Agrimag November 2017

AgriMag

Down to Earth in Florida

Formerly: The Ag Mag

Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes Nuts About Pecans How to Grow Key Limes Foraging for Food Florida Apiary Lyons Show Pigs Farming Is Dangerous

FREE

Please Enjoy Volume II, Issue 9, November| 2017 November 2017 1

In Gratitude for the Locavores among us

I am.

I am the voice of independence and courage.

I speak.

I speak for the men, women, and children who plow their fields with inspiration, plant their seeds in faith and till their soil of discontent as a vanishing small farmer.

I feel the pain of being an outsider and ` to some I am invisible.

Yet, I see, I see my small farm going away and becoming the progressive mall town America.

Why as the voice of independence and courage do I fear?

I fear because progress is not listening to me – first an acre here and then five acres there and then I am gone and I am no longer free.

Who hears my voice? I wish I knew.

Power and greed have overcome prayers for the Earth and the sacred has been profaned.

The flower asks, “Is there hope for me?”

Such a question.

I have an answer because I believe in hope – but do you?

Mary Ann Neder

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AgriMag From the Publisher The AgriMag will produce its 9th issue in November.

The wild pace of getting a monthly magazine moving smoothly enough to appear on time, look smashing, and share meaningful information, reminds me often to be thankful for the gifted, supportive, creative folk who assist in a thousand ways.

The primary mission of the AgriMag is to share and inform our readers of the crucial role that agriculture plays in Florida. Do people hear the message?

In a writing group several years ago a writer produced a poem which reminded me that the message is heard. I am thankful for the poem – and the poet.

ISSN 2471-3007 Publisher Jeri Baldwin Jeri@AgriMag.Press 352-209-3195 Editors Jeri Baldwin 352-209-3195 Marnie Hutcheson 352-207-6520 Contributors William K. Crispin Jan Cross Cubbage David Goodman Anabelle Leitner Melody Murphy Design + Production Marnie Hutcheson Marnie@AgriMag.Press Amy Garone Ad Sales Cindy Baldwin Cindy@AgriMag.Press Distribution Terri Silvola-Finch Founder Carolyn Blakeslee Contact Us & Subscriptions AgriMag Press info@AgriMag.Press 352-209-3195 P.O. Box 635 Orange Springs, Florida 32182 Websites http://AgriMag.Press https://www.facebook.com/ AgriMagPress/

AgriMag

Down to Earth in Florida

Formerly: The Ag Mag

Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes Nuts About Pecans How to Grow Key Limes Foraging for Food Florida Apiary Lyons Show Pigs Farming Is Dangerous

Cover Photo: Jeri Baldwin

Copyright Š2017 AgriMag Press All rights reserved

FREE

Please Enjoy Volume II, Issue 9, November| 2017 November 2017 1

November 2017

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Contents 2 3

| In Gratitude for the Locavores Among Us | From the Publisher

6 | Nuts About Pecans

by Melody Murphy

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| Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes

by Jeri Baldwin

10 | How to Grow Key Limes

Without a Key Lime Climate

by David the Good

12 | Foraging for Food

by Annabelle Leitner 14

| Food and Foragers in Florida Collage

16 | Florida Apiary Honey & Hives

by William Crispin 18 | Lyons Show Pigs

by Jan Cubbage 20 | Farming Is Dangerous

by Marnie Hutcheson 22 24 25 26

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In Season Recipes: Pumpkins Farming Wonders: Honey Bees Calendar of Events AgriMag Briefs

Washing day at Citrus Florida’s Orange-A-Fair Photo by Marnie Hutcheson November 2017

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Nuts about Pecans

by Melody Murphy

We would never survive the holiday season in my family without pecans. We are a pecan people year-round, from carrot cake at Easter to summer salads, or toasted pecans for snacking. But in the fall, fresh off the tree, pecans get top billing.

Every family tree has its nuts. And while mine has its share of the peculiar, the nut we claim most strongly is the pecan. One side of the family is from Georgia, so the affinity is in their DNA; the other side just has good sense.

We do not gravitate to the walnut. I can’t think of a single thing we make that has walnuts in it. Of course, this is probably because any time we see the word “walnut” in a recipe, we automatically replace it with “pecan,” both in mind and method. I put pecans in chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin bread, banana bread, almost anything I bake.

I always think of walnuts as a Northern nut, probably because pecans are so strongly associated with the South. (And while we are on that, let me go ahead and clear this up: It is “puh-KAHN,” not “PEE-can.” I don’t care who tells you it can be pronounced either way.)

In my family, we largely disdain cashews. I like hazelnuts, but find pistachios too much work for too little payoff. We as a people are not against the almond and the peanut; we are fond of them, but our truest, deepest love is for the pecan.

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At Thanksgiving, they’re in almost every dish imaginable, from the dressing to the casseroles to the sweet potatoes, to pumpkin-praline pie and pecan pie for dessert. Served, of course, with butter pecan ice cream because: “Why not gild the lily?”

By Christmas, they are in every baked good in every poinsettia-emblazoned tin. They lurk in bishop’s bread, cream cheese bars, chocolate pie, and fudge – and of course, fruitcake. They sit flagrantly atop nutty crackers.

The star of the show is my mother’s pecan balls, these wonderfully light, crunchy, meltaway cookies dusted with powdered sugar. I can do Christmas without any other baked good than these. In short, if you don’t like pecans, you are going to be severely upset if you try to spend a holiday with my relatives; our gatherings are probably no place for you unless you bring your own food.

