AgriMag March 2017 by AgriMag Press

AgriMag

Down to Earth in Florida

Formerly: The Ag Mag

Sunflowers and our Sunshine State Farmers Markets and CSAs Let Me Count the Ways Local Agri News

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2017 2017 | 1 Volume II, Issue 1,March March

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Down To Earth in Florida

AgriMag (Formerly The Ag Mag)

OUR MISSION: Provide information about agriculture in north central Florida with stories of farmers and ranchers, and their work. We will share up dates on the economy and finances of farming, and interviews reporting the contributions that farmers make. Share the knowledge to convince every person of the absolute need of accepting responsibility for their own food and well being. Forge strong bridges between farmers and consumers, building respect and appreciation between those groups. Support community events where all can participate. Acknowledge the achievements and wealth the farming and consumer communities share with each other. 2

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AgriMag Distribution 15,000 copies of AgriMag are printed monthly and distributed in Alachua, Citrus, Levy, and Marion Counties, as well as The Villages and Wildwood. This magazine can be found in your neighborhood. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in feed stores, tack shops, tractor dealers, hardware stores, extension services, farm bureaus, FL Farm Credit offices and other farm-friendly banks, a few vets, UF/IFAS, high school and university agricultural departments, trailer dealers, selected restaurants, farm-oriented real estate offices, Thoroughbred associations, landscape and garden centers, nurseries, libraries, economic development offices/chambers of commerce, wineries, farms with retail outlets, and theatres including The Hippodrome and OCT. March 2017

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Contents 6

| Letter from The Publisher

10 |

At Nation’s Colleges of Agriculture, Glass Ceilings Aren’t Just on the Greehouses by Jack Payne

March 2017

From the Publisher Welcome to AgriMag, a magazine where little except the name has changed since you last read and enjoyed The AgMag. Most change happened with name and personnel. Carolyn Blakeslee, original publisher and editor of The AgMag, moved to other interests. I am the new publisher and co-editor. The other editor is Marnie Hutcheson, a gifted wordsmith, farmer, conservationist, and musician who wanted to help. We are blessed. As a lifelong farmer, word and land lover, what better way to enjoy all those interests than by publishing a magazine about farming and agriculture in North Central Florida, my birth place. I am pleased and terrified at this journey; please support, contribute, and offer suggestions for AgriMag. The Tampa Bay Times recently published an article stating that agriculture is "…dying on the vine…" -- a position with which I furiously disagree. Florida is listed in the top ten of many agriculture operations in United States. Among those are Cattle, ranked 3rd or 4th, Citrus, ranked 1st , and Honey at 3rd. Vegetables, Fruits, Aquatics, and Horticulture all rank highly as well. Florida agriculture isn’t dying, though support for farming is dying. The fault is not the ability to produce in this state, but that Florida’s citizens no longer value our land and green space. We must remember where our food comes from, how dead we would be without food, and how much we can accomplish by taking responsibility for our own food. AgriMag’s, writers, editors, distributors and ad salespersons are dedicated to building a bridge of respect and participation between farmers and consumers. We pledge to offer lots of reminders about the need to honor our soil, to take responsibility for our own food, and ways to do so. I invite you to join us in the most important journey we will ever make – if we walk together it will be easier. WalkLightlyOnMotherEarth, Jeri Baldwin 6

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AgriMag Volume II, Issue 1 ISSN 2471-3007 Publisher Jeri Baldwin 352-209-3180 Editors Jeri Baldwin 325-209-3180 Marnie Hutcheson 352-207-6520 Contributors William K. Crispin Jan Cross Cubbage David Goodman Laura McCormick Melody Murphy Design + Production Marnie Hutcheson Amy Garone Ad Sales Ursula Ceballos Distribution Terri Silvola-Finch Founder Carolyn Blakeslee Contact Us AgriMag Press 352-209-3180 P.O. Box 635 Orange Springs, Florida 32182 Email Publisher: Jeri@AgriMag.press Editor: Marnie@AgriMag.Press Websites http://The-Ag-Mag.com http://Facebook.com/ TheAgricultureMagazine Copyright ©2017 AgriMag Press All rights reserved

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NO FARMS NO FOOD AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST March 2017

FARMER & RANCHER

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The Ag Mag Founder Retires

Carolyn Blakeslee, the creative force behind The AgMag, North Florida’s popular farming and agriculture magazine, retired after the January, 2017 issue of The AgMag. A gifted writer and publisher, Ms. Blakeslee’s career has included publishing Natural Awakenings of North Florida and The AgMag, both in Ocala. Earlier, in Maryland, Ms. Blakeslee created and published The Art Magazine, which catered to artists and creatives nationwide for 20 years.

Please return

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Ms. Blakeslee plans to pursue many of her other talents. As an artist in voice and piano, as well as a painter and writer, she plans to pursue those and new interests in her retirement. Carolyn, the farming community is grateful. We appreciate what you have accomplished in offering new information and building pride in the agricultural communities of north Florida. We wish you well and happy wherever your journey leads.

Cover Photo: Lyre Leaved Sage (Salvia Lyrata) by Marnie Hutcheson These lovely Florida native wildflowers are some of the first bloomers in Spring. They start blooming in late February and continue through May. Their tall bloom stalk can stand a foot above the ground. A pleasant minty tasting medicinal herb, young leaves are edible in salads. After they bloom, I mow them with the grass and these ground hugging plants make a fine addition to the green of the lawn.

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Community Bank & Trust of Florida is familiar with hard work. We roll up our sleeves to help our neighbors get things done – like financing the equipment and resources you need to maximize profits harvest after harvest. It’s what we do. Drop by one of our branch offices to say “hello” and learn how we can help your farm business prosper.

