in The Field magazine Polk County edition

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3014 S. Jim Redman Pkwy. (Hwy. 39 S) Plant City, FL • southsidewesternwear.com INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE May 2020

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CONTENTS

June 2020 VOL. 13 • ISSUE 8

28 DAVE TOMKOW POLK COUNTY CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

PAGE 10 Weeds, Weeds, Everywhere

PAGE 32 Swine Study

PAGE 12 Ranchers Daughter

PAGE 34 Jack Payne

PAGE 14 Fishing Hot Spots

PAGE 35 News Briefs

PAGE 16 Haute Couture Plants

PAGE 36 John Dicks

PAGE 18 Citrus

PAGE 38 Endangered Species

PAGE 19 IFAS

PAGE 40 A Closer look

PAGE 22 Rocking Chair Chatter

PAGE 42 Activity

PAGE 24 Everglades Tomato

PAGE 44 COVID-19 ERA

PAGE 26 Literary Time Machine

PAGE 47 PCCW

PAGE 30 Recipe PAGE 32 PCSO

Hey Readers!

Hidden somewhere in the magazine is a No Farmers, No Food logo. Hunt for the logo and once you find the hidden logo you will be eligible for a drawing to win a FREE No Farmers No Food Sticker. Send us your business card or an index card with your name and telephone number, the number of the page which you found the logo and where on the page you located the logo to the address below

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InTheField® Magazine P.O. Box 5377 • Plant City, Fl. 33566-0042 *Winners will be notified by phone. You Too Can Be A Winner!

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Polk County Cattlemen’s Association P.O. Box 9005 • Drawer HS03 Bartow, FL. 33831-9005 President – Dave Tomkow 3305 US Highway 92 E Lakeland, FL 33801-9623 (863) 665-5088 dave@cattlemens1.com Vice President – Ken Sherrouse 13475 Moore Rd Lakeland, FL 33809-9755 (863) 698-1834 kensherrouse@yahoo.com Secretary/Treasurer - Justin Bunch PO Box 849 Highland City, FL 33846 (863) 425-1121 justin.bunch@cpsagu.com State Director – David McCullers 1000 Hwy 630 W Frostproof, FL 33843 (863) 635-3821 crookedlakeranch57@gmail. com Ray Clark 4484 Swindell Road Lakeland, FL 33810 (863) 640-0719 rclark@tampabay.rr.com Donald Conroy 3882 Wolfolk Rd Fort Meade, FL 33841 (863) 412-0790 Stuart Fitzgerald PO Box 1437 Lake Wales, FL 33859 (813) 478-8141 stuartcattlellc@yahoo.com Kevin Fussell 4523 Fussell Rd Polk City, FL 33868-9676 (863) 412-5876 David Hunt 9699 Alt Bab Pk Cut-Off Rd Bartow, FL 33830 (863) 287-1835 Dhunt285@aol.com Scott Shoupe 6130 Allen Lane Lakeland, FL 33811 (863) 581-7593 Scott_shoupe@hotmail.com Carlton Taylor 9875 Hancock Road Lakeland, FL 33810

(863) 858-1771 L2brangus@aol.com Dr. Lujean Waters 8750 Shreck Rd Bartow, FL 33830 (863) 537-1495 Lujean.waters@gmail.com Standing Committee Chairs: Membership Events- Kevin Fussell Trade Show- Bridget Stice Rodeo- Fred Waters PO Box 463 Alturas, FL 33820-0463 (863) 559-7808 Website – Adam Norman 2115 West Pipkin Rd Lakeland, FL 33811 (863) 944-9293 Adamnorman1977@gmail. com Cattlewomen – President, Missy Raney PO Box 453 Homeland, FL 33847 (863) 205-3977 Raney747@gmail.com Extension – Bridget Stice PO Box 9005, Drawer HS03 Bartow, FL 33831 (863) 519-1048 bccarlis@ufl.edu Sheriff’s Dept. – Lt. Paul Wright 1891 Jim Keen Blvd.

Winter Haven, FL 33880 (863) 557-1741 pw5281@polksheriff.org Sgt. Tim Sanders 1891 Jim Keen Blvd.

Winter Haven, FL 33880 (863) 656-6119 brusso@polksheriff.org Warner University – Casey Wingate 7155 Wauchula Rd Myakka City, FL 34251 (941) 600-5772 Casey.wingate@warner.edu

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STAFF

Letter from the Editor

Publisher/Photography Karen Berry Senior Managing Editor/ Associate Publisher Sarah Holt Sales Karen Berry Sarah Holt Melissa Nichols

What is happening?!?!? This year just keeps throwing curve balls, am I right? The first U.S. coronavirus case was reported in Washington State on January 20. He landed in Seattle after visiting China according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At that time, the coronavirus had killed 17 people and infected more than 470 in China, spreading to other countries like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.

Creative Director/Illustrator Juan Alvarez Photography Karen Berry Melissa Nichols

It’s been downhill from there.

Florida Farm Bureau has created a resource page for farmers and ranchers to check for updates on COVID-19 and the impact on agriculture.

They included educational resources and a photo album of Florida Famers and Ranchers. Check it out at www.floridafarmbureau.org/covid-19-resources/.In addition, the Florida Cattlemen’s Association has included links to COVID-19 reference material on their website at www. floridacattlemen.org/news/covid-19-reference-material-forms-frequently-asked-questions/d the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association information is available at www.ncba.org/coronavirus.aspx .

While things are slowly opening, many farmers and ranchers who lost their traditional markets are finding other ways to connect with local consumers. The importance of a safe, abundant food source has been launched to the forefront during the pandemic.

Staff Writers Al Berry Sandy Kaster James Frankowiak Sean Green Ginny Mink Breanne Williams Anita Todd Contributing Writers Woody Gore John Dicks Social Media Victoria Saunders

Please remember to support your local farmer and rancher. When shopping for you food, check the label. Look for Fresh From Florida produce.

Support those who work so hard to keep food on our tables.

Stay safe and help your neighbors.

Until next month,

Sarah Holt The LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. - Numbers 6:25

In The Field Magazine is published monthly and is available through local Polk County businesses, restaurants, and many local venues. It is also distributed by U.S. mail to a target market, which includes all of the Greenbelt Property owners, members of the Polk County Catllemen’s Association.

Letters, comments and questions can be sent to P.O. Box 5377, Plant City, Florida 33563-0042 or you are welcome to email them to: info@inthefieldmagazine.com or call 813-759-6909 Advertisers warrant & represent the descriptions of their products advertised are true in all respects. In The Field Magazine assumes no responsibility for claims made by advertisers. All views expressed in all articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Berry Publications, Inc. Any use or duplication of material used in In the Field magazine is prohibited without written consent from Berry Publications, Inc.

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Published by Berry Publications, Inc.

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Dear members and friends, To the agricultural youth, June is usually the month of preparation for state and National contests at events like the Florida FFA Convention & Expo, as well as Florida Cattleman’s Convention. This year looks a lot different but there is still a lot of preparation for many of the same contests and events.

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I am proud to announce that our very own Madyson Keim from the George Jenkins FFA Chapter has made it through the screening process and is now one of two candidates for the Area IV Florida FFA State Vice President! Madyson has had a great deal of accomplishments in and out of FFA. She was a member of the State Champion Citrus CDE team, as well as high individual in the state, State Champion Forestry CDE team that went on to win fifth in the nation, State Champion Aquaculture team, State Champion Nursery and Landscape team going on to win Silver National Champion team, second place in the state for Land Judging and Homesite Evaluation, was a part of the district winning Parliamentary Procedure team serving as the chairman, and has been announced as top four in the state for the Extemporaneous Speaking LDE with full results being announced in the Sixth Session of the 2020 Florida FFA Virtual Celebration to be held Thursday, June 25 at 7:30 PM. She has served as the Secretary on the Lake Gibson Middle FFA Officer Team, Reporter at Kathleen Senior, President of George Jenkins FFA, President for the Polk County Federation, and President for Florida FFA District 8. Madyson passed her CVA exam and is a Certified Veterinary Assistant, has passed the Forestry Specialist, Ag Technology, Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association, Ag Associate, and Ag Systems industry certifications. She was the Senior Champion of Champions winner for the Florida State Fair Swine Division, is a National Honor Society member and holds a 4.33 GPA as a Dual Enrollment student. She will be attending Warner University with a full tuition scholarship. I would like to wish Madyson good luck on her journey, and I am confident she will be a great representation of our area!

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On the local level, we have recently elected our 2020-2021 Polk County Federation Officer team. The team is as follows: President, Peyton Creel; Secretary, Allison Jackson; Vice President, Brayden Salevao; Treasurer, Sarah True; Sentinel, Cassie Waters; Reporter, Ally Keim; Student Advisor, Reanna Brown. The officers had to complete an application, prepared speech, general FFA knowledge exam and an interview process. As a team, the duties of these officers are to serve the community and act as leaders for our county. They have been very carefully selected to be a representation and voice for Polk County FFA as a whole. The team will plan activities and coordinate contests for Polk County FFA chapters. As a team, they travel around the county using chapter programs to interact with members. They travel to different FFA Chapters within Polk County to build leadership and team activities within the chapter. They educate our members and inform them of activities that are going on within the county and get to know new members around the county and influence them to become more involved in the FFA. It is clear this is no easy job. Good luck, Federation Team!

Polk County Youth Fair exhibitors, the deadline for the Open Steer Entry Forms is July 31. Late entries will be accepted until August 7. The tagging date this year will be August 15. Please make sure you are watching the PCYF Steer Show Facebook page for updates or be in touch with any committee members if you have any questions.

Livestock shows are finally beginning to come around again.

Coming up is the RW Derby Day Jackpot show that was moved from May 1-2 to July 3-4 at the Florida Horse Park in Ocala.

The JFCA Kickoff show or Hottest Show on Earth is still set to be held July 25-27 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa.

Hopefully, next month there will be news of more shows so we can finally get out of the house and back in the show ring!

I certainly hope things begin to turn back to normal even more than they are. In the meantime, I hope everyone stays safe and healthy.

Dave Tomkow Polk County Cattlemen’s Association President

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Weeds, Weeds Everywhere!

Julie Schelb UF/IFAS Extension Polk County It is almost guaranteed that you are going to encounter some weeds in your garden or landscape. However, the thought of weeds does not need to make you cringe. A little work on the front end will make managing weeds in your landscape less daunting in the future.

What is a weed? Simply, it is any plant growing in an undesired location.

Tips for minimizing weeds in the landscape: Use mulch. If you are not familiar with Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ (https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/homeowners/nine_principles.htm), the fourth principle is mulch. We recommend applying a 2-3-inch layer of a mulch like pine bark, pine straw, eucalyptus, melaleuca, fallen leaves, or utility mulch. In addition to helping suppress weeds, mulch has other benefits.

Mulch (https://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/handbook/Mulch_vSept09. pdf) also helps retain soil moisture, moderates soil temperature, and reduces soil erosion.

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Remove weeds before seeds develop. Weeds are often known for producing thousands (tens or hundreds of thousands) of seeds. With that in mind, removing weeds before the seeds develop will greatly reduce the spread. This can

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be accomplished by hand pulling plants, shallow cultivation, and/or mowing or trimming. When hand pulling, be sure to remove the roots as well. Shallow cultivation involves the use of a hoe (https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/ tools-and-equipment/garden-tools.html) (traditional, stirrup, or scuffle).