We are enabled by the presence of three huge old pecan trees in my grandmother’s yard. In springtime, the last ritual sign that winter is gone for good is when the pecan trees put out their new

green leaves. They are always the last holdout, their bare branches against a pink sunset letting you know that one more cold snap is coming, despite the azaleas blooming all around.

In summer, they are wonderfully shady. When the wind blows, the sun-dappled shadows of leaves tossing in the breeze makes a lovely pattern through the sheers in the family room. I have dreamed many a daydream while lying on my bed, gazing up into the leafy green boughs of the pecan tree in the back yard.

But in the fall, the pecan trees really come into their own. The golden autumnal light of late afternoon is even prettier filtered through the bronze foliage of the two pecan trees on the west side of the house, and there is a satisfying crunch underfoot from fallen leaves. As a child, I loved to jump in the piles of them my grandfather had raked.

The trees are squirrel-haunted in the fall, when the pecans are ready to harvest. It’s been said that one squirrel can consume 50 pounds per year, and I believe it. But the nuts that get by the squirrels and the crows, we gather just as fast as we can. Every time my mother walks the dog, she takes a bag with her and picks up fallen pecans as she goes. The evenings of Thanksgiving weekend, we all sit around cracking pecans like a scene

from The Waltons – which is, in fact, frequently what is on the TV at that time.

A friend asked me recently, in all seriousness, “Do pecan trees grow in Florida?” I was baffled that he would not know this. Yes: They are found from Pensacola to Miami. He asked me if I was sure, and I told him I had literally just that morning been looking at three of them.

In a nutshell: A species of hickory, pecan trees can live as long as 300 years. They need deep, well-drained, slightly acidic soil and require lots of water, but not standing water. And they can grow to a vast size, so be careful where you plant them in your yard.

Nutritionally, pecans are high in fiber, manganese, and protein. They also have the highest fat content of any nut… hence, the buttery flavor.

Fortunately, it’s a heart-healthy fat.

Another fortunate thing: When the power went out for eight days after Hurricane Irma, my mother lost everything in her freezer… except last fall’s pecans. Thank goodness: The holidays are coming.

Melody Murphy is probably baking something with pecans in it as you read this.

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Thanksgiving Mashed Potatoes

by Jeri Baldwin If every close relative, every nearly close relative, and every “honorary” relative in my family appeared for Thanksgiving, we numbered nearly 40 or 45.

A family of hearty eaters, we enjoyed pecan pie, nut cake, and ambrosia, which mama fixed earlier Thanksgiving week. But our most favorite dish was my Mama’s mashed potatoes. Early on Thanksgiving day, after Mama got the turkey into the oven, she peeled potatoes. Peeling went on and on and on; my Daddy did not like peels, so every speck of peel curled into the compost bucket. [Mama thought only she could peel potatoes properly.] Free of peel, Mama chopped the potatoes into a large pot of water to cook.

While the potatoes cooked, Mama worked non-stop on food that needed to be prepared Thursday morning. She simmered fresh green beans with ham hock bits on the stove, and slid a squash casserole into the oven.

pulled two baking pans to her, spooned half of the dressing into each pan, then pushed the pans to the back of the stove top to wait until 90 minutes before everyone sat down to the tables.

She cooked the dressing for 60 minutes, allowed it to cool below boiling for 15 minutes, then placed it hot on the table. [Mama did not hold with serving food cold.]

Family arrived, and males and children lingered outside. They wandered to the barn to see the latest animal and to discuss bloodlines and market prices. They moved on to the garden and assessed the vegetables. They followed the assessment with their favorite recipe for each vegetable, and the best cook to produce that dish.

They hunkered under trees, smoked, chewed the fat, and watched children.

She crumbled a large pan of cornbread into a bowl for the dressing. She chopped: giblets from the turkey, hard boiled eggs, onions, fresh sage, and added them to the bowl. She then added turkey broth and stirred.

The children ran, jumped, played games, raced each other, and unanimously chose “shriek” as the volume of choice for everyone under 12 years of age. Quiet fell, however, when someone worked up enough courage to climb the 15 foot high tower, grip the “croker” bag swing, [A croker sack is a burlap feed bag stuffed with spanish moss] straddle it, and throw themselves into space.

She repeated the adding and stirring until the exact portion of each ingredient suited her. She

The swing hung at the end of a 60 foot cable that the older boys had attached to an enormous

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limb on one of the gigantic oak trees in the woods. When the child flew, the quiet shattered.

Everyone cheered and raced the swing back and forth under the trees. When the swing slowed, and hung toward the ground, the proud swinger staggered off, and the call rose for the next brave flyer to face their fears, and relatives, and climb the tower. Thus, the morning generally saw the children spend enough energy to be trapped in the house when the dinner call came.

With the men and children occupied outside, daughters and daughters-in-law hurried inside to help put the finishing touches on dinner. [In the south, we ate dinner at noon.] Someone set the table. One daughter sliced glistening red, Big Boy tomatoes. Another helper peeled hard boiled eggs, and deviled them. Someone fixed relish trays, another fixed swee-tea, unsweet tea, koolaide, milk, and coffee. [Mama did not hold with anyone at her table wanting a drink she had not prepared.] Help was easy to get in the crowded kitchen since each one usually had the latest “news” to share, and too, the women helped gladly because they enjoyed the holiday and each other.

Thirty minutes before mealtime, Mama poured the hot water from her potatoes. She arranged the morning’s milking and a plate of soft butter within reach. She reached into the drawer for her red-handled, wire potato masher, poured warm milk in and added a huge blob of butter to the pot. She clamped the pot under her stroke stiffened right arm, gripped her potato masher with her left hand, and attacked the potatoes.