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At Nation's Colleges of Agriculture, Glass Ceilings Aren't Just on the Greenhouses By Jack Payne Jackpayne@ufl.edu @JackPayneIFAS

I don’t seek female leaders to tally favorable gender diversity numbers. I seek them because I need them for diversity of thought. The numbers do matter. They tell us whether we’re getting that diversity of thought. The national numbers say we’re not. That’s why International Women’s Day on March 8, the recent launch of a Florida chapter of the National Women in Agriculture Association, and other awareness campaigns are important. Acknowledging gender imbalance will strengthen the resolve to address it. How much of a gender imbalance do we have in leadership in the agricultural arm of academia? Researchers Alyssa Cho, Debolina Chakraborty, and Diane Rowland have discovered that at land-grant universities, 18 percent of department chairs are women. And 18 percent to 36 percent of academic professional society leaders are women. Nine of the 50 deans of the nation’s largest agricultural colleges are women.

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Cho (currently at the University of Hawaii at Manoa) was a graduate student and Chakraborty was a postdoc under Rowland in the agronomy department of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), which I lead. You can see their full paper from published in Agronomy Journal, here: https://dl.sciencesocieties. org/publications/aj/abstracts/0/0/ agronj2015.0566 . There’s no female perspective on the insect-borne disease that threatens Florida’s iconic citrus industry, but we’re in an all-handson-deck situation to save it. So the findings from Cho, Chakraborty, and Rowland are cause for concern. As a leader in science, I wouldn’t want entomologists alone searching for a solution to citrus greening. UF/IFAS also has engineers, geneticists, plant pathologists, tree physiologists, horticulturalists, and experts from so many other disciplines on the case. Nor would I want men alone searching for that solution – and leading that search.

Oftentimes agriculture’s challenges also have a social angle that compels us to investigate why and how people make choices. To get at those angles, we need not just different kinds of scientists but different kinds of people. It’s not just training that makes scientists different. It’s individual experience, environments, and identity. That’s why I pay attention to how many women among the 4,000 employees of UF/IFAS are appointed to leadership positions. Our point person on research is Dr. Jackie Burns. The $10.8-billiona-year Florida citrus industry needs her focused on the Asian citrus psyllid, not distracted by being a pioneer. But pioneer she is. I hired her three years ago as the first female dean for IFAS research in the 126-year history of our agricultural experiment station. Did I hire her because she’s a woman? No, I hired Burns because she’s a woman who’s one of the most knowledgeable people in the world about the fruit on our state

license plate, about an agricultural commodity that is as much a Florida icon as a mouse in Orlando or a gateway to space in Cape Canaveral. This citrus expert came with a 27-year track record in agricultural research and administration. Hiring her was the culmination of a series of decisions, including mine to appoint her previously as first female director ever for what is now our 100-year-old Citrus Research and Education Center. I only had the opportunity to promote her twice because others before me had given her the chance to prove she was qualified to lead one of the nation’s major university agricultural research operations. I didn’t put her into the leadership pipeline. I – and my organization -- just benefited from her coming through it.

I’d be more self-satisfied with my record of these hires and others had Cho and her team not made me flinch. They gave me a look in the mirror at the land-grant university system that I’ve spent my career in. I’ve been a top administrator at three major land-grant universities going back 16 years. The numbers say we’re not there at land-grants – institutions founded 155 years ago on the very premise of opening doors to women and others who had been shut out previously. Gender equity has special resonance in agriculture, because UF/ IFAS Global, our international arm (again led by men for its entire history until I appointed a woman to the directorship in October), informs me that around the world women perform much of the agricultural labor. Yet men have much greater access to credit, technology, education, and markets. Eliminating that disparity could reduce by as many as 150 million the number of people on our planet suffering from hunger.

Jackie Burns

The business case for diversity is particularly compelling in agricultural science because so much is at stake in our successes and failures. We’re not selling widgets. We’re feeding the world.

Our College of Agricultural and Life Sciences dates back to 1884, but our history of female deans dates back only to 2011, and continued in 2014 with my hiring of Dr. Elaine Turner as the college’s second female dean.

That gets more challenging by the decade as we face changing climate, water shortages, environmental threats, and market volatility, even as the population is expected to grow to nearly 10 billion by 2050. It’s been estimated that we need to produce more food by mid-century than we

have since the dawn of agriculture 10,000 years ago. When I go to agricultural commodities group meetings, for the most part I see people like me – older, male, white. These men are eminently qualified to lead their organizations. They’re smart, hard-working, and often have an emotional investment in their enterprises that comes from doing what your dad and your granddad did. Yet the very fact of their association around the common theme of feeding people makes them susceptible to groupthink. The only way I know to offset that is through thousands of individual hiring decisions to bring in people who think differently. In a lot of cases, that’ll mean bringing in people who look 'different'.

Jack Payne is the senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources at the University of Florida and leader of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. In this role he essentially leads the discovery and innovation arm of the state’s agriculture and natural resources industries. He is responsible for 4,000 employees who work on campus in Gainesville, at 12 research and education centers across the state, and Extension offices that serve each of Florida’s 67 counties. IFAS also includes the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Payne previously served as a vice president at Iowa State University and at Utah State University.

March 2017

March of the Animals by Melody Murphy

As I’ve said before, agriculture is not how I make my living, though it is my heritage and has always been a part of my surroundings. I feel a connection with the world of agriculture which I can only surmise is a spiritual connection with the generations that came before. Farm life gets into the blood and stays there. I’m happiest among pastures and fields, groves and gardens, cows and chickens. I live outside the city limits, where plenty of people have farm animals. To the east is pastureland, with cows and a miniature pony. Two doors to the west, they have chickens and pigs. Across the street are two donkeys. Judging from the sound of the neighborhood, quite a few unseen neighbors have roosters. I pass any number of cows and horses on my way to anyplace, and even have a favorite little calf I’ve been watching grow up since he was tiny. When I was growing up, one of my first paying jobs was to walk down the street and feed my neighbors’ chickens whenever the family was gone on vacation. At one point they had peacocks. If you have never heard a peacock screech unseen, you have not known terror. Especially when you did not know, at first, what was making that sound.

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Once I even had a couple of chickens of my own. The Easter I was six, I got two baby chicks. I raised them until the rooster grew up and got mean, then we gave them to the farmer next door. Over the years he had raised chickens, ducks, geese, even quail and pheasants, so two more among the poultry were no problem. Whenever I have lived anywhere that I did not hear chickens, it has seemed strange. It just seems right to stop and listen to the country quiet and be able to hear roosters crowing, cows mooing, donkeys braying, horses neighing, goats baa-ing, and pigs grunting. And of course, dogs barking.

