VOLUME 40 NUMBER 3 • PH. 813-737-NEWS (6397) • E -MAIL : FARMR ANCHNEWS@AOL.COM • W W W.FARMAND R A N C H N E W S .C O M
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THE GREATER HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FAIR was well represented in the Florida Strawberry Festival Parade recently by Harvest Queen Kallee Cook and Jr. Harvest Queen Haley Riley.
County Fair Expansion Underway Construction of a longawaited 20,000 square foot multipurpose building for the Greater Hillsborough County Fair began Wednesday, March 6, at the 85acre site at the corner of Hwy. 60 and Sydney Washer Road. The 100’x 200’ facility, to be completed by Labor Day, will be available for rent for special events, according to Fair Manager Tom Umiker. The facility’s primary contractor is Caladesi Construction Company of Pinellas County with
Kennco Construction of Plant City responsible for the steel building construction. Construction of permanent street lighting along the curved entrance drive and in the parking areas are also expected to be completed soon. The Fair, founded in 1993 by twenty civic and community leaders, will be celebrating its 20th anniversary during this year’s run from October 17-22. The first Fair was held on the Florida State Fairgrounds, moved to Tampa Sta-
dium for several years and then acquired a long-term lease from Hillsborough County at the current site. The Fair has developed an 1800- person capacity lighted arena that is used by the Hillsborough County Sheriffs’ Mounted Posse and other groups throughout the year. “This is exciting news and another step towards completion of a vision laid out many years ago and worked on so hard by so many,” said Board Member Josh Burgin.
A Look at the 2013 Polk County Youth Fair By Stephanie Farmer-Associate Publisher
If I were to describe the Polk County Youth Fair in one word I would have to say, “Balanced”. This totally community-financed and supported fair displays, as equally as possible, youth’s accomplishments; whether it is livestock in a ring, arts in crafts in a very large room, to auctioning off baked goods.
Zuriel Orlando, with Homegrown 4-H, was all smiles with his 1st place showmanship trophy. He showed Menorka and Buckeye roosters. Of the two breeds he said the buckeye is the calmest.
Arts and crafts are a big part of the Youth Fair. They have a very large room set up for displaying crafts, jellies, baked goods and more.
Patiently waiting for the baked goods auction are 4-H and FFA members.
With a list of donors and volunteers in the background, Marty Higgenbotham auctioned over 325 swine.
Two first time plant exhibitors: Michael Gary, with Kathleen FFA, exhibited peach trees and Burle Marx Cathea, while Lake Gibson FFA member Kylee Tobias exhibited blueberry plants and marigolds. They bought their plants at the Youth Fair back in March as a pre-order which were delivered to their schools with soil, buckets and other items they needed. The peach trees came in 2-gallon containers and grew into a 10- gallon, while the blueberries arrived in 2-gallon containers and grew into 5-gallon.
New this year was the steer show, split into two divisions; Commercial, with steers only allowed from Polk County, and Open, where they can be brought in from out of county, even out of State. In the Commercial Division, Moriah McCullers from Frostproof FFA won Grand Champion and Justin Bartle, with Haines City FFA, won Reserve Champion.
FFA and 4-H are often represented in one family. Shadiya and Johnny Allman, above, both competed with their rabbits, Blanca and Buddy, who won blue ribbons. They also sold their cakes at the cake auction. There was a record of over 300 rabbits entered at the Fair.
A unique feature to this fair that I have not seen anywhere else is the Place Settings competition. This one is called Dining with Sherlock Holmes by Kathleen Wann All Stars 4-H.
If there is any competition that should command a lot of respect it is showmanship. It’s one thing to buy and raise the “perfect” animal but another to be able to control and exhibit an animal that often weighs over 1,200 lbs! This year’s showmanship winners are: Junior Showman-Payton Chandley with Lucky Ace 4-H, Intermediate ShowmanKendall Locke ofLake Gibson Middle FFA, and Senior Showman Austin Vargas of Bartow Sr. FFA.
