COUNTRY DESIGN

The wrap-around porch Rory Martin and his grandfather re-decked with tongue-and-groove pine. He and his son refurbished it last summer.

UNDER THE ROOF A STORY OF TWO FARM HOMES

By Rachael Smith, Communications Manager

Nestled among 60 acres of farmland in the small agricultural community of Hastings is a twostory farmhouse. The traditional wood framed home has sheltered six generations of farm families.

In 1923, Frank Johns and his wife, Ada Mae, moved from Illinois to forge a new way of farming in Hastings, Florida’s potato capital. Johns, a pioneer of modern farm practices, was recognized as the first farmer to operate exclusively with power machinery.

Today, his great-greatgrandson, Jeb Smith, and his wife, Wendy, are proud to live in the house that Johns built and carry on his love of farming. The couple remodeled and moved into the home in 2015 with their four children, Jared, Jeremy, Caytlyn and Cayla.

“Our kids make the sixthgeneration to live in the home,” said Jeb. “We each have our own memories in the home from when granddad and grandma lived here.”

Jeremy and Caytlyn fondly remember practicing piano in the afternoons and looking forward to great-grandma’s freshly picked grapefruit served dripping with brown sugar. “It was our reward for playing the piano and helping out with chores,” said Caytlyn.

Cayla was only four when her great-grandma, “Juju,” passed, but she remembers doing arts and crafts in the large sunroom that overlooks Hastings Blvd.

Photos chronicle the footprint of the love and labor the Smiths poured into the historic farm home. From the thoughtfully restored vintage fixtures to the carefully selected paint swatches to the demolition that unmasked a historic date: June 25, 1965.

“As I began pulling some of the glued vinyl walls in the upstairs bedrooms, I started

noticing that on the backside there were drawings,” said Jeb. “Before my granddaddy put up the walls, he had the kids draw pictures and date them on the wall. The date was 50 years to the day that we began the remodel.”

A smaller ranch-style home, where Jeb and Wendy lived before the remodel, is adjacent to the home. A hand-made timber barn restored by Jeb and his sons serves as shelter for the (still working) Farmall tractor that Frank Johns used to plant potatoes.

The kitchen is modern yet functional. A butcher-style table, handcrafted by Frank, centers the kitchen. “The table has bounced around through the years,” said Wendy. “It used to be the main kitchen table and then it was a craft table. I always wanted a butcherblock table, and this worked perfectly.”

The original handcrafted kitchen cabinets were refinished. Jeb had the home rewired, installed additional lights and outlets and made sure that each nook was used as storage. “Homes back then were scarce on Smith H ome

lighting and storage, so I wanted to make sure we added as much as we could, while maintaining the character of the home.”

About three-and-a-half hours south of Hastings is another sixthgeneration home. The Campbell homestead was built in 1904 by Alexander, the great-great grandfather of Rory Martin of Sarasota County.

Today, Rory and his wife, Melissa, live in the home with their four children, Shelby, Sara, Scott and Shana.

“Family lore told by my grandfather (Sheldon),” said Martin, “was that my great-great grandfather, Daniel, and his brother would share a bicycle between them to go to the property on weekends to clear the land. One would ride the bicycle ahead, leave it to start walking, and then the other would get to the bicycle, leapfrog ahead, leave the bicycle and walk.

“The land was cleared with a grubbing hoe. My great-grandfather was known as a good man with a grubbing hoe and would clear land

Top to Bottom: Frank and Ada Johns; Jeb and Wendy Smith stand in front of their historic farm home with their children Caytlyn, Cayla and Jeremy; Restored butcher block table anchors the kitchen. Image to the right was drawn 50 years ago to the day of the last remodel. Jeb Smith uncovered them during the demolition. The Smith children continue the tradition with their own mark.

The Campbell homestead today.

for $1 a day, clearing about one acre a month.”

