PLANT CITY TIMES &
Observer
An unlikely player takes the field. SEE PAGE 16
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
VOLUME 4, NO. 13
FREE
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2016
GETTING TO THE ROOT OF IT PATHWAY’S PLAN
Pathway BioLogic has three foci of using microbial inoculants for crop production:
OPTIMIZE YIELD POTENTIAL Because the roots get more nutrients, the roots are stronger and the plant grows bigger, producing more strawberries.
IMPROVE ROOT GROWTH Root development is improved by growth-promoting metabolites, which provide better photosynthetic capability, or the process in which plants convert sunlight to food.
NUTRIENT USE EFFICIENCY PGPRs produce enzymes and metabolites that help to dissolve nutrients and hold them at the roots longer. This makes it easier for the plants to absorb nutrients and fertilizer more efficient.
A research study showed an increase in strawberry yields and profits thanks to microbes that stimulate plant growth.
T
EMILY TOPPER AND AMBER JURGENSEN
hey’re nicknamed nibblers: small skinny strawberries that look more like fingers than juicy pieces of fruit. Last season, they dotted the fields of many Plant City farms thanks to warm weather in November and December and heavy rains in January. Because of their appearance, nibblers can’t be picked, which means they can’t be packaged — which means they can’t be sold. But this season, Pathway BioLogic is committed to increasing growers’ profits by increasing the number of strawberry flats picked each season. Plant City-based Pathway BioLogic, along with Holden Research, just released the findings of a six-month study using bacteria to grow healthier plants. The study resulted in 24% more flats picked per season and a 22% profit increase for growers. The results can be a game changer in the agricultural community, said Mike Gans, Pathway BioLogic’s director of operations for agriculture.
HOW DID THEY DO IT?
In April, Dave Holden, an independent researcher with Holden Research, completed a paid research study analyzing the use of Pathway BioLogic’s microbial inoculants. Microbial inoculants are soil microbes, or beneficial bacteria or fungi, that promote plant growth through several ways: by breaking down nutrients into a more dissolvable form; aiding in the production of plant hormones; or suppressing various crop pests. Pathway BioLogic’s microbial inoculants are rhizobacteria, a
SEE ROOT PAGE 4
Crushing the jaws of loan sharks
YOUR TOWN
High school student Jairang Yarlagadda has started a nonprofit to bring financial stability to his community. CASEY JEANITE STAFF INTERN
There are lots of different ways high school students spend their time, from wondering what they should wear tomorrow to touching up fourth period’s homework during third period. But few students spend their time thinking about the nonprofits they've started. Jairang Yarlagadda is one of those high school students, and The Fair Pact Foundation is his nonprofit charity. The Fair Pact Foundation’s goal is to provide low-income borrowers with interest-free loans for a variety of unexpected emergencies. The idea came while the Strawberry Crest student was listening to his favorite NPR podcast on WUSF, “Planet Money.” This past spring, while tuned into an episode of “Planet Money,” Yarlagadda learned about an economic crisis affecting the American public: the stressful and destabilizing shock a person can fall into when faced with an unexpected financial catastrophe. About 60% of Americans have experienced a financial shock within
NOM, NOM Residents find Food Truck Rally is a treat. SEE PAGE 10
the last 12 months, according to The Pew Charitable Trust. From home and auto repair to trips to the hospital, the median cost of households’ most expensive shock has been estimated at $2,000. Many turn to payday lenders or loan sharks to pay off their debts because of their speed, ease and convenience of the lenient criteria for short-term loans. This can actually send them deeper into debt because of high interest rates. Yarlagadda decided to do something to help families, and he created The Fair Pact Foundation. “My dad told me at any time he could go into this exact financial crisis,” Yarlagadda said. “No one is immune. Sometimes people aren’t fortunate enough to have a safety net like a family member of someone close to you who could help you out. Then you forced to get a payday loan that will cause you to go into this spiral of debt.” Over the summer, Yarlagadda interned at System Soft Technologies, a local tech company. There
Courtesy photo
Reunion On Tuesday, Sept. 27, a group of retired City of Plant City employees met at Buddy Freddy’s for lunch. The retirees include Etta May Wetherington, Carolyn Haynesworth, Shirley Baxter and Geneva Cribbs.
Casey Jeanite
SEE SHARK PAGE 4
Jairang Yarlagadda’s nonprofit will give interest-free loans to those in crisis.
PIKA PIKA New Pokémon league electrifies Plant City. SEE PAGE 9
Playing Your Song The Florida Strawberry Festival released the theme for its 82nd annual event: “We’re Playing Your Song!” A new theme is created for each year’s festival. It unifies vendors, FFA chapters, organizations, corporate partners and exhibitors who create parade floats and displays throughout the celebration. The festival’s strawberry character featured in each year’s theme.