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the davis report
By Roy Davis- Associate Editor Mr. President: Come in Off the Golf Course
The Presidential Election of 2012 is now completed. We do not have a new President, we have the same President we have had for the last 4 years, and This President has the same fiscal philosophy and the same political philosophy that he has espoused for the entire length of this recession. I ask you: “where have his political programs gotten us? Our news media constantly tells us that things are improving. Today’s headline states that property values have grown by 3% already this year. That may be true, but it is still not possible to sell land today. Our strawberry farmers are all saying this will be a very bad crop year. Strawberry production was great; weather was great, obtaining labor to handle the crop was difficult, but manageable. Selling the product at a reasonable price has proven to be troublesome. For too much of the production season our farmers were only able to get about $ 8.00 per flat for the berries that they were shipping far beyond our borders. Many workers have not been able to find jobs, and those who were employed were working less hours and drawing less pay. Those are the folks who were not buying strawberries in Chicago and New York. The nursery industry has seriously declined in recent years. Yes, I can see a few more new houses being built than we saw over the last couple of years. About one-half of the production nurseries that we had 5 years ago are now out of business. For those nurseries that remain, production in most has dropped by at least 40%, and some have seen their sales drop by as much as 70%. I have spoken with several nurserymen and they tell me they have reduced their workforce by 60%
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to 80%. This tells me that if good business does come back, we will not have the inventory to handle it. Yet we still hear our President tell us that things are improving. It is suggested that we should stand up and cheer because the price of gasoline at the pump dropped by 10 cents per gallon last week. I do not hear them reminding us that the price of a gallon of gasoline rose by 30 cents per gallon just the week before. This week my son, Steve, delivered a trailer load of plants to Southern Georgia. He spent $300.00 in diesel fuel for the trip. Only a couple of years ago it would have taken $200.00 in fuel to make that trip, and four years ago $100.00 would have made the trip. Even with these realities, we are told that the tax “relief” we were extended during the Bush years CANNOT be continued. We must all pay more taxes because if budgets are cut we will have to endure longer lines at air terminals, close down White House tours for our school kids, lay off thousands of teachers, firemen and policemen, on and on and on. But the very small budget reduction they called the “sequester” is just too much, they say. I say to you folks that we Americans voted this man into another 4-year term and we must live through it. I just hope that our legislators in Congress will wake up and get control of this wild spending spree our President has brought upon us. Enough already! Come in off the golf course and govern, Mr. President. Mr. President, walk across the aisle and seek some advice from our side of the aisle before it is too late. And please convince Senator Bill Nelson to help us eliminate the Death Tax before most of our farmlands are taxed out of existence.
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“The Attitude of Rico Suave” One recent, fine, warm, winter day, A- -n came by. It was a bright sunny day, with a clear blue sky, as it always is when Rico makes an appearance, or even when his name is mentioned. I had been out of the office the day before and hadn’t seen A- -n but he wanted to let me know that Rico Suave had been in town. “I came in and saw the truck, “he said, “and when I went around to the back, there he was, sitting and talking to M- -k. M-a-a-a-a-n, that Rico, he is cool.” I guess he is. Tall, young though retired (gets a 3% raise in his pension – minimum - every year whether he wants it or not). Works when and where he wants to. I could go on but it would just make you sick. It’s tough to be Rico Suave. Well, it isn’t always easy. Everything hasn’t always been perfect, even for Rico. There have been untimely deaths, heart breaks, job troubles, and plenty of other things. Even for Rico. But things are almost always cheerier when he shows up. He has a sympathetic ear, an encouraging word, an engaging smile – there I go again, complimenting the guy. The point is, Rico Suave has a great attitude. And it is catching. Friends, it is all about attitude. I have told the little story about the fellow who always showed up for work on Monday morning. cheerful as a Florida crocodile on a Key Largo beach (if you haven’t seen one of those grins, you need to make the trip). Monday seemed to be his favorite day of the week while everyone else moped around like they had just been sent to death row. Someone finally asked him what made him so happy on Monday. He said, “It is just how I look at the week. You see, I have fixed in my mind that Thursday is the first day of the work week. So on Thursday, I come in with just two days to work before I have a two day break. Then, come Monday, I come into work after a nice break in the middle of the week and with the week half over!” You can believe this story, or not. I was talking to M- -e one day when he got a phone call from his wife. She had hit a dog with the car and there was the usual dismay and worry over someone’s pet dying. Never happy times. M- -e and I began to talk about how we feel about dogs and I told him that sometimes it is hard to remember that a dog is just an animal – when Rover is dead, he is dead all over. Even though we would like to think that all dogs go to heaven. I told M- -e I understood very well how a fellow feels about his dog. I confessed that I had cried page6