After a few minutes, she checked her progress, added milk and butter, and attacked the potatoes again. Large chunks shattered under Mama’s onslaught. The potatoes began to lose their shape and once more, she checked her progress. On this stop she added salt and pepper, lots of pepper.

Mama whipped her potatoes until they almost floated. Not one bit of solid potato survived. Then she lifted her huge potato bowl from the shelf, wiped it, and spooned potatoes in. Watching, one was sure she would never fill the bowl, but shortly, the great brown, antique bowl held a mountain of creamy, white potatoes. Mama poured a half cup of butter over the top and it began to flow down all sides. She added more pepper, and sent her cloud of potatoes to the Thanksgiving table.

She followed the bowl bearer and eyed the table.

If she could see an empty space on the table, she sent someone to get a vegetable, or fruit or cheese or jam. [Mama did not hold with any smidgen of the table top showing at her Thanksgiving.]

Jeri Baldwin

Mama made the biscuits close to noon, so her dough did not lose its air. Her worn flat bowl always held flour, so Mama simply added milk and lard to the flour until it felt “biscuit ready” in her fingers. [Mama made biscuits by feel only.]

She then filled two large, flat pans with balls of dough and flattened them with two fingers. With the pans filled, they waited above the sink until their turn in the oven.

Fresh churned butter already waited on the table for smoking hot biscuits.

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How to Grow Key Limes Without a Key Lime Climate

When I was young, Grandma always made key lime pie for Thanksgiving. Sure, we had turkey and cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and stuffing – but for dessert, right there alongside the traditional pumpkin pie, there was always at least one lovely yellow-green key lime pie – a distinctly South Florida addition to a meal originating in colder climes.

My wife’s family also enjoyed key lime pie at Thanksgiving.

My grandmother served hers with whipped cream. My wife’s grandmother made key lime pies with a thick topping of meringue instead. The proper topping for a key lime pie has been the subject of much debate between my wife and me; however, let me just say definitively now – my grandmother was right. Despite the fact that my wife is sure to remind me that grandma used whipping cream in a spray can.* ** The key lime has a flavor unlike any other lime. It is sour, with a uniquely bitter but not unpleasant tang that catches on your tongue, conjuring up images of hot white sand and salt spray.

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by David the Good Grandma’s key lime tree was not beautiful. It was a short, scrappy and unpleasantly thorny monster lurking in a backyard occupied by fire ants and stickers. A well-shaped and beautiful mango stood in stately splendor towards the center of the sandy lot, but the key lime hunched by the fence, daring children to approach so it could rip their clothing.

crops in the fall and winter so she’d have plenty of key limes for her famous pie. In fact, when she died, so did the key lime. I think it knew.

For those of us not blessed to live in a frost-free climate, growing key limes isn’t easy. In South Florida you can basically ignore the trees and they’ll do fine. But in the middle and north of the state, a key lime will freeze to the ground during an overnight frost.

A tree in the open isn’t likely to bear unless the owner builds a greenhouse over it – or gets diligent with the frost blankets.

Yet on my homestead a bit south of Gainesville, I used to have key limes every Thanksgiving – without a greenhouse, without hauling a big pot around, and without covering a blessed leaf.

Yet that tree loved my Grandmother, always bearing good

The problem: key limes, unlike oranges and grapefruit, simply

can’t take the cold. A bit of frost reminds them how far they are from a Margarita at Sloppy Joe’s and a bad Hemingway competition and they simply give up and die.

There is a hybrid called the “key limequat” which stands in pretty well as a more cold-hardy replacement, but you don’t need to buy one of those to grow key limes in north/central Florida.

No, you can grow an honest-togoodness key lime tree.

I figured out how some years ago. I’d heard about how the thermal mass of a wall can keep tender plants alive during cold nights, but I didn’t realize how effective it was until one winter I noticed how the weeds within a couple feet of the south-facing back wall of my house were untouched by frost – whereas the weeds farther out than that had browned and died in the cold.

I snagged a key lime tree and decided to plant it 2-3 feet in front of that magic wall. When winter came, I was amazed to see that the out-facing half of tree froze – but the inner half, protected by the wall – did not.

It looked like I had painted half the tree brown, so when the weather warmed I pruned off the damage, dug it up and planted it a scant six inches from the wall, bending and tying back branches that extended more than two feet from the wall.

I took the picture in this article in February of the first winter after I planted the key lime closer to the wall. The tree had already sailed through almost ten freez-

ing nights at that point – yet look how green and happy it is!

The next winter it sailed through below-freezing nights without damage. It even went through a 12 degree frost event – and I started getting key limes every year after that.

If you have a south-facing wall, you can work magic. In my book Push the Zone: The Good Guide to Growing Tropical Plants Beyond the Tropics, I share many more stories of zone-pushing and how you can grow amazing tropical plants where it’s “impossible” to do so. I grew black pepper, tropical guavas, Surinam cherries and even coffee in North Florida. All of them survived nights that should have killed them. The success with the key lime was a jumping off point for a range of wild experimentation that showed me just how resilient plants can be – and as a writer, I couldn’t help but write a book on it.

*Note from Rachel The Good: Meringue is the true, traditional topping for a key lime pie because, at the pie’s origination, one could not get fresh dairy products in the keys. **Note from the author: my wife is correct, but whipped cream is still better.

David The Good is a gardening expert and the author of five books available on Amazon, including • Totally Crazy Easy Florida Gardening, • Compost Everything: The Good Guide to Extreme Composting and • Grow or Die: The Good Guide to Survival Gardening.

Find new inspiration every weekday at http://TheSurvivalGardener.com and on David’s popular YouTube channel.