Solarization. This is helpful prior to planting. Solarization (https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pests-anddiseases/pests/management/soil-solarization.html) uses a sheet of clear plastic (at least 1.5 mm thick) over the soil surface to heat the soil and kill weeds and other pests. This is best accomplished during the summer months and must be left for at least six weeks.

USING HERBICIDES If the situation has moved beyond the steps above, it may warrant the use of herbicides (https://gardeningsolutions. ifas.ufl.edu/care/weeds-and-invasive-plants/herbicides. html). There are herbicides to prevent the weed seeds of some species from sprouting (preemergence herbicides) as well as postemergence herbicides which affect sprouted plants. Some herbicides work on specific plants (selective herbicides) and others will kill any plant they contact (nonseWWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

lective herbicides). Before selecting a herbicide, first identify the weed to be removed and choose the appropriate chemical. Remember: THE LABEL IS THE LAW! You must read and follow all directions for mixing, application, and personal protective equipment (PPE). For more on the use of herbicides in the home landscape, check out the Florida Homeowner Herbicide Guide: Considerations, Applications, and Selection (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep575).

REMOVING INVASIVE PLANTS It is important to learn to identify invasive plants in your landscape. These plants will not behave and stay within the boundaries of your landscape. They should be removed to prevent their spread and effect on our natural ecosystem by outcompeting our native species. For information on identifying invasive plants, the UF/IFAS Assessment on Non-Native Plants (https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/) is an excellent resource for invasive plant species in Florida.

MORE RESOURCES: Florida Weeds https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/lawn-and-garden/ florida-weeds/ Weed Identification Guide https://rcrec-ona.ifas.ufl.edu/ weed-identification/ Weeds and Invasive Plants https://assessment.ifas.ufl.edu/

REFERENCES: Weeding, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/weeds-and-invasive-plants/ weeding.html Herbicides, UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/weeds-and-invasive-plants/ herbicides.html For more information, contact UF/IFAS Extension Polk County at (863) 519-1041 or visit us online at http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/ polk. The Plant Clinic is open Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-4:00 pm to answer your gardening and landscaping questions.

Give us a call, or email us at polkmg@ifas.ufl.edu.

If you are not in Polk County, Contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Plant Clinic.

The Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a volunteer-driven program that benefits UF/IFAS Extension and the citizens of Florida. The program extends the vision of the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, all the while protecting and sustaining natural resources and environmental systems, enhancing the development of human resources, and improving the quality of human life through the development of knowledge in agricultural, human and natural resources and making that knowledge accessible.

An Equal Opportunity Institution.

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CONFESSION OF A RANCHER’S DAUGHTER

By Marisol Tarango

The rancher’s daughter has heard all her life how her family’s ranch is just a small unit of a global industry, whose sole mission is to feed the world. Industry leaders work together across borders to develop ways to feed more people with less space and less animals. She has taken pride in the fact that her industry is the backbone of civilization, in fact, humanity, because how could humans survive without the farmers and ranchers who grow their food? Is not a well-established agriculture industry a trademark of a civilized society? By ranching, the rancher’s daughter is not only able to feed her country and the world, she is able to help maintain a civilized society.

CONFESSION # 12: I don’t really care about feeding the world.

All of my life, I have been told that my family is an important part of society because we feed our country and the world. It is our duty and privilege to feed our fellow countrymen and mankind as a whole, because everyone must eat. We accomplish great things when ranchers and farmers collaborate with scientists to develop a more efficient way of growing a crop or better ways of selecting genetics to produce cattle with bigger meat yields. And in every respect these accomplishments are great things: they feed more people with less resources, they cost the grower less to produce more of a product, and they allow the agriculture industry to grow and advance just like any other modern industry. But these accomplishments are not just acts of charity and humanitarian efforts. The agricultural institutions of private ranches and farms are capitalistic institutions just like every other business in the free world. Ranchers and farmers ranch and farm because they want to feed their families and make a profit just like everyone else, in a trade that they live and love.

first, before they worry about the rest of the country and world.

Even though they produce commodities that everyone needs, ranchers and farmers still have their families to look after, and their dreams and aspirations, too. The image of the struggling rancher and farmer is an unfortunate reality all over America.

Hard working, ranching and farming families making financial sacrifices and younger siblings taking on extra chores so that the older ones can go to college are real. When they are having to fight tooth and nail just to hang on to their God given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the American Rancher and Farmer do not care about feeding the world, or even America. All the American Rancher and Farmer wants is to have a fair shot in a free market, to make a profit, unmolested by everyone who wants to take from the rancher and farmer and not pay their dues. If ranchers and farmers cannot make money while doing their trade, then their farms and ranches will not survive, and if a rancher and farmer’s means of business do not survive, then they cannot support their own families, let alone try to help someone in need. This is not to say that ranchers and farmers don’t care about people going hungry.

The ranchers and farmers I know would give their last piece of food to feed a hungry person.

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Ranchers and Farmers do not want to be hailed as heroes to the American society; they do not want pats on the back, national recognition days, or bumper stickers. They want to be seen as the business men they are, who bring a needed product to society just like the construction companies, the power companies, and the waste collection companies. When American ranches and farms are not seen as viable businesses, there is no need for excellence in American Agriculture. And as the leading Agriculture Industry in the world, if there is no excellence in American Agriculture, there will be no need for excellence in other countries. If excellence in American agriculture Ranchers and farmers tend to have a sentimental attachment falls, that will lead to collapsed societies and even more hunto their industry because most ranches and farms are family gry people. So, in reality, I guess I do care about feeding the endeavors, handed down through the generations, with the world; it’s nice to know when I go to bed that I helped prevent tears and joys of every generation built into foundation, but society from collapsing and contributed to the economy so they are a business all the same. To make their business a suc- that one less child is hungry. But the best feeling is that I process, ranchers and farmers have to take care of their business vided for my family (and the cows).

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With every generation,

we get better at protecting our environment.

Reclamation ecologists like Ashlee work to return mined lands to productive use as wildlife habitats, public parks and more—so future generations can enjoy these lands for years to come.

Sign up

for a FREE On-Farm Readiness Review The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) inspections have begun. Sign up now to request a free On-Farm Readiness Review (OFRR), offered in partnership by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and University of Florida IFAS. The OFRR is an educational opportunity to help individual farms align practices with the PSR regulatory requirements in preparation for inspections.

For more information on FSMA and to sign up for an OFRR, visit FDACS.gov/FSMA or call (863) 578-1900.

To take full advantage of the OFRR and for PSR compliance, one farm representative should first attend a Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training.

Upcoming trainings can be found at: crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/events

Funding for this statement was made possible, in part, by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Tampa Bay Fishing Report Capt. Woody Gore

From most reports the greenbacks are eluding us like they did in 2018. One day they’re on the flats the next day they are gone to the markers. Also this year we’ve not seen the small fry yet; so we can probably expect a later spawn.

The only consistent location seems to be the Skyway Bridge and Skyway area fishing piers. However, the water is usually exceptionally clear with strong tides and, unless you’re throwing a heavy larger net, the bait tends to run out from under the others. Then there are the dolphins to contend with; grabbing your nets full of bait. Not only does it destroy the net, but it can pull you off balance and overboard if you’re not careful. Sometimes it makes using shrimp or artificial lures sound more appealing.

Snook (Still Closed) Snook, Redfish and Trout have remained strong through the beginning of the fishing season. Snook, however, seem to be everywhere, especially around the flats and mangrove shorelines and willing to take greenbacks or artificial lures tossed in their direction.

Redfish (Still Closed) redfish, trout, and

snook usually haunt the same areas, often cruising open flats and sandy patches early then moving into the mangrove shade during the day. Artificial anglers favoring topwater action should try the MirrOlure Series III S7MR or the Top Dog 74MR, and Top Dog Jr. 84MR. Later in the day, switch to soft plastic jerk baits like the Gulp Shad rigged using a 1/16 or 1/8 oz. jighead, practically assuring success.

Spotted Sea Trout (Still Closed) Speak-

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ing of greenbacks, they are everywhere one day and then disappear the next. But

sometime shortly after the young fry start appearing, trout will usually stay on the open grass flats hanging around broken bottom potholes taking advantage of the surplus food supply. This means trout on deep water grass flats and mangrove/ gray snapper on every rock pile, bridge and bottom structure.

Mangrove/Grey Snapper: Although Trout are closed; the snapper bite is going strong around structure or any one of the many artificial reefs throughout Tampa Bay. Small fry greenbacks or shrimp work well and fried snapper, grits and tomato gravy are excellent table fare if you’re looking for a good fish dinner.

Mackerel: Mackerel fishing is on fire and Tampa Bay is loaded and July fishing should be no exception. This means some real excitement on spinning tackle using 50 to 60 pound Seaguar leader and 2/0 long shank Daiichi hooks. Just find the schools of threadfins or greenbacks, net a few, put out a chum bag, and hold onto your rod and reel.

Cobia: Markers and grass flats, especial-

ly those holding bait, equal Cobia. These fish also frequent markers holding bait.

They often cruise the miles of open grass flats following rays and manatees always on the lookout for a quick snack. When WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

fishing open water flats, it’s always a good idea to have a rod and reel rigged for something larger; you never know when one might slide by.

Tarpon: Tarpon fishing should continue this month. Many be-

gin moving offshore to spawn. Threadfin Herring, crabs, larger greenbacks are all over Tampa Bay and work very well for tarpon. The Skyway Bridge, Anna Maria, St. Pete Beaches, and Egmont Key should be holding plenty of fish in the coming months.

“Give Me a Call & Let’s Go Fishing”

813-477-3814

Captain Woody Gore’s Guide Service: The area’s top-notch outdoor fishing guide service. He’s guided and fished the Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, Bradenton, and Sarasota areas for over fifty years and offers firstclass customer service, outstanding fishing adventures and a lifetime of memories.

Single Boat, Multi-Boat and Group Charters: With years of organizational experience and access to the areas most experienced captains, Captain Woody can arrange and coordinate any size group, outing, or tournament.

Website www.captainwoodygore.com Email fishing@captainwoodygore.com

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Haute Couture Plants

By Libby Hopkins

Houseplants have become high fashion or “Haute Couture” thanks to social media platforms like Instagram. Wade Matz of Lake Wales has been making plants “high fashion” long before Instagram was created. Matz is the owner of HortiCulture Plants + Delights. “I have an agriculture, gardening and horticulture background,” Matz said. “I’ve loved gardening since I was little and I started out helping pick rocks out of our garden as a child. I love plants and I love the rewards you get from gardening.”

His original career path made a shift. “I transitioned into a culinary background and I spent the majority of my professional career in the pastry and bakery world,” Matz said. “In 2002 I moved back to Florida and on my trip back to Florida, I stopped at every plant shop or nursery I could find. I got into horticulture and I eventually went back to school to study it.”

Matz ended up in South Florida where he finished his horticulture studies, started his own landscaping business and worked for cutting edge nursery. “I had my own business but I also worked at cutting edge nursery with a lot of unusual plants that I had to learn about their species and be able to sell them, so that was my real entry into the plant world,” he said.

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After living in south Florida for some years, Matz realize the area he lived in wasn’t the best place for his trade. “I grew

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very weary of South Florida and the market for plants and nurseries,” Matz said. “So, I closed my business and I really didn’t know what I was going to do. Owning a plant shop was my plan in life, but then I thought about central Florida and I had heard about this place called Lake Wales Ridge and I became fascinated with it. I wanted to be a part of it.” He eventually sold his home in south Florida and moved to Lake Wales Ridge in 2017.