when I shot my dog. He was old, arthritic, deaf, and was badly injured late one Friday. Going to the vet at that hour, or waiting until Monday, just to have him put down wasn’t an option. So I had to do the right thing. But I cried over him when it was done. M- -e turned to me, sober as a judge. His little eyes looked out of his somber round face and he said, serious as a rattlesnake coiled around the bottom of a tree stand just before dark, “I cried when I shot my pig.” A pack of dogs could have chased a whole herd of pigs through my mouth. Into the silence, he continued, “Old Sport. She was a good ol’ pig. Why, when me and the boys would have a party, she would sit right with us around the fire.” I finally caught my breath and grinned at him, “I bet you didn’t cry when you bar-b-qued those ribs.” “Oh no, them was some good ribs.” A happy attitude can depend on enjoying the right thing at the right time. The Devil’s Dictionary “Happiness, n. An agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another.” Doesn’t really fit my theme. Sounds like the devil. Scripture seems to clearly instruct us that real happiness comes from contentment. They are almost one and the same and surely depend more than anything else on attitude. Once a great king realized that after seeking wealth and power for all his reign, he still was not happy. He summoned his wise men and laid the problem before them. The wise men conferred together, as wise men do, and said to him, “Great king, you are not happy because you are not content.” Well, of course! It was as plain as the crown on his head! He should have realized that. What was he paying these people for anyway? But then he thought, “I can now really put them to the test.” And he asked, “Wise men, how do I learn to be content?” The wise men conferred together, as wise men do, and finally said to him, “O great king, find the most
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contented man in allyour kingdom and wear his shirt for one day.” Well, the king thought that was a little vague but he called his retainers, his governors, his councillors, his high men, and his low men, and he said to them, “Go out into all my kingdom and find the most contented man in the whole realm. Bring him to me.” The retainers, the governors, the councillors, the high men, and the low men all went out and searched throughout the kingdom. Finally they found a man living in the smallest village, in the remotest part of the kingdom, in the smallest house in the village and spoke to him. They could hardly believe it but they all agreed, he was the most contented man in all the realm. So they brought him to the king. The king examined his retainers, his governors, his councillors, his high men, and his low men at length to see if they were very sure they had the most contented man and he was finally satisfied that they had. So he said, “Bring me his shirt!” Then all the retainers, the governors, the councillors, the high men, and the low men were appalled and affrighted and they conferred with all the wise men until the king grew impatient and he said again, “Bring me his shirt!” Then his frightened servants pushed forward the youngest member of their group who, trembling, said, “O great king, this poor man has no shirt.” Philippians 4:11-13 (ASV) “… I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know also how to abound: in everything and in all things have I learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want. I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me.”
Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
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Ribbon Cutting at the New Florida Cattle Ranching Exhibit at the Florida State Fair By Stephanie Farmer-Associate Publisher Left to right: Jeff Atwater, Florida CFO; Pam Bondi, Attorney General of Florida; Adam Putnam, Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Crissy Grimmer, Hillsborough Cattlemen’s Sweetheart; Governor Rick Scott; Woody Larson, President Florida Cattlemen’s Association, and Don Quincy, former Cattlemen’s Association President.
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Several years ago the Florida Cattlemen’s Association and their Foundation determined there was a need for a traveling exhibit to educate the public about their industry which started over 500 years ago. Florida was the birthplace for cattle in North America when the Spaniards brought the first cattle to our shores. Today, there are over one million cattle in Florida, a state that hosts over 20 million people, 80% of whom live within 5 miles of our coastline. Bob Stone has been curator of the exhibit which has traveled around the state and viewed by over 600,000 people. So, when time came to place the permanent exhibit, a climate controlled, secure and permanent home to preserve their history while still being viewable to literally thousands, the Florida State Fair was the perfect choice.
