dehydrating food. “I’ve always had an interest in food preservation,” Miller said. “My mom and mother-in-law were always making jams and jellies that they canned and I wanted to start making them.” He bought a book on how to make jelly and he started to make jams and jellies. Miller liked canning and decided he wanted to do more of it and find other ways to preserve food. “I started reading about pickling and it made me get deeper into food perseveration,” Miller said. There are many advantages to canning and pickling. The canning process began in 1795 and by 1806 the process was a proven method of preventing microorganisms from contaminating food. Canned foods can have a shelf life of one to two years or longer. It also can be economical when using home grown or local produce. Pickling is very similar to canning. Fermented foods are a good source of nutrients, vitamins, amino acids and healthy bacteria. Pickle juice can be used to help hydration and can be used to decrease muscle cramps caused by heat. Miller then ventured into hydrating and he found that it can be a great way to save foods that he bought in excess, like meats and dry goods. It also helped him save some money as well. “Everything today will be triple the price next year,” Miller said. “Anything you dehydrate today is going to have the same nutrient value as it did the day you sealed it until the next time you open it.” He started canning and dehydrating six years ago and he said he still has stuff that has been around from when he started. Miller started experimenting with different recipes and ingredients to come up with dehydrated soups and chili. His latest creation is maple-bacon peanuts and buffalo peanuts. “I make a maple glazed peanut with bacon and a dash of cayenne pepper,” Miller said. “I also make a buffalo nut with either peanuts or cashews.” He is always looking for new recipes to try out and he said he gets most of his recipe ideals from surfing the web. Miller did a lot of internet surfing while he was recovering from cancer a few years ago. “I’m not a 52

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Rick Miller and his fiancé Beth Morgan are creating a thriving business called Miller’s Tasty Treats. All the money they raise from their treats goes to fund their favorite charities, Miles for Moffitt and Faces of Courage. Their tasty treats include soups, chili and flavored nuts.

cancer survivor, I’m a cancer warrior,” Miller said. “I will fight this disease with every breath I have.” Miller, his fiancé, Beth Morgan, and some of their friends, decided to form a small team to walk for Miles for Moffitt back in 2011. “We didn’t raise that much money that year, but we had a lot of fun and decided to form an official team,” Miller said. The Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies were born. The name was later changed to O’Brien’s Fire Breathing Rubber Duckies after Sean Rice, a dear friend of Miller’s let him hold fundraiser’s at his pub in Brandon called O’Brien’s. “With the help of Sean Rice and all his wonderful staff, we held our first annual Duck Derby in 2012 and we donated $10,000 to Miles for Moffitt,” Miller said. “We became Miles for Moffitt’s number one fundraising team and we set the watermark.” He recently started donating profits from his maple-bacon and buffalo peanuts to the cancer foundation, Faces of Courage. “We are so thrilled that Rick is donating proceeds from these astonishing products to our cancer camps,” said Peggie Sherry, Director of Faces of Courage. “Rick also has come out to camp and slaved in the kitchen the whole weekend. We are doubly blessed he is offering remarkable products and donating his profits to a great cause.” Miller’s Tasty Treats and O’Brien’s Fire Breathing Ducks have become Miller’s passions. He has turned his dining room into a work area for his canning and other treats. “The dining room is all shelves and freezer space,” Miller said. “I prepare the food in my kitchen which has a professional dehydrator with 10 racks, a water bath canner and a professional canner as well.” He also uses his oven for dehydrating if his professional dehydrator is in use. He hopes to keep expanding and finding new recipes to try out. “I want to make this a thriving business so we can have an income stream for Faces of Courage and Miles for Moffitt,” Miller said. If you would like to learn more about the different products Miller offers, you can call him at 813-404-8735. If you would like to learn more about O’Brien’s Fire Breathing Ducks, you can visit their website at www.duckcancer.com. If you would like to learn more about the programs and camps offered at Faces of Courage, you can visit them on the web at www.facesofcourage.org. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


A Persevering Miracle: By Ginny Mink

Layna Blount

Perseverance has a twenty-two year old’s face. When someone with a five percent chance to live, from birth, makes it twenty-two years and is still going, that’s cause for applause. But when that same person makes it 18 years and then has two strokes and discovers she’s got an incurable genetic disease and yet still presses on, that’s cause for a celebration, some woot-woots and all other manner of obnoxious noises of awe and enthusiasm. Layna Blount is a remarkable woman, she is indeed the face of perseverance. We did a cover story on Layna back in 2011, so you might recall her life-experiences. However, just to refresh your memory: at birth they discovered that she had a diaphragmatic hernia. She had to have surgery, be placed on a blood oxygenating system (ECMO) and be fed through a port in her stomach. Her family is one of faith and that faith aided her fight. She pressed on through and became quite a successful child and teenager. Layna always loved horses but she became enraptured with the idea of barrel racing at nine years old. That led her to compete a good deal. At some point she set aside some of her horse aspirations to be a cheerleader and get involved in other high school clubs and extra-curriculars. She started working at Panera and that’s where she experienced her first stroke. That stroke left her with permanent damage to her left peripheral vision. Combined with the other stroke, Layna has suffered blindness and paralysis, though these things have righted themselves over the years with a lot of hard work and prayer. We caught up with Layna because we’d heard some amazing news and wanted an update from her. She shared with us, “I still have the sickness; I still deal with it daily. I’m still on tons of medicine but I feel like I do get stronger every day. Of course the horse riding makes me better, whenever I’m not feeling great, or I’m down, I go and ride and it just kind of builds my spirit up. It helps me out a lot! I have gotten the strength to go back to my old job, Panera. Five days a week was too tiring for me so now I just do two days a week. I’m doing better than I was years ago. I’m no longer with a cane, no longer with a walker, no longer with a lot of the medicines I was on. My walking is so much better than it used to be. I still deal with pain. If I go one day without any pain it’s a great day for me! The condition I have attacks different parts of my body.”

