TBD

November 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Statewide Ag Literacy Day Kicks Off with a Cattle Tale at Chiefland Elementary 

Chiefland, Fla. – On Thursday morning, Nov. 4, Elvis the horse, Sweat Pea the heifer, Boots the dog and 800 beef hot dogs arrived at Chiefland elementary school to celebrate 500 years of Florida beef with the Florida Agriculture in the Classroom book, “The Cattle Tale”. The book highlights Florida beef, the state’s 13^th largest industry.  The Levy County Farm Bureau Women’s Program partnered with Florida Agriculture in the Classroom & Usher Land & Timber to host the day-long event.

Parents were invited to attend the event, which included a reading segment of the Ag Literacy Book, “The Cattle Tale” by Korey Griner, and an outside segment where the students were able to interact and learn from local cattle rancher Ken Griner, along with his horse, dog and show heifer

Each class was served a freshly grilled beef hotdog to showcase one of the many products that come from the beef industry.

Women’s Program member, Tiffany Sache, coordinated the event with Chiefland Elementary.

Each teacher was provided a gift bag that included the “The Cattle Tale” book and an activity newsletter for each student.

The cattle industry started in Florida in 1521 and 500 years later it continues to provide greenspace and numerous products around the world. To participate in an Ag in the Classroom reading event to celebrate 500 years of Florida beef, visit https://faitc.org/ag-literacy-day/.

November 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

Delegates at the 2021 Florida Farm Bureau Annual Meeting have elected Jeb Smith of St. Johns County to a two-year term as president of the organization. Smith has served on the state board continuously since 2012 and currently serves on the Putnam/St. Johns County Farm Bureau board of directors.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve as your president. This position will be pursued and fulfilled with prayer, fervor, and enthusiasm. I appreciate your support and am humbled to assist you and our beloved industry,” said Smith.

A lifelong resident and business owner in St. Johns County, Smith and his family produce cattle, hay and sod. Smith’s family has farmed the land in St. Johns County for more than one-hundred years. His current family farm will be recognized as a Century Pioneer Family Farm in March of 2022.

Smith began his Farm Bureau career as a local volunteer leader and has received the Florida Farm Bureau Outstanding Young Farmer and Rancher Achievement Award and Discussion Meet Award. He has also served on American Farm Bureau’s advisory committees.

Locally, Smith is serving his second term as St. Johns County Commissioner for District 2 and serves on the Rodeheaver Boys Ranch Board of Directors. He has served on multiple local boards including, the Hastings Drainage District, the Farm Service Agency, St. Johns County Overall Extension Advisory Committee and the 4-H Association Board of Directors.

Smith studied at Ambassador Baptist College in Shelby, NC and is the founding pastor of God’s Way Baptist Church in Hastings.

Jeb and his wife, Wendy, have been married for more than 27 years. They have four grown children: Jared (m. Kamryn), Cady, Jeremy, and Cayla.

St. Lucie County President, Gary “Bud” Roberts, is a South Florida native, born and raised in Fort Pierce. His family began a nursery business in the late 1970s and produce woody ornamentals, landscape trees, native trees-oaks, pines and crepe myrtles. The Roberts’ family history in Florida Farm Bureau dates back to 1986 when Roberts’ father, Gary Sr., was the state Achievement in Agriculture Award winner.

“My dad served on the local board of directors and I remember being involved in Farm Bureau community at a young age,” he said.  Roberts attended the university of Florida where he received a bachelors degree in business and environmental horticulture in 2006. Upon graduation, he returned home to the family farm.

Today, Gary Roberts Nursery is a full-scale nursery operation which includes 10 acres of grapes on the vine. “Ten years ago we began Summer Crush Vineyard and