Lake Wales Ridge is the highest and oldest ridge in Florida and extends about 100 miles from Clermont in Lake County, south to Sebring and ending in Venus, Highlands County.

These ridges started forming millions of years ago by the rising and falling of sea levels back when most of Florida was under water these dunes were islands.

These dune ridges are some of the oldest habitat found in Florida. The habitats are relatively dry and desert-like with lot of the plants and animals inhabiting the Lake Wales Ridge adapted for such a dry habitat. Many species found on the ridge are found nowhere else in the world, making the scrub a unique and biologically important habitat. This area is home to one of the highest number of rare plants and animals in the United States. “I am now the caretaker of seven acres of ancient Florida forest on Lake Wales Ridge, where I maintain my nursery and homestead,” Matz said. “I have a large plant WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

collection of my own and the rest is of it is still a natural forest that is very beautiful. I love it here and there is no other place like it.”

Matz sells his unique plants at the Lakeland Downtown Farmers’ Curb Market. “I love being part of the market because it give me a venue to talk to people about plants,” he said. “Sometimes I talk people out of buying my plants because once I figure out what kind of plant they are looking for, I may actually suggest they buy a plant I don’t carry. I know that’s not very business-like, but I want them to find a plant that suits them and their needs.”

“Keeping things local is very important,” Matz said.

“We all end up supporting each other by buying from local businesses or vendors and these local businesses come to me for their plant needs. This is what community is all about, helping one another.”

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If you would like to learn more about Horti-Culture Plants + Delights or if you want to see what Matz will have available at the Lakeland Downtown Farmers’ Curb Market, you can visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Horti.Culture or contact Matz at 954-873-8670.

CLOUD-BASED TECHNOLOGY HELPS FARMERS COUNT CITRUS TREES

By Brad Buck In his quest to find the right drone and other artificial intelligence to help ensure citrus growers get an accurate count of their crop, Yiannis Ampatzidis and his research team have developed a system known as Agroview.

The technology saves farmers time and money and helps them accurately count their trees, which is important for insurance purposes.

The latest results of the University of Florida scientist’s research show a computerized method that counted 175,977 citrus trees on a commercial citrus farm in Hendry County at nearly 98 percent accuracy.

Ampatzidis also found that the combination of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and Agroview — a novel type of cloudbased technology — counts trees and measures their canopy, which is important for farmers to maintain their insurance policies. Insurance companies need to know how many trees a farmer has – and how dense they are – so they can decide whether to renew the growers’ policies and at what price.

For the new research, Ampatzidis and his colleagues attached an imaging mechanism to a UAV, and it accurately detected citrus trees and gaps between trees in a commercial grove.

Because many citrus trees are damaged or die from citrus greening disease, farmers must remove the plants from their groves. That tree removal causes gaps between trees.

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His latest research, published in the journal Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, builds on a study he published last year. In the prior study, conducted on a commercial farm in

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Highlands County, Ampatzidis also used Agroview. For the current study, UF/IFAS researchers used Agroview again, but they utilized a less-costly camera.

The new techniques save time and money, said Ampatzidis.

“We estimate the traditional tree-count procedure can cost around $14 per acre and take up to four weeks to cover 1,000 acres,” he said. “The Agroview application can be used to save the Florida citrus industry — among other industries all over the word — at least 60% of the data collection cost and 90% of the data collection time.”

The next steps for Ampatzidis and his research team are to develop: Yield prediction models for citrus and vegetables.

Disease detection models for vegetables.

Nutrient prediction models for applications maps for variable rate technologies, for example, fertilizers and sprayers.

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.

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UF/IFAS CALS OFFERS NEW ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY GRADUATE CERTIFICATE

By Dana Edwards Typically, we hear of microscopic organisms causing problems, such as harmful algal blooms in Florida. But what if we could harness these creatures for good, such as using tiny organisms that thrive in environments with increased sun exposure for creating medicines, topical sunscreens and water purification solutions?

Researchers like Jamie Foster at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) are working on projects just like this. And now students can learn about these real-world applications as well in new online courses.

The UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS) will now offer an online graduate certificate in environmental microbiology. Researchers who study this subject analyze the ways microbes, like bacteria and viruses, interact with one another and their environments.

“Environmental microbiology covers a whole range of topics,” said Foster, who helped develop the program. “It’s about tackling climate change, rising sea levels, bioremediation, interactions between people and their workplace environments, solar radiation risks to human health, and improving the space industry. With citrus greening and the overgrowth of red tide in Florida, we can study how microbes can be part of the solution and not just cause problems.”

The online environmental microbiology graduate certificate program is ideal for anyone looking to take the next step in their career path to better understand our environment by using small organisms to solve big issues. Non-UF students can enroll in the program or use this 13-credit graduate certificate as a stepping stone to a master’s degree in microbiology and cell science.

In collaboration with faculty across IFAS, Foster created two new graduate courses: environmental microbiology and astrobiology. Currently, Foster, who has a lab at the Kennedy Space Center, teaches an undergraduate astrobiology course in CALS that examines the space ecosystem.

When CALS online microbiology and cell science master’s student Andrea Huntoon found out about the environmental microbiology graduate certificate, she immediately wanted to participate. As a science instructor at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin, Huntoon had a desire to learn more about the ecology work being done at the molecular and cellular level.

“This program fits in well with my interests and that of the students I teach in the natural resources,” Huntoon said. “I definitely see students more interested in environmental programs. Students are more aware of our impact on the environment and how our environment impacts us.”

Huntoon says this online graduate certificate is ideal for her due to the flexibility. As long as she has access to the internet and maintains her self-motivated spirit, she says she can be successful.

“I’m a huge advocate for graduate school while working,” Huntoon said. “You can definitely be balanced with your life and work while in graduate school. You may not be able to take as many classes at a time, but you can do it successfully.”

Prospective students interested in the program can contact Foster at jfoster@ufl.edu or 321-525-1047. To register for courses, contact Jacqueline Lee at jlee9@ufl.edu or 352-8461330. Students must have a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts from an accredited university. No graduate record examination (GRE) is required. Students can enroll one semester at a time and are selected on a rolling admissions basis to start at the semester of their choosing.

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“We’ve noticed a growing interest in environmental research from our students,” Foster said. “This program would be a great way to help address those curiosities.”

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Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Babaco is gorgeous torpedo shaped fruit. It’s also named as champagne fruit since it has a fizzy flesh.

Sapodilla is a uniquely tasting fruit. It had a soft brown flesh with flavor like a sweet mix of brown sugar and root beer.

Green peppers are a big (healthy) zero. The vegetable contains zero fat, zero cholesterol and zero sodium. It also contains zero capsaicin, which is why the green pepper does not have the same spicy bite as a jalapeno or Serrano pepper.

The durian, a fruit widely available in Asia, has legions of fans despite being awfully stinky—it smells of rotting meat. The stench is so bad that the fruit has been banned on Singapore’s public train systems.

The people of Troy, in modern-day Turkey, were the first to note an appreciation of the raspberry fruit.

Cauliflower means “cabbage flower” and is part of the broccoli family. This crunchy, tasty vegetable is available in more than just plain white. You can find cauliflower that is green, orange and even purple!

In moderation, ginger is one of the best foods for acid reflux. It has been used throughout history as an anti-inflammatory and as a treatment for gastrointestinal conditions. Ginger root can easily be peeled, sliced, diced, or shaved using a grater.

You can use it while cooking or add it to smoothies.

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Weddings

One bride must hold the record for the most distressful wedding day ever! Princess Maria del Pozzo Della Cisterno’s wedding was marked by not one unforgettable event but six of them. The day she married the Duke D’Aosta (the son of the King of Italy) in 1867 her wardrobe mistress hung herself and the palace gatekeeper cut his throat.

Further events to mar the day were the death of the colonel, who was leading the wedding procession and collapsed from sunstroke, and the stationmaster who was crushed to death underneath the honeymoon train’s wheels. If that was not enough the best man shot himself and the King’s aide fell from his horse and was killed instantly.

Some people pep up the wedding ceremony with their own version of the vows, much like this couple from St. Petersburg. Groom: I promise to love you as much as the Tampa Bay Rays. From this day forward, I will listen to all of your complaints about the mall if you say them during the off-season and promise to retire my baseball cap and face paint for public outings. I will love you in sickness and in health, from this day forward, until death parts us.

Bride: I promise to love you as much as I love my credit card and not hold your poor fashion sense against you. I will only show you my new clothes during commercial breaks and promise to keep you in the latest Rays fashions. From this day forward, I will make sure your lucky Rays shirt is washed for every game day and will always have plenty of potato chips on hand. I will love you for richer or poorer, as long as our credit limit stays high.

Bill and Veronica, a young couple, got married and went on their honeymoon. When they returned, Veronica immediately called her mother, and her mother obviously asked, “How was the honeymoon?”

“Oh Mom,” she replied, “The honeymoon was wonderful and so romantic!” Then she started crying. “But Ma, as soon as we returned home Bill started using the most ghastly language... saying things I’ve never heard before! I mean, all these awful 4-letter words. You have to come get me and take me home now…Please mother come and get me!”

“Calm down, Veronica’” her mother said, “tell me, what could be so awful? What 4-letter words?”

Still crying, Veronica whispered, “Oh, mother…words like dust, wash, cook and iron.”

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After a few years of marriage for some reason couples begin to fuss and fight with one another. Here are a few of those situations.

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Editor’s Note: This Rocking Chair Chatter was originally printed in the June 2015 issue

I asked my wife, “Where do you want to go for our wedding anniversary?” It warmed my heart to see her face melt in sweet appreciation.

“Somewhere I haven’t been in a long time,” she said. So I suggested, “How about the kitchen?” And that’s how the fight started.

My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary. She said, “I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 140 in about 7 seconds.” I bought her a scale. And that’s how the fight started.I took my wife to a restaurant. The waiter for some reason took my order first. I‘ll have the T-Bone steak, medium rare, please.”

He said, “Aren’t you worried about mad cow?”

“Nah” I said, “She can order for herself.” And that’s how the fight started.

A woman was looking in the bedroom mirror. She was not happy with what she saw, and said to her husband, “I feel horrible. I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.” The husband replies, “Your eyesight is absolutely perfect.” And that’s how the fight started.

My wife sat down on the couch next to me as I was flipping channels.

She asked, “What’s on TV?” I replied, “Dust.” And that’s how the fight started. What do you make of this one? Wide-eyed residents looked on as a married mother-of-five shared a piece of cake, a toast and even a kiss with her young 9 year-old groom, Sanele. Last year the boy, from nearby Tshwane, Africa tied the knot with bride Helen after claiming he had been told by his dead ancestors to wed. Shockingly his family took the message from the heavens seriously and hurriedly made arrangements for the big day. Despite stunned villagers branding the act ‘sickening’ the 9-year old boy’s family defended the union saying it was just a ritual.

It’s not unusual to hear stories of married couples that met online.

But it is unusual when that couple that meets online and marries also has the same name. That’s the case of a guy from Texas named Kelly Hildebrandt and a girl from Florida named Kelly Hildebrandt. Kelly Hildebrandt met Kelly Hildebrandt when Kelly, the girl, looked up her own name on Facebook. “I was like, ‘I wonder if there’s any other Kelly Hildebrandts on Facebook’,” she explained. “So, I searched my own name and he’s the only one that came up. In the photo he didn’t have his shirt on, and I’m like, ‘oh, he’s cute!’” And the Kelly in Texas was also intrigued. “She started off, ‘Hey, I see we have the same name, and I thought it was cool, so I wanted to say hi, I guess’.