and came home. I have progressed from there. I don’t have to have assistance like I used to. I wake up every morning and I just thank Him every single day. I thank Him for giving me the strength to walk, to see. I can’t see completely, but I just really thank Him every day because if it wasn’t for Him, I wouldn’t be alive. I really do have strong faith.” Then she began the real story, “I’ve always rode horses. The doctor’s said I’d probably never be able to ride again and that just crushed my heart completely. We went back for a check-up and they told me, you can get back on your horse. That was the greatest gift I could ever get. That very day I got home I went and got on one of our horses. I got on as if I had just rode the day before. I knew what I was doing. From that day on I’ve been riding. I can’t ride every single day because if I do have some pain I obviously can’t go out there. But, I got back on my horse! Unfortunately, the horse I’d ridden all my life was getting old; we had to put her down last year. Thankfully, she gave us a foal about five years ago and my dad was in the process of training him. One day my dad said, just go out there and get on him. From that point on I’ve been riding him; he has just been a blessing to me. It’s like he knows that I’m not as strong as I used to be. He’s never tried to throw me off, he’s never bucked. He’s never done anything mean towards me. He’s just the greatest horse I’ve ever laid eyes on and got on. I go to shows every Saturday. He just goes out there and does his thing. It’s like I don’t even have to tell him what to do.” Finally she shared her riding results, the part you’ve all been waiting for, “I rode him at State Finals last year and we made a decent time. I was glad with the time we made but I obviously didn’t place. So this year I’ve been working really hard with him, hoping to do better than I did the year before. We went this year, we were there a week. I ran three times. I was in the top thirty. I ran a 16.194. That took us to the finals. There were 200 riders in the finals. The top twelve riders got money. I was fourteen. I ran again my third time; I was praying my heart out, Lord just help me make a decent run. Not only did I make a good time, I made a way better time! I ran a 16.151. That, thankfully, made it to the top twelve. I made eighth place. I cried, I couldn’t believe it! If it wasn’t for the horse I had and the faith I have, all that God has done for me, I know it was a God thing, I really do! I prayed every single night before I went to bed and every morning before I went out to ride.” With guts and faith like that, first place is in the future for this persevering miracle. Way to go Layna!

We asked her about how she handled the news initially. She told us, “Probably there were two or three times where I just wanted to give up. There was one day I was hallucinating from the medicine, I was seeing crazy things, they would just kind of scare me; I was pretty much blind at the time. I remember my grandparents were in there and I just sat up and told them, I’m giving up, just take me home. If I live, I live and if I don’t make it, I don’t make it. I was just in so much pain. I wanted to give up. I was praying. I just said, God, what do You want me to do? Do You want me to go home and deal with this every day? What are You going to do? I felt like something powerful just came upon me and it was like He told me, don’t give up, I didn’t give up on you when you were born. He was telling me, in my mind, I didn’t give up on you then, I’m not going to give up on you now. So I said, ok, I’m going to keep going.” She continued, “Thankfully with His help and the faith that I have, I continued to get better and better and I eventually left the hospital WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

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No Charge For Strawberry Growers

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FEDERALLY-FUNDED IR-4 PROJECT HELPS DOMESTIC SPECIALTY CROPS Among them – Florida Strawberries By Jim Frankowiak Specialty crop growers in Florida and the nation have a friend and ally in the federally funded Interregional research project No. 4 (IR-4). This is a way to help these growers solve their pest management issues by procuring registration of reduced risk pesticides that integrate well into existing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs. Why is this important, you might ask? The answer is obvious if you recognize that the designation specialty crops includes fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, herbs, ornamental and other high value horticultural crops that are grown on 300,000-acres or less. This includes strawberries, an important and high value crop in our area. Collectively specialty crops make up about 40 percent of the total value of U.S. crop production, another important consideration. IR-4 has served as the major resource for supplying pest management tools for specialty crop growers since 1963. Its mission is to “facilitate registration of sustainable pest management technology for specialty crops and minor uses.” This is achieved by developing data from residue trials according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated good laboratory practices (GLP) guidelines to support new tolerances and labeled product uses. Chemical companies that develop and sell plant protection products, pesticides, focus their resources on research and development, registration, production and marketing of crop protection products in major markets where there is likely to be a favorable return on invest-

Spray output from a residue trial on chives that was conducted at the UF Plant Science Research and Education Center in Citra FL. 56 56

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ment. That is not typically the case with respect to small markets such as those associated with specialty crops. This result is a major void for specialty crop growers and protection of their crops. For a pesticide to be legally used in the U.S., its use must be registered or exempted by the USEPA as mandated by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). IR-4 is the only program that generates GLP data in support of petitions submitted to the EPA to secure establishment of new tolerances and labeled uses for specialty crops. The IR-4 project, which is headquartered at Rutgers University in Princeton, NJ, consists of four regional programs, each housed at land grant universities across the country. The IR-4 Southern Region (SOR) Office is based at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville and serves as the home base for both the Southern Region field program and analytical laboratory. Annually, the SOR conducts approximately 100 residue field trials across the region. Two dedicated IR-4 SOR Research Centers are located at the Plant “Science Research and Education Center (PSREC) in Citra, FL and the Tropical Research and Education Center (TREC) in Homestead, FL. GLP residue field trials are conducted at the centers based on EPA commercial production areas. Once the trials are completed, frozen residue samples harvested from the experimental sites are analyzed and the results get compiled at IR-4 headquarters where they are bundled into petitions that are submitted to the EPA to establish a tolerance for a particular chemical/commodity combination.

Test material application to papayas for an IR-4 residue study conducted at the IR-4 Field center at UF Tropical research and education center in Homestead FL. WWW. WWW.IINNTTHE HEFFIELD IELDM MAGAZINE.COM AGAZINE.COM


The Citra Field Research Center, which focuses on vegetables, citrus, herbs and other commodities, is led by Dr. Peter Dittmar, while Dr. Jonathan Crane oversees the Homestead Center and its tropical fruits emphasis.

The project has played an integral role in the registration of pesticides important to strawberry production. To date, nearly 50 active ingredients (including insecticides, fungicides and herbicides) have been registered for use in strawberries through the IR-4 Project.

The SOR office works closely with numerous faculty and Extension personal from UF at the various research centers across Florida. UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences personnel communicate grower needs and issues to IR-4, submit project requests, aid with project needs prioritization and generate efficacy and performance data in support of project request when needed. This year, Gulf Coast Research and Education Center faculty are generating efficacy data to support project requests for several herbicides and insecticides.

To learn more about the IR-4 Project, including the submission of requests, contact Dr. Michelle Samuel-Foo, the IR-4 Southern Regional Field Coordinator at UF. Her email address is mfoo@ufl.edu and her phone number is 352/392-1978, Extension 406.

Over the years, IR-4 has responded to more than 750 Florida requests for registration of pest management products for food crops. The program provides an essential service to specialty crops growers in the state and nation by enabling reduced risk pesticide registrations to control key insect, disease and weed pests.

GLP residue trials require real time data capture as is illustrated here.

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Pal-in’ Around with the Fam: Building a Pallet Herb Garden By Ginny Mink

If you have spent any time on Pinterest and have even a slight bent, or mental gnawing when it comes to creative ventures, then I suspect you may very well have discovered the rage that is repurposing. People are hooked on taking old things and making them useful, probably because the dumps are starting to stink up the subdivisions. Regardless of the reason, the creativity that’s being utilized is worthy of note and admiration. Truth be told, I enjoy creative endeavors and have made bird feeders, with my children, out of plastic water bottles. I thought that was pretty nifty until I was introduced to the wide realm of pallets.