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From saddles to branding irons and more are on display
Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
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Kathleen FFA: More Than a Program, it is Family By Stephanie Farmer-Associate Publisher
At the beginning of his 9th grade year Thomas Farris joined FFA, an organization he knew little about but wanted to be active in something he could do despite his back problems. Unfortunately, early th Thomas, in pain, as a 9 grader into his 9th grade year with a degenerative back disease. his back pain worsened. He was diagnosed with Kyphosis Degenerative Back Disease and found himself immobilized, living most of his 9th grade year in the hospital. As the disease progressed, his back developed an 89-degree curvature resulting in increasing pain. In fact his last surgery was the longest ever recorded at Bartow Regional Hospital. It lasted 16 hours. The great news is this last surgery did the job, enabling him to begin living life again, albeit not until about the end of his 9th grade year. As he lay in the hospital he was quite impressed as just about the only visitors he had were his family and new-found members of Kathleen FFA. Thomas said Mrs. Hall, his FFA Advisor, was about the only nonfamily member to come and visit him in the hospital, bringing FFA members along. He was deeply touched that this organization was more than just an organization, Here he was, a brand new member to FFA, an organization he really did not know much about and he himself an unknown in the FFA “world”. Yet the FFA advisor and members were taking time out of their
busy schedules and days to visit him as he lay immobilized for almost a whole school year in the hospital. They not only visited, but were always asking him what they could do to help him as well. He was not only impressed but touched. Upon re-entering life and school he decided to devote himself to the organization that helped him in his darkest hours. Donning the blue and gold jacket he became not only a very active member but also quite a successful one. Over his FFA career he has won State High Individual in Land Judging, flew up to the FFA National Convention to compete with Kathleen FFA’s State winning Citrus Team, and has given of his time volunteering at the Polk County Youth Fair running bid numbers during the swine auction this year. This year, his Senior year, he managed to show a swine at the Polk County Youth Fair. Thomas chuckled and said his swine, “struggled to make weight as you can’t make an animal do what you want it to do!” As he continues being an active member, Thomas now has his sights set on receiving his State Degree in June at the State FFA Convention. Returning to school after missing an academic year has not been easy for Thomas. His hospitalization put him a year behind in credits plus he needed to work. While working 17-hour shifts at Salem’s Gyros he not only managed to pull off the afore mentioned FFA achievements but also accumulated over 24 college credits, making up his year’s worth of missing 9th grade credits enabling him to graduate on time this year. FFA is more than shows, ribbons and competitions. With the proper guidance from advisors like Mrs. Hall at Kathleen FFA, it is also family.
Land Judging Contest FFA National Convention
Senior year at the Polk County Youth Fair with his swine.
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Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
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2013 Champion of Champio
Several scholarships were given, including the Mosaic Scholarship to Jessica Switzer from Lutz
There would be no Champion of Champions event if not for sponsors such as
the Mosaic Company and Florida Mineral Salt & Agricultural products. Thank you!
