FRNEWS V39 Issue 5

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Agriculture’s Most Trusted Source For News, Views and Advertising Since 1974

Retiring Sweetheart Kaitlyn Gill - Inside on 9 .

CongratulationsCongratulations to Hardee County’s Taylor Bo to Hardee County’s Taylor Bo to Hardee County’s Taylor Bo to Hardee County’s Taylor BoCongratulations to Hardee County’s Taylor BoCongratulationsCongratulations to Hardee County’s Taylor BoCongratulations -lin (red dress, above), this year’s Florida Cattlemen’s lin (red dress, above), this year’s Florida Cattlemen’s Association Sweetheart. Seminole County’s Jenna Tulp Association Sweetheart. Seminole County’s Jenna Tulp (blue dress, above) received two honors: Miss Congeni-ality and Runner-Up Sweetheart! They are flanked by

After all of the TV political ads, the supper time political phone calls, the introductory hand-shakes when you are in public places, it is now time to look carefully at the candidates and decide how you want your government run for the next 4 years

Florida Cattlemen’s Association SweetheartsFlorida Cattlemen’s Association Sweethearts

the davis reportBy Roy Davis- Associate Editor For Whom Should We Vote?

Continued on page 3

and just who you want to run it. In short, it is time to vote.

For President of the United States-If you wish to be disappointed in our current or past leader-ship, feel free to do so. Just remember that our next President will surely come from the Republicanparty or from the Democratic party. Any person running as an Independent will not be the winner, nor will a Libertarian win, nor will NPA win. If you want your vote to influence the next election, you must either vote to have the policies of the last 3 years to continue, or you must decide to put a person in the office who has actually run large organizations and businesses before. My vote will be for MITT ROMNEY FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. Keep in mind that this vote will not come in the August primary election, but will be taken at the general election on NOVEMBER 6, 2012.NOVEMBER 6, 2012.

The August primary will take place on Tuesday August 14th.Tuesday August 14th. I know of folks who skip the primary elections as they think they are not im-

portant. You must remember that many times, two or more people will be running from the same party, with no opposition from the other party. Whatever candidate wins that primary has won the election. If you skipped the primary, you did not get to vote on that race. Primaries are important. You must be registered to vote if you expect to vote in any be registered to vote if you expect to vote in any election. If you need to register, you may do so at any post office, at any County Courthouse location, or in many other locations. And now, “Let’s get to work”

United States Senator- R –It looks like this United States Senator- R –It looks like this United States Senator- Rrace has been conceded to Connie Mack IV. Oth-ers will still be in this primary, but Connie Mack IVwill surely be voted the winner here. He will then face the incumbent (in the Nov. general election), (D) Bill Nelson who is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Nelson votes down the line with whatev-er program Obama supports. Nelson has been the strongest opponent to ending the Death Tax. Unless we take control of our United States Senate from

Staff photo by Stephanie Farmer

Shelby Freeman (far left) from Polk County and Hardee Shelby Freeman (far left) from Polk County and Hardee Shelby Freeman (far left) from Polk County and Hardee Shelby Freeman (far left) from Polk County and Hardee County’s Victoria Caraballo (far right). Taylor will be traveling the State representing Florida’s Cattle Industry at a wide variety of events. Jenna will also travel filling in and helping Taylor when necessary.

Volume 39 • Number 5 • 2012 • Farm & Ranch Newspage2 www.farmandranchnews.com

Volume 39 • Number 5 • 2012 • Farm & Ranch News page3www.farmandranchnews.com

the davis reportBy Roy Davis- Associate Editor

For Whom Should We Vote?Continued from page 1

the Democratic party, the death tax (also known as the Inheritance tax) will come back in 2013. This could be the end of small family farming. I will be voting for Connie Mack IV.