Growing key limes can be done all the way to the Florida-Georgia border and possibly beyond. You just need to trick them into thinking they’re still in a warmer climate. Successfully pulling off homegrown key lime pie at Thanksgiving far from my Grandma’s old home in Ft. Lauderdale was truly something to be thankful for.

Even if I had to scrape my wife’s meringue off my slice.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, everyone.

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Foraging for Food

by Annabelle Leitner

Growing up I’m not sure I even remember my mother using the words “Forage or Foraging.” It is not that we did not forage, but we were always told to “go get” or “go pick” the wild plums, the elderberries, the fox grapes, the huckleberries and the all-time favorite, the wild blackberries.

Occasionally we would take a family trip into the area hammocks to pick buckets of wild blueberries.

and planted long ago and also from the seeds scattered by the wild critters.

We learned that the indians made flour for baking from the coontie roots. It was quite a shock to learn that the root could be used as food. In researching how to use coontie, we learned that you must process the flour from the root, before it can be used so it will not be toxic.

My mother would talk about some of the wild plants that her mother and grandmother used for remedies. One plant that still grows in our yard is mullein (Verbascum thapsus). Folks often stop and ask if they could have some leaves to take home to make into a tea, mostly they used it for their gout. Our maternal great-grandmother and her father were known as herb doctors in their home in Kentucky. Although herb medicine has not been “practiced” for several generations, I remember my grandmother talking occasionally on how her mother hicked into the hills and hollows looking for certain type of plants to make her remedies.

Hundreds of coontie (Zamia integrifolia) plants still grow on various parts of our farm and they are not native to our area of Florida, since our soil is not sandy enough. The ones we have are grown from the seeds that our father collected

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Our cootie plants were used as hedges and homes for birds and small animals. On many occasions coontie fronds were cut to use in bouquets and arranged in pots of sand to form small palms that were used to decorate weddings in our area.

Many plants in our area can be used for food, in fact, I just read the other day how to make Pine Needle tea. That really caught my eye, as we are preparing to plant 2,000 pine seedlings in a couple of months.

Ever heard of French Mulberries (Callicarpa americana)? That is what we grew up calling them. Most people now call them beautyberries.

We always let the birds enjoy the pretty purple berries, but over the last couple of years I have seen recipes for beautyberry jelly. Recently I was told that they can be used as a repellant for mosquitos.

We foraged for blackberries from the time when we were quite young. One ear we had an especially fine crop of wild blackberries in our planted pines. So the entire family walked across the road, down the grade, by Norwood Pond with Freckles, my puppy and constant companion. We were busy filling our buckets, except Freckles, he was too busy picking and eating them.

Freckles and I wandered a little way from the teenage siblings and parents. I looked down at my feet and saw a grave. From the way that it was shaped it looked like it was a grave for two.

I am sure that I screamed. The sheriff’s office was contacted and late that evening a deputy arrived. When he started digging, you knew that the grave was fresh, because of the color of the leaves in it.

As he dug deeper, the grave started to take on a different shape. It turned out that the grave I had found was used to bury a demi-john (large glass bottle) of moonshine by one of our area moonshiners. The demi-john, whose impact was still visible, apparently had been removed shortly before we arrived for the family outing of blackberry picking.

After all the excitement, the buckets of blackberries were brought home and washed.

Some would be made into jelly, some into pies and a family favorite “blackberries and dumplings,” with homemade ice cream.

What is foraging? Foraging is actually something we all do every day as it is the act of looking or searching for food or provisions. We can forage for food in our pantry, a grocery store or even farmers’ market, not just in the wild.

Foraging is not only for humans. Our farm animals and wildlife also forage every day, looking for the food they need to keep their bodies healthy.

So what have you foraged today?

-- Annabelle Leitner See Pages 14 - 15 for pictures of these and other forage plants, fruits, and foragers.

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Get the full story on page 12-13

Beauty Berry (Callicarpa americana)

Food and For

Coontie (Zamia integrifolia)

Native Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana)

Red mulberry (Morus rubra)

Geese foraging

Muscadine grapes

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Mullein (Verbascum thapsus)

Fawn forag

Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia)

ragers in Florida

Wild Pecans (Carya illinoensis)

ging berries

Dewberry (Rubus)

Wild Florida Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo osceola) foraging for insects

Sparkle Berry (Vaccinium arboreum)

Deer Berries (Vaccinum myrsinites)

Florigrande (Rubus cuneifolius)

Turkey Tail (Trametes)

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destroyed and any adulterated honey products will be confiscated.

Florida Apiary Honey & Hives

by William Crispin

The Agri-Mag’s August issue [0] provided readers with an excellent overview of pollinators, an essential component of farms and gardens alike. We learned of the many native varieties of bees, wasps, and related flying insects that provide this invaluable service. In today’s column we will delve into the Florida regulatory world of apiculture (bee farming).

There are over 4,000 registered beekeepers in the state of Florida. Nearly three quarters of these are considered “backyard” beekeepers with 0–10 colonies, while the remaining quarter are “sideline commercial” with 11–200 or “commercial” beekeepers with 200+ colonies.

Commercial beekeepers manage in excess of 400,000 bee colonies that provide critical pollination services to crops across the country and produce

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between 10–20 million pounds of honey each year.

Fla. Stat. §586.045 requires that all honey bee colonies kept in Florida be registered with the state and marked with an individual registration number.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Bureau of Plant and Apiary Inspection [1] oversees the rules and regulation of beekeeping in Florida.

All registered apiaries undergo regular inspection by an FDACS apiary inspector and registration must be renewed each year.