Youth Dog Winners: Junior Champion-Shannon Piquet from Pinellas Park Intermediate Champion–Abby Vines from Largo 4th place Senior Champion–Kimberly Holmes from Ocala 3rd place Senior Champion–Carissa Retter from Lithia 2nd place Senior Champion–Samantha Richards from Pinellas Park Champion Youth for Dog Show – Nicole Sieling from St. Peteersburg
Youth Poultry: Junior Champion–Madison Smith from Wimauma Intermediate Champion–Gabrielle Soto from Cocoa 4th place Senior Champion–Patrick Thompson from Doral 3rd place Senior Champion–Timothy Hoover from Tampa 2nd place Senior Champion–Abby Marion from Deltona Champion Youth for Poultry Show–Elizabeth Surface from Lithia
Youth Llama Show: Junior Champion–Savannah Morgan from Brandon Intermediate Champion–Skylar Sparling from Sarasota 4th place Senior Champion Shawna Esp from North Port 3rd place Senior Champion–Haele Lawless from Odessa 2nd place Senior Champion–Jacquelyn Fullford from Sarasota Champion Youth for Llama Show–Miranda Hendricks from North Port
Youth Rabbit: Junior Champion-Olivia Bonebrake from Lithia Intermediate Champion–Abrielle Esposito from Tampa 4th place Senior Champion – Erica Curtis from Winter Haven 3rd place Senior Champion–Timothy Hoover from Tampa 2nd place Senior Champion–Renee Hoover from Tampa Champion Youth for Rabbit Show–Helena Polansky from Land O Lakes
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Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
ons Winners
Photos and I.D. by Stephanie Farmer-Associate Publisher
Youth Sheep: Junior Champion–Morgane Blackwelder from Deleon Springs Intermediate Champion–Bailey Sloan from Deland 4th place Senior Champion–Brittany Wolford from Edgewater 3rd place Senior Champion–Miranda Savercool from Deland 2nd place Senior Champion–Tyler D’Angelo from Deland Champion Youth for Sheep Show–Jesse Coleman from Plant City
Youth Goat: Junior Champion–Harrison Sharp from Citra Intermediate Champion–Nicole Falk from Edgewater 4th place Senior Champion–Derek Sharp from Citra 3rd place Senior Champion–Miranda Savercool from Deland 2nd place Senior Champion–Danielle Gellerman from Edgewater Champion Youth for Goat Show – Victoria Harris from Dover
Youth Swine: Junior Champion – Madyson Keim from Lakeland Intermediate Champion–Christian Rodriquez from Live Oak 4th place Senior Champion – Michael Gary from Lakeland 3rd place Senior Champion–Taeler Dupre from Kathleen 2nd place Senior Champion – Haley Stark from Ormond Beach Champion Youth for Swine Show–Kylie Philipps from Inverness
Youth Beef: Junior Champion– Payton Davis from Ocala Intermediate Champion–Cara Zeveney from Parrish 4th place Senior Champion–Elizabeth Surface from Lithia 3rd place Senior Champion–Matthew Staples from Groveland 2nd place Senior Champion–Shelbi McCall from Mayo Champion Youth for Beef Show–Jessica Humphrey from Okeechobee
Youth Dairy: Junior Champion–Taylor Adkins from Bushnell Intermediate Champion–Cara Zeveney from Parrish 4th place Senior Champion–Sara Knollinger from Oak Hill 3rd place Senior Champion – Michael Gay from Riverview 2nd place Senior Champion–Danielle Gellermann from Edgewater Champion Youth for Dairy Show–Mark (Ty) Hamilton from Riverview
Youth Steer: Intermediate Champion–Christian Rodriquez from Live Oak 4th place Senior Champion–Alexander Fernandez from Plant City 3rd place Senior Champion–Kacee Langford from Newberry 2nd place Senior Champion–Jesse Coleman from Plant City Champion Youth for Steer Show–Matthew Jennings from Dade City
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The 2nd Key in “5 Keys to Victory” Pastor Dick Moore
Last month I started a series on the Five Keys to consistent victory for Christians when we are in the midst of a trial. The first key was keeping an attitude of joy, even in the midst of trials. The second key to a victorious life is that we must have AN UNDERSTANDING MIND. 2 James 1:2-3 – My brothers and sisters, when you have many kinds of troubles, you should be full of joy, 3 because you know that these troubles test your faith, There are a few things you must come to know the reason for the testing: trials are designed to produce patience. It is important that we understand that.
The word “endurance” means “patiently waiting on God to remove the trial” – IN HIS TIME! God builds us up the same way a runner gradually develops the ability to run long distances. The runner starts small and works up to his maximum capacity. In the same manner, God allows increasingly greater trials in our lives to increase our spiritual endurance. The more difficult the battle, the sweeter the victory! We can see this same pattern in King David’s life as we read Psalm 40:1-4, David says: I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. 2He
lifted me out of the pit of destruction, out of the sticky mud. He stood me on a rock and made my feet steady. 3He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many people will see this and worship him. Then they will trust the Lord. 4 Happy is the person who trusts the Lord, who doesn’t turn to those who are proud or to those who worship false gods. The Apostle Paul wrote along this same line to the believers in Corinth. 1 Corinthians10:13: The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted,
he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it. If you are a believer you must understand one vital truth: whenever you are facing a trial, God allowed it for your ultimate good and His Glory. Receive it from His hands and wait for Him to remove it in His time. That’s why Paul said for us to be of good cheer when facing our trials. Keep joy in your heart and seek His understanding. Next month we’ll look at key # 3. Blessings! Rev. Dick Moore
Pastor of Parkway Baptist Church in Plant City
Governor Rick Scott and His Cabinet Visit the Florida State Fair By Stephanie Farmer-Associate Publisher
In the early hours of the morning Governor Rick Scott and his cabinet officially opened the Florida State Fair.