Lots of laughs,” he said. Eight months after that innocent Facebook message, Kelly proposed to Kelly.

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USDA OFFERS DIRECT ASSISTANCE TO PRODUCERS IMPACTED BY COVID-19

By Jim Frankowiak

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide up to $16 billion in direct payments to deliver relief to American farmers and ranchers impacted by COVID-19.

As part of a $19 billion Coronavirus Farm Assistance Program (CFAP), the USDA will provide direct support based on losses for agricultural producers where prices and market supply chains have been impacted. Also, the USDA will assist eligible producers facing additional adjustment and market costs.

Additionally, the USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box program is partnering with regional and local distributors, whose workforces have been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels and other food service entities to purchase $3 billion in fresh produce, dairy and meat and deliver boxes to Americans in need.

The USDA, through its Farm Service Agency (FSA), is accepting applications from agricultural producers who have suffered losses.

CFAP provides financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent or greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant market costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.

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Livestock eligible for CFAP payments include cattle, lambs, yearlings and hogs. The total payment will be calculated using the sum of the producer’s number of livestock sold between January 15 and April 15 this year, multiplied by the payment rates per head and the highest inventory number of livestock between April 16 and May 14, 2020, multiplied by the payment rate per head.

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For eligible specialty crops, the total payment will be based on the volume of production sold between January 15 and April 15, 2020; the volume of production shipped, but unpaid; and the number of acres for which harvested production did not leave the farm or mature product destroyed or not harvested during that same time period and which have not and will not be sold. Specialty crops include, but are not limited to, almonds, beans, broccoli, sweet corn, lemons, iceberg lettuce, spinach, squash, strawberries and tomatoes. A full list of eligible crops is available at farmers.gov/cfap. Additional crops may be deemed eligible at a later date.

There is a payment limitation of $250,000 per person or entity for all commodities combined. Applicants who are corporations, limited liability companies or limited partnerships may qualify for additional payment limits where members actively provide personal labor or personal management for the farming operation. Producers will also have to certify they meet the Adjusted Gross Income limitation of $900,000 unless at least 75 percent or more of their income is derived from farming, ranching or forestry-related activities. Producers must also be in compliance with Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation provisions.

Application forms can be found at farmers.gov/cfap. Producers of all eligible commodities are to apply through their local FSA office. Applications will be accepted through August 28, 2020.

To ensure the availability of funding throughout the application period, producers will receive 80 percent of their maximum total payment upon approval of their application. The balance, not to exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date as funds remain available.

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FLorida

Everglades Tomatoes

By Sandy Sun, M.S. Clinical Medicines, B.S. Nutrition Science

Did you know that you can enjoy fresh, sweet tomatoes in Florida during the hot summer months? The Everglades tomato is a type of heirloom tomato that is very well adapted to Florida’s climate. It is tolerant to drought, heat, and pests.

Juicy and delicious, fresh Florida Everglades tomatoes are smaller than the typical cherry tomato, with a thin skin, and plenty of flavor. They are also called currant tomatoes or wild tomatoes and produces fruit year-round, even in the hot summers. Unlike other types of tomatoes, the Everglades tomato does not require cool nighttime temperatures to set fruit. It can be grown throughout the state, and plants can be started from seeds, fallen fruit, or cuttings.

According to the Florida Tomato Committee, Florida tomatoes account for 95% of all U.S. grown tomatoes eaten by Americans from October to June and for 45% eaten year-round.

Florida ranks first nationally in the value of fresh tomatoes produced in the U.S, and this crop comprises nearly one-third of the total farm crop value of vegetables in the state.

Tomatoes are an extremely popular vegetable in the U.S. The USDA reports that Americans consume approximately 20 pounds of tomatoes per person every year. With over a thousand different varieties, including beefsteak, cherry, grape, ugly ripe, plum, and heirloom, tomatoes can be red, yellow, orange, green, purple, brown, or even striped in color. Bite into one, and you will experience a juicy subtle sweetness that is balanced by a slightly bitter taste. The acidic and bitter qualities in tomatoes are tempered by cooking, which brings out their natural rich sweetness. Of these different types of tomatoes, Everglades tomatoes tend to be very sweet and flavorful. An extremely versatile vegetable, tomatoes can be eaten in any imaginable way---straight off the vine, tossed in a salad, pureed in pasta sauce, ketchup, barbeque sauce, chutney, soup, and jam. They are delicious eaten raw, cooked, dried, fried, roasted, baked, or stewed.

Nutritional Profile Tomatoes are an excellent nutritional source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin K. It is a very good source of molybdenum, potassium, manganese, dietary fiber, chromium, and vitamin B1, and a good source of vitamin B6, folate, copper, niacin, vitamin B2, magnesium, iron, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, vitamin E and protein. Naturally fat and cholesterol free, tomatoes pack a huge nutritional punch for very few calories.

According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, one cup of chopped raw tomato (180 g) contains 32 calories, 1.58 g of protein, 0.36 g of fat, 7.06 g of carbohydrate, and 2.2 g of fiber. It also provides 30% of the Daily Recommended Value (% DV) for Vitamin A, 38% for Vitamin C, 18% for Vitamin K, 12% for potassium, and 7.9% for dietary fiber.

Lycopene

or ketchup, contain very high levels of the antioxidant lycopene. This carotenoid helps protect cells from oxygen damage, thus protecting against certain cancers. Lycopene levels are up to three times higher in organic tomatoes and tomato products than conventional. Research studies have shown that higher consumption of lycopene is associated with a lower incidence of several types of cancer, including colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate.

Researchers believe that the health benefits of tomatoes come not only from lycopene, but from a variety of protective phytonutrients. They concluded that eating whole tomatoes was more beneficial than taking lycopene supplements.

Antioxidants Tomatoes are an excellent source of the antioxidant vitamins A and C, which travel through the body neutralizing dangerous free radicals that could otherwise damage cells and increase inflammation. A higher intake of tomatoes and other foods high in these nutrients have been shown to reduce the risk of complications from atherosclerosis, diabetes, asthma, and colon cancer.

How to Select and Store Choose tomatoes that have a smooth skin with no wrinkles, cracks, or soft spots. Look for ones with a deep, vibrant color, which indicates a greater amount of lycopene. Ripe tomatoes will yield to slight pressure and will have a noticeably sweet fragrance.

Store tomatoes at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.

Avoid refrigeration until they are cut, since tomatoes are sensitive to cold. To hasten the ripening process, place them in a paper bag with a banana or apple and the ethylene gas emitted by the fruits emit will increase the tomato’s maturation. Whole tomatoes, chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce freeze well for future use in cooked dishes.

How to Enjoy • Puree to make gazpacho or tomato soup • Combine with basil, garlic, onions and cook into tomato sauce for pasta or pizza • Chop raw tomatoes and add to omelets, salads, stir fries and sandwiches • Make homemade ketchup, salsa, or barbeque sauce • Drizzle with olive oil, basil, and salt • Roast in oven in low heat Fresh Everglades tomatoes add great flavor, color and outstanding nutrition to any dish. Enjoy fresh and fabulous Florida tomatoes throughout the summer!

Selected References http://www.floridagardener.com/misc/floridamango.htm http://www.floridafoodandfarm.com http://www.whfoods.com

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By Ginny Mink

Ornamental Gardening in Florida Part 69 Well, 2020 thus far has been a wild trip of its own! However, we welcome you back to travel on the Literary Time Machine. In times like these you have to wonder what our author, Mr. Charles Torrey Simpson, would have thought about all the things going on. Yet, we suspect that he might have just ignored things and kept right on plugging away in his own garden.

Our last voyage ended at a new chapter, Exotic Air Plants. New chapters are always exciting on this journey because you really never know what Mr. Simpson is going to say next. So, without further ado, let’s enter the ornamental gardening world of 1926 (it might be a nice way to get out of 2020 for a few minutes).

We’ll jump right into his description of Anthurium huegelii. He writes, “A magnificent Cuban Aroid which clings to the bare rocky walls of the Organ Mountains and occasionally to trees…The petioles are an inch in diameter and sharply square, the flower stems come up one season and develop a brownish violet spathe and spadix and the latter opens flowers and produces seed the following year. This plant I introduced from Cuba and it has made growth to the full size…while attached to a stone wall.”¹ The full size includes leaves that are 18 inches wide and four feet long. This plant is huge!

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We had to skip some of his description because, well, it was just far too scientific! But that didn’t leave us less interested in this huge air plant that can grow on walls.

So, we visited Dave’s Garden, as we often do, where we discovered it has several interesting common names including: Birds Nest Anthurium and Spike Leaf. The pictures there are quite interesting, especially of the

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flowers. However, what we found most interesting is that this plant is poisonous when ingested,² so it’s really not a good idea for those of you with dogs or cats that might have access to the place you decide to grow it!

While the Spike Leaf was certainly fascinating, we were not prepared for the next plant, the Billbergia. He pens, “B. thyrsoidea from Brazil is one of the best. Its broad, light green leaves are two feet long and three inches wide; the flower spike which is generally produced in summer, is fifteen inches high bearing above an elongated mass of bracts and flowers, the whole being a beautiful rosy crimson to orange scarlet, the corollas deep blue. When a considerable number of these are in bloom it looks as if the woods were on fire.”¹ Can you imagine the beauty he describes here? But he’s not finished.

He continues, “No plant that I cultivate is more completely at home than this splendid epiphyte. If a sucker is simply fastened to a limb so that it comes in contact it at once throws out roots and in no time it is an established plant. If it happens to fall on the ground it goes on growing and rooting as contentedly as if it were firmly attached above. The plants multiply with reasonable rapidity and now I have several hundred attached to the trees in my hammocks.”¹ Of course, his description made us curious as we hope it has done for you, so we did a little digging. With a little help from the Florida East Coast Bromeliad Society, we discovered that this plant has more scientific names than the newsletter’s writer has ever seen in a bromeliad.³ We suspect that Mr. Simpson was unaware of its bromeliad status, too. It’s commonly known as the WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

which may reach a distance of several feet, at the end of which a sucker is produced, and this may attach itself to another tree. I had a fine plant that had begun to spread that was stolen, suckers and all from my hammocks.”

It’s a shame that this isn’t the first plant he mentioned he had stolen. Though we think it’s quite interesting that back in 1926 people were busy stealing plants out of each other’s yards. Oh, that this was the worst of it these days. But, alas, we live in very different times now. So, until next trip, keep your plants and yourself safe and happy gardening!

Foolproof Plant, Summer Torch, and Flaming Torch.

The names are based on how easy it is to grow, which Mr. Simpson definitely pointed out, and the appearance of its summer flowers, which he also beautifully described.³ Knowing a little more about these gorgeous plants does make us wish we had some! How about you?

Picture Credits: Jinjian liang. (2008). Bird’s Nest Anthurium (Anthurium hookeri). (Flickr). https://flic.kr/p/4nDAXg HQ. (2005). Billbergia pyramidalis variegate. (Flickr). https://flic.kr/p/f2DrMb

THE

We’ll close this trip out with what no doubt was a bit tragic for Mr. Simpson. He begins, “Caraguata lingulata, Heart of Fire. An epiphyte with thick, narrow, recurved leaves armed at the edges with scattered, strongly hooked spines. At the time of blooming a short scape is developed and it and the bracts turn a splendid red.