All honey bee colonies brought into Florida must be inspected by the Florida Department of Agricultural Law Enforcement (Statute, §586.11). Any bees or equipment found to be infested with specific pests, including American Foulbrood or African honey bees, will be treated or

In Florida, approved locations of managed honey bee colonies may either be on agricultural land or land that is integral to a beekeeping operation. This means that managed honey bees may legally be kept on non-agricultural private land, such as a residence, with written permission from FDACS. [2] Honey bees require responsible management so that they do not become a nuisance. The presence of Africanized honey bees in Florida places more pressure on beekeepers to maintain their western European colonies properly. [3] The western honey bee is conceivably the most important pollinator in American agricultural landscapes. Over 120 major food crops require pollination by bees in order to produce their fruits and vegetables. See page 1 and 19 of AgriMag August 2017.

[0] Honey bee colony rentals for pollination purposes are in high demand and are an extremely important component of commercial beekeeping and agriculture across the country.

Pesticides and Protecting Bees Proper management of pesticide application by farmers and gardeners alike is a key to successful management practices for sustainable co-existence. Beyond complying with the pesticide

label, applicators are urged to cooperate with other growers and beekeepers.

Florida extension workers, and government officials are experienced in dealing with issues of controlling problem crop pests and protecting pollinators from pesticide exposure. Protecting honey bees and other pollinators from pesticides can be difficult because of the fact that many of these chemicals are not considered hazardous to bees. Constant communication fostered by trust on the part of all involved is the key to saving our pollinators.

Those who use pesticides, and who make decisions regarding their applications must not only read the pesticide label but also interpret the meaning of label wording. See [4] for more detail on interpreting pesticide label wording and [5] the FDACS website for compliance interpretations of pollinator protection label statements.

Pesticide applicators are required to follow the label. The label is the law and it was written in such a way to minimize product impact on pollinators. Consult with UF/ IFAS Extension specialists [6] if there are questions as to the interpretation of pollinator protection provisions on labels.

Beekeepers who suspect that their bees have been poisoned should look for and document any evidence of pesticide exposure and should be reported to the FDACSDPI Apiary inspection services immediately. Florida has eight

Apiary Inspection districts, each with an inspector and supervisor. You can get your inspectors contact info by calling the Apiary Inspection office at (352) 395-4636 or by visiting freshfromflorida.com, see [1].

Beekeepers affected by pesticide should be prepared to provide evidence of the incident. It is best if a third party such as County Extension faculty, state bee inspectors, or other objective individuals, collects the samples to maintain objectivity.

The decision-making process leading to pesticide use, and the protection of pollinators are complicated challenges. The probability of pollinators being harmed or dying increases substantially when pesticide applications are made based on insufficient information and/or made without regard to the safety of pollinators. These concerns are now beginning to be addressed in contract agreements between growers and beekeepers signed before placing honey bee colonies onto managed agricultural land. Such agreements may include the number and placement of hives, the duration of the colony presence, identification of temporary holding zones for bees, signage for no-spray or buffer zones, liability limitations for each party, and methods of contact.

communicated to beekeepers. For resident honey bee colonies, this and additional advanced notification of intermittent pesticide application will allow honey bee colonies to be moved to safety.

William K. Crispin AFarmersFriend.com Resources [0] https://issuu.com/the-ag-mag/docs/ agrimag_august_2017 [1] http://www.freshfromflorida.com/ Divisions-Offices/Plant-Industry/Bureausand-Services/Bureau-of-Plant-and-ApiaryInspection/Apiary-Inspection [2] https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/AA/ AA13700.pdf [3] Information about Africanized honey bees: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg113 http:// edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in790 http://edis.ifas.ufl. edu/in738 [4] Interpreting pesticide labeling http:// edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi071 [5] Bee Protection http://www. freshfromflorida.com/Business-Services/ Bees-Apiary/Honey-Bee-Protection-inFlorida [6] UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory administered by Dr. Jamie Ellis. This group is committed to improving the collective understanding of honey bees, and native bees. http:// entnemdept.ufl.edu/honey-bee/ Find beekeepers with hives in Florida http://www.freshfromflorida.com/ Business-Services/Bees-Apiary/ Honey-Bee-Protection-in-Florida. Click “Information for Growers”, “Online Map”

Land managers and beekeepers must maintain open lines of communication throughout the season. Advanced information on crop-specific or seasonspecific spray schedules must be

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Lyons Show Pigs

by Jan Cubbage

The most common livestock animal shown by our region’s FFA and 4-H Club members are pigs. Young pigs are just the right size for elementary and middle school aged kids to handle and manage for their first livestock raising experience.

Raising a pig requires that a youngster learn basic animal husbandry skills but it is not necessary to own a farm with acreage. A high and dry pen no less than 16’ by 16’, and a small shelter are adequate for raising a hog in preparation for a livestock judging competition.

In my quest to find out where FFA and 4-H members go in search of show quality swine, the name “Lyons Show Pigs “ of Mayo, Florida was noted on many an Ag Science teacher’s swine sellers list.

The Lyons family of Mayo earned their reputation by being educators as well as swine

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raisers. Beginning in 1998, the family, Ricky and Louisa and their son and daughter, Chad and Tori created a unique and successful niche in the hog marketing business. Ricky is a former Ag Science teacher and both Chad and Tori are Ag Science teachers in Lafayette County. Ricky and Louisa saw the potential for marketing hogs with superior conformation to FFA/4-H kids back in 1998.

At the Lyons Show Pig Farm, two to three month old pigs are shown to buyers in a small arena 15 to 20 at a time. The Lyons will also haul their sale pigs to any destination where potential exhibitors can gather.