After eating a breakfast of foods Fresh from Florida the Governor spoke about Florida’s agriculture while surrounded by Florida FFA State Officers.
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While at the breakfast Governor Scott met “Jammer” and the Florida Strawberry Growers Association Ambassadors. From them he learned that Florida grows over 10,000 acres of strawberries.
His next stop was the Grand Opening of the new Florida Cattlemen’s exhibit that also hosts the Florida Forestry exhibit. He’s seen here with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
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A two hour cabinet meeting was held on the Fairgrounds with each cabinet member receiving their own personalized Ag Tag that supports ag education in Florida.
A trip to the livestock barn with his family and grandson, Auguste, to whom this was his first Florida State Fair, made for lots of smiles.
Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
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Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
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Show Pig to Raise Funds to Help Hungry Elementary Youth By Tim Phillips
Citrus County’s Lecanto Levi 4-H member Kylie Phillips was taught “when there is a need, we need to rise and meet it” by her 4-H leader Margaret Roddenberry. With the support of the community, Kylie had obtained her goal of buying her own car with the six year savings she built from showing swine at the Citrus County and Florida State Fair. So, Kylie decided she would give back to her community with this year’s swine by raising funds to help feed hungry
children at a local elementary school. Citrus County Blessings is a Citrus County Harvest program that helps silence weekend hunger in children. Backpacks are given out on Friday filled with food for the weekend. On Monday, kids come back to school well fed and ready to learn. In 2011 Lecanto Levi 4-H funded the start up of Blessings at Pleasant Grove Elementary, Kylie’s elementary school. “There is no greater feeling than to know that you have made a difference in someone’s life. Hunger should not be an obstacle in a child’s life,” said Kylie.
Kylie Phillips and her swine wearing a backpack to be filled to help hungry children
So when she decided to give back, it was apparent what she would do. Give 100% of the proceeds from her 2012-2013 4-H swine project to Citrus County Blessings, specifically to Pleasant Grove Elementary. Kylie, through meeting and talking with area civic groups, has obtained a sponsor. J.J and Jennifer Grow have supported Kylie by purchasing her a pig along with paying for her feed throughout the project. “That was my first big step. Citrus County is an incredible community full of caring individuals who help out when there is a need. I feel privileged to be a part of such a community.” Kylie hopes to raise $5000.00 for the Blessings program. $100.00 will pay for one student to be fed every weekend for the entire school year. Imagine the lives that will be touched! Please consider helping Kylie give to this wonderful program. Together we can make a difference, one backpack at a time. The Citrus County Fair is accepting donations for Kylie’s project. Checks can be made payable to “Citrus County Fair Association” with Blessings on the memo line. Send to: 3600 S. Florida Avenue, Inverness Florida 34450
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Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
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Much more accurate than our local weathermen!