I had to convince him, of course, that we needed this herb garden and that it would be fun! So, here’s the set up for you complete with pictures so that you can do this at home as well. Let me tell you, this turned out to be a whole family event and honestly, I think it was one of the best times we’ve had in a while (well, camping was way more fun, but this was still cool). I am at an advantage though and that’s because my husband is hugely talented with his hands and he has lots of tools! He’s also way better with a tape measure than I am because I got the wood cut at Home Depot but only two pieces fit, he had to fix my mistakes (I’m so blessed).

Yes, pallets, those things that people are constantly offering for free on craigslist. What good are they? Well, I’ve seen people turn them into bars for their deck areas, super cool vintage looking coffee tables and rustic picture frames. However, as of this moment, my new favorite repurposing concept as applied to pallets has to be the pallet herb garden. This can be free standing, like ours, or can be something you hang on the wall, like the first one I saw. I am fortunate enough that a guy down the street happens to be putting an addition on his house and that requires pallets of concrete block. He laid some out by the road and I sent Jaidyn, my eldest, to ask if we could have them. Needless to say, we hauled two very heavy duty pallets back to the house much to my husband’s chagrin. My repurposing fervor hasn’t ignited the same passion within him.

Step 1: Acquire pallet and then measure the width and length of each of the six sections. More than likely you are going to need a 2 x 4 although I guess a 1 x 4 would work, too. Step 2: Cut the wood to fit the six spaces so that you are creating bottoms for your planters. Nail them in.

Step 3: If you are lucky enough to have a sawsall, use it to remove excess planks and then move and nail them where you want them for the proper planting depth. We made ours two planks deep. 60

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Step 4: Drill holes into the bottom pieces in each section so that they can drain.

Step 6: Decorate as you desire. Add additional wood to make it stand up (my husband came up with that part on his own). Step 7: Fill with your soil preference and either plant seeds or transplant pre-grown herbs. Step 8: Access fresh herbs for cooking whenever you want!

Step 5: Paint your pallet garden as this will help keep the wood sturdy longer than if it were directly exposed to the weather and the watering.

Pretty simple, right? It really was a simple concept though it takes quite some time, especially if you are trying to make sure things are done properly, like going back over the areas the kids missed when painting. We haven’t planted our herbs yet, but we are looking forward to accessing them along with our cantaloupes and corn (which are growing in the flower bed in the front yard). I suspect that you’ll discover the greatest value in this project is in giving your kids the ability to use tools, to work, and to spend time creating something worthwhile with you. I know my husband thoroughly enjoyed being able to help Hazel, our only girl, learn to use the drill both to create holes and to stir the paint. I know Jaidyn loved being able to hammer some nails in and drill holes, too. Listen, there are so many other things we can be doing with our kids on the weekend that are fun and useful, not everything has to center on technology or food. If you have any questions about this project, or if you’d like more information or photos you can contact me at ginnymink@gmail.com. I hope to be doing many more family projects so I’ll keep you updated!

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By Ginny Mink

The Crum Ranch

This month’s agricultural exposure for my lovelies was difficult. At first I thought it would be great for them to see how bread was actually made. Certainly Hazel thinks that it’s just available at Publix. She’s no concept of the grain that initiates its existence. However, local bakeries and bread making companies either don’t allow tours, or won’t let you take pictures on the inside of their facilities. So…I was back to square one. Then I recalled a man who had invited us to his ranch. We’d never taken him up on the invitation. So, when I contacted Mr. Crum I was ecstatic to discover we were still welcome to visit! On our ride out to the thousand acre property, Hazel exclaimed from the back seat, “I’ve never been to a ranch!” I asked if she was excited and the enthusiasm in her, “YES!” was palpable. You see, her favorite show is Calliou (I despise the character, by the way) and on one episode his dad took him to a ranch. I suspect she’s been slightly jealous ever since. Thusly, when she discovered she’d be visiting one I think a dream came true for her, one I didn’t even know existed. Mr. Crum’s property is immense, it’s a thousand acres after all, and the one mile driveway is actually a pleasant drive as the road is under a hammock of trees and wildlife is readily visible. Thankfully we chose to arrive in the morning so we were able to see some super cool things. I’m not going to lie, I think I was more enthralled by the experience than my three, but I know they definitely enjoyed themselves as well. Mr. Crum met us at the gate and led us back to the barn. We got out and he asked Jaidyn to let out the chickens. Well, Jaidyn must be scary because the chickens weren’t interested in coming out. Mr. Crum directed him to go into the pen and kind of instigate their departure. This got them all stirred up and they flapped around like there was a fox in the hen house. Hazel screeched in terror at the beating of the wings and Zeke stared at her from his stroller, dumbfounded. Once the chickens were released Mr. Crum filled up some old coffee tubs with pellets and directed us to hop in his truck. “We’re goin’ for a ride,” he told us. My three piled in the back seat, Zeke was thrilled as he’s never been without a car seat. I think Hazel was equally excited. This began our nearly two hour tour of the property. The first road (I say road but really it was more of a mowed down path) we took was impassable as a tree had fallen in the night. “I’ve got to tell my ranch manager about that,” Mr. Crum informed me and turned us around. “We’ll just have to go another way,” he announced as we plowed up a rather steep incline. The kids were eagerly looking out their windows and when they saw the cows Hazel declared, “Horses!” I laughed and Jaidyn got her straightened out, “Those aren’t horses, they’re cows!” The cows were quite tame as they eagerly approached the truck, close enough to reach out and touch them. Zeke was screeching with utter delight in the back seat. This was a stark difference from his last exposure to agricultural animals. In fact, he was reaching his hands toward the windows as if he wanted to embrace the cows. Mr. Crum put Zeke in his lap and let Zeke “help” him drive. You should have seen Zeke’s face and heard the elation in his squeals. 64