The Lyons family also offers their young buyers information on proper feeding, parasite control, vaccinations and “jockeying,” that is how to school a pig to cooperate with the commands of their young handlers. Unlike sheep, cattle

or horses, pigs do not wear halters at show time. Pigs are guided by the light tapping of a cane or crop on its shoulders.

Communicating with the pig with patience and repetition are skills learned by young pig handlers.

Ricky Lyons explained that out of 1,500 piglets born each year at the farm, a majority will be of show quality. Swine show competitors purchase their show pig prospects at ages two and a half to three months. At this age, the pigs will weigh from fifty to seventy-five pounds.

Expectations are that through an adequate feeding program, a show prospect pig will gain about 1.5 to 1.7 pounds per day.

The average 4-H/FFA youth should have their show pig in their care no less than 90 dayss before the livestock show date, though 120 days is a better for weight gain, growth, and show

preparation. At six months of age a gilt (female, un-bred pig) or barrow (castrated male) will carry a “harvest weight” between 250 and 270 pounds.

In the last several years, the Lyons farm has produced piglets that have gone on to win Grand Champion at Lake County, Charlotte County, Martin County, Suwannee Valley, Marion, Citrus and the North Florida Livestock Fairs.

In 2015, it was a Lyon’s Farm show pig prospect that went on to win Grand Champion at the Florida State Fair.

Ricky Lyons explained that keeping their best sows bred to the best sires in the nation through AI and natural breeding, his family can produce a very high percentage of “Blue Ribbon” piglets.

The Lyons farm offers Yorkshires, Hamphires, “Blue Butt” pigs, and Berkshires.

Blue Butt pigs, a cross of Yorkshire and Hampshire pigs, attract the attention of 4H/FFA buyers because of their spotted and sometimes gray butts and their hefty size. The hardy good natured Berkshires are also popular here in the South.

Grand Champion Show pig or not, after the judging and pinning of ribbons, these piggies will go to market. And here is where a proud 4H/ FFA pig handler will reap the rewards of feeding, grooming and training their top tier show pig.

The post livestock show auction of a Grand Champion pig could bring as much as $10.00 a pound for a 260 to 270 pound pig from a generous and 4H/FFA supportive buyer, usually a livestock show sponsor. --Well above the average market price of $3.50 a pound.

Ricky also remarked that 4H/ FFA swine raisers also learn the facts of life about investing and money management through the experience of participating in repetitive years of buying, raising and marketing show pigs.

In the time it takes to pick out, raise, sales prep and show their pig, youngsters are learning the life values of proper daily animal care responsibilities, record keeping, animal handling skills, communication skills, and good sportsmanship.

Scholarships are offered to 4H and FFA members who exhibit swine. Show prep and exhibiting experiences don’t have a price per pound, but certainly have lifelong value.

Thanks to Lyons Show Pigs, the thrill of winning the Blue is not just a wild dream for many a young Livestock Youth Fair contestant.

Authors Note: I was a 4-H member and VP of a horse focused 4-H Club, The Pegasus Riders, in Hunterdon County, N.J. from age 9 to 18. The most loved part of my 4-H experience were the many field trips to horse breeding farms and professional training stables. My 4-H experiences led to employment in the equine businesses of thoroughbred horse sales prep, training, marketing at major public thoroughbred auctions, and racing. These jobs financed my university education.

Jan Cubbage

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Farming is Dangerous

By Marnie Hutcheson Farming is listed in the top ten riskiest professions. Always has been. The traditional risks are currently overshadowed by mounting proofs of new lethal risks. Agricultural exposure to pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and other toxic chemicals are the cause of numerous types of cancer, reproductive issues, birth defects, respiratory and thyroid diseases, neurological disorders, and diabetes.

Farmers and agricultural workers in many countries, including the United States, have lower overall death and cancer rates than the general population for heart disease and cancers of the lung, esophagus, bladder, and colon. They have much higher rates for other types of cancer.

Specifically, farming communities have higher rates of leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and soft tissue sarcoma. They also have increased rates of cancers of the skin, lip, stomach, brain, and prostate. Farmers exposed to high levels of pesticides had double the risk of prostate cancer compared to unexposed farmers. [1]

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No single set of risk factors explains these higher cancer rates.

The range of environmental exposures in the farming community is frightening. Farmers, farm workers, farm family members, and nearby communities can be exposed to substances such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, engine exhausts, solvents, dusts, animal viruses, fertilizers, fuels, and specific microbes that may account for these elevated cancer rates.

Unfortunately, human studies reported to date have not allowed researchers to figure out which of these toxic factors may be linked to which cancer / disease types.

Q. Why don’t we know more about the risks of exposure to these chemicals?

In the case of Monsanto, recent events have shown that it used several methods to hide or downplay the risks associated with it’s flagship herbicide, Roundup. For starters, when a study is published that is not in their best interest, they sue and get it “sealed.” So, its findings are not made public until it is “unsealed.”

A huge number of these documents have been “unsealed” in 2017 as part of a class-action lawsuit brought against Monsanto. The 2,000 plaintiffs claim that Roundup has caused nonHodgkin’s lymphoma in them or their relatives.

The suit stems from expert claims that Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, causes cancer, that Monsanto knew this, and concealed the risks. The “unsealed” documents show that Monsanto was indeed aware of the risks had been concealing them. Monsanto has been downplaying the consequences for a very long time. [2] Internal documents leaked from a Monsanto facility in Canada, [3] tell an alarming story of ghostwriting, scientific manipulation and withholding information by Monsanto.

What is ghost writing? Monsanto has long claimed that independent scientists have vouched for the safety of its Roundup herbicide. The leaked documents show that Monsanto employees edited those reviews to be favorable to Monsanto. Only the original writers names appear in

the reports, not the names of the Monsanto employees who edited and re-wrote them - hence the Ghost...