United States Representative:• District12:Gus Bilirakis (R)• District 14: E.J.Otero (R) or for Eddie Adams (R)-Ret. Colonel Otero seems to be an ex-tremely qualified candidate to oppose Cathy Cas-tor (D) in the General election. Eddie Adams has certainly represented his constituency well and with honor. It is very important that we select one of these two to challenge Castor for this house District 14 seat. She is one of Obama’s staunchest support-ers, voting in lock-step with the party line.• District 15: Representative Dennis Ross (R) is unopposed• District 17:TomRooney (R) is a fourth generation in the Rooney family who own the Pitts-burg Steelers. I have not spoken with him person-ally, but I did hear him speak about his candidacy, and I am impressed.

Florida State Senators-These races have become more interesting than we earlier imagined that they might.• District 17- Wes Johnson (D)- is unop-posed as a Democrat, so he will go on to the general election. The big guns from Tallahassee are sup-porting John Legg who comes from Pasco County. He must be an OK guy, but our hometown guy Rob Wallace, has been in the legislature before and has always been supportive of Agricultural interests. My choice is Rob Wallace.• District 19-Arthenia Joiner (D)- has al-ways represented black voters of her district well, and she always has an open door when I talk to her about Agricultural issues. I recommend Arthenia Joiner.• District22- I regret to say that I have not had the opportunity to study this race. I do not want to steer anyone wrong so I cannot recommend in this race.• District 24- It appears that Elizabeth Belcher (D) is the only Democrat who qualified to run in this race so she will go forward to the Novem-ber general election. It comes down to Tom Lee (R) who served full terms in the Florida Senate and has been out of politics for 6 years; or Rachel Burgin (R) who has served 2 terms in the Florida House. You have the choice of new young blood with some on the job experience, against a seasoned politician

who does carry some baggage. Take your pick. I will vote for Rachel Burgin.

Florida House of Representatives:• District 57-Bruce Barnett (D) will go forward to the general elections as the Democratic candidate. Jake Raburn (R) will be our choice to represent the Republicans. Jake is from a long-es-tablished agricultural family from Eastern Hillsbor-ough County. He has been active in Hillsborough County agricultural organizations for a number of years. He will represent agricultural interests well, while he has the depth of intelligence to serve ALL the best interests of all constituents fairly.• District 58- Dan Raulerson (R) and Jose Vasquez (D)-are the only two to qualify for this race. When the general election comes in Novem-ber, I like Dan Raulerson.• District 59- Gail Gottlieb (D) will move forward to the general election. Four republicans will square off for this race. It should come down to two of these folks. Betty Jo Thompkins (R) has been active in the Republican party for many years. She is a hard working lady. She is very strong on youth issues such as FFA, 4H, and agribusiness programs in our schools. I say- Vote for Betty Jo Thompkins. Joe Wicker (R) is a pleasant young man who appears to be capable of doing the job. If you like Joe’s story, you can vote for Joe Wicker.

Candidates for Judgeships: I have not studied the races for Judge. The only recommendation that I have is for Hillsborough County Circuit Court Judge for the 13th Circuit, Group 14. I recom-mend a vote for Johnnie Byrd in this race. John-nie served a full length of time in the Florida House of Representatives, and was Speaker of the House during the last of those terms. Johnnie Byrd is very fair-minded and will be an asset to the court system

Local Races: Many of the local races do not have challengers in the August Primary. To conserve space, I do not comment on these races here. Where appropriate, I will make recommendations just be-fore the November general election.

Property Appraiser: Bob Henriquez(D) served well in the Florida House. He will move forward to represent Democrats in the General Election. The Republican primary is very interesting. I have sup-ported Rob Turner (R) for several terms now. It seems that he has now developed other interests. I do not feel we should be paying him to spend weeks

out of the office running national offices for others. I believe that Rhonda Storms has proven that she is fiscally conservative and I see property taxes that skyrocketed a few years ago, and decreased only slightly when the economy crashed. It is time for newleadershipinthisoffice.