I’ve said before that Beaujangles, the family dog, is not a farm dog – but perhaps I was wrong. Recently he expanded his horizons and made a new friend: the baby donkey down the street. I was walking Beau one lovely spring morning when the baby donkey, who is extremely sweet and friendly, saw us and hollered for us to come

speak to him. We ambled down that way and I petted him over the fence. Beaujangles was not altogether sure about this creature, but the little donkey was patient and persistent. He stuck his head through the fence to greet Beau, but it took Beaujangles some time to feel brave enough to do anything more than dart forward and hop backwards nervously.

fruit salad just with the produce of Homeland. I like to go for a drive out that way, especially this time of year when the orange blossoms are in full bloom. With the windows down, it’s pure heaven on a hilltop. Everyone in that area seems to have several acres of pastureland and various combinations of cows, horses, mules, and goats, with at least a few chickens running around their land and scratching in their yards. There are red clay roads winding through the groveland, old tin-roofed Cracker farmhouses and rusty old barns, hand-painted signs by the roadside advertising honey and eggs for sale, wash drying on clotheslines when it’s a fine day. When the wind is right, you can get a whiff of the clean, fresh smell of river-water, from the nearby Peace River. It’s a purely pastoral bit of country, one of my favorite rural spots to visit. And this agriculturally abundant stretch of countryside is the birthplace and earliest home of Beaujangles. So maybe he is a farm dog after all. As I said, it gets into the blood.

Eventually, while the donkey decided to avail himself of some roadside clover while his muzzle was through the lower fence-boards, Beaujangles mustered all his courage and inched forward to say hello. The cutest thing I have seen in some time is Beau standing knee-deep in a patch of clover, rubbing noses with the baby donkey.

Melody Murphy is a local writer, Florida native, and descendant of many a farmer.

A few minutes later, the miniature pony across the street saw us from the north end of his pasture and came running down to the fence, whinnying happily with his mane streaming behind him. Emboldened by his success, Beau ran over to say hello to the pony, hopping up and down among the wild daisies. Beau has now made two new friends. When I take him for a walk, the first thing he wants to do is go down the street to see if his new friends are out. The people we got Beau from as a puppy lived out in the country, near Homeland, which is a rural area south of Bartow. It’s surrounded by miles of orange groves, strawberry farms, blueberry farms, and banana trees. You could make a nice

Like Beaujangles, the editor’s dog, READY, is another friend to donkeys and horses.

March 2017

Farmer’s Markets and CSA’s by William K. Crispin, Attorney At Law The Ag Mag’s spotlight in the prior issue highlighted a fixture and vendor at the area’s farmers markets, Possum Hollow Farm owned and operated by Trace and Joe Durando. This brought to mind the significant contribution that our north central Florida farmers’ markets make toward area communities. Just in the Gainesville region there are three markets, Union Street, downtown; on the north side on US 441; and Haile Farmers Market at the Village Center in Haile Plantation.

eral innovative farms wanting to expand the concept of biodynamic farm management independently brought the idea of CSA to North America in the mid-1980s. The initial CSA gardens completed their first year of operation in 1986. Steven McFadden, co-author of the first book on CSA, Farms of Tomorrow, estimates that there are between 6,000 and 6,500 CSAs in the U.S. (as of January 2012). How CSA Works

In this column we explore the backdrop of what constitutes a “Farmer’s Market” and the regulations through which brings a legitimate valued option for the public to source much of its food needs. First, a short discussion of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Although several of the farm vendors who sell their products at the area markets also are CSA farms, many are not but work with area CSA’s.

There are typically three groups involved in the farm: the farmers, core group, and consumers. The farmers do all the actual farming work, and do it the way they see fit. There is no interference from non-farmers about how the work is done. Membership in the CSA is based on shares of the harvest. Members are called shareholders and they subscribe or underwrite the harvest for the entire season in advance. Each CSA handles this relationship in its own fashion.

For over twenty-five years CSA has become a popular way for consumers to buy locally grown food directly from the farm. Sev-

Every farm is different in length of season, crops grown, level of social activities and price they set for their shares.

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CSA is not about cheap food, which is usually neither nourishing nor grown with care of the environment in mind. CSA is about each of us being responsible. We encourage you to compare prices of a share at your local CSA to the supermarket's "cheap food." The core group consists of 5-12 people, which includes farmers and consumers. The core group makes sure that the food is being distributed and in some cases is responsible for collecting payments, organizing festivals, preparing the budget, paying the farmers, dealing with legal issues, and finding more consumers as required. The consumers group includes everyone (including farmers). This group's responsibility is to financially support the farm and see that all the food is consumed. Each CSA is unique and tailored to the needs of its community. Generally farmers make a detailed plan for the next season during the winter. The plan includes the type and varieties of crops to be grown, projected yield, and length of the season each crop will be available. Farmers plan the crops according to the tastes of the local community. Informal meetings with consumers and questionnaires can be of help. Herbs, flowers, and soft fruit are often included. Climate and weather change from year to year. And some farms have soil which is suitable for growing certain crops and not others. Over the long term, these things tend to balance out. CSAs also often work co-operatively with one another to supply the

needs of their communities with certain crops, meat, eggs, or special fruits. In many CSAs, crops are harvested twice a week. If a CSA has full and half shares, it means that full shareholders pick up twice a week and half shareholders pick up once a week. If your CSA has distribution at the farm, you will go there to get your food. If your CSA has a delivery program, you may have to drive to a pick-up location. Each CSA tries to harvest only enough fresh produce for the number of people picking up that day so that little, if any, food is wasted. Many CSA’s have developed a surplus table or box. Shareholders can leave what they don't need (or like) or take "extras," which have been left behind by others. Some farms also offer U-Pick for certain labor-intensive crops like peas, beans, strawberries, tomatoes, flowers, herbs, etc. More than 1 million acres of farmland is lost each year to urban development. The average age of the few remaining farmers in this country is over 50. Over the next decade, as much as 80% of the nation's farmland will turn over, with much of it going to people who won't live on the land. The questions of capital and future land ownership are important ones, especially for small farms located in urban/suburban areas. The cost of land and equipment is prohibitive for farmers just starting out. The question of how to fund the future is being tackled by CSA growers and consumers through unique community funding and