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On we went, and Mr. Crum explained about the history of his land, the fact that it used to be mined for phosphate and how that had left some terrific pasture land for his Spanish cattle. His cattle are grass fed, with pellets added to direct them into the separate pastures. They roam freely and he says they are the remnants of the cattle brought over by the Spaniards. He told us that they’re heartier than some other breeds because they have adapted to the Florida climate and can survive on other vegetation when the grass is sparse. Then he showed us the donkeys. Hazel told me later, “My favorite part was the horses.” I informed her, as I had in the truck, that they were donkeys. I don’t think she believes me. In fact, she’s still talking about the horses. I’ve given up trying to correct her. The donkeys were impressive, though most the ones I’ve been exposed to have been small, these were quite stately and muscular. Apparently there is one horse running wild on the property and she’s pregnant, thanks to one of those massive donkeys. We didn’t get to see her though. I think for the kids the best part was when he took us to the lake. He actually stopped several times around the lake and we all got out. At one point, the kids walked out on his dock and began to feed the fish with the pellets he’d prepared. “This would be a great place to fish!” Jaidyn declared and Mr. Crum just laughed. Hazel let out a shrill squeal when the fish thrashed about in the water after the pellets she’d thrown in. We saw alligators and great herons and soft shell turtles. It was truly incredible, what a blessing to have that kind of property and how blessed we were to have been able to enjoy it for a moment! I’ve saved the best for last: while on the property we saw five deer. Four fawns and one doe. Of course the greatest thing about that was I was able to take some pictures of them. The doe ran away because I couldn’t get Hazel to be quiet (as we were on our way out of the property when we saw her), so I missed the ability to capture her photographically. However, I’m still in awe about the fact I was able to take pictures of deer so close to my own home. I think I forget that we’ve encroached on their land and so any place that’s mostly untouched becomes a perfect home for them. I’m glad Mr. Crum refuses to turn more of his property into pasture. He likes it being God’s country and so do we! Mr. Crum is a terrifically sweet man and as we made our way back to the barn he invited us back whenever we’d like to come. He also told us that we’d probably only seen 1/3 of the property in that nearly two hour visit. Before we could leave the kids took turns on the John Deer tractor parked in the barn. This was because when we’d first arrived and I told them Mr. Crum was coming to the gate, Hazel asked with great delight, “Will he be on a tractor?” So before we left I told her she could try out his tractor. Jaidyn wanted to get on it, too. I thought that was pretty funny, but he was obviously pleased with himself. Mr. Crum hugged us all goodbye once the pictures were over and reminded us to come again. I hope we will! We are so enjoying these opportunities to explore and learn about agriculture. If you have any suggestions as to places we should visit, please send us an email and let us know your recommendations. You can reach us at ginnymink@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing your comments. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


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A Unique Wedding Setting Steeped in History and Committed To Creating Your Perfect Day By Jim Frankowiak | Photos by: Stephanie Humphrey

The Southern Barn at Lonesome G Ranch officially began to offer discerning couples a very special place to exchange their vows in 2012, but the foundation for what is offered can be traced to 1863. That is when the Gill family first came to the land in southern Hillsborough County and began what is today – some six generations later – a Brahman influenced commercial cow calf operation with a portion of the ranch set aside amid majestic sprawling oaks and historic structures for southern weddings that cannot be replicated. “We are a hardworking truly southern farm family today just as the Gills have been since 1863,” said Debbie Gill, who, with her six comembers of The Southern Barn Executive Design Team, brings the magic to weddings at their location. In addition to Debbie, the team is comprised of family members Kaitlyn Gill-Donley, Kaylie Gill, Theresa Cline, Cyndi Hendrix, Lynda McGhin and Ashley Moody, who holds an event management degree from the University of Florida.

“There is a portion of our family ranch that is just ideal for weddings and other gatherings. You simply can’t build what nature has created and that helps make it something very special.” The Southern Barn is located in Fort Lonesome, Florida off of County Road 674, approximately three quarters of a mile west of State Road 39 on Bill Taylor Road in far southern Hillsborough County. Located on 250-acres, the natural beauty and elegance of the land is unmatched. Southern charm and personality abound in the large Majestic Barn, the Grandfather Oaks and Covered Bridge with flowing creek and pond. An Old General Store has been replicated on the site and typically serves as the gathering point for male members of the wedding party. Each of the distinctive structures and adjacent oaks are available for wedding parties as is the Bridal Cottage. The first wedding held at the venue was Ryan Gills’ in 2008. He is Debbie’s son. “Since then we have had other weddings for family and friends and they all enjoyed and complimented us on the location and unique style each of those ceremonies featured,” said Debbie. “As a result we were encouraged to consider a business offering not only our location and facilities but overall wedding services. After some thought, our team decided to move forward, but we did so in a way that is only available at The Southern Barn and for our clientele.” Wedding groups at The Southern Barn range in size from 100 to 300 attendees. Parking is readily available adjacent to the site and guests may walk or ride a shuttle operated by staff members to the venue. “Most often couples exchange vows under stately oaks with views of rolling pastures,” said Gill. “Should the weather not cooperate, we can easily relocate the ceremony and reception to comfortable enclosed buildings richly lit by chandeliers and beautifully appointed with charming, sophisticated vintage antiques.” Each ceremony is unique at The Southern Barn. “The majority of brides-to-be have an idea of what they want for their wedding,” said Gill. “Once they commit to us, we arrange for a meeting of the

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One aspect of wedding planning and execution that is sometimes overlooked to the detriment of the bride’s mother and often the groom’s is responsibility and involvement the day of the event. “Our team takes full responsibility for all aspects of our service so that every member of the wedding party can fully enjoy the ceremony and day. While we welcome their involvement during the planning stages, we assure the day of the wedding is theirs.” To enable The Southern Barn to fully meet the expectations of the couples they serve, the team only commits to one wedding per weekend. Typically, the wedding takes place on Saturday with the rehearsal dinner on the Friday evening before. “We can alter to meet special requests, but even though this is a business endeavor, we will not compromise our standards by having more than one wedding on any given weekend,” said Debbie. The Southern Barn wedding “season” is usually the cooler months of the year, though the venue is comfortable during the summer. couple and our team on site to hear of their plans and help crystallize and finalize what is eventually to take place. Our commitment is one of full-service and omits no dimension of wedding planning in the custom approaches we complete with and for each of our client couples. ” The Southern Barn service offering includes catering, florist, DJ and venue. “The preferred vendors we work with share in our commitment of responsible and full service,” said Debbie. “Each is experienced and trusted, offering our clients the customization they desire.” Catering is typically provided by either Simply Southern Catering of Plant City or Terrie Lobb Catering, which is based in Bartow.

Couples married at The Southern Barn have come from central Florida and the east coast of the Sunshine State “and we will soon have a couple from Georgia exchange their vows at our location,” said Debbie. Though just opened in 2012, The Southern Barn has garnered recognition from several premier media outlets. Among them SOUTHERN WEDDING Magazine which named The Southern Barn a Blue Ribbon Venue and one of its weddings was an editor’s pick at KNOT Magazine, a national wedding publication. It has also won praise from Rustic Wedding Chic and Tampa Bay blogs.