From the main plant long, strong runners develop

Resources: ¹ Simpson, Charles T. (1926). Ornamental Gardening in Florida. Published by the Author; Little River, FL. Printed

by J.J. Little and Ives Company, New York. (p. 206-207). ²Dave’s Garden. (2020). Anthurium Species, Birdnest, Birds Nest Anthurium, Spike Leaf. https://davesgarden. com/guides/pf/go/67246/#b ³The Florida East Coast Bromeliad Society. (2013). Summer is Here- Make the Most of it!. http://www.fcbs.org/ newsletters/0713FECBS.pdf

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Dave Tomkow

The Polk County Cattlemen’s Association is one of the largest most active county cattlemen’s associations statewide. This year, lifelong cattleman and long time member of the association, Dave Tomkow, accepted the position of President of the association.

Dave is the son of Marcia and (the late) Mike Tomkow. He is the husband of Renee and father of Hailey and David Jr. Dave is a graduate of Santa Fe High School and has worked in the cattle industry his entire life. He has served as a director for the association for the past 10 years or so and is grateful to have the opportunity to serve the county in a different role.

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Dave is also a partner, with his brother Mike, in Tomkow Brothers Cattle, a cow calf operation and Cattlemen’s Livestock Auction Market. Cattlemen’s has been in business since 1951 when they opened their doors to serve the people of Polk County. Dave’s late father purchased the market from the original owners and Dave and Mike purchased it in 1992 after working at the market their entire lives. Dave, along with

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By Melissa Nichols

Mike, David Jr and Hailey, all spend much of their time (on non-sale days) also assisting other ranchers by day working and helping round up cattle. Dave truly has a passion for the industry and is eager to leave his mark on the association.

Dave has been active in the Polk County Cattlemen’s Ranch Rodeo for many years as both a participant and sponsor. Although his year of term has been off to a much different start than he hoped as Covid-19 hit and stalled the world, Dave said “I didn’t expect, nor did anyone, every industry to be halted and have a direct effect from the virus, however we are anxiously waiting for everything to turn around and resume.”

Dave is speaking of the fact that just as the stock market and everything else crashed in the month of March, April and May, there has been little stability in the cattle market industry. “It’s hard to predict when, but I do feel with more of a consumer demand for US Beef, the market will begin to rise again and cattlemen will see an increase of prices,” he said.

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To truly understand the depth of what Dave is saying you must take a step back and understand that in the current times, with calf prices how they are, most cow calf producers are only making around $50 to $100 a head at most, off calves. This price is calculated after they carefully analyze what it costs for property upkeep, equipment, taxes, feed, vet bills/supplies such as wormers and vaccines, hay, fertilizer, mineral and much more. The cattle business is one that requires a tremendous amount of upkeep to maintain. Doing the math, it would require over 100 head of cattle producing calves and a good amount of land to make what a minimum wage worker makes on average yearly. That is a whole lot of work and responsibility to make a profit. The cattle industry in Florida relies on a lot of variables to be successful, such as adequate rain, but not too much, mild winters and no hurricanes or other storms that would do damage and potentially cause death of cattle.

If you would like to purchase a spot to place your brand or a ticket to this beautiful custom built picnic table please contact any Polk County Junior Cattlemen member. You can still sign up to be a member of the Polk County Cattlemen’s Association and for the women there is also a Polk County Cattlewomen’s Association. Networking with larger producers can be essential to herd health, as well as finding out current issues the industry is facing and solutions. Join today, you will be glad you did.

What makes Dave a perfect leader of the county association is that he understands all sides of the industry from the production to market. He also knows most of the cattle producers countywide. He is able to communicate with many producers on a regular basis at the market. He feels that by making sure that the producer knows that if they do simple things such as worming their calves before bringing them to the market it will help with the price the calves bring. At the market it is always quality calves and those who are healthy will bring the best price. “Buyers want healthy cattle that they can load on a trailer or turn out into a pasture. With a little effort you can increase your profit,” he explains.

Dave encourages the producers to look into the relief aid being offered by the USDA through the Farm Service Agency, the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. The information is available by contacting the Farm Service Agency in Bartow or online at www.farmers.gov. This program is geared to help anyone who sold cattle January 15 to April 15 or had cattle in inventory from April 16 to May 14 and the application deadline is through August 28, 2020.

The Polk County Cattlemen’s Association was sad to have to cancel the spring dinner and meeting but is looking forward to the fall dinner and meeting where the Polk County Junior Cattlemen’s Association will be raffling off the picnic table that was intended to be given away at the spring meeting.

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s e p i c e R

Courtesy of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Chef Justin Timineri

Florida Tomato Cornbread

q Ingredients q 2 large Florida tomatoes, chopped 1 box natural cornbread mix 1 onion, diced small olive oil 1 cup jack cheese, grated Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS Prepare cornbread batter as indicated on the package.

Preheat oven as listed on the cornbread box instructions.

Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until tender in a small amount of olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper. Fold half of the cheese into

the cornbread batter. Pour batter into pan over the onions. Add remaining cheese to the top of the cornbread mixture. Sprinkle the tomatoes over the batter. Bake as directed on box. Remove from oven when golden brown and cooked throughout. Let cool slightly and serve warm.

Florida Eggplant, Tomato and Mozzarella Melt q Ingredients q 1 Florida eggplant sliced 1/4 inch thick 2 Florida tomatoes, sliced 1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

Olive oil 8 slices rustic bread or rolls Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly drizzle olive oil onto the sliced eggplant and season with salt and pepper. Place the eggplant on a cookie sheet and in the oven. Cook eggplant in the oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the eggplant from the oven and turn the oven to broil. Lightly drizzle the bread with olive oil, and toast under the broiler. Remove the bread from the broiler when it is toasted. To assemble the sandwich layer the eggplant, tomato, and mozzarella. Place the sandwich back under the broiler to melt the cheese. Remove sandwich from oven and serve warm.

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Food Safety just got easier.

Watch here. Subscribe now.

24/7 Food Monitoring Solutions Learn more about Highland Ag Solutions 863-844-4263 highlandhasit.com INTHEFIELD MAGAZINE

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By Grady Judd, Polk County Sheriff

GOOD KARMA FOR GOOD FOLKS

It is often said that people get what they deserve, and usually they’re talking about some form of punishment of karma.

able to relocate to Winter Haven. That’s not where the story ends though.

I personally witnessed a situation where some good folks got something they truly deserved…and I would like to share with you the story.

Earlier this year, one of our Agriculture Crime deputies who is very familiar with HER, heard that the rescue’s tractor was no longer working. This was a big loss to the facility, and they couldn’t afford to buy a new one. That deputy spoke with me about their need, and I knew something had to be done.

To start at the beginning, we have to go clear back to 2008.

That’s when a woman named Dani Horton contacted the Sheriff’s Office to report that a horse was tied to a tree with a dog chain and was being neglected.

The Sheriff’s Office was able to get the horse out of danger, but it was Dani who rescued the horse that was named Hope.

Dani went on to start a non-profit horse rescue called Hope Equine Rescue (HER) along with the help of family and friends.

HER has rescued more than one hundred horses and donkeys through PCSO investigations. Those rescues are cared for and rehabilitated back to good health and adopted out to a loving home. It is absolutely amazing the care that HER provides for these animals. One might assume you could just take a neglected horse and start feeding it some hay and everything will be alright. The process is far more complex than that, including veterinary care, behavior rehabilitation, and basic skills training to make the equine adoptable.

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Once a horse is rehabbed, a detailed adoption process begins in order to place the horse with someone who is going to give the kind of love and care that the horse deserves.

Eventually, Dani and the HER group outgrew their Auburndale facility, and thanks to a generous donation, they were

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I spoke with the board at Polk Sheriff’s Charities, Inc. and they were in agreement. We began looking into purchasing a brand new tractor for HER, which as many of you know, they are not cheap.

Along the way we learned was that someone else had made a substantial donation toward the purchase of a new tractor, and it was none other than Representative Sam Killebrew from the Florida House of Representatives. That’s not surprising because he loves horses and has long supported the work done by HER. We had been talking to Grove Equipment Service, Inc. about purchasing a new tractor from them, and they and Massey Ferguson were able to offer an incredible price for a brand new MF2760E tractor.

It was such a delight to see how thrilled the folks at Hope Equine Rescue were to receive the tractor, and it was absolutely wonderful to see once again, how the people of Polk County came together to make a difference, especially for some folks who have done so much themselves.

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NATIONAL SWINE STUDY SET FOR JUNE-AUGUST; SELECTED FLORIDA PRODUCERS ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE

By Jim Frankowiak The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) are conducting a national study of the U.S. swine industry during June through August.

This study, which has been conducted by the USDA for more than 30 years, will include approximately 5,000 operations from 38 swine producing states, including Florida, with swine operations that have less than 1,000 pigs randomly selected.

If contacted, producers are encouraged to participate as resulting estimates are useful in trade negotiations and apply to all operations with less than 1,000 hogs in the U.S. National estimates on health, housing, movement and marketing in this sector, particularly on operations with less than 100 hogs, are rarely gathered. Movement and health estimates are essential for state and federal disease preparedness, according to the USDA. The study has particular applicability to Florida because: • The University of Florida Extension service notes hog production is increasing among smaller farms owners, hobby farmers and show pig enthusiasts located through the state.

This study is to include them to assess their husbandry practices and information needs.

• Florida has a feral swine population. Feral swine, the damage they do and their diseases transmission risk, are a focus of this study. Study implementers hope to give updated estimates of where feral swine are in the state and whether they are close to swine rearing areas.

• The study will attempt to quantify overall movement of swine, both for sale and showing, for disease planning.

• Niche marketing appears to be growing in selected areas of the U.S., but little data is available on where or how many operations produce pigs for these markets. The most recent data gathered on this niche market was collected in 2008.

Selection letters, a questionnaire with instructions and an African Swine Fever information sheet have been mailed to selected producers. Completed forms can be mailed back in the self-addressed, stamped envelopes or completed online via the NASS secure website. NASS will begin follow-up telephone calls in July to determine the best time to complete the survey by phone.

More information is available on the NAHMS web site:

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By Jack Payne You are about to go through an exciting decade of growing.

Your agricultural scientists have spent the past decade getting you ready for it.

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is better than it was in 2010 when I arrived to lead it.

This is especially true in Hillsborough County.

That means that whether you grow strawberries in Plant City, trees in Tampa, or blue tangs in Gibsonton, you know a lot more about it than you did a decade ago. If you don’t, you need to check in with your local ag scientists.

At the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma, Director Jack Rechcigl has spent the past decade building. Since 2010, he’s expanded the center with: • A four-bay strawberry greenhouse.

• Strawberry tunnel houses.

• Two new graduate student residences.

• Modernized field irrigation systems.

• A 12,000-square-foot equipment storage building.

• A building for precision ag, a workshop for developing mechanical harvesting equipment and sprayers with the ability to target only weeds and not the crop.

When he wasn’t building, he was hiring. The All-Star faculty he’s brought to Hillsborough in the past decade include Debra Barry, Nathan Boyd, John Diaz, Zhengfei Guan, Sam Hutton, Sriyanka Lahiri, Kati Lawson, Seonghee Lee, Tong Geon Lee, Mary Lusk, and Luis Peña-Lévano.