These revelations of Monsanto’s wrongdoing are expected to affect European Union deliberations on renewing permission to use glyphosate in Europe for another 10 years, as well as German multinational Bayer’s efforts to acquire Monsanto. [4] Citizen action groups are not only lobbying for non-renewal of Monsanto’s license to sell glyphosate in Europe, they are calling for a complete ban of glyphosate throughout Europe.

A complete ban on glyphosate would be a good place to start; however, glyphosate is the world’s most used herbicide.

Companies like Monsanto, Syngenta and Bayer produce more than 800,000 metric tons of glyphosate every year and sell it around the world.

Farmers don’t just use glyphosate to kill weeds here and there, they spray entire fields with it while preparing fields for the new sowing season.

They also spray it on crop fields, like potato and rapeseed fields, to kill the plants just before maturity, to make harvesting easier. That means the food crop is ‘treated’ with the poison.

-- Don’t think for a minute that the potatoes you buy today are like the ones Jeri Baldwin’s Mama used on Thanksgiving.

Glyphosate has been in use for more than 40 years and can now

be found in the urine of humans and animals, in milk, in beer, in ice cream, and most importantly, in feed pellets from the largest suppliers of animal feed; the United States and Brazil. It ends up being fed to European cattle and pigs. [5] So - even if countries in Europe ban glyphosate, they will still be importing it and feeding it to their FOOD. Farmers are in the front row seats for exposure to these toxins. But, it turns out that it’s not only farmers who are at risk.

These toxic chemicals are now everywhere and in just about everything. This means that humans all over the planet are exposed.

The scariest part: in the United States of America, anyone can walk into Home Depot, Lowes, or any number of other stores, and buy Roundup. “People” are not required to read the label, or wear safety gear, or consider pesticide drift. And, they don’t have to get a license, or warn their children and neighbors that they are going to be spreading poison in the vicinity.

“People” will purchase the killer chemical(s), probably thinking that even though these products are deadly killers of “weeds” they are safe for “people.”

This is the first in a series of articles about the risks posed to human health by herbicides, pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals commonly used in farming and gardening.

Next month Part 2: Pesticides and People -- Marnie Hutcheson [1] https://www.cancer.gov/aboutcancer/causes-prevention/risk/ahsfact-sheet [2] http://www.ozy.com/presidentialdaily-brief/pdb-81784 [3] https://www.bloomberg.com/ news/articles/2017-08-09/monsantowas-its-own-ghostwriter-for-somesafety-reviews [4] http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/monsanto-papersreveal-company-covered-up-cancerconcerns-a-1174233.html [5] https://usrtk.org/pesticides/mdlmonsanto-glyphosate-cancer-casekey-documents-analysis/

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In Season Recipes: Pumpkins Meal in a Pumpkin 1

12” to 15” pumpkin

2 2 to 3 lbs of ground pork (Note: you can make it ½ ground pork, and ½ ground beef if you like. It is also very good with Italian sausage. The flavor will not be changed that much.

1 medium onion, chopped 5-6 medium sized potatoes, peeled, and cut in small pieces 1 tsp. of cinnamon 1 tsp clove 1 tsp allspice

Cut out the top of the pumpkin as you would for a jack-o-lantern (make a square, with the stem in the center- it will serve as your handle). Clean out the center of the pumpkin, remove the pulp and seeds, and seperate. Discard seeds and retain pulp.

Sautee the ground pork with chopped onions.

Drain most of the liquid when done. Set aside.

Boil the potatoes until soft. Mash with a fork and add to the meat. Dice them but do not whip. Add pumpkin pulp, spices, and mix well. Heat mixture for about ½ hour in the oven on low heat (200 degrees.)

Ladle the mixture into the pumpkin, and replace the cutout top on the pumpkin.

Place pumpkin in a baking pan with 1 inch of water.

Bake in 375 degree oven for about 2 hours or until you can easily pierce the pumpkin side with a fork.

Do not let the pan cook dry, add water when necessary.

When done remove from oven and serve.

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In Season Recipes Cranberry Orange Relish

• Cut and peel the orange, pulling apart sections and removing all excess membrane.

• Process oranges and cranberries in food processor set to the side.

• In big bowl mix jello, sugar, lemon juice, and hot water until all jello and sugar have dissolved.

• Add the rest of the ingredients and chill for at least 4 hours.

Pumpkin Facial Your skin can also reap the benefits of pumpkin, which is bursting with zinc, fruit enzymes, antioxidants, vitamin A, vitamin C and alpha hydroxy acids.

There are loads of recipes for pumpkin face masks, but pretty much any combination of

Pumpkin Compost What better way to prepare for our next holiday than giving back to Mother Earth? Starting a compost pile now also ensures that you’re well-stocked on premium soil for your backyard plants for seasons to come. And pumpkins are a great first ingredient.

2 Oranges 2.5 cups cranberries 3 large packages of Orange Jello 3 cups hot water 2 Tlbs lemon juice 1 cup sugar Pinch of salt 1.5 cups celery (finely chopped) 1 cup pineapple tidbits (drained) ½ cup pecans 1 apple (diced fine)

mashed baked pumpkin, sugar (for exfoliation) and honey (for moisture) will do your skin wonders.

We’re talking smoothing, brightening and moisturizing (maybe even whisking away a wrinkle or two). After letting it sit for 15-20 minutes, you’re free to lick it off your face. Good for boys and girls alike.