The traditional old-style wood home is built on pillars off the ground. A second story and a wrap-around porch was added in 1926. The construction includes hand-hewn timbers underneath, and tongue-and-groove pine board siding.

Lots of windows and screened doors allowed for air circulation before the days of air conditioning. Martin’s grandparents added AC in the early 1990s and windows were replaced with pulleys, ropes and weights to a modern style and beige vinyl siding was installed to help with insulation.

Martin and his family moved into the home in 2010. He says he has made little changes to the home since moving in. “We added AC in the upstairs, did some insulation, but most of my changes were not visible to the eye.”

Campbell Home

The home is decorated with a blend of farmhouse décor and antique furniture from Martin’s grandparents. Vintage oil lamps, irons, butter churns, coffee grinders and a food safe adorn the home. Marble-topped tables and a careful display of greatgrandfather’s fiddles make the home part museum, part home.

Pictures on the wall reveal the personalities and record the previous generations living in the home, including a baby picture of Martin’s grandfather, framed in a peach. A hand hewn, leather bottomed chair made by his greatgreat grandfather from the 1880’s is also among the treasured pieces on display.

Fixtures from the family’s citrus production and juicing business still exist on the property, including an open air, tinroofed fruit stand, fruit washer and juicing room. A hand dug

TOP TO BOTTOM: Rory Martin’s great-grandfather, Daniel Campbell; Campbell homestead in 1909. The smokestack is part of the original kitchen.; Antique furniture decors the home.

well where water was drawn for drinking, bathing and laundry is still on the grounds.

Martin remembers spending Christmas at the home as a young boy. “Our family tradition was to wake up and wait for our parents to allow us to come downstairs to see what Santa left us. My grandmother would make waffles and sausage for breakfast, served on blue-willow dishes. After breakfast, we would then wait in the living room until my grandfather came in and then we would share the gifts under the tree. We still carry on that tradition today.”

Farmers in the area surrounding Lake Okeechobee have substantially improved water quality on their properties as they continue to produce food.

AGRICULTURE’S

Essential Water Use

By Charles Shinn, Director of Government and Community Affairs

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the essential nature of our food supply. Many Americans did not view Florida as a major producer of the food we consume before the pandemic hit.

Now, consumers throughout the nation know that Florida is an essential provider of our nation’s food supply. To ensure that everyone is fed the nutritious food that is grown here, a sufficient supply of water is also essential.

There is often an argument raised that water being used for agriculture (growing food) is taking water away from the environment. Nothing can be further from the truth when the water is managed and used wisely.

For farmers to use water in Florida, they must apply for a permit with one of five water management districts in the state that allow water use as guided by Florida law (Chapter 373, Florida Statutes).

Any proposed use of water is reviewed using a three-pronged test.

With the first prong, the farmer must demonstrate that the water use will be “reasonable and beneficial.” This ensures that the water will be used wisely with increasingly precise conservation measures so that it is not wasted. Farmers have a long history of implementing Best Management Practices to save every drop that they can.

The second prong requires the farmer to ensure that the water use is consistent with the public interest. Growing food and fiber products is certainly in the public interest, as we all need to eat several times a day to remain healthy. Florida is even more critical as a food-producing area because in many other parts of the country food cannot be grown year-round.

The third prong requires the farmer to utilize water so that it will not impact any other permitted use of water. Simply stated, we all must play fair in the same sandbox!

Often there are erroneous claims made in the general news media and social media, unfairly and mistakenly pitting farmers against Florida’s environment. This hype is often self-serving by special interest groups. Yet, Florida’s farmers and ranchers were the first environmentalists and remain keenly focused on the environmental health surrounding their farms.

As they continue to be the essential suppliers of the local food and fiber products that we all need and enjoy, they do so in a sustainable manner that will allow their farms and the surrounding environment to thrive for many generations to come.

The pandemic has taught us that a safe and local food supply is essential and likewise, agriculture’s use of water is essential to grow the fresh food products that will keep America fed and healthy.