And when area growers advocated for a blueberry Extension coordinator, we hired one. Doug Phillips works wherever blueberries grow, but he’s based at GCREC in the heart of berry country.

This growth was fueled by innovation. UF/IFAS and its direct support organization Florida Foundation Seed Producers released 271 cultivars for release statewide over the past 10 years, many of them developed at GCREC. Because FFSP has one of the most aggressive reinvestment policies in the nation, a great deal of the revenue from the licensing of these new plants goes right back into the center, which in turn fuels more innovation. Success begets success.

Plant licensing royalties, combined with support from growers like Tony DiMare and Kenneth Parker, have helped GCREC to grow as fast as Hillsborough itself. In addition to disease, trade issues, and now COVID that has threatened all of Florida agriculture, Hillsborough growers face urban encroachment in a county that now has a population bigger than that of 11 states.

Stephen Gran leads the UF/IFAS Hillsborough County Extension office in navigating how to make cities and farms harmonious neighbors. Part of that involves making the city a place for things to grow. Extension urban forester Rob Northrop has teamed with the city of Tampa and others in one of the nation’s most impressive efforts to map an entire major city’s trees. It helps Tampa get the most bough for the buck, cooling, beautifying, preventing erosion, cleaning the air and more.

It also involves help for small farms. Gran brought on Francisco Rivera as a small farms and alternative enterprises Extension agent to join his team of production agriculture agents.

Extension’s Florida Friendly Landscaping and Water Wise efforts have shored up the local water supply by saving 116 million gallons of water in the past 10 years.

Craig Watson has been such a leading figure in the nation’s leading ornamental fish industry that he was inducted into the Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association’s Hall of Fame. As director of the UF/IFAS Tropical Aquaculture Lab in Ruskin, he oversees a veterinarian and disease diagnostic lab, research on invasive species, and innovations in captive breeding for species like the blue tang.

By conservative estimates, the 6.5-acre fish research farm saves Florida fish farmers – most of whom are concentrated in the Tampa area -- millions of dollars annually by solving local aquaculture problems. The Lab makes them millions more by developing new species and methods for production.

I visited the Lab early in my tenure and immediately supported its expansion. We were fortunate to bring on three new scientists – Eric Cassiano, Matt DiMaggio, and Josh Patterson.

Eric and Matt contributed to the effort that made the Lab the first place in the world to grow blue tangs in captivity, while Josh has expanded our reef restoration science.

Things will look different a decade from now. I think they’ll be even better. UF/IFAS is getting a new leader in July, Scott Angle, who has deep experience in government, the non-profit sector, and the land-grant system.

He’ll help strike the balance between improving your old favorites and looking for new opportunities. So while we’re investigating the possibility of hops and hemp as cash crops south of Tampa, we’ll also continue pursuing a machine harvestable tomato, early market strawberries, and even bettertasting blueberries.

Keep in touch with your research center, Extension office, and aquaculture lab. Jack Rechcigl has grown the annual Ag Expo into one of the state’s premier agricultural knowledge-sharing events. Field days give you the chance to meet a scientist and see the results of her work in the soil.

Your ag scientists are hard at work not just on publishing academic papers but solving real problems. Your problems. How they share it may look a little different in a decade – just look at how much has had to migrate to the Internet in the past three months – but we’ll still be your go-to for the science of solutions.

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Jack Payne is the University of Florida’s senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

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NEWS BRIEFS

Compiled by Jim Frankowiak

USDA Grants Available for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production; Deadline July 6

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has $3 million in competitive grants available to support the development of urban agriculture and innovative production projects. USDA is accepting applications at grants.gov until midnight July 6.

Among eligible groups are schools serving grades K-12.

Additional information is available by contacting USDA District Conservationist Diana Avellanet via email: Diana.avellanet@usda.gov. Her office telephone is 813/752-1474, Extension 4885.

Opportunities for Young Farmers and Ranchers Young Farmers and Ranchers are invited to enter three upcoming competitive events designed to help them sharpen their discussion skills and enhance public awareness of their agricultural operations and community service activities. The events include the Discussion Meet, Achievement in Ag and Excellence in Ag. Applications are also open for positions in the 2020-2022 Florida Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Group. The group experience develops participants for future leadership positions, and it also provides them to be involved in various Farm Bureau advocacy events at the local, state and national levels.

More information on both opportunities is available at: FloridaFarmBureau.org.

USDA has $5 million Available in Wetland Mitigation Banking Program Funds The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced availability of up to $5 million for wetland mitigation banks through the Wetland Mitigation Banking Program. This funding is available to help conservation partners develop or establish mitigation banks to help agricultural producers maintain eligibility for USDA programs.

Applications for this competitive grants program must be submitted by July 6 through grants.gov. More information is available at: www.nrcs.usda.gov Producers Encouraged to Sign Up for USDA Purchasing Programs Florida farmers and ranchers are being encouraged to sign up for the Section 32 purchasing program to sell perishable commodities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA is purchasing surplus foods from agricultural producers for distribution to communities nationwide.

In addition to Section 32 purchases, the USDA will purchase food in support of American agriculture and families on an ongoing basis in response to disruptions in the food supply chains.

Additional information on these purchases and distribution programs is available on the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service website: https://www.ams.usda.gov/ and the Food and Nutrition Service website: https://www.fns.usda.gov/

The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced allocation of $300 million in federal assistance for fisheries provided by he CARES Act stimulus package. These funds will be available for coastal and marine fishery participants negatively affected by COVID-19. Florida will receive $23.6 million of this funding to aid the state’s commercial fishing and aquaculture industries.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries will use this allocation to disburse funds that address direct or indirect fishery-related losses related to COVID-19.

Affected businesses should work with their state marinefishery management agencies to understand the process for applying for these funds.

USDA Reminds Florida Producers to Complete Crop Acreage Reports The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is reminding producers in Florida of the need to file timely crop acreage reports.

FSA staff can provide assistance by phone, email and through virtual meetings via Microsoft Teams.

Acreage reporting dates vary by crop and county. Contact the FSA office in Plant City at 201 South Collins Street, Suite 201. Telephone: 813/752-1474, Ext. 2 or email Marcinda.Kester@fl.usda.gov.

Pesticide License Testing Reactivated Pesticide license testing has been reactivated at select UF/ IFAS Extension offices. If your county Extension office is not yet open for testing, you may be required to travel to a county that is offering these services. Visit the UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office’s website where the status of testing sites is listed. The site is: https://pested.ifas.ufl.edu/update-ontesting/.

Testing is by appointment only. There are also requirements for safety that will be explained when appointments are made.

USDA OFFERS DIRECT ASSISTANCE TO SPECALTY CROPS GROWERS IMPACTED BY COVID-19 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as part of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Farm Assistance Program, is providing up to $2.1 billion in direct payments to specialty crops producers. These payments will be based on losses where prices and market supply chains have been impacted and will help producers facing additional adjustment and marketing costs resulting from lost demand and short-term oversupply for the 2020 marketing year as a result of COVID-19.

Producers of all eligible commodities may apply for assistance through their local USDA Farm Service Agency Service Center. Producers can locate their service center and find application forms, as well as additional information at: farmers.gov/cfap.

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Florida to Receive $23 Million in Aquaculture and Fisheries Assistance via CARES Act

BYE BYE CHEAP GAS!

by John Dicks

Well, the cheap gas certainly didn’t last long!

It was only a month or so ago that I filled up my truck with the petrol ringing in at $1.59 a gallon.

Yes, actually, there was that extra 9/10 of one cent that they always sneak into the price with the print so very tiny.

Still, though, it all made it feel like we were living in a different decade with the gas flowing into the tank at a price less than what Walmart was selling for a gallon of certain brands of bottled water!

Just imagine; a gallon of gas selling for less than a gallon of water. It made for strange times, indeed.

Even stranger, was that sometimes you couldn’t even buy the water because the shelves were empty, along with those supposedly stocking the toilet paper! I know we’re all glad that’s all over with.

I suppose we all felt a bit richer (or, perhaps, less poor) by saving on gas. Then again, we didn’t really need much gas since we weren’t going anywhere anyway.

The joke going around, probably you heard it, was that even with my gas guzzler truck I was getting about “a month per gallon!”

Maybe the price of gas is a real harbinger for the state of our economy. You’ve noticed, no doubt, that as we have been, in phases, restarting the economy the price of gas is percolating upwards, too.

It’s already up about 15%.

So, while it’s a pain to start paying more at the pump (though it’s still relatively cheap), it does make me think that the gears of commerce are starting to turn once again.

Beware, though, we’re still not out of the woods, either with the real medical concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, nor the financial mess that it has brought.

The economic impact suffered by Americans has been unprecedented;

and not just in amounts, but perhaps even more gut wrenching was the speed at which it was felt throughout the country.

In a matter of weeks, the pandemic nearly brought on a financial panic were it not for the actions of the Federal Reserve and our Federal Government.

The Feds fired up the printing presses and starting streaming money everywhere it could be imagined. The wisdom of pumping so much cash into the economy to help individuals and prop up businesses will certainly be debated by politicians for years to come. Likewise, it will become a required case study for business school majors.

What’s been largely missing by many, though, in all the fiscal havoc and chaos we have endured, is an analysis of the economic effects on local and state governments. Already, for example, it’s been estimated that our Florida state budget will feel a pinch of $8 to $10 billion.

The reason for such a draconian drop, if not simple, is certainly straightforward. Florida relies on revenue coming primarily from sales taxes. When consumers cut back on spending (and all of us have), and tourists are told to stay away from our sunshine state, the coffers in Tallahassee won’t fill to levels as planned.

State legislators, just a few months ago, passed a budget busting in at 93.2 billion. If that predicted $10 billion shortfall rings true, it will force the Governor, Cabinet, Senators, and Representatives to have some serious conversations about cutting spending on planned services.

Granted, there are some reserves available to be tapped, but it’s questionable whether there is enough to weather the “economic storm.” Unlike the Federal government, Florida has to balance its budget; and its got no printing presses to issue more dollars, like seems to be eternally available to Congressional leaders.

While there is discussion for yet another stimulus plan, specifically geared to bailout local and state governments, no assurance of such is yet made.

Elected officials are going to have their hands full formulating a fiscal policy that works!

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John Dicks is both a Lawyer and Businessman, including an interest in farming. He and his family have owned a Blueberry Farm and have Agricultural lands which they lease for cattle operations, as John says, “to someone who knows and handles cattle much better than I do!”. John is both a Gator, having received his undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, and a Seminole, with his Law Degree from Florida State University. John serves as Of Counsel to Trinkle Redman, a law firm in Plant City where he also served nine years as City Commissioner, including three terms as Mayor.

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Celebrating a most fruitful relationship

between Florida Strawberry Growers and International Paper.

1979

Together we’re sure to enjoy many more years of sweet success.

711 E. Lancaster Rd Orlando, FL 32809 (407) 855-2121

1996

2402 Police Center Dr Plant City, FL 33566 (813) 717-9100 6706 N. 53rd St Tampa, FL 33610 (813) 744-2220 Sales: Dean Fultz (901) 355-5197 or Jim Johnson (813) 205-0355

2001

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Present

©2018 International Paper Company. All rights reserved.