Hillsborough County Commission• District2:Vistor Crist (R) is the incum-bent. He is strong in this seat. Sharon Calvert (R) is said to be the “Tea Party” candidate. Some will vote for her for this reason only. My vote will be for Victor Crist.• District 4: Al Higgenbotham (R) has served us well for a couple of terms. He has earned our vote for another term. I will vote for Al Higgen-botham.• District 6- This is a county-wide seat. Ev-ery voter in the county votes on this one. Kevin Beckner (D) is completing his first term. He has supported all of the GAY RIGHTS issues that have come before the Commission. He has supported the misguided fertilizer legislation that would deny resi-dents from fertilizing their lawns or shrubbery dur-ing summer months and at other times. He does not have opposition from Dems so he moves on to the November General Election. I have spent quite a bit of time with a lady named Margaret Iucalano (R). I like everything she stands for. If we can get her in she will do a great job. Her Republican opponent is Don Kruse (R). I strongly recommend your vote for Margaret Iucalano. Her name is pronounced just as it is spelled, but the first letter (I) is silent.

Hillsborough County school board- About the only suggestion I have for the school board is that you consider carefully, and if you do not know the political positions of the incumbent of any school district, then vote for another candidate. I do sug-gest the following:• District 5-Henry J. Ballard Jr. over in-cumbent Doretha Edgecomb• District 7-Terry Kemple over the incum-bent and 5 other candidates.

Soil and Water Conservation Disrict 4I am running for this position. I ask for your vote. The position does not have a salary. My opponent is Joe Wendt

The rest of the items on the ballot are for positions on boards of subdivisions and such. I have no knowl-edge of these candidates.


Betty Jo Tompkins, thirty-five year resident of the greater Brandon Com-munity, has announced her candidacy for Florida House District 59. Tompkins, in announcing her race, stated, “I believe that individuals seeking public service should be committed to serving their community. I’m proud of my record of service in this District.”

Tompkins is currently completing her second four year term as a county-wide elected Supervisor of the Hillsbor-ough County Soil and Water Conservation District, serving as Board vice-chair/chair (water issues are paramount to Florida’s future) She additionally served twenty-five years as chair/vice-chair of the Hillsbor-ough County Consumer Protection Board (protecting individuals and businesses) and over twenty years as chair of the South-shore Advisory Board covering social ser-vice issues from SR 60 to the county line.

Her commitment to agriculture also includes the Hillsborough County Fair Board, where she’s been Chair, Presi-dent and member for over ten years and worked with the County Commission to secure 65 acres on SR 60 for County fair-grounds, hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Phosphate Trust Fund, and $2 million plus in building construction. She’s also the current President of the Hillsborough County 4-H Foundation and Presi-dent-Elect of the Florida 4-H Foundation.

Tompkins other activities include being a mem-ber of the Hillsborough County Republican Executive Committee for over twenty years and an officer, as well as a Farm Bureau member since the 1970’s.

She’s been endorsed in this race by over twen-ty Brandon Chamber past presidents, the Tampa Bay Builders Association, County Commissioner Ken Hagan, and other public officials. She is also supported

Betty Jo Tompkins Announces Candidacy for Florida House of Representatives, District 59

by Hillsborough County Farm Bureau’s Political Ac-tion Committee.

Tompkins lost her wonderful son, Chris, who was running in this race eight years ago when he was diagnosed with leukemia. She also lost her terrific hus-band Chris and her loving mother. “Our family, which has always been committed to service for others, be-lieved in the motto ‘Always seek power to Do, never power to Be’ and I will go to Tallahassee with a ser-vant’s heart to help the citizens of District 59.”

Learn more about her campaign at www.bjtompkins.com.