The Southern Barn seeks to appeal to southern brides, offering vintage style and rustic elegance. “We have had ceremonies where tuxedos and gowns were featured and others where jeans, vests and boots were the noteworthy attire. In each case, as with any we help create, our service offering matched the ideas and desires of the couple to be married. “As a centennial farm, we are blessed with many vintage items from furniture and artwork, to other items characteristic of the past that enable us to create tablescapes and décor for our ceremonies and receptions,” said Debbie. “We even have antique church pews. Our team also enjoys what has come to be known as picking and we have traveled throughout the southeast acquiring items that expand the style and elegance we are able to offer the couples we work with to make their wedding day memorable.” In addition to antiques and other vintage items, The Southern Barn has several period vehicles and access to others to bring that dimension to the couple’s special day. The bride is most often driven to the ceremony in an antique vehicle. “Overall, I truly think one of the surprising satisfactions of The Southern Barn and our team activities are the truly personal relationships that we develop with the couples we work with. We find that they have become more than just our clients. We consider them our friends and I know the feeling is mutual. It’s hard, but enjoyable work that we all enjoy. And that goes back generations and reflects our agricultural heritage and southern lifestyle. This is a legacy we will leave to our future generations.” For more information about The Southern Barn and the vast list of options it has available for those seeking truly elegant, southern style weddings, visit: http://www.thesouthernbarn.com. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

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We Help Your Business

GROW.

Web Design Graphic Design Lead Generation Online Marketing Content Development Branding exocreative.com 929.500.1396 301 S. Collins Street, Plant City

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Agriculture AWARDS ANNOUNCED FOR

2014

The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce Agri-Business Committee is pleased to announce this year’s agriculture award winners. The awards will be presented at the Salute to Agriculture Contact Breakfast to be held in the Grimes Family Agricultural Center (Florida Strawberry Festival® grounds), Wednesday, August 13, at 7:30 a.m. The cost is $15 a person, and you may call the Chamber at (813) 754-3707 for reservations.

RSVP is required by Friday, August 8 at 4:30 pm.

The awards are as follows:

Agriculturist of the Year Dale McClellan

Young Agriculturist of the Year

Marc Sewell & Marshal Sewell

Ag Educator of the Year Rhonda Burnette

Agri-Business of the Year

Highland Packaging Solutions

Supporter of Youth in Agriculture The Grimes Family

Committee Chair Debbie Simpson said, “We are pleased to be able to recognize these outstanding individuals and businesses. Their contributions make a significant difference to the agriculture industry in Plant City and Hillsborough County.” 70

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Market Watch: o.e. market by: Libby Hopkins

Being a journalist is truly the coolest job in the whole wide world. I get to travel to different places and meet all kinds of people. I especially love going to the different farmer’s markets and urban markets that I write about in my column. I get to see how the vendors at these markets are keeping farming traditions alive and well all while boosting the local economy through running a small business. On a recent outing, I had the chance to visit the new O.E. Market in downtown Tampa. O.E. stands for Oxford Exchange, which is where the market got its start. “The O.E Market opened about seven months ago,” said Emily Engelman, manager of the market. “The market was opened to offer fast to go items for those who really didn’t have time to sit down and have a nice brunch or lunch experience like they do in the Oxford Exchange café.” The Oxford Exchange is a bookstore, gift shop, coffee shop, tearoom and café all under one roof. The building that houses the Oxford Exchange was originally built in 1891 as a stable for the old Plant Hotel, which is now the University of Tampa. The building has had many faces in its 122-year history. In the 1920s an arcade of shops ran through the center of the building from Kennedy Boulevard to Grand Central. Owner and Tampa businessman, Blake Casper, kept the arcade theme alive when he built the Oxford Exchange. When you walk into the Oxford Exchange, you walk down a long corridor with the shops on either side. You get the feeling you are on elegant vacation in Europe. Urban markets like the O.E. Market are on the rise in many downtown areas across the country. According to Urbanland Magazine (www.urbanland.uli.org), “Downtown and urban neighborhoods are seeing new grocery store development, with a revolution in store design, location in mixed-use projects, parking solutions, and have a role within neighborhoods.” Since the O.E. Market is so close to the University of Tampa and The Tampa Tribune, most of the market’s customers walk over and grab a snack or some of the cold press juices the market has to offer. “We are in a great location to make this market happen,” Engelman said. “We are one of the first markets to pop up in the South Tampa area.” Their cold press juices and gluten free treats brings in customers from the downtown Tampa area and as far away as St. Petersburg. Cold 74

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pressing is a process of hydraulically extracting fruit and vegetable juices so you get the highest quality plant-based nutrition all while preserving their vitamins, enzymes, trace mineral and overall nutrients. “All of our juices are cold pressed and 100 percent natural,” Engelman said. “All the produce for our juices comes from Global Organics and we use local organic citrus as well.” All of the pastries served at the market are either gluten free, organic or paleo-friendly. “We also have vegan truffles and vegan protein bars that are awesome as well,” Engelman said. Another draw to the market it the O.E. Clean Sweep, which is a juice cleanse. The juice cleanse can be done as a one-day, three-day, or six-day package. The first juice in the cleanse package is the cacao cashew which is cashews, water, raw cacao, dates and sea salt. “Cacao is a natural caffeine and it has all the protein and calories you need to start your day,” Engelman said. The second is the green bliss, which is kale, spinach, apples, and lemon. Engelman said this juice has all the essential vitamins you will need for the day. The third juice in the juice cleanse is the spicy lemon, which is lemon, cayenne, agave and water. This juice helps to balance your blood’s PH and the cayenne helps with digestion. For the fourth juice, you drink another green bliss. The fifth juice is the beet down. This juice includes beets, apples, carrots and lime. “The beet down is our detox juice,” Engelman said. “It helps remove the toxins from your system.” The last juice of the day is the almond vanilla juice, which has almonds, water, dates, sea salt and cinnamon. This juice should be consumed at the end of the day to help you relax. Engelman said they can also customize the juice cleanse packages for you as well. The juices are also sold in the café at the Oxford Exchange. The Oxford Exchange and the O.E. Market are very unique and are not your typical retail store or grocery store. “The Oxford Exchange is not a chain and we are the only Oxford Exchange in Tampa,” Engelman said. “That was the goal of our owner to make a unique brand and have something different to offer than everyone else.” If you would like to learn more about the Oxford Exchange, you can visit them on the web at www.oxfordexchange.com or call 813-2530222. If you would like to learn more about the juices and foods offered at the O.E Market, you can visit them on the web at www.oemarket.com or call 813-259-0125. The O.E. Market is located at 125 Hyde Park Ave. in Tampa. The Oxford Exchange is located at 420 W. Kennedy Blvd. in Tampa. WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


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Come To Southside For Some Last Minute Fun!

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Continued from pg. 28

to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.” Organic farming, per the USDA, entails: “Use of cover crops, green manures, animal manures and crop rotations to fertilize the soil, maximize biological activity and maintain long-term soil health. Use of biological control, crop rotations and other techniques to manage weeds, insects and diseases. An emphasis on biodiversity of the agricultural system and the surrounding environment. Using rotational grazing and mixed forage pastures for livestock operations and alternative health care for animal wellbeing. Reduction of external and off-farm inputs and elimination of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and other materials, such as hormones and antibiotics. A focus on renewable resources, soil and water conservation and management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological balance.” As you can see with all the definitions, Organic depends on HOW something was grown or produced. It says nothing about the final quality or nutritional value. And the evidence that there is any nutritional or quality difference is very controversial.