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E n d a n g e r e d S p e c i es

Weeds with Value: Polygonella basiramia

By Ginny Mink

We do a lot of writing about Florida’s endangered animals and sometimes neglect to consider the plant life that in many cases keeps animals alive. So, this month we would like to focus on a plant known as the wireweed. Just the name alone probably makes people consider it unworthy of protection. But, if we are true to our callings as stewards of this planet we have to value all things that have been put here.

Wireweed, or Polygonella basiramia, was added to the federally endangered list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on January 21, 1987. The initial proposal happened nearly a year earlier.¹ It is truly interesting how many species exist, natively, within our state that are endangered and no one has ever even heard of them.

So, let’s talk about the wireweed! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service describes it as “an herbaceous perennial endemic to the central ridges of the Florida peninsula.”² Probably what readers need to know is that it can be found in Polk County. Thusly why we have chosen to discuss it here. Though the Lake Wales Ridge is the main area of existence.² According to Encyclopedia.com wireweed can grow up to 30 slender branches that stick straight up and are about the same height. These stems grow from a taproot and can be as tall as two and a half feet. They will grow leaves that are kind of hairlike and are less than an inch long. But in the fall, the wireweed will produce white flower clusters on the tips of the branches.³ While we have mentioned that its main area of occurrence is the Lake Wales Ridge, its range extends as far north as Auburndale, Catfish Creek, and the Avon Park Air Force Range.

And, it can be as far south as the Archbold Biological Station.

Essentially, however, it is restricted to Highlands and Polk Counties. ¹ If you live in Polk County or venture anywhere in the areas of the wireweed’s range, it might help to know that the stems and leaves can be anything between green and dark red. Scientists and researchers seem to believe that the red coloration is due to more exposure to sunlight and a longer life span. However, they do admit that they have seen seedlings that are red in color.² So, it would appear they really are not certain what causes the unique tones.

What they do know is that wireweed prefers the sand pine and rosemary scrubs where it can grow in barren spaces that provide full sunlight. Shaded areas are not good for the wireweed and it does best when there are patches of scrub growth that alternate with bare sand. It also benefits from brushfires and periodic burns.³

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Reproduction in wireweeds is kind of interesting in that their flowers are either female or hermaphroditic. So, they can reproduce asexually and the ratio of the flowers being either is 1:1. Bees, generally the small halictid ones, and Eumenidae

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wasps are their main pollinators. The female flowers produce more seeds than the hermaphroditic ones. And, the difference in number is staggering, roughly 218 versus 32. Though the plants like fires, no adults will survive them, only the seedlings.² Believe it or not, if the amount of seeds produced by these flowers would actually grow, then the whole population would be saved. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, “… the number of seeds produced…in one reproductive season is more than 30 times the population density, sufficient to replace existing populations if only three percent of seeds were able to germinate and survive.”² But, they discovered that the soil crust had to be chopped and disturbed in order for this to happen.² Unfortunately, since most of the wireweed’s habitat has been lost to development, both agricultural and housing related, there is little chance of this process happening as needed. Especially since fires have been suppressed which allows other plants to overcrowd the areas and prevent the wireweed from being established as it should.³ There are a few areas in which wireweed has been protected since 1989. These areas include: Catfish Creek Preserve, Lake Apthorpe, Archbold Biological Station, Highlands Hammock State Park, Saddle Blanket Lakes, and Lake Arbuckle State Forest. Other areas are problematic due to off-road vehicles and foot traffic.¹ So, what can we do to help the wireweed? Well, supporting prescribed burns, or allowing for mechanical scraping would be an excellent first step as this would help them in the reproductive process and would prevent other plants from choking them out. Additionally, supporting the places that do protect them is a worthwhile endeavor. And, if you like off-roading or walking sandy paths, be cautious of where you tread. Remember, God put the wireweed here for a reason, whatever that may be, and our job is to protect all of His creation!

Resources: ¹Nature Serve Explorer. Polygonella basiramia. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.159230/ Polygonella_basiramia ²U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Wireweed. Polygonella basiramia. https://www.fws.gov/verobeach/MSRPPDFs/WireWeed.PDF ³Encyclopedia.com. (2020). Wireweed. https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/science-magazines/wireweed Photo Credits: B A Bowen Photography. (2009). Sandhill Wireweed. (Flickr). https://flic.kr/p/75t3LL

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For complete warranty, disclaimer, safety, incentive offer and product information, consult your local Dealer or go to KubotaUSA.com.

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A Closer Look

by Sean Green

Ticks

We all want to get outside again and opportunities to do so are slowly re-opening. The health benefits of getting outdoors inarguably eclipse continued indoor isolation. When you do finally get outdoors again, it’s important to remember that summer time in Florida is characterized by muggy weather and a lot of “creepy crawlers,” some of which have ancient roots in contributing to human disease. This is, however, no reason to stay cooped up indoors. The deep South has, after all, historically shared an association with insects, arachnids, and other arthropods. With disease avoidance preoccupying everyone’s mind lately, we thought it would be appropriate to take a closer look at ticks, a common outdoor menace.

Ticks are arachnids rather than insects and are grouped with spiders and mites. Arachnids are characterized as having eight legs and never have antennae or wings. The body has only two segments, the cephalothorax (a fused head and thorax) and the abdomen. There are three families of known ticks, only two of which are found in Florida and grouped into one of two families. A 2019 update to an IFAS publication of the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory addresses ticks specifically and confirms the soft-bodied ticks (Argasidae) are primarily nest parasites and not considered pests in Florida. According to the publication, the hard-bodied ticks (Ixodidae) include five species of concern that are known to feed on humans or domestic animals.

The hard-bodied ticks (Ixodidae) are known as such because they have a hard shield (scutum) have four stages in their life cycle, egg, larva, nymph, and adult. They are obligate parasites, which means they must have a blood meal at each stage to survive. Consequently, they have evolved to be able to survive more than a year and a half without feeding while waiting for an appropriate host, which may be a different species for each stage. Their mouthparts, collectively called gnathosoma, consist of a harpoon like structure with backward pointing spikes that help the tick anchor itself into its host to feed. This mouthpart is why attempts to remove the tick often result in the head remaining lodged in the skin. In addition to the gnathosoma, ticks have chelicerae (fangs) that are more like solid saws than the smooth hollow thorn like chelicerae of spiders. Together these two parts form a tube like mechanism from which the tick can not only slurp up blood, but also inject saliva that inhibits pain, prevents the blood from clotting, and suppresses the immune system; a pretty impressive method of insuring the tick can feed for days undetected and undisturbed.

Because ticks feed on a variety of hosts that can include mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, they are capable of being vectors for a variety of diseases for both humans and livestock. There are several factors that influence the potential for ticks to transmit disease. The environment must have a high density of host species and be humid enough to support ticks as they dehydrate very easily. When you toss your hiking clothes in the wash to attempt killing ticks that may have been overlooked, the washer does nothing to kill the ticks. Ticks do not drown in the wash. The dryer is effective in killing ticks, not so much because of the heat of the dryer, but more the dehydrating environment within the dryer that kills the ticks. To dehydrate the ticks, it is suggested that you run hiking clothes through the dryer for at least 20 minutes before washing them. Ticks can survive the wash and crawl out to seek a host. They can not survive dehydration in the dryer.

(Parasitiformes) from your lower extremities. A tick finds a host by detecting breath, body odor, body heat, and vibrations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) some species can even recognize the shadow of its host. Ticks will climb vegetation, usually less than three feet high, along a well-used path and lie in wait (questing) for a host. It secures itself to the vegetation with its third and forth pair of legs and extends its first pair of legs to hook onto any host that happens to walk through the vegetation. Once it latches on to the host, it will either attach right away, or wander about looking for a tender spot such as the ear or neck. Although the potential for disease transmitted by ticks is substantial, it is easily avoided even in the worst of conditions. For disease to be transmitted to a human or livestock, the tick must feed for several days without discovery. The feeding time varies with the tick species and the pathogen it hosts, but in general at least two days of feeding are required before any real danger begins and showering after a hike as a best practice nearly eliminates the danger of infection.

When you are ready for outdoor adventures again, the following suggestions will help reduce exposure to ticks, but it is still important to shower and do a tick check when you get home.

Tuck your pant legs into thick socks.

Most ticks attach below our knees, ankles are often the first unprotected opportunity.

Wear long sleeves Wearing long sleeves not only reduces access to open skin, but also masks sweat (which attracts insects) Stick to the trails.

Established hiking trails in our parks are maintained and well used.

Such trails will have fewer ticks than hiking through brush, even better if you stick to the center of the trail.

Permethrin 0.5% This repellent should ONLY be used on clothing. It is an effective contact insecticide that mimics the natural components in the chrysanthemum flower. Clothes treated with permethrin can be washed 3 or 4 times before losing effectiveness. Permethrin treatment on clothing is non-toxic to Humans (according to the U.S. EPA).

DEET Is an oily repellant that can be applied to either clothing or skin.

The toxicity and potential environmental hazards of DEET increase at higher concentrations. Though DEET can be purchased as high as 100% concentration, it is not recommended in concentrations over 30% for children. Because DEET has been found to be toxic to freshwater fish and aquatic microorganisms, we discourage its use if swimming in natural waterways will be part of your day.

Natural Repellents There are many natural repellents that work as well (if not better) than man made repellents. Native populations have practiced the use of local flora far longer than any commercial products have been available. I have experimented with some myself and can attest that they do work but require a more frequent application than commercial products. Natural repellents can be just as toxic as commercial repellents and should be used with as much caution.

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It is a common misconception that ticks jump or fall out of trees onto your head. Any ticks found on your head have crawled there

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Naturally Amazing Activities

By Sean Green

DIY Tick Repellent Understanding the nature of the insect is the best defense for avoiding the potential dangers a biting insect can present. This month we are sharing with you a recipe for a tick repellent that can be made at home from ingredients that can be purchased from your local grocery store. We have only included ingredients that are especially pertinent for ticks, but these ingredients will likely be effective for other biting insects such as mosquitoes, yellow flies, no-see-ums and other critters than can make your outdoor adventures miserable.

We have listed the ingredients in the order of their effectiveness against ticks.

Ingredients:

(choose any combination)

CEDARWOOD OIL

Toxic to ticks, kills by dehydration, suffocation, and dissolves larvae

GERANIUM

Extremely potent tick repellent, can be applied to a dog collar

LEMONGRASS

Supplies: Clean spray bottle Carrier Oil (when not using blends)

Natural Tick Repellent, can be used directly on skin

LAVENDER

All-purpose insect repellent, safe for skin contact and young children.

EUCALYPTUS

All-purpose insect repellent can be used directly on skin, Do not use around pets.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

The acidity in the vinegar does not kill the tick but repels the tick as well as other biting insects.

1/2 cup Vinegar 1/3 cup water 20 drops Cedarwood Oil 20 drops Geranium 10 drops Lavender 20 drops Rubbing Alcohol (or until oil mixes)

RUBBING ALCOHOL

Add ingredients to the water bottle Put the top on the water bottle and shake Shake before each use, apply to skin, clothes, and shoes.

CARRIER OILS

Blend 2

Is used sparingly to reduce water tension to allow oils to mix with water.

Mix carrier oil with essential oils if you will not be using a blend.Concentrated essential oils can burn the skin.

Try to use carrier oils that have a natural sulfur content (which is also a tick repellent) Olive Oil Vegetable Oil Almond Oil

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1/2 cup water 20 drops Lemongrass Oil 20 drops Eucalyptus Oil 20 drops Rubbing Alcohol (or until oil mixes) Add ingredients to the water bottle Put the top on the water bottle and shake. Shake before each use, apply to skin, clothes, and shoes.