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T i m e for some reflections passed on to me by friends from

long time past. Once upon a time there was a princess who had four fine suitors. She loved the fourth prince the most (he was the most handsome and stood to inherit the greatest kingdom) and she adored him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies; she gave him nothing but the best. She also loved the third prince very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another. She also loved her second suitor, though he wasn’t a prince; just the son of one of her father’s greatest lords. He was her confidant and was always kind, considerate, and patient with her. When-ever this princess faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get through the difficult times. The princess’s second boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great con-tributions in maintaining her father’s wealth and kingdom. She really did not love the first suitor at all. Although he loved her deep-ly, she hardly took notice of him. One day, the princess fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and won-dered, I now have four suitors with me,

“Four – and Some More”by Myke Morris - Contributing Editor

but when I die, I'll be all alone.” She asked the fourth suitor, the one she adored, “I loved you the most, gave you the finest attention and show-ered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” ”No way!” replied the hand-some prince and he walked away with-out another word. His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart. The sad princess then asked the third suitor, ”I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” ”No, replied the third suitor. “Life is too good! We had a lot of good times but when you die, I'm going to marry someone else!” Her spirit sank as she realized the coldness of this suitor’s heart. She then asked the second suitor, ”I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?“ ”I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time,” replied the second suitor.” At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.” His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the prin-cess was devastated. Then a voice called out, ”I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.” The girl looked up, and there was her first suitor. He was very skinny as he suffered from the neglect with which she had always treated him. Greatly grieved, the princess said, ”I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!” You have 4 suitors in your life:

Your fourth is your body. No matter how much time and effort you lavish in mak-ing it look good, it will leave you when you die. Your third suitor is your posses-sions, status, and wealth. When you die, it will all go to others. (You may love your stuff, but it doesn’t love you!)Your second is your family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for you, the furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave. And your first suitor is your soul; often neglected in pursuit of wealth, pow-er, and pleasures of the world. However, your soul is the only thing that will last forever. Cultivate, strengthen, and cher-ish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you to the throne of God and continue with you throughout Eter-nity. Remember, when the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray. Being happy doesn't mean ev-erything is perfect. It means you've de-cided to see beyond the imperfections; to look beyond the here and now to the permanent things beyond. OK, so a little more to think about until next time (Bubba says these came from some cable guy named Lar-ry):

A day without sunshine is like night. • On the other hand, you have differ-• ent fingers. 97.8 percent of all statistics are made • up on the spot.

R e -• m e m -ber, half the peo-ple you k n o w are below average. (And the other half are only smart enough to bring the first half up to that!)He who laughs last thinks slowest. • The early bird may get the worm, but • the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.When everything is coming your • way, you may be in the wrong lane. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't • get sucked into jet engines. Inside every older person is a young-• er person wondering, 'What hap-pened?' Light travels faster than sound. That's • why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's • more like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might give you some real heartburn tomorrow.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (ASV)while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.


A new study eases concerns that irrigat-ing crops with water released from sewage treat-ment plants — an increasingly common practice in arid areas of the world — fosters emergence of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause thousands of serious infections each year. The research appears in ACS’ journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Eddie Cytryn and colleagues explain that a large fraction of antibiotics given to people or animals pass out of the body unchanged in the urine and are transferred via sewage systems to wastewater treatment facilities. These facilities do not completely remove common antibiotics like tetracycline, erythromycin, sulfonamide and ciprofloxacin and may actually enhance the abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antibiotic-resistance genes.

Previous studies have suggested that wastewater effluents can expand natural reser-

voirs of antibiotic resistance, which may contrib-ute to clinically associated antibiotic resistance. Arid and semi-arid areas of the world are plagued by severe water shortages, which are expected to increase as a result of growing population and global climate change. As a result, more areas are turning to treated wastewater (TWW) to ir-rigate croplands.

In Israel, for instance, TWW provides more than half of the water used for irrigation. The researchers wanted to find out if long-term irrigation with treated wastewater enhances anti-biotic resistance in soil microbial communities, which could potentially be transferred through agricultural produce to clinically relevant bacte-ria.

The authors found that levels of antibi-otic-resistant bacteria and genes for antibiotic resistance in fields and orchards irrigated with freshwater and TWW were essentially identical,

suggesting that antibiotic-resistant bacteria that enter soil by irrigation are not able to survive or compete in that environment. The authors say there is “cause for cautious optimism” that ir-rigating with TWW is not increasing the preva-lence of bacteria resistant to the antibiotics they studied.