financing arrangements. The vision is to keep access to land and equipment possible so that community groups can be assured of a supply of healthy food and growers can survive economically. For a list of area CSA’s and related information: http://www.localharvest.org/ csa/ So if not all farm vendors at farmers’ markets are CSA’s then what makes a “bona fide” farmer’s market? Using Haile Farmer’s Market as an example for the north central Florida region (Union Street and the market on 441 have similar rules with some variation) the operation policies give priority to farm vendors. Applications for having a booth at the market are granted on a case by case basis from the market manager. In order to vend at the Haile Farmers Market, you must follow the Haile Farmers Market Rules & Regulations, which ensure that products sold are inspected and meet certain standards, as such: • You must grow or create your own product. BROKERING IS PROHIBITED. This requirement assures the consumer of the food source. • Farm vendors must be inspected prior to vending at market and seasonally, thereafter.

• All food vendors must attach a copy of liability insurance and if applicable, proof of certified kitchen. And, meet all required State laws regarding food preparation and sale. Our farmer’s markets are something we should all take advantage of and say thank you to the farmers and vendors that make it happen. William K. Crispin Afarmersfriend.com Additional Resources For Information clearinghouse on food permits and references: http://www.freshfromflorida. com/Divisions-Offices/FoodSafety/Business-Services/FoodInspections Florida Statutes, Chapter 500, Florida Food Safety Act: http://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/ Statutes/2013/Chapter500 For a more detailed account of the rules the Florida Food Safety Act, visit the Florida Administrative Code: https://www.flrules.org/ gateway/chapterhome. asp?chapter=5k-4

• Plant vendors must attach a copy of DPI inspection. (Florida Dept of Agriculture & Consumer Services Bureau of Plant & Apiary Inspection. Often shortened to Dept of Plant Inspection or DPI. ) Organic farms must attach a copy of certification. Only certified organic farmers can label produce “organic.”

March 2017

AgriMag

March 2017

Everyone Hates Mimosa Trees by David the Good ...Or at least, that’s what it seems like.

A Change in Perspective

“They’re an invasive!” “They keep growing back when you cut them down!” “They grow SO fast!!!”

Though mimosa trees shouldn’t be hanging around in Florida, if you have them, why not put them to work? Florida’s usually sandy soil is generally low in nutrition and organic matter. We buy mulch and fertilizer for our yards and gardens which disappears rapidly. Instead of trying to completely kill an invasive mimosa tree, what if you used it as a “chop and drop” mulch instead?

It’s true: mimosa trees are an invasive species that keep growing back when you cut them, and yes, they grow fast. That’s because mimosas were designed to fill a specific environmental niche: what botanists call a “pioneer species.” According to Infogalactic: “Pioneer species are hardy species which are the first to colonize previously disrupted or damaged ecosystems, beginning a chain of ecological succession that ultimately leads to a more biodiverse steady-state ecosystem.” Did you get that? Mimosa (more properly known as Albizia julibrissin) is a species that shows up in poor soils and disturbed areas. It grows quickly, seeds prolifically, fixes nitrogen in the soil – which improves the area – and eventually dies and rots after years of dropping humus-creating leaves and branches. There’s a reason you see mimosa trees growing around junkyards, roadsides and construction sites. They’re there to fix things. The problem is, they’re not a native, so they fill a niche that should probably be filled by something local. Yet… what if we could use them for good?

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I had a mimosa tree growing next to a Chinese chestnut tree in my front yard. Every time the mimosa got taller than the chestnut, I would chop the mimosa back to 4’ or so with my machete, then roughly chop up the leaves and branches and drop them in a rough ring around the chestnut. I did this over and over, mulching that chestnut. But it gets better! Trees also drop roots when pruned and a nitrogen-fixing species like mimosa drops nitrogen nodules along with roots. All rot into humus and feed whatever other trees and plants are nearby. As I cut back that mimosa and used it for mulch, I also fed the chestnut from beneath. How cool is that? Sometimes problems can be solutions. We have a problem: an invasive tree that keeps growing back. But we have another problem: poor, sandy, nutrient-deficient soil.

The second problem can be solved, at least in part, by the first. Let that mimosa tree grow a bit and gather up nutrition from the soil to feed its growing leaves and branches. Then take its hard work and give it to something else! Tree limbs not only work as mulch, they also feed fungi which in turn feed the soil. When my neighbors would take down a tree and put the limbs by the roadside, I would drag them home and place them here and there around my fruit trees. Fungi, insects and worms would gnaw away at the wood and make it into beautiful compost. I used to hate invasive trees that would keep coming back – until I realized I could use them for better things. Instead of seeing these persistent plants as a problem, I now see them as a source of food for the trees I love. And there’s something satisfying about chopping down an invasive tree to feed to something I want to eat. It’s not just invasive trees you can use for chop and drop, either. You can also use sweet gum and oak, sumacs or just the weeds that grow in your yard or in the empty lot across the street. Chop them down and use them for mulch around trees you want to feed and you’ve both cleaned up the area and fertilized.

and weeds as mulch. I like to call these people sissies. Have you ever walked through the woods? Look at all the fallen leaves, limbs and trunks. Now kneel down and dig into the forest floor. Look at that rich, humus-filled soil. Inhale its sweet, mushroomy aroma. It’s like magic. Maintaining a perfectly clean lawn and garden with trees surrounded by immaculate St. Augustine grass may look nice, but it’s not natural – and it takes a lot of input to maintain. Trees like mimosa show up because they’re trying to restore a forest environment. Since they’re hard to eliminate, why not work with them to improve the soil? Keep them cut and they won’t go to seed – and use those trimmings to feed something else. Just chill a little. Trim the mimosas, drink a mimosa, and watch your gardens grow. David The Good is a Florida native, a gardening expert and the author of five books you can find on Amazon, including Totally Crazy Easy Florida Gardening and Compost Everything: The Good Guide to Extreme Composting. Find fresh gardening inspiration every weekday at his website www. TheSurvivalGardener.com and be sure to follow his popular YouTube channel at https://www.youtube. com/user/davidthegood.