Genetically Modified Organism – GMO Genetically modified organisms (GMOs), or Genetically Engineered (GE) organisms are used for a variety of purposes, such as to produce human insulin, vaccines or enzymes used in cheeses, fermented beverages and starch products. Currently, eight crops are commercially available from genetically modified seeds in the United States: corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, alfalfa, sugar beets, papaya and squash. Both traditional plant breeding and genetic engineering involve altering the genes of a plant to make a better variety. Breeding involves random mixing from two parent plants which results in a new variety that contains the desired characteristic and possibly other unwanted characteristics. With genetic engineering techniques it is possible to change just one characteristic without causing other associated but lessdesirable changes. For those interested in additional information, Keith suggests the following websites “for reliable information”: http://GMOanswers.com http://www.biofortified.org http://www.geneticliteracyproject.com www.tinyurl.com/GMlinks. The USDA’s brochure on its National Organic Program is accessible at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/Consumers/brochure.html. Keith may be reached via email: mkeith@ufl.edu or phone: 813/744-5519, Extension 54136. 78

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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FAIR EXPANDING AND ADDING EVENTS Harvest Award Nominations Sought By Jim Frankowiak

Fair Manager, Tom Umiker on left, Fair Board Member, Robert McElheny on right

The Greater Hillsborough County Fair is extending its annual run to two, long weekends and adding some new events to broaden its appeal to the community. “We will begin the fair with our annual Harvest Awards Luncheon Thursday, October 23, here at the fairgrounds,” said Fair Manager Tom Umiker. “Friday and Saturday we will have our Ranch Rodeo and Sunday afternoon we will introduce Mexican style bull riding.” The Fair’s first week will also include the Beef and Swine competition, plus Rabbit and Poultry exhibits. The fair will resume the following weekend, October 31 and November 1 and 2, with “our Bulls and Barrels Event” on Friday evening, our inaugural Truck and Tractor Pull on Saturday and our first Demolition Derby on Sunday afternoon,” said Umiker. The second week will also include Dairy, Sheep and Goat competitions. “Thanks to our fine group of tireless volunteers, we are able to not only extend the fair over two weekends, but also add some new events that we are certain the community will find most enjoyable.”

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And, although the Hillsborough County Fair is still several months away, Umiker wants to remind everyone that the deadline for Harvest Award nominations is September 5.

Nomination categories include: Farm Family of the Year Urban Agriculturalist Outstanding Public & Community Service Agribusiness of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award Nomination forms are available by visiting the Fair’s website: www.hillsboroughcountyfair.com. In addition to contact information for the nominee and nominator,

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the form requests a brief statement of why the nominee should be recognized and his or her major contributions to agriculture in Hillsborough County. The non-negotiable submission deadline is September 5. Nominations are reviewed by a 12-member, confidential panel. Award recipients will be recognized at the October 23 Harvest Awards Luncheon sponsored by Mosaic Co. Fair entertainment also includes the Firefighter Show and Robinson’s Racing Pigs. Among other events are the Antique Tractor, Engine and Equipment Show; Harvest Pageant for Children & Babies; Bay Area Bandits Shooting Club Match; Children’s Group Tours; Harvest Queen Pageant; Hills borough County Talent Showcase; Youth Horse Show; Livestock Shows, Ranch Rodeo and annual Swine Sale, as well as the first-time Truck and Tractor Pull, Demolition Derby and Mexican Bull Riding. The Fair also offers a range of competitions including Battle of the Bands, Cow Whip Contest, Chili Cookoff, Kids Coloring Contest, Cornhole Tournament, Kids

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Cooking Contest, Family Living Arts & Crafts, Hay Bale Decorating, Spotlight Talent Competition, Horticulture Competition, Recycled Yard Art, and Visual Arts. “We are deeply indebted to our sponsors and growing number of volunteers who have made this annual family event what it is and have enabled us to extend its duration and growth in events and competitions.” Umiker said that fairgoers will also see a new Fair office building and conference facility able to accommodate groups of up to 50. More information about the fair will be available on its website: www.hillsboroughcountyfair.com, including locations for money-saving advance sale of rodeo and special events tickets. The fair is located at 215 Sydney Washer Road, Dover, FL 33587, that is immediately north of the intersection of State Road 60 and Sydney Washer Road. Hillsborough County Fair office number is (813)737-3247 or contact by email at hillsboroughcountyfair@verizon.net .

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LEADERSHIP THROUGH SERVICE United States Air Force Veteran 24 Year Veteran of the Tampa Police Department

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Naturally Amazing Activities

By Sean Green

DIY Portable Air Cooler Summertime has only just begun and it’s HOT! This is the time of year the AC unit is most likely to fail and I can tell you from personal experience that it does not take long for the temperature and humidity to rise to “uncomfortable” in the middle of a summer day. If you have access to ice, a simple and fairly effective portable air cooler can be made for less than $20 and can be used as a back up to cool a small room when the main AC goes out, keep the car cool in the heat of the day, or keep the tent cool for summertime camping. With ordinary ice, the cooler will output air temperatures of around 40°F for several hours. It is well known that adding salt to ice will not only melt the ice, but actually lower the temperature of the resulting slurry to well below freezing (32°F), more salt results in colder temperatures.

Directions:

Material: Utility Knife Styrofoam Cooler PVC Elbow (2” or 3”) Fan (4 to 6 inch) Water Salt Ice As an alternative to an AC powered fan, consider looking for fans that can be powered with batteries or solar panels, so it can be used for camping or power outages.

1

1) Trace the circumference of the PVC elbow onto the top lid of the cooler. 2) Cut a hole for the PVC elbow (exhaust) in the top lid of the cooler. Cut at 45° angle to create a smaller interior diameter and provide a better seal. 3) Cut a hole for the fan in the top lid of the cooler Cut at 45° angle to create a smaller interior diameter and provide a better seal.