Pick a sunny, out-of-the way area of your yard, and start with a layer of twigs a couple of inches deep. You’ll want to remove the seeds from your pumpkin (assuming you don’t want your own patch) and any non-biodegradable decorations like candles or sequins. Then invite a kid over to help you smash that thing.

Finally, cover the chunks with a layer of leaves and some dirt, and let the process begin!

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Farming Wonders of the World Honey Bees Nectar and pollen is gathered by the worker honey bee, then changed to honey in the hive, and is often called nature’s most perfect food.

A worker bee will produce about 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime, about three weeks long.

60 pounds of honey is necessary to feed a hive through winter. A worker bee visits about 2,000 flowers each day, thus earning her nickname, “BUSY…” A healthy bee hive contains about 60,000 bees, the ultimate commune.

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Calendar of Events Events, Workshops, Meetings, Classes, Conferences. Etc

November 12-18, 2017 Marion County Farm City Week Call the Marion County Farm/City Week information and details about events.

Mark Bailey, UF/IFAS Extension Agent, 352-671-8400 December 7-8, 2017 National Conference of Cover Crops and Health Contact the Soil and Water Conservation

Society for registration information and for further details about a large variety of other agricultural conferences which may interest you.

December 12, 2017 Understanding Florida Cottage Food Law Tallahassee, Florida A workshop providing general information for the Florida cottage food operation.

Contact Aquatic Food Products Lab, IFAS, University of Florida; 352-294-3609

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AgriMag Briefs

Marion County Farm City Week Marion County Farm City Week is scheduled for November 12-18, 2017. A partial schedule is listed below.

Wednesday, November 15, Open House at the Plant/Science Research and Education Center.

Free tour, luncheon and seminars of poultry, organic farming, honey bee basics, rabbits/goats, retired thoroughbred discussion, and planting for pollinators. Book on at Eventbrite@goo.gt/hfyvom.

Thursday, November 16, 6 p.m.

Marion County Agriculture Hall of Fame Banquet, Marion County Extension Service Auditorium, 2330 NE Jacksonville Road, Ocala.

The banquet will feature the induction of Willet (Bud) Boyer into the Marion County Agriculture Hall of Fame. Call by November 9th for reservations. $20 per person. 352-671-8400.

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Saturday, November 18. Ocala Downtown Farmers’ Market, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Farm City event featuring information for adults and games for children.

For further Marion County Farm/City Week information and details about events, contact Mark Bailey, UF/IFAS Extension Agent at 352-671-8400.

Understanding Florida Cottage Food Law On Tuesday, December 12, 2017, the Leon County (Tallahassee) Extension Service will hold a workshop providing general information for the Florida cottage food operation. Anyone interested in running her/ his own business will find this information helpful. The registration for this course is $60 ($50 if registered by December 3rd) Workshop is limited to 40 persons.

Contact Aquatic Food Products Lab to register, IFAS, University of Florida, Call 352-294-3609, or e-mail sahn82@ufl.edu to resister.

Top Bulbs for 2018 The American Nurseryman magazine announces its recommendations for bulbs for 2018. Bulbs are happy surprises in the garden, emerging each spring to provide color before most other perennials pop.

Favorites are 2018 include Tulipa ‘Alibi”, a bluish/purple Triumph tulip; Tulipa ‘Akebono’ because of its striking yellow with a touch of green stripes; Narcissus Jonquilla because they grow well, have multiple flowers, are incredibly fragrant.

Brighter colors seem to be the trend for gardens for the new year.

AgriMag Briefs Florida Hurricane Fund Hurricane Irma’s rampage through Florida may cost as much as $5.1 billion in claims by the time all damage is reported to the Fund officials.

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Organization The SARE has introduced a new online resource designed to answer questions and offer support to producers who wish to transition to organic production. The Organic Production topic room will offer access to a wide range of free materials developed by SARE, SARE grant recipients and other experts. Many subjects are addressed including whole systems, seeds, certification, pest management, and fertility management.

SARE provides a wide range of practical and expert assistance in many areas, including grants, research, expert farmers, ranchers and sustainable agricultural professionals; educational resources, news, and more.

SARE’s mission is to advance – to the whole of American agriculture – innovations that improve profitability, stewardship, and quality of life by investing in ground- breaking research and education.

Contact: Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education

continued Organic Strawberry Development Plans The National Institute of Food and Agriculture Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) is funding a project to develop the first strawberry varieties specifically to be grown organically.

Lise Mahoney, experiment station researcher and leader of the three-year venture talked about the objectives and goals of the plan, “We want to provide strawberry growers with regionally adapted, seedpropagated strawberry varieties that are suitable for organic agriculture and are pleasing to customers. Organically certifiable types provide an attractive and environmentally friendly alternative to the vegetatively propagated varieties relied on by the strawberry industry.”

The project is expected to produce both day-neutral and short-day flowering varieties for organic productive that can be started with seeds.

Cover Crops and Soil Health The Second National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health will be held on December 7-8 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The conference is held only every three to four years, so conference host urge anyone interested to attend and hear

the latest on cover crops and soil health.

Among the topics presented at the conference are planting green, a strategy of planting commodity crops into living green cover crops; Grazing approaches for cover crops; Latest insights on soil health testing and soil biology. Many more topics will be addressed.

Information and prices about the conference may be found at http://www.swcs. org/en/conferences/2017_ national_conference

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Buy a subscription to AgriMag ($24) and get a free “No Farms No Food” Bumper Sticker

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AgriMag See the AgriMag advertising rates on line at https://www.agrimagpress.com/ad-rates

AgriMag Distribution in Print 12,000 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. It’s in feed stores, tack shops, tractor dealers, hardware stores, extension services, farm bureaus, FL Farm Credit offices and other farmfriendly 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.

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