Some people don’t like the look of rough branches

March 2017

The Wild Side of Your Farm

Sunflowers in our Sunshine State by Jan Cross Cubbage

The towering sunflowers I grow around the border of my vegetable gardens each year gather many comments concerning my “green thumb”. Truth be known, I just stick the seeds in the ground and go on to other garden matters. Sunflower seedlings start poking through the ground during warm spring days about 11 days after planting. From that point I expect the stalks of the sunflower plant to rise like Jack’s bean stalk and, indeed, in about 90 days the stalks could be a staggering 14 feet high , each supporting orange-yellow flower heads the size of large serving platters. Sunflower heads are a composite of 1,000 to 2,000 tiny flowers called ”florets” joined together in a bowl-like stem head. Each fertilized floret will develop into a seed -- so you can see what a prolific food producer a single sunflower can be. While the florets are in bloom, my garden buzzes with bees seeking nectar and pollen from the sunflowers. As the seeds mature, birds will come and snack. My nine egg laying ducks will de20

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vour most of the seeds they can village gardens as well as the reach, as the mature stalks bend native’s creation of delicious flat breads made from sunflowlow over the garden fences. er seed flour. Sunflowers originated in North Sunflowers have been grown America. Botanists used geand harvested in America and netic tracking to verify that the Mexican varieties of sunflowers Europe as a commercial vegactually came later into agricul- etable oil crop since the early 1700s. In 1716, a British compatural use than North American ny filed for the first sunflower varieties. Today there are 60 known varieties of North Amer- oil seed press patent. The Russians adopted sunflowers as a ican sunflowers. The “Mamleading national cash crop. By moth Russian” sunflowers are 1800, hundreds of thousands of the largest of sunflower heads acres of sunflowers were grown and are known to be up to 20” in diameter, on 12’ to 14’ stalks. for livestock fodder and oil on Russian lands. By the 1830s, Russian immigrants settling in For variety I plant the small the mid-west and the Dakotas Mexican sunflowers, as well as introduced the hybrid “Mamtaller and larger Velvet Queen variety known for their umber/ moth Russian” black and white dark orange petals. I also plant striped seed variety. Before long, growing sunflowers as a evening Sun and the delicate Lemon Queen variety that sport cash-value crop became a foundation of mid-west agriculture. see-through pale yellow petDairy farmers found that the als. A bunch of these varieties chopped stalks and flowers of planted together produce a the sunflower plant made excelgiant bouquet of russet, gold, lent cattle fodder. yellow, and orange colored splendor. Sunflowers tolerate a wide variety of soil types and bear America’s natives grew field upon field of sunflowers on the well under dry conditions. They grow better than corn because Florida peninsula. The earliest of both a spreading root system European explorers took note and a five-foot tap root. The of the waving fields of yellowUSDA reports that the average gold planted flowers close to

US sunflower crop is 1.5 million acres, valued at a reported $670 million in seed and harvested oil. Could sunflowers be grown in our region of Florida for cattle, hog and goat fodder? The answer to that question is a resounding “yes”, considering the hardiness and adaptability of sunflower plants and the nature of Florida’s sandy-loam soils. Studies by the University of Wisconsin Extension scholars find that sunflowers are, “not sensitive to soil pH,” though 6.0 to 7.2 is considered optimal. Applications of nitrogen, phos-

phate and potassium increase yields but phosphate application alone will yield a good crop. Sunflowers need less NP-K than corn crops as well as less water. A “good” crop yield is as follows: 4 lb. of seed per acre yields 17,000 mature sunflower plants yielding nearly a ton of sunflower seeds per acre. If the crop is chopped for livestock forage yield expectation is 1.6 tons of chopped forage per acre. Sunflower forage has more crude protein (12.5% average) than corn (8-10.5% average) and more fat (12 %) and crude fiber (1.5-2.0%) than corn silage, (July 2012, AGWEB/Farm Journal.)

The Kessel family of Masaryktown, Florida has a u-pick vegetable farm located just about ten minutes south of Brooksville. In the fall their farm, called “Sweetfields”, has a corn maze for visitors to walk about. But, in the spring, it is a “SunFlower maze” that draws visitors as well as strawberries and vegetables to pick. I might have to check that out! Jan Cross Cubbage, a blood stock agent and Thoroughbred farm manager, is a retired high school teacher of history and science, author of Screaming Ponies, and a former licensed Thoroughbred trainer in six states.

March 2017

Counting the Ways by Jeri Baldwin

SPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRINGSPRING By many measures, Spring marches into North Florida; many sights, sounds, and aromas announce clearly that winter retreats – and spring replaces it. I know this because I started listing the ways I love Spring’s arrival. HA! No way to list every way, and definitely no way to start with the most beautiful, or pleasant, or memorable. So, I content myself by sharing my list – in no particular order, certain that the absence of any of these notations of Spring would diminish my spirit and being. ...As did Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “Let Me Count the Ways” I count the trees, those stalwart guardians who keep our soil in place, those givers of oxygen and receivers of carbon. As March arrives, these big plants whose bare winter branches stretch for the sky, add shiny new leaves into a form whose shape identifies them: Cypress, slender and lacy, Oak, bulky and sturdy, Pine, resinous and needled, Sweet Gum, with five pointed, star leaves, and Magnolia with dark green, glossy, large leaves. It begins with nubs of leaves, swelling into their unmistakable shape – then bursting into shiny new