Good News on Using Recycled Sewage Treatment Plant Water for Irrigating Crops

In 1776, the founders risked their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor’ to set up afree and prosperous nation. They warned us that it was our responsibility to keep it that way.They warned us that it was our responsibility to keep it that way.

But we didn’t listen to their wise advice.As a service to America, they have come out of retirement to issue a final warning.

Warned you of the dangers of excessive taxation. Now you labor nearly six months of the year to pay your tax-es at all levels as your economy suffocates under this cruel burden.

Warned you of the dangers of foreign entanglements. Now thousands of men and women suffer and die in for-eign lands while your government plans a military draft.

Warned you of the dangers of government spending. Now your growing Nation Debt stands at 8 TRILLION and your babies are debt slaves from the day they are born.

Warned you of the dangers of a private Central Bank

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE(The Fed) and a debt-based monetary system. Now you drown in credit card debt as you lose your homes to foreclosure.

Warned you to obey the Constitution because power cor-because power cor-because power corrupts. Now a secretive government can spy on you and detain you at will under the guise of “National Security”.

Warned you of the dangers of political parties. Now you have two powerful parties that conspire against the people, plundering you while they pretend to oppose pretend to oppose pretendeach other.

Warned you to keep your nation sovereign and inde-pendent. Now you submit to UN and NAFTA authority as your borders are deliberately left open to endless il-

legal immigration.

Warned you to be distrustful of government. But you believed the sugarcoated falsehoods of ambitious politi-cians and now you no longer know who to trust or what to believe.

Warned you of the importance of an honest, indepen-dent and unbiased press. Now you centralized “Main-stream Media” is full of propaganda, distortions, and omissions.

Warned you that the price of liberty was eternal vigi-lance. But while you were distracted by ballgames and TV shows, government stole your liberty and bankrupt-ed your children.

We the Founders...

www.farmandranchnews.com Volume 39 • Number 5 • 2012 • Farm & Ranch News


Pigeon Fever Cases Confirmed in Northwest Florida By Jennifer Bearden

A large animal veterinarian A large animal veterinarian in north Florida has confirmed four cases of Pigeon Fever in Okaloosa and Walton Counties. Pigeon Fever is an infection caused by the bacteria, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis. There are three forms of this disease: external abscesses, internal infection, ulcerative lymphangitis (limb infec-tions).

The most common form is ex-ternal abscesses of the pectoral or ven-tral abdomen. This form causes swell-ing resembling a pigeon’s breast in the horse’s chest. The disease is spread via flies, such as horn flies, stable flies, and houseflies. It can also be spread by horse-to-horse contact and through contaminated soils.

Pigeon Fever is sometimes called Dryland Distemper because it frequently occurs in the western Unit-ed States. Drought conditions seem to encourage outbreaks of this disease. North Florida is still experiencing a moderate to severe drought making conditions favorable for an outbreak.

Symptoms to look for include external abscesses, fever, severe lame ness, decreased appetite, and lethargy. Dr. Reese Williamson, a large animal veterinarian who practices in Oka-loosa and Walton Counties, advises if a horse has a fever above 102°F, goes off feed or is excessively lame, contact a veterinarian promptly. Treatment must be individualized for the horse, the form of disease and the locations of the abscesses.

Since no vaccine currently ex-ists, the only prevention is fly control, good sanitation and proper wound care. It is recommended to isolate infected horses and dispose of contaminated bedding. Decrease fly populations by using fly sprays, feed-through fly con-trol, fly parasites or adult fly traps.

Proper wound care of all hors-es is important. An open wound is an easy way for the bacteria to enter and infect the horse. Clean wounds care-fully and use products such as fly re-pellent ointment on wounds.Reference:Spier, Sharon. “Three Forms of Pigeon Fever.” The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care July (2010). Web. 17 Apr. 2012. <http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=17663>.