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Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
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Waitin’ on Tom! By Tony Young
Because my turkey-huntin’ song, “Waitin’ on Tom,” featuring this year’s head-to-head Grand National turkey-calling champion and good friend Scott Ellis, is the theme song to the National Wild Turkey Federation’s “Turkey Call” TV show, I was invited to attend and perform at the federation’s annual convention in Nashville, Tenn., and offered some great opportunities. Needless to say, I am definitely still in full hunting mode, very blessed and especially ready for spring turkey season. I hope you’ve already started brushing up on your turkey calling, ’cause spring gobbler season’s here. Whether you prefer to use a mouth call, box call, slate or any combination, March means it’s time to talk turkey. Youth hunters can benefit from the two-day youth spring turkey hunting season the weekend prior to the opening of spring turkey season in each hunting zone. This Youth Spring Turkey Hunt occurs on private lands and on 78 of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) wildlife management areas (WMAs). In Zone A (south of State Road 70) this year, that weekend was Feb. 23-24. In the rest of the state, that weekend falls on March 9-10. Only those under 16 years old are allowed to harvest a turkey while supervised by an adult, 18 years or older. On private land, no license or permit is required of the youth or supervising adult, unless the adult plans to help “call-in” the bird or otherwise participate in the hunt. In that case, he or she will need a hunting license and turkey permit. Forty-eight of the 78 participating WMAs require a youth spring turkey quota permit, and if the adult supervisor is going to attempt to call in a bird on any of the 78 WMAs, he or she also will need a management area permit in addition to a hunting license and turkey permit. But, keep in mind that adults are not allowed to do the shooting – only the kids may harvest a bird. For safety reasons, during spring turkey hunts
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on WMAs, the only firearms that can be used are shotguns and muzzleloading shotguns, using shot no larger than No. 2. All legal bows and crossbows can also be used, but all rifles, pistols, buckshot and slugs are prohibited during spring turkey hunts on WMAs. This rule does not apply, however, to private property, where any legal rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, crossbow, bow or pistol can be used to take turkeys. One of the most coveted and sought-after game species in Florida is the Osceola turkey, also known as the Florida turkey. This unique bird is one of five subspecies of wild turkey in North America. The Osceola lives only on the Florida peninsula and nowhere else in the world, making it extremely popular with out-of-state hunters. It is similar to the eastern subspecies (found in the Panhandle) but tends to be a bit smaller and typically darker with less whitebarring on the wings’ primary flight feathers. The NWTF and the FWC recognize any wild turkey harvested within or south of the counties of Dixie, Gilchrist, Alachua, Union, Bradford, Clay and Duval to be the Osceola subspecies. Eastern turkeys and hybrids are found north and west of these counties into the Panhandle. For us adults, the highly anticipated spring turkey season comes in first in Zone A and runs March 2 – April 7. In zones B, C and D (except for Holmes County), it runs March 16 – April 21. In Holmes County, the season runs March 16-31. Hunters may take bearded turkeys and gobblers only, and the daily bag limit is one. The season and possession limit on turkeys is two, except in Holmes County, where the season limit is one. Shooting hours on private lands are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset, but on WMAs, you must quit hunting at 1 p.m. To participate in spring turkey hunting, you’ll need a Florida hunting license and a turkey permit. If you plan to pursue a gobbler on one of Florida’s many WMAs, you also must purchase a management area permit. All of these licenses and permits are available at your county tax collector’s office, most retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies, by calling 888-HUNT-FLORIDA (486-8356) or online at
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License.MyFWC.com. And if you didn’t put in for a special-opportunity or quota permit, don’t worry; several WMAs don’t require them. Visit MyFWC.com/Hunting and click on “Where to spring turkey hunt without needing a quota permit” to see a list of WMAs where you need only a hunting license, management area permit and turkey permit to hunt spring turkeys.
Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
Commissioner Al Higgenbotham Learns About Champion of Champions Program By Stephanie Farmer-Associate Publisher
They had fun identifying the parts of meat with the Commissioner.
This year, Timothy Hoove,r Champion Youth in Poultry and Champion of Champions winner, along with his sister Renee, Champion Youth winner in rabbit, had the privilege of meeting Commissioner Al Higgenbotham with Carissa Retter, Champion Youth Winner in Dog, and her brother, Nick, who showed pigs. These 4-H members taught him that showing at the State Fair is more than just showing, it is an educational event as well. They walked him through just a few of the Champion of Champion stations explaining what they learned.
Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News
Correctly identifying bones, in this case, a goat, was also part of the contest.
Judging the carcass of poultry, and not from sketches, is about as real life as you can get for an educational contest.
These youth explained that what he saw was just a small part of what they learned. The Champion Youth program was started many years ago by Lisa Hinton and has taken our youth out of just competing in livestock to learning more about science in a practical hands-on competition.
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Volume 40 • Number 3 • 2013 • Farm & Ranch News