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green leaves -- the bringers of clearer air. And, at last, when the cautious Pecans decide that Spring really “means it”, their tiny sprigs bring the last tree into Spring. The earth breathes deeply. Glorious is the sight. And, the challenge of counting, and naming the hues and tones of green: kelly, lime, emerald, olive, sea, jade, and forest, is invigorating. Is there a name for every green? How many? Counting the shades of green is one of my Spring traditions. I count those shyest harbingers of spring, the vividly purple wild violets, nudging toward the sun through the grasses and leaves. The exquisite, minute blossoms charmed the passengers on riverboats as they churned upstream on the wild, swift Ocklawaha River in the early 20th century. Those sightseers purchased small clumps of violets for 5 cents from the equally charming, shy, bare footed, scrawny, girls whose families homesteaded in the forest near the River. March listens to the pre-dawn earnest pleas of the wild Tom Turkeys, strutting before the hens with feathers fanned into exquisite adornment. The hens feed, preen, gossip, and otherwise ignore the Toms – though, of course, they do choose a Tom. March

turns to summer with the gangly adolescent turkeys romping through woods and pastures. March sees the earth turn in ropy, brown coils of soil curling behind the Turning Plow, releasing the musky, pungent aroma of rich soil, readying for the seeds and plants who promise the miracle of growth. Farmers snuggle small seeds under a quilt of rich, loamy soil. A certain number of days later, after warmth and water join the mixture, the miracle of growth occurs. The taste and sight of an incredibly red strawberry, or the first taste of succulent, creamy corn on the cob is our reward. The goodness of greens: kale, turnip, beet, and radish. The satisfying crunch of orange carrots. Even the plant of the Big Boy tomato prompts my taste buds in anticipation of the big, deep red fruit that will follow. When I stand in the field and slurp a sun warmed Big Boy, its juices running between my fingers, the taste assures me that all is right with the world. Tiny seeds in combination with an attentive farmer, soil, water, and sun combine to feed the world’s peoples. “Busy as a bee…” takes on new meaning as the bees flit ecstatically among the hundreds of Spring flowers; with each new sample of nectar their activity level increases. In the Spring the hives glow with capped cells of orange pollen and dark gold honey collects slowly in the bottom of the hive’s frames. In the drunkenness of Spring, the bees likely don’t even notice or care that a quart of honey requires 48,000 miles of flight.

Spring counts strongly on the blossoms; dozens of purple, yellow, red, blue, orange and golden buds emerge as flowers. The earth glows with the blossoms of flowering plants and the pristine green of new leaves. Floridians sometimes may venture into the northeast when fall leaves change colors, but few of us miss the opening of the rampant, glorious azaleas. Few of us also do not consider it Spring until they have inhaled deeply underneath a tree with the intoxicating aroma of orange blossoms or tea olive. As well as counting the ways of Spring, many folk count on Spring to bring their favorite wild foods. Dandelion, harvested and steamed, provides nutrition’s elixir for bodies after winter’s miseries. Smilax, better than asparagus, sow thistle, chickweed, sorrel, and Spanish needle, the eatin’ is easy and healthy when Spring bursts. Spring’s arrival sings a sad note among the joyous sounds which peal forth. For, one blue-bird sky, cloudless Spring morning, the majestic Sand Hill Crane will honk their way into the sky, form into the aerodynamic splendor of a huge “V,” and begin passage to their northern homes of cool air and baby chicks. I fall short of counting all the ways Mother Nature bestows Spring, but the glory is in the trying. What does your list count? Spring! Bewitching, Beautiful, Bountiful Spring!

March 2017

Agri News Website Dedicated to New World Screwworm The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has developed an interactive New World Screwworm website focusing on steps taken to eradicate screwworm from the United States. The website includes information on the history, eradication, life cycle and control of the screwworm. (https://www. aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/ animalhealth/animal-diseaseinformation/cattle-diseaseinformation/nws)

Young Farmer Success Act Reintroduced to Congress The Young Farmer Success Act (H.R. 1060) to help young farmers manage their student loan debt has been reintroduced in Congress. “Farmers are stewards of the land and cornerstones of our rural communities. We must cultivate the future generation of farmers,” said an author of the bill. “ They face tough odds by the very nature of the business, and this legislation will provide incentives for those who would like to pursue a future in the agriculture industry, which aids our national security and the long-term sustainability of our country.” The Young Farmer Success Act

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is supported by the National Young Famers Coalition. While polling their members, the organization found 53% of young farmers struggle to make their student loan payments, and 30% said they are not currently farming or delaying the return to farming because of student loans. The National Young Farmers Coalition is seeking responses from young growers as part of its 2017 Young Farmer Survey. The information in the responses will help craft the organization’s next policy platform and help those seeking to enter the agriculture industry.

Florida Legislature Opens

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service The NRCS plans to invest up to $103 million in 2017 for disaster recovery in 2017. Through its Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) to finance recovery projects. The first spending will fund recovery for four Counties who suffered damage in Hurricane Matthew in late September and early October, 2016. Up to $3.1 million will go to remove debris from Putnam, Seminole, and Volusia Counties and channel bank stabilization in Brevard and Seminole Counties.

Florida Farm Bureau will visit Florida Legislature. Over the last two Florida legislative sessions, Florida agriculture has enjoyed more than $14 million in sales tax exemptions, a stronger Greenbelt law, a reduced regulatory environment, the establishment of an agritourism law, modernizations to the laws governing the transporting of agricultural products and more.

The EWP Program helps communities with recovery projects in watersheds caused by hurricanes, floods, fires, windstorms, wildfires, and other natural disasters. EWP offers disaster recovery and permanent floodplain easements.

The Florida Legislature begins its Legislative Session in less than a week, and this year already faces a lengthy list of Agriculture proposals. Among issues on the docket are expanding sales tax exemptions, reducing regulations, protect Greenbelt, and expanding the travel range of trucks with restricted farm tags.

Gainesville’s League of Women Voters recently invited several Gainesville residents to join a steering committee exploring the organization of a Solar Coop in Alachua County. The League wishes to begin a step in the right direction to provide solar energy at a more affordable price for residents of Alachua County. The League has prom-

League of Women Voters Propose Solar Coop

ised definite launch detail by Earth Day on April 22.

rebuffs the offending beetle, but is about 80% less expensive than the current repellent in use.

Hope for the Avocado

Rejoice Avocado lovers!

UF/IFAS scientists believe they have discovered a scent to help deter a beetle that has wreaked havoc on Floridaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s avocadoes.