Jennifer Bearden is an Agriculture Agent with the University of Florida IFAS Okaloosa County Extension.

Keynote speaker Michael Shuman will be featured on Saturday, July 28th, sponsored by the Florida Food Policy Council. Michael H. Shuman is an economist, attorney, author, and en-trepreneur, and Director of Research and Marketing for Cutting Edge Capital.

He has authored, coauthored, or edited eight books. His most recent book,

Michael Shuman author of “The Small-Mart Revolution” to provide the keynote address 4th Annual Florida Small Farms and Alternative

Enterprises Conference, July 27 – 29, 2012just published by Chelsea Green, is Lo-cal Dollars, Local Sense: How to Move Your Money from Wall Street to Main Street and Achieve Real Prosperity. His previous book, The Small Mart Revolu-tion: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition (Berrett-Koe-hler, 2006), received a bronze prize from the Independent Publishers Association

for best business book of 2006.He helped co-found BALLE,

which represents 22,000 local businesses in North America in 80 communities, and is now a Fellow there. At Cutting Edge Capital, a consulting firm that helps com-munities and businesses solving finance challenges, he manages its economic de-velopment initiatives.

The Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference is a three-day event, hosted by the University of Florida and Florida A & M University, features 30 educational sessions, farm tours, a large trade show, Florida’s Finest Signature Luncheon, and more. Through concurrent educational sessions led by industry experts and noted researchers,

the annual Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference provides op-portunities for attendees to learn about groundbreaking research and access educational support about topics such as operating sustainable and profitable enterprises, integrating cost-effective methods to meet state regulations, and applying the latest research to real-world problems.

Attendees also participate in workshops, hands-on demonstrations and organized networking activities, enabling them to share their knowledge while interacting with peers from all over the state. The Florida Food Policy Coun-cil is proud to bring our Small Farms community one of the nation’s most dy-namic speakers and expert in the field of stimulating local economies.

To register for the Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Con-ference visit the website http://www.con-ference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms


Kaitlyn Gill, 2011Cattlemen’s Sweetheart, RetiresBy Stephanie Farmer

Proud parents Anthony and Debbie Gill look on as Kaitlyn auctionsoffherfinalwreath.

As her reign as the 2011- 2012 Florida Cattle-men’s Association Sweetheart came to a close, Kaitlyn Gill had a lot to reflect upon. Over the past 12 months she had met a variety of people from Governor Rick Scott in Tallahassee to children at the Florida State Fair, educating them all about the beef industry. Kaitlyn, during the Florida Cattlemen’s Conven-tion at Marco Island, not only helped with the Sweetheart Contest, but also designed a wreath for the Sweetheart Auction ( even though it was not necessary for her to do) as a way of helping future Sweethearts with their upcom-ing expenses. As her proud Mom swept a tear and her Dad lov-ingly held her mom’s hand, Kaitlyn gave her farewell speech. She thanked everyone from family to the industry for all their help during her reign. Kaitlyn said she wished her tenure could last longer, but knew it was time for it to end.

Commiss ioner of Agricultur e Adam Putnam Calls on U.S. Department of Commerce to Accept Tomato

Growers’ Request to Terminate Suspension AgreementIntended to Prevent Trading Partners from Undercutting U.S. prices, the Agree-ment Has Failed to Protect Florida’s To-mato Industry Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam has sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank urging the U.S. Department of Com-merce to accept the tomato industry’s request for withdrawal of the 1996 anti-dumping petition and terminate the cur-rent suspension agreement.

In 1996, tomato growers in Flor-ida and across the United States, with support from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, filed the antidumping petition request-ing relief from unfairly traded imports of fresh tomatoes from Mexico. The 2008 Suspension Agreement, which resulted from the 1996 antidumping petition, was intended to prevent trading partners from undercutting U.S. prices and devastating domestic production. “Gone unrecognized by new

producers in Mexico and unenforced by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the 2008 Suspension Agreement has done little to protect Florida’s tomato growers from unfair competition,” said Commis-sioner Putnam in the letter. “Tomato imports reached rough-ly $1.8 billion last year, three times the value they were when the petition was originally filed in 1996; yet, there has been virtually no change in the under-lying reference price in the suspension agreement.”