2

4) Fill 1/3 of the cooler with tap water 5) Add at least 1 pound of salt to the tap water *more is better* (table salt works better than rock salt) 6) Fill another 1/3 of the cooler with ice * leaving 1/3 air space for circulation * 7) Plug the fan in to circulate air through the cooler, cold air should exit the exhaust PVC

813-767-4703 301 South Collins Street, Suite 101, Plant City, Florida 33563

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A Closer Look

By Sean Green

Ancient Wisdom - Understanding the Natural World

An article published in the December 9, 2011 edition of the journal of Science details the findings of bedding found in a cave in South Africa’s KwaZula natal province. Scientists discovered well preserved layers of fossilized monocots that included sedges, rushes, and grasses. Botanist Marion Bamford of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg identified the top layer of bedding as leaves from the shrub Cape Quince (Cryptocarya woodii). The genus Cryptocarya, an evergreen belonging to the laurel family Lauraceae which is found in not only the Afrotropic, but also in the Neotropic ecozone, which includes the southern half of Florida. What’s fascinating about this top layer is it’s insect repelling properties. The selection of these leaves suggest that the ancient civilizations of the Middle Stone Age (MSA) had a formidable knowledge of local plants and understood their medicinal value 77,000 years ago. Thousands of years of evolutionary experience can be valuable even in contemporary civilization. This month we will share small shards of ancient wisdom that may make this summer a little more comfortable. Catnip (Nepeta cataria) tops the charts as a natural mosquito repellent according to several authoritative sources. Chris Peterson, an entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service was involved in research that concluded catnip is an effective mosquito repellant. He and fellow researcher Joel Coats, of Iowa State University, reported that nepetalactone, the terpenoid in catnip that gives the plant it’s distinguishing aroma, is about ten times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than commercial insect repellents containing DEET. In addition to the obvious benefit of nepetalactone, catnip also contains the compound iridodial, which is known to attract beneficial insects such as lacewings for biologic aphid control. Catnip is a perennial herb in the mint family that is native to Europe and Asia but has become naturalized in the United States and, although is typically sold as a stimulant for cats, it has a long history of medicinal value for human beings. If you want to add these to your garden, they will do best in partial shade as they are not tolerant of the heat and humidity that is common in Florida. Sacred Basil (Ocimum sanctum) is another jewel in the mosquito repelling arsenal. The leaf extract discourages mosquitoes from feeding and is commonly mixed with stored grains to repel insects in its native homeland of India. The seeds are also effective for mosquito control, when floated on water, they kill mosquito larvae. Like catnip, WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

this plant has a history of medicinal value. Known as Tulsi in Hindi, this plants active constituent is Eugenol and has traditionally been recommended for the treatment of a long list of human ailments that include bronchitis, malaria, skin diseases, arthritis, cancer, infertility, and an assortment of fungal and microbial infections. Caution must be exercised when used for medicinal purposed as Eugenol has the potential to cause liver damage when consumed. Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon citrates) is a clumping evergreen that can be grown as a perennials in most of Florida and would probably grow best in full sun and well drained soils. Native to the Philippines and Indonesia where it is known as Tanglad or Sereh, it is recognized for its strong antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-amoebic properties and widely used medicinally. Lemon grass contains citral, which is thought to have anti-cancer and anti-oxidant properties that help detoxify the body. Lemon grass is the source of Citronella oil, the popular plant based insect repellant and can be added to the yard or garden as a safe and effective alternative to toxins for the control of insect populations around the house. Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is native to Eurasia and traditionally used as a medicinal herb to treat migraine headaches and arthritis but is cultivated worldwide as an ornamental. The active ingredients in feverfew have recently gained interest in the scientific community. One of the ingredients, parthenolide, is thought to induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in cancer cells, more research is needed to confirm the potential for this plant to target cancer stem cells. Tanetin is also an active constituent of the plant and tests indicate it could contribute to the anti-inflammatory properties that have made it’s medicinal use popular. This plant, as well as it’s relatives in the Tanacetum genus, are the source of Pyrethrum, the plant based insecticide derived from the dried out flowers. Most members of the genus are known to repel moths, flies, ants, mice, mosquitoes, cockroaches, mites, and bedbugs. Though we have only scratched the surface, we hope you will find the practices of ancient civilization as relevant now as they were thousands of years ago. The potential for creating a healthy and sustainable method of pest control is exciting enough. The additional health benefits of these plants are a welcome bonus. INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

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Community Services Program Coordinator Jennifer Biles presents Berry Publication’s Publisher, Karen Berry, with a BERT bag.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY OFFERS HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES By Jim Frankowiak

It’s no secret that we are in the midst of hurricane season and to that end Hillsborough County Economic Department is offering small businesses in the county a variety of disaster preparedness tools and resources. That’s because “an estimated 40 percent of small businesses that close due to a disaster such as a hurricane, never reopen,” said Simon Bollin, Agribusiness Development Manager. “Businesses that are prepared for an emergency such as a hurricane can help minimize the impact of a disaster on their operations and the community,” Bollin noted. “The faster we get our local businesses back in operation, the faster we can restart our economic engine.” Among the resources available to small businesses are the County’s Business Emergency Response Team (BERT) bags, which include a checklist of important items and documents business owners should have assembled and take with them in case of an emergency. One of the items in the brightly colored BERT Bag is a laminated “Go Box” Checklist which “details copies of important information, documents and supplies as well as documented needed for insurance and various loans 88

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that are essential for your business to recover quickly in the aftermath of a disaster,” said Bollin. The county recommends the contents of the “Go Box” for an individual business be reviewed quarterly and updated as needed.

Suggested “Go Box” content includes: • List of key contacts for the employees, customers and suppliers of a business • Phone system information, including passwords for remote access, and voicemail updates for communicating with employees • A designated phone number employees can use for “I’m okay” messages • Copies of insurance policies and key contact information • Emergency vendor contact information and the type of payment they will take in an emergency situation. This list should be verified at least annually • Extra copies of your “Authorized Passage Under Emergency Conditions Memo or Letter” in the event such a document is lost or misplaced by a key employee • Information for banking procedures for use during an emergency WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM


• Back-up files/tapes or server(s) of electronic data • Copies of essential papers, emergency procedures and your “Business Continuity Plan” • General office supplies and any special forms used in your business • A camera for taking damage pictures and pre-disaster photos of the interior and exterior of your business. A videotape is preferred. • Copy of your Hillsborough County Business Tax Receipt and City License, if applicable • Emergency contact information for all employees • Required documentation for a Small Business Administration (SBA) Bridge Disaster Loan or other type of assistance that may be offered in the aftermath of a disaster for sole proprietorships, corporations and/or partnerships

For additional information about small business emergency preparedness workshops, including BERT Bags, contact Community Services Program Coordinator Jennifer Biles at 813/914-4028 or via email: bilesj@hillsboroughcounty.org.

The Florida Small Business Development Center at Hillsborough County also conducts Business Protection 101 Workshops at various locations within the county to inform business owners of the tools and resources available to help prepare them for a disaster. The Center also offers a range of other workshops as part of its mission of “promoting Business and Job Creation Throughout Hillsborough County.” Business Consultants are also available to meet with companies one-on-one at one of the Small Business Development Centers at Hillsborough County Offices or their place of business.

It Pays to Borrow from Farm Credit! “Farm Credit makes it simple to borrow money”

Strawberry and vegetable growers, Elias (L) and Lorena Gutierrez, have been Farm Credit Members since 2007. Loans made for farmers by farmers, since 1916. Farm Credit is the nation’s leading provider of credit to agriculture and rural America.