Vegetable Grower Award

Methyl Salicylate, when investigated on redbay (a close cousin of avocadoes) proved to repel redbay ambrosia beetles, the culprit for Avocado growth. The news proved further good as methyl salicylate not only

American Vegetable Growersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Grower Achievement Award annually recognizes innovative growers who strive to go above and beyond to grow quality vegetables, while continuing to support fellow growers and their industry.

If you know a grower with leadership skills, an inquiring mind, and the resources to help their colleagues, simply google American Vegetable Grower magazine, click on the Grower Achievement Award, and submit an application. The deadline for your nominee is June 2, 2017. Get your favorite grower some well deserved recognition. (http://www.growingproduce. com/vegetables/know-a-vegetable-grower-whos-innovativeand-stands-above-the-rest/)

March 2017

Agri News, cont. Blueberry Growers Pledge Comeback With topsy-turvy weather and a strong El Nino, in addition to practically no chill hours, the Florida Blueberry season of 2016 is best forgotten. Strong plans were written for an outstanding Blueberry season in 2017 at the recent Florida Blueberry Growers Association Spring Meeting in Plant City. In his welcome, President Dudley Calfee mentioned Hurricane Matthew as a heavy factor for the low attendance at the meeting. Hurricane Matthew postponed the fall meeting by two months. Calfee urged the growers present to know their Farm Service Agency, citing that as a reason several million dollars went unclaimed to help recovery from the disaster. Because a newly discovered bacteria, Ralstonia solanacearum, poses a new threat to Blueberrys. Jeff Williamson, Extension Horticulturist, advised growers not to plant the “Arcadia” Blueberry. The “arcadia” is the only cultivar that suffered the disease in research offered thus far.

the season. In fact it is more suited to harvest in the early winter months of mid-November, so can be planted in late September. Scientists even predict that the strawberry can withstand Florida’s high September and October temperatures. Florida already grows the best strawberry in the world, so scientists and growers are excited to raise the bar a bit more with the “Florida Beauty.” The new strawberry is a cross between the UF/ IFAS created “Florida Radiance” and an Australian berry that had some history at IFAS as well.

FLORIDA SOLAR USAGE HEATING UP Florida drastically increased the number of solar workers in the state in 2016 to 8,260, a hefty rise from the 2015 figure of 6,560. Florida now ranks fifth in the nation with solar jobs.

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A presentation by video conference, a first for the FBGA, featured Cort Brazelton of Fall Creek Farm and Nursery in Oregon, who announced incredible growth in the industry worldwide. Brazelton further urged growers in Florida’s to ramp up earlier and earlier production to keep up with increasing competition. Brazelton urged Florida growers to maximize the grow local movement, to produce to capacity, concentrate on quality, be ultra efficient in growing, packing, and marketing, and to invest in proven innovation.

Beautiful New Florida Strawberry A Florida Strawberry, the “Florida Beauty,” offering wonderful taste, can also be planted earlier in

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Calendar of Events March 1-March 18

Water Ways, presented by the Smithsonian traveling Exhibition Service. Images, Videos, information, interactive elements, Sulphur Springs Museum, Tampa, through March 18.

March 2-4

FFFB Women's Leadership Conference, St. Augustine

March 7-8

FFBF Legislative Days, Tallahassee

March 10-11

2017 UF Bee College, St. Augustine. For beekeepers of all experience levels, gardeners, naturalists, county agents, etc. $70 and up. http://bit.ly/2i0016q

March 13

Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training – 1 day, Arcadia

March 15, 9:30am-12pm

Osceola Co IFAS Extension Services Building, Kissimmee, Florida. NRCS REGIONAL CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIJP PROGRAM WORKSHOP. How to apply for financial assistance for landscape-scale conservation through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Contact Walter Albarran, 941-729-6804 X112 for further details.

March 18

Saturday, 10-3 Wild Foods Plant Walk, Crones’ Cradle Conserve, Citra. Cost is $35. Bring your own lunch. Reservations required 352-595-3377, catcrone@ aol.com

March 19

Sunday, 1-dark. Farm walks, food, bonfire, live music. Adults $5, children free entry, food $2/ sample. Shady Grove Nature Preserve. Reservations required. Call (352) 207-6520 for reservations, details, and directions.

March 21, 9am-1pm

Quail management workshop How to help Kestrels and use prescribed burns, cost share Piney Woods Plantation, DeFuniak, Springs

April 21, 9am-3pm

Marion County Ag Extension Auditorium, Ocala, Invasive Exotic Species and Control Workshop. Learn about identifying and controlling cogongrass, Japanese climbing fern, Old World climbing fern, Chinese tallowtree, and exotic animals, such as feral hogs. Cost is $10 which includes lunch and materials. Register at https:// fsp-workshop042117 eventbrite. com, or call 352-671-8400 to reserve a space. ************************ ++ STATE SURPLUS LAND BID NOTIFICATION Chattahooche,Gadsden County, Florida 25.0 Acre Parcel, DSL-Bid-17-002

DEP State Lands Buy-Bid Website: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/ lands/buy_bid.htm ************************

All The Time

Citrus County Extension Svc. Remote Plant Clinic Dates and Locations. Every Tuesday, 1pm: Lakes Region Library. Fourth Tuesday, 2pm: Homosassa Library; alternating Tuesdays at Extension Office. First Wednesday, 2pm: Floral City Library. Second Wednesday, 1:30pm, Central Ridge Library. Third Wednesday, 1pm, Citrus Springs Library. Second Friday: 1:30pm Coastal Region Library. Information: Citrus County Extension Svc., Lecanto, Florida 34461, 352-527-5700, www.citrus.ifas.ufl.edu Every Monday Plant Clinic. Bring your questions, plant samples, problems. 9-3 Government Annex, corner of Morse Blvd. and CR 466, The Villages. Crones Cradle Conserve Every Wednesday Farm baskets of vegetables, jams, jellies, etc. delivered to the Ocala Public Library every Wednesday at 2:30pm. $25-50. Reserve in advance. Crones’ Cradle Conserve, Citra. 352-595-3377, catcrone@ aol.com Every Saturday and Sunday Farmstead Weekend Visit a working vegetable and herb farm; walks, hands on, story times, fresh produce, tips on gardening and cooking. Crones’ Cradle Conserve, 352-595-3377. catcrone@aol.com

March 2017

Calendar of Events, cont.

GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, OTHER FUNDING

First-Come, First-Served. USDA Farmers Market Coalition; free SNAP EBT equipment program. FMC will cover the costs of purchasing or renting equipment and services (set-up costs, monthly service fees, wireless fees) for up to three years. Http:// bit.ly/2e1L2TJ. Deadline March 31 Grants and Guaranteed Loans for Renewable Improvements for farms and rural small businesses. Grants can be used to improve

energy efficiency or used to assist to purchase wind, solar, geothermal or other renewable energy systems, and to help farmers with energy audits and renewable energy planning. http://bit.ly/2fGgtbC.

and technical assistance. Renee Bodine, 352-338-9565. Deadlines Vary Florida Agricultural Scholarships Online. Check this website often for information on new awards. http://www.Florida Agricultural Scholarships.com USDA grants, loans, and other support. Many programs are open to individual and family farmers, even people just beginning.

No Specific Deadline 1.American Heart Association Teaching Garden Grant. Open to Schools. The AHA provides the materials for planting day, garden beds, organic soil, seedlings, and plants; cooking demonstrations, and other activities. Teaching Garden Tool Kit including school garden manual, lesson plans, and more. http://bit.ly/28Vv33Gm. 2. Reestablishing Quail on Florida Agricultural Lands. Financial

Micro-loans are fast tracked. There are other programs open to farmers’ markets, nonprofits, and educational providers. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KYF_ GRANTS

SPRING BREAK CAMP

MOVIE NIGHT PUBLIC SPEAKING CLASS

GIRL’S NIGHT

CORPORATE RENTALS IN-LAWS VISITING

WEDDING RECEPTIONS

DATE NIGHT

IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES

THEATRE CINEMA GALLERY EDUCATION EVENTS RENTALS 352 375 4477 THEHIPP ORG 25 SE 2ND PLACE, DOWNTOWN GAINESVILLE FIND US ON FACEBOOK |INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | SNAPCHAT TO DISCOVER THE POSSIBILITIES FOR YOURSELF!

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POSITIONS AND INTERNSHIPS Deadlines Vary Florida Sea Grant. If you are interested in marine and coastal work, check in with the Florida Sea Grant program, as new positions are posted frequently. www.flseagrant.org/about/jobs Internships in the beef industry. Many opportunities; some include housing. http://www.floridacattlemen.org/internship-opportunities/ UF/IFAS. Extension agents, dairy, cattle assistants, water resources agents, horticulture agents, veterinary support, professors, teaching assistants, mluch more. Check the list at http://explore.jobs. ufl.edu/cw/en-us/listing/

Please send your agricultural and gardening related Calendar listings to info@AgriMag.press “Like” our AgriMag Facebook page for interesting posts about ag and gardening news, events, cool pictures, and humor.

MEET YOUR LOCAL GOAT FARMER It’s NOT just a JOB, it’s our PASSION!

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Formerly: The Ag Mag

Sunflowers and our Sunshine State Farmers Markets and CSAs Let Me Count the Ways Local Agri News

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2017 2017 | 1 Volume II, Issue 1,March March

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March 2017

Farming Wonders of the World

Luffa is a most amazing and useful plant! A relative of the cucumber, there are many varieties of luffa grown all over the world. This robust vegetable is a feast for the pollinators through spring, summer and fall. It makes a beautiful flowering fence cover, and a cornucopia of organic spongy scrubbing power. Luffa fibers are wonderfully resilient. They hold up to hundreds of uses and when you discard them, they degrade gracefully back into nature. Most varieties have edible fruit, and the blossoms are wonderful in salad. (If you can get them away from the pollinators.) Other uses for Luffa • Two to three inch slices of Luffa make great peat pots for seedlings. • They keep my horses OFF my fences.

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Growing Luffa is Easy Luffa do well with full sun, and modest watering every day or two. Few critters in central Florida bother them. • Luffa need a good fence, trellis, or railing to climb on. The vines can grow 40 feet long and each fruit can weigh 5 lbs or more. Each vine can have 1-10 (or more) luffa on it at any time. • Luffa have a long growing season. They will grow for 180 days or more. The largest fruit can take 45 days to mature. You can start them early indoors and move them outside when frost danger is past. • Luffa blooms are very large and showy. Luffa bloom EVERY MORNING until frost. The blooms are spent by late afternoon. • Don’t plant luffa in high traffic areas. You want to give your pollinators room to work without provocation. • Luffa draw large numbers of pollinators. (As in HUGE bumble bees, and other unusual insects that you may have never seen before.

www.superiorlandscape.net FULL SERVICE GARDEN CENTER

LANDSCAPE DESIGN & INSTALLATION

Palms • Shade Trees • Citrus Trees Annuals • Perennials • Shrubbery Pottery • Custom Planters Mulch • Pine Straw • Soil

Ponds • Waterfalls • Fountains Paver Patios • Driveways Landscape Lighting Outdoor Kitchens

SUPERIOR LANDSCAPE & GARDEN CENTER 5300 North US Highway 27, Ocala, FL 34482

352-368-6619

Shady Grove Preserve 12246 West Highway 40, Ocala Florida 34481 352-207-6520 info@ShadyGrovePreserve.com

Spring Equinox Celebration Sunday March 19, 2017

Public admission: $5/person, children & volunteers free Food and Snacks: tickets $2/sample, Drinks $2, free refills

1:00pm & 3:30pm Old Growth Woodlands History & Nature Tours 5:00 - 7:30pm Bonfire & Dinner -Catered by Crones’ Cradle Conserve, Naturally locally grown food - something for every taste!

Please call or email for Reservations, 352-207-6520 You must wear closed shoes, please bring chair & bug spray

Shady Grove Preserve is a unique blend of nature and applied sustainability, dedicated to preserving and enriching our native Florida habitats and peoples’ understanding and enjoyment of them. Waste not - want not! http://shadygrovepreserve.com & ShadyGrovePreserve on Facebook

March 2017

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