“Already suffering from weak demand in a difficult economy, Florida’s tomato growers cannot compete in a mar-ket flooded by unprecedented imports of tomatoes from Mexico at prices well be-low the cost of production.” Earlier this week, the tomato industry filed documents with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission to with-draw the petition, thereby terminating the suspended investigations and the current suspension agreement.


Hillsborough Commissioner Higginbotham gets Approval for LDC Amendment to Assist Local Farmers

Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham, District 4, and the Board of County Commissioners voted June 12 to spon-sor an amendment to the Land Development Code to allow farmers to continue their agri-cultural operations in land rezoned to Planned Development (PD).

In the Land Use meeting on May 14, Com-missioner Higginbotham sponsored, and the Board of County Commissioners approved, a motion to direct the County Attorney’s Office to research the amendment, in response to a re-zoning application on the agenda. The County Attorney’s Office presented their report dur-

ing the Land Use meeting. This amendment will now be included in the second cycle of amend-ments to the Land Development Code, which begins with a com-munity meeting on July 24, and is expected to have a final vote in the fall. A Planned Development is de-fined in the LDC as “land under unified control to be planned and developed as a whole in a single development operation…” Exam-ples include subdivisions, town homes, apartments, mixed used developments, medical complex-

es, and other projects that require greater flex-ibility than otherwise provided by the Code. Hillsborough County Development Services estimates that there are approximately 2,500 planned developments in the county. Many times, the applicant will include a condition to allow all agricultural uses in the interim until the PD is developed. This allows farmers to continue their operations on the land until the developer begins the construction. “This is truly a team effort by the Board of County Commissioners, who all real-ize the value the agriculture community adds to Hillsborough County,” said Commissioner Higginbotham. “As we move forward with this amendment, we will increase the utilization of these vacant parcels across the county.” Hillsborough County’s Agriculture Industry Development Program estimated that in 2010, agriculture contributed $815 million to the Tampa Bay economy. A majority of the acreage resides in District 4, represented by Commissioner Higginbotham.


Scholarship Winners at the Cattlemen’s Convention

Kelly Davis, above left, and Kelli Buchannan, above right, each received the Allied Scholarship at the 2012 Florida Cattlemen’s Convention.


Commissioner Adam Putnam and Dr. Jack Payne, UF Senior Vice President of Ag and Natural Resources, Speak at Cattlemen’s Convention

Commissioner of Agriculture Putnam and Dr. Payne were two of the many speakers at this year’s Florida Cat-tlemen’s Convention.

Dr. Payne proudly announced that $2.24 million was available to help the Animal Science Department at UF. “It is incredible”, he said as to this amount of funding during these tough economic times. As a result of the increased fund-ing there would be new positions at Ona, Campus and Marianna as well as other positive things happening within the de-partment. He did note that IFAS would not be taking over the Brooksville Re-search Center.

This year, Dr. Payne said, was the 150th Anniversary of the Morrill Land Grant Act which was the beginning of the land grant institutions in 1862. Celebrations would be starting soon around the country, beginning in Wash-ington DC. The result of the act was the reason UF, Texas A&M and other well known agricultural colleges exist today.

UF is also about to undergo a variety of changes. UF President Bernie Machen is stepping down as his tenure has ended. Replacements are already be-ing interviewed and he understands the hope of many that the next President will know and understand what IFAS and

By Stephanie Farmer

Agriculture are. C o m m i s s i o n e r

Putnam spoke that eve-ning. He said that agri-culture is the greatest con-servation group. He was pleased to announce that with science on “their” side and working in part-nerships with the various Water Management Dis-tricts, Legislature and in-dustry they most recently beat the EPA in the courtroom regarding the Nutrient Criteria issue.