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WATCH THE WEATHER, WAIT TO WATER

By Jim Frankowiak

The Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) is encouraging residents who irrigate their lawns to take advantage of the upcoming summer rainy season and “watch the weather, wait to water.”

Grass blades do not spring back, leaving footprints on the lawn for several minutes after walking on it.

During the summer months of June, July, August and September, yards need no more than ½ to ¾ inch of water every two to three days. If your lawn has received enough water from rainfall, turn off the irrigation system and turn it back on when needed.

If your yard is showing signs that it needs water, check your local forecast to see if rain is on the way.

The simplest way to determine if your yard needs water is to look for these visual clues:

If you have a rain sensor, make sure that it is working properly.

Grass blades are folded in half lengthwise on at least one-third of your yard.

Take full advantage of the rain. Make sure gutter downspouts are directed into landscaped areas or lawn.

Install a rain barrel to capture excess rainwater.

Grass blades appear blue-gray.

Follow these tips when you “watch the weather, wait to water”:

Use a rain gauge to determine how much rain your yard has received.

For additional information, visit WaterMatters.org/WatchTheWeather.

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IN COVID-19 ERA,

IN COVID-19 ERA, UF/IFAS RESEARCH ADAPTS

by Kirsten Romaguera As Florida moved to “safer at home” measures, not all work could be put on pause.

Below is just a sampling of the projects that have continued during the pandemic.

When it came to University of Florida research, many UF/ IFAS projects could not wait. There are living plants, animals and insects to feed and maintain; some projects have regular monitoring procedures for which postponement could have broader environmental consequences.

• Out of the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred, professor of nematology Larry Duncan leads a study for citrus grove nematode management. Florida citrus growers, whose success is already being challenged by widespread citrus greening, rely on UF/IFAS research to recommend best practices for a productive fruit yield. Disrupted continuity of Duncan’s project would have caused a two-year delay in recommendations as well as potential productivity losses in CREC’s citrus groves.

“We are very proud of our faculty, staff and students for continuing their essential research safely during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Robert Gilbert, dean for UF/IFAS Research and director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station. “We have approved many critical and time-sensitive research projects as this situation has evolved, and we continue to do so, with the number of approved projects well over 1,000 at this point. We expect other ongoing projects to ramp up in the near future.”

The UF/IFAS research portfolio includes thousands of projects totaling millions of dollars in funding.

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“Our projects are continuing, but we have adapted to reflect COVID health and safety concerns to keep our research teams safe,” said Damian Adams, interim associate dean for UF/IFAS Research. “Some programs were able to transition very well to remote work and were largely uninterrupted or even accelerated.”

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• From the Fort Lauderdale REC in Davie, a team led by algae expert Dail Laughinghouse, an assistant professor, keeps tabs on the quality of several water bodies: Lake Okeechobee, Lake Tohopekaliga, St. Lucie Canal and St. Lucie Estuary. The project conducts monthly sampling to remain on the forefront of the fight against harmful algal blooms and their toxins, which present a constant threat to environmental and public health. During an active bloom, the consequences have proven to be far-reaching, with every Florida industry depending on our water resources in some direct or indirect way, from tourism to healthcare. Long-term data and continuous monitoring are necessary to support the understanding of triggers and dynamics of these toxic blooms.

• At the Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL) in Vero Beach, molecular biologist Chelsea Smartt, an associate WWW.INTHEFIELDMAGAZINE.COM

professor, has a living Culex mosquito population that can salivate Zika virus. As one of few such populations in the world, continuous maintenance is required, as the loss of these insects would mean this critically important research is unable to continue. The work done at FMEL has implications for populations around the world, as mosquito-borne diseases are easily spread and kill many people each year.

• The university’s main campus in Gainesville has greenhouses that are home to the blueberry breeding program, the basis of the state’s successful blueberry industry, which was valued at $82 million in 2015 (USDA-NASS, 2016). Patricio Munoz, horticultural sciences assistant professor, and his team must continue maintenance of the living plants, without which irrecoverable losses could occur.

• Work at the Range Cattle REC in Ona proves the ability for some projects to continue virtually. Maria Silveira, soil and water sciences professor, is leading a project that investigates phosphorous (P) inputs and outputs for cow-calf operations in the state of Florida. As part of this effort, an online survey has been administered to beef cattle producers statewide. The project, developed in collaboration with the Florida Cattlemen’s Association and funded by the Florida Cattle Enhancement Board, is expected to provide a better understanding of role that beef cattle industry plays in the overall P inputs and outputs throughout the state.

• With the UF/IFAS hemp program beginning its second year, a delay could affect future plantings and research. The program, led by Zachary Brym, agronomy assistant professor at the Tropical REC in Homestead, requires continuous maintenance of the fields to remain in a cultivatable status, which are now in the process of being planted with hemp. In addition, on-farm trials around the state are slated to begin soon. This critical work will help the fledgling industry by providing growers with guidance for success.

• Robert Fletcher, a wildlife ecology and conservation professor based in Gainesville, leads an ongoing project to monitor the federally endangered snail kite for several Florida agencies. The species has broader legal implications, factoring into water management decisions in central and south Florida.

“This crisis has highlighted the importance of Florida agriculture more than ever,” Gilbert said. “The pandemic has presented difficult conditions for our researchers to adapt to professionally and at home, but working as a team has made us well-positioned to ramp up research quickly and safely to serve our stakeholders around the state. We value our partnerships with funding agencies and grower groups to perform this impactful research.”

Gilbert adds that UF/IFAS is investing in new research that will kick-start new interdisciplinary studies, as well as research into emerging opportunities for Florida agriculture.

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. ifas.ufl.edu | @UF_IFAS

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Classifieds BUILDING SUPPLIES METAL ROOFING Thousands of 8ft. & 10ft. sheets. In Stock.

Prices from $6 and up. Custom lengths available. 813-752-7088 ask for Ferris.

ALUMINUM We have all your aluminum needs!

Screen Room, carports & awnings.

Call Blake (813) 752-3378 WINDOW SCREENS We make window screens of all sizes available in different frame colors.

Call Ted(813) 752-3378 CABINETS All wood kitchen cabinets. All wood vanities.

Granite counter tops. Custom made to your size.

Call Blake 813-752-3378 VINYL SIDING Many colors and styles to choose from. Ask for Ted. 813-752-3378 MOBILE HOME SUPPLIES Everything you need under ONE roof!

Call Blake 813-752-3378 CALL FOR A WINDOW QUOTE. We are a MI Windows dealer. Our windows are energy star, lifetime warranty.

Call Broke & Poor 813-752-3378

FARM EQUIPMENT

SOLD

2015 MAHINDRA 100S 100hp, 4x4, Cab tractor for $23,000.00 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

Info@inthefieldmagazine.com

2013 MAHINDRA 5010 HST Transmission. Cab with loader.

Very good condition. $17,500 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

Tel: 813.759.6909

MAHINDRA 4025 4x4, 41hp, low hours. $10,000 Call Alvie at 813-759-8722

SOLD

2019 GRAVELY PRO STANCE 36 Excellent condition. $3850 Call Alvie 813-759-8722 CITRUS PACKING HOUSE Citrus packing house equipment for sale.

Call 863-324-2833

FOR SALE

SOLD

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FARM BUREAU INSURANCE We have you covered! Call us today.

813-752-5577 LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL? Call Rhonda Wetherington, P.A. Realtor, GRI. 813-933-1761

OLD ANTIQUE BLUE STOVE Bread warmer, chrome trim.

You have got to see it to believe it!

Call Ted for more details. 813-752-3378

FOR RENT Millcreek Pine Bark Row Mulcher.

For blueberry farms, six yard, PTO drive need at least a 30hp tractor. Call 863-604-2526 for rental details.

DOORS & WINDOWS SPECIAL ORDER No upcharge. House & Mobile Home.

Many standard sizes in stock.

Ask for Blake. (813) 752-3378 KITCHEN CABINETS & VANITIES Get quality all wood cabinets for less than the BIG Box STORES! Call Today!

Ask for Blake. (813) 752-3378

LAWN EQUIPMENT/ SUPPLIES

May

24 HOUR SERVICE Coggins Plumbing licensed • bonded • Insured. www.cogginsplumbing.com 813-643-7173

ALAN’S AIR CONDITIONING Residential, Commercial Sales SVS & Repair. Legendary service for over 20 years!

813-752-0821

MECHANIC NEEDED Agricultural equipment. Pay with benefits based on experience.

Call David 863-537-1345

JOHN DEERE Looking for your new tractor?

Come see us at Everglades Farm Equipment. evergladesfarmequipment.com 2805 SR 60 West, Plant City 813-737-1660 MASSEY FERGUSON 3435 Vineyard Tractor. 80hp, 1523 hrs.

Cab with A/C. $23,500 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

FREE Wooden Shipping Pallets All sizes! Call Alvie 813-759-8722

BETOMIX 320 3 pointy lift, pto driven cement mixer. Very good condition. $850 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

HUNTER JUMPER SADDLE Marcel Toulouse Candice Double I4 POWER EQUIPMENT Leather hunter/jumper saddle. Size 17.

Trade-Ins Welcomed, Service Very little use. $650 813-323-0222 Department Available. Exit 22 • S. Frontage Rd. WINCO 25KW PTO GENERATOR Plant City 813-752-4459 With control box. Like New. $3,600 TAYLOR WAY TILLER DISC Call Alvie 813-759-8722 Plow - good condition. $1750.00 Call Alvie 813-759-8722 JOBS HESSTON 4550 Inline square baler. $7,500 Call Alvie 813-759-8722 2019 MAHINDRA 4540 With loader, 2 wheel drive. $14,000 Warranty. Ask for Alvie 813-759-8722

MISC.

BRAND NEW HUSTLER RAPTOR Zero Turn Mower 52” cut, 23hp. Kohler engine, 3 year warranty. $2,999 Call Alvie 813-759-8722

TRADE • BUY • SELL? Since 2004 In The Field has been Hillsborough and Polk Countys #1 Agriculture Magazine.

Call Us at 813-759-6909 to place your Ad Today!

PRODUCE FRESH PRODUCE Forbes Road Produce. Open everyday from 7:30am - 8pm. Forbes Rd. & I-4 @ exit 17.

Come out and see us!

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Polk County Cattle Women

I

have often heard that change is good; however, 2020 has forced me to make changes to almost every aspect of my life. I am ok with change, but on a small scale, a little at a time. I believe most of you can relate. All of this at once is distracting and unsettling. The most troublesome thing for me is trying to make future plans. As you all know, most everything has been cancelled until close to the end of the year, and at that point may only open in a limited capacity. We, as humans thrive in the company of others, whether it be our church, our schools, our workplace, the gym, or among family and friends. We need the support of others, and to give the support to others. I am beyond ready to put all of this behind and get focused on the things that need my attention.

As we are in the midst of hurricane season and need to get ourselves prepared as well as plans for our pets and livestock. Please try to make some time to get the essentials that you may need ahead of time. Also please stock up on feed and hay.

I am hoping that we will be able to gather in November for the Cattleman’s Fall Dinner. As always, PCCW welcomes new members. If you are interested in joining, we’d love to hear from you. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 863-205-3977.

Missy McLaughlin-Raney

Polk County Cattlewomen President

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