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The art Continued From Page 1A them without the use of heat or solvents. “The United States imports about 98 percent of the olive oil we consume, and the vast majority of that olive oil is not really even EVOO,” said Jonathan. “So it’ll be labeled ‘extra virgin’ at the grocery stores, but it typically isn’t.” Armed with this knowledge and with the proof of successful olive farms in Georgia, the Carter brothers saw an opportunity to start their own olive farm, provide a high quality product that is rarely found in the U.S., and have something to fall back on in their retirement years. “We got excited about it because it was something new,” said Stephen. The Carters’ family background is in timber farming in the North Florida and South Georgia area, and their own backgrounds are in the computer software business. They quickly had to learn that crafting an olive oil goes beyond the technology used in the process.
Good Continued From Page 8A And a heroin junky would say “amen” to the hypodermic needle. And it would be hard for anyone to argue against the smart phone being at the top. But if you are an avid fishermen, you would want the trolling motor or the depth finder to be included in that grouping. And I’m pretty sure the riding lawnmower would get a lot of votes. How about the microwave oven? And that aforementioned couch potato might want support for the remote control as well. Had it not been for the remote control, one day some of us would likely tell our grandchildren, “When I was your age, I had to walk all the way from the sofa to the TV to change channels!” Now I don’t know if there was a time period in there for these considerations, but shouldn’t the cigarette lighter have gotten substantial votes? Maybe it would have been in the top
The Carters sought out the advice of master artisan Gianni Stefanini, owner of Apollo Olive Oil in California, and a team of olive mill experts from the Italian company Mori-TEM led by Guido Testi. The Mori-TEM team even flew out from Italy to help the Carters hook up, calibrate and learn how to operate their mill equipment this August and September. The Carter brothers chose to locate off Newbern Road in Suwannee County since their parents own property nearby and because the sandy soil in the area is very conducive to olive growing, according to Jonathan. “From my understanding, olives are a lot like grapes when you make wine; they kind of absorb things from the natural environment,” he said. “So they will have a slightly different flavor profile [from other olive oils].” The brothers currently own a 40-acre plot with 33 planted acres holding a little over 20,000 olive trees, 90 percent of them being the arbequina variety. “Arbequina is a Spanish variety and it’s specifically designed for what’s called
‘super high-density,’” Jonathan explained. “That’s where we pack them in a little tighter. They will grow together like a big hedgerow eventually and we use a mechanical harvester, like they do with grapes and blueberries, to drive over the top and harvest the olives.” They also have Greek koroneiki olive trees and Spanish arbosana olive trees. The Carters first planted their farm in 2012 and added the Italian-imported olive oil mill in 2014. The variety of olive trees the Carters have typically take about five years to get to full production, but the trees can produce fruit in about three years, Jonathan said. They plan to harvest their olives in fall 2016, but this year they want to go ahead and get started with oil production using other farms’ olives. The Carters anticipate producing up to 150 tons of olives per harvest in the future. They plan to make their own oil and contract their oil mill services to other growers in Florida and Georgia. With a mix of olive varieties and olives at different
10 or at least the top 20. So once all of this has been announced, what does one do with such information? Answer: Absolutely nothing other than offer it up as breakfast club topics. And so we did. It got almost as much discussion as did John Boehner’s resignation as speaker of the House. Criteria for such listings may vary. Lately I’ve seen listings for the best quarterbacks now playing. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan made the top six of active quarterbacks. Give him protection, and he will beat your eyes out. But then give most any pro quarterback protection, and he will perform well. I’ve always been curious about who ranks the best automobiles. I think every auto builder but Studebaker and Desoto has at some point claimed that fame. All sorts of connotations can be applied in these comparisons. A recent Internet comment had someone saying that a particular vehicle model still had 400,000 of them on the road. A responder asked,
“So are we to suppose the rest of them actually made it home?” Asking people what was the best gadget could be as subjective as judging a Boston butt cookoff. If it doesn’t have green stuff growing on it, it’s a contender. And what grandmother would vote against her granddaughter in the Little Miss pageant — even if she had a pimple that looked like a miniature Mount Vesuvius on her nose? In similar analogy let’s say I enter a column about dogs in a writing competition. If the judge has ever been bitten or chased up a tree by a dog, then my scribbling would not have a snowball’s chance in the Everglades of winning. So these findings have been presented and won’t be remembered beyond tomorrow. And let’s just hope the study that brought us this information was not federally funded. Dwain Walden is editor/publisher of The Moultrie Observer, 229-985-4545. Email: dwain.walden@gaflnews.com.