The EPA had made Florida a “guinea pig” for their new rules, but un-fortunately, now Louisiana is facing the same problems as Florida with the EPA. Commissioner Putnam said that there is a growing recognition that landown-ers are the best stewards of the land; you cannot replace the knowledge a private landowner has of their land. He did con-tinue to stress that the biggest long term issue for our state is and will continue to be water.

He ended with an appeal for help in regards to a program called Operation Outdoor Freedom. This is a special pro-gram allowing our wounded warriors the opportunity to hunt. Last year the state

hosted over 100 different guided hunts in our state forests. This year he would like to see this taken to the next level and in-clude private landowners. Commissioner Putnam said they are looking for private landowners who would be willing to of-landowners who would be willing to of-landowners who would be willing to offer the use of their land on Veterans Day of this year. His department would match up a veteran to hunt on the property and work out the details. Adam said, “If you host one of these hunts, I guarantee you find it a life changing experience. You will quickly appreciate the humility, ser-vice and leadership for what they have done for us”.

For more details or help, con-tact the Florida Department of Agricul-ture and Consumer Services and ask for Katelyn Landrum 850-922-7030.

Rare Double and Triple Winners at theFlorida Cattlemen’s ConventionPhotos by Stephanie Farmer

Kaydan Strickland, seen here with her mother and father, Kim and Butch,won three first place awards at theCattlemen’sConvention:Landscape and Livestock Photo contests as well as the T-shirt Design Contest.

Cheyanne White, above center, from Marion County won first in theAgriculture and Conservation PhotoContest and Funny Photo as well.


Congratulations to the 2012-2013 Florida FFA State Officers

These eight State Officers will travel around Florida and the U.S. supporting FFA members and the organization in a variety of ways from meeting government officials to teaching members at a variety of events. They will also be offered the opportunity to travel overseas with other State Officers from around the United States. These young ladies and men are about to experience a one year learning curve that will in-fluence not only them personally but also those they meet and work with throughout the rest of their lives.

This year’s Florida FFA State officers are (left to right): Katie Hutchinson-West Orange Sr. FFA; Matthew Cantrell-Blake County Sr. FFA; David Walden-Durant Sr. FFA; Ashley Hassan-Okeechobee Brahman FFA; Shelby Calloway-Malone FFA; Sarah Trimm-Bronson Sr FFA; Justin Watson-Pine Ridge FFA; Clayton Willis-South Lake Sr. FFA as President.


True or False: Cattle are considered sea-sonal breeders –falseTrue or False: Hotdogs are made with only junk meat (for example: lips, tongues & hearts) – false (they are made with fat and lean cuts of meat)True or False: Beef slaughter grading is a

By Stephanie Farmer

Florida Jr. Cattlemen’s Quiz Bowl

requirement – false (it’s optional)True or False: Johne’s only affects beef--falseGive two factors used to determine feed-er calf grades: frame and muscle score

These are just a tiny handful of the types of questions Dr. Saundra Tem-broeck with UF asked the competitors of this year’s Quiz Bowl. Dr Tembroke makes this one of the most enjoyable

contests for the youth. As she asks the questions, she often will help relieve the tension with a little humor or insight into the answers. Personally, I enjoy watch-ing this contest as I always find myself chuckling with the crowd, while learning a lot about the industry myself.

This year’s winners are: First Place- Hillsborough Coun-

ty- even though this is a double elimina-

tion competition, Hillsborough County was undefeated. Team members: Anna Conrad, Chrissy Grimmer, Lane Harrell, and Blake Harrell.

Second Place- Marion County - Team members: Harrell Phillips, Jessica Leon, Cheyanne White, Sara Shuffit.

Third Place- Volusia County - Team members: Kelsey Maloney, Trisha Dugan, Ana Gamble, and Drake Bishop.

FRNEWS V39 Issue 5

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Transcript of FRNEWS V39 Issue 5