866.245.3637 FarmCreditCFL.com Loans for land, homes & country living WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

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Classifieds

Tel: 813.759.6909 2002 EXISS 3H Slant w/Mid Tack and full living quarters, $31,500. Email brie1936@gmail.com for more information.

ANIMALS & NEEDS CECIL BREEDING FARM Full service thoroughbred farm from foaling to the track. Broodmare care. Investment opportunities. 863-899-9620 ANIMAL & BIRDCAGES Equipment serving the fur bearing animal & exotic bird industry! Cages built to order. Wire by roll or foot. (813) 752-2230. Call Don Ammerman. www.ammermans.com Swaps July 13, 2014 and November 30, 2014

B UILDING S UP P LIES

WINDOW SCREENS We make window screens of all sizes available in different frame colors. Call Ted 813-752-3378

CASE JX75 w/ loader, 4wd ALO loader, Euro style Q/A Shuttle transmission 2 spool rear remote valve Canopy Yr: 2006 1413hrs 75h, 62 PTO. $17,900 Call Robby 863-537-1345

FREE WELL COMPOSTED AND CLEAN HORSE Manure in Dover

MASSEY FERGUSON 596 w/ loader Cab Bush Hog skid steer loader, 4wd 2 spool rear remote valve Yr: 2009. 2,309.5 hrs $22,900 Call Robby 863-537-1345

T1-11 4 X 8 SHEET 5/ 8-INCH THICK B-grade $22.95. Call Ted 813-752-3378

2012 MASSEY FERGUSON 1533L with loader and backhoe. 4X4, 33hp, 202hrs. Warranty. $18,950 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

Easy truck access. Dark nutrient rich compost, no dies, additives or chemicals. Pick-up only. Call 813-610-4416.

MOBILE HOME TUBS Metal brand new in box 54” Mobile Home Tubs Call Ted 813-752-3378 $175.00

FARM EQUIP MENT MAHINDRA 8560 40 actual hrs., 2wd, diesel, 83hp, shuttle shift, warranty. $22,500 Call Alvie 813-759-8722 2007 MAHINDRA 4530 4x4 shuttle transmission, with loader. $12,000 Call Robby 863-537-1345 MASSEY FERGUSON 210 2wd., diesel tractor. $3,750 Call Alvie. 813-759-8722 HAY EQUIPMENT Vicon RP 1210 hay roller. Vicon 6 ft rotary disc mower, 4 wheel rake. $3,000 firm. Call after 6pm 813-967-3816

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BRAND NEW HUSTLER RAPTOR Zero Turn Mower. 52" cut, 23 hp. Kawasaki engine, 3 year warranty. $2,999 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

REAL ES TATE

HUSTLER RAPTOR 42" cut, 21 hp Kawasaki engine. 3 year warranty. $2,799 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

ALUMINUM We have all your aluminum needs! Screen Room, carports & awnings. Call Blake 813-752-3378

LAW N EQUIP MENT/ S UP P LIES

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

CHICKEN MANURE FOR SALE Dry and available immediately! Call Tim Ford or Danny Thibodeau 863-439-3232 REGISTERED ANGUS Show Bull for sale sired by Juneau DOB 12/2012 proven winner and bred 20 cows already. Improve your herd or show him. $3,500 obo 863-529-9585 Ask for Reggie

info @inthe fie ld m a g a z ine .c o m

COSMO 500lb, 3 point hitch fertilizer, seed spreader. New in 2007 used twice. Have owners manual. $250.00 Ask for Rick 863-293-9583

F OR S ALE KITCHEN CABINETS & VANITIES Get quality all wood cabinets for less than the BIG BOX STORES! Call Today! Ask for Blake. 813-752-3378 DOORS AND WINDOWS SPECIAL ORDER No upcharge. House & mobile home. Many standard sizes in stock. Call 813-752-3378 Ask for Blake

J OB S CONTRIBUTING WRITER Write about events in your community. Immediate openings in Hillsborough and Polk Counties. Paid per article. Responsibilities include covering community events and taking pictures. Email your resume to sarah@inthefieldmagazine.com July 2014

FOR SALE – 45 ACRES VACANT LAND (Pasco County) 45 acres are comprised of gently rolling hills with big trees & solid ground. A great setting for residential development. To the east of the property is a 60 acre parcel (Lake Gilbert) that adds significant aesthetic value to the 45 acres. Zoning: AR (Agricultural-Rural) Call Heidi Cecil for more information 863-899-9620 FOR LEASE or SALE Approx. 30 acres, overhead 4 drift irrigation, mobil home included. Plant City, Fl. 334-355-1945 JANE BAER REALTY Looking for that mountain getaway home? We have what you are looking for. Check out our website at www.janebaerrealty.com or call us toll free 800-820-7829. We are located in Blairsville GA, North Georgia Mountains! LOOKING TO LEASE 10 Plus acres prefer North Lakeland for cattle. Will maintain fences and mowing. Call Reggie 863-698-2967

S ERVICES CALLER ON HOLD A low cost service that enables you to communicate important information about your business to customers while they are on hold. No monthly payments or annual payments. Call today and ask for Al 813-763-2220

P RODUCE FRESH PRODUCE Forbes Road Produce. Open everyday from 7:30am - 8pm. Forbes Rd. & I-4 @ exit 17. Come out and see us!

MIS C. NEW HOLLAND Crop Saver Preservative for hay 2, 50 Gal. Drums. $200 each OBO. 813-620-3006 FOR INFORMATION on the first and only patented organic doctor approved Gentlemen’s Blend coffee contact Al at: 813-763-2220.

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#1

Why is the selling brand of chain saw worldwide sold at Everglades Farm Equipment?

Because we know what you expect.

Serving you with 12 locations Since 1963 Serving you with 12 locations New Port Richey

Leesburg

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6918 US Hwy. 19 New Port Richey, FL 34652

Plant City

2805 SR. 60 West Plant City, FL 33567

1800 US HWY. 441 Leesburg, FL 34748

813-737-1660

Okeechobee

820 US Hwy. 98, North Okeechobee, FL 34972

Clearwater

863-763-1921

5090 Ulmerton Road Clearwater, FL 33760

727-259-7748

Fort Pierce

6150 Orange Ave. Ft. Pierce, FL 34947

Palmetto

772-461-5568

906 US HWY 301 North Palmetto, FL 34221

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13295 Southern Blvd. Loxahatchee, FL 33470

Fort Myers

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Belle Glade

Corporate Headquarters

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1945 Pine Ridge Road Naples , FL 34109

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At Everglades Farm Equipment we carry the full line of the best hand held equipment on the planet. With the parts and service to keep you up and going, the right choice is STIHL and Everglades Farm Equipment.

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Since 1963

Stop in one of our 12 full service locations. We offer fast and expert on-site service. Are you ready for a STIHL?

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