stages of ripeness, the Carters can make many different EVOO flavor profiles. “The olive will go from a green to a purple to a dark black as it ages,” said Stephen. “Those different colors all have different flavors. So over time, you would harvest some greens and keep them separate from the purples, and keep them separate from the dark ones, and then you would mix them in different ratios. Greens will be real spicy, peppery and bitter. The purple or the darker ones will have a sweeter, buttery flavor.” After getting washed in water, the entire olive gets crushed together - pits, skin and all - by Mori-TEM’s bladed hammer mill, which is more gentle to the fruit than a standard hammer mill. “The concept behind this company that we bought our mill from is all about minimizing abuse to the fruit and minimizing oxidation from air getting into the process," said Jonathan. The reason for this, as artisan Gianni Stefanini explained, is that the olive’s antioxidants will attack oxygen as soon as they are
County Continued From Page 1A tion. The representatives agreed. Thomas Mende, president of international business development for Klausner Trading USA, repeatedly emphasized the company believes it is entitled to a 10-year incentive for all ad valorem and tangible taxes. Ad valorem taxes are based on the value of the property and transactions of a business. Tangible taxes are based on the value of certain operational equipment the company might use. The company was instead approved to receive rebates for 100 percent of four year’s worth of ad valorem and tangible taxes, paid out over a maximum period of seven years. During the time of the original development agreement between the county and Klausner, executed in late 2012, the company was seeking a 10year tax incentive. However, voters did not renew the tax abatement referendum in 2014, so the vehicle for that incentive is no longer active. Commissioner Larry Sessions said he wasn’t present during the original negotiations, but to his understanding, the company assumed it was eligible for the benefits when they were negotiating before the referendum. The development
Newspaper Continued From Page 8A
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with clearly written, straightforward news reporting, newspapers wield the power of the press in ways that make communities better by giving a voice to the voiceless and empowering the powerless. Newspapers hold government accountable because at our very core we believe that government belongs to the governed and not to the governing. If newspapers do not stand up for the public, protect the rights of free speech and the rights of access to government, then no one will. Newspapers are the
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2015 exposed to it, decreasing the amount of antioxidants in the resulting oil. Heat and light pose similar threats to the oil’s antioxidants and health benefits. “Antioxidants are the healthy part of the olive oil,” said Stefanini. “There is vitamin E, there are polyphenols. A good EVOO is able to prevent the formation of cancer or can help in curing cancer or is very beneficial for the blood system. It helps clean your arteries and veins and helps the heart to last longer and work better. It helps the regeneration of the liver, it helps the digestive system, the lymphatic system. But in order to achieve these goals, the oil has to have a high amount of antioxidants.” After the olives are crushed, their paste is sent to a mixer and then to a decanter centrifuge. The decanter spins at about 3800 RPM in order to separate the oil from the water and flesh of the olive. The heavier bits spin to the outside while the oil is skimmed from the inside of the decanter’s tube. “About 15 percent of the olive is oil, so about 50-55 percent is water and the
balance of it is the actual olive - the pit, the skin, the flesh,” Jonathan explained. After the paste is separated, the leftover flesh and water, a mixture called “pomace,” is pumped outside of the mill. The oil is then pumped into a paper filtration system, an extra step the Carter brothers have invested in to up their product’s quality. If all goes well after this detailed oil-making process, the end result will be a true high quality extra virgin olive oil. The Carter brothers recommend high quality EVOO should be consumed within two years of the time it was made, because it loses antioxidants the longer it sits. Consumers may find it tastes very different from what’s on supermarket shelves - but in a good way, the Carters noted. Florida Olive Farms is dedicated to bringing this healthy, quality product to Florida starting in Suwannee County. For more information on Florida Olive Farms, please visit www.floridaolivefarms.com, e-mail info@floridaolivefarms.co m, or call 386-643-4855.
agreement permits the county, in the case of a change in law, to look for alternative ways to offer tax incentives to a company, County Attorney Jimmy Prevatt said; but that doesn’t mean a business is contractually entitled to those benefits. The commission instituted a new incentive program last May through its economic development office, which Klausner applied for in July. The program offers tax incentives up to 100 percent of four years’ worth of ad valorem and tangible taxes, but those rebates can be paid out over a maximum period of seven years. The county uses a grading system to evaluate companies for potential rebates. The rebate is based on a point system that evaluates the number of jobs, average wages, facility size and other factors to determine the time period and tax percentage the rebate will cover. The county is also looking to adjust that program, and will vote in a future meeting on changes that alter the point value of certain criteria and adding new criteria. Among the proposed changes are adding points for community benefit, based on contributions to public infrastructure and other factors, and points for having a closer proximity to utilities. It would also lower the maximum percentage the
rebate covers, to 75 percent of ad valorem taxes and 50 percent of tangible taxes, down from 100 percent, unless the business meets the criteria for benefitting the community. This would not, however, retroactively affect businesses that already had their benefits approved prior to the changes going into effect, such as Klausner. During Tuesday night’s meeting, the commission looked at the changes and will vote on implementing them in the future. Even with the benefits approved Tuesday, the issue will still not be resolved, said County Attorney Prevatt, as Klausner appears ready to continue to argue its case for the larger incentive, stating their attorney is ready to legally challenge the county. During the meeting, Commissioners Bashaw and Clyde Fleming brought up concerns based on phone calls they have been receiving about Klausner not paying contractors on time. Bashaw said he felt those concerns needed to be brought up, because they raise questions about the company that the county needs to have addressed at some point. During the meeting, Commissioner Gamble expressed his hope that the two parties could work through the issue without becoming adversaries. “I don’t want to fight,” Gamble said.
most powerful advocate the public can have and for that reason should always provide an open forum for a redress of grievances. Any newspaper that represents the interests of the governing more than the interests of the governed is not worth the paper it is printed on or the ink that fills its pages. Newspapers, the good ones, use their power to make a difference in the communities they serve, by accurate reporting, comprehensive coverage and strong commentary. Margaret Mead famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the
only thing that ever has.” A newspaper should always be just that — a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens” —committed to serving the public in real and meaningful ways. Jim Zachary is a newspaper veteran who has championed government transparency. He is the editor of the Valdosta (Ga.) Daily Times, director of The Transparency Project of Georgia, founder of the Tennessee Transparency Project, vice-chairman of the board of the Red & Black newspaper serving the University of Georgia and a member of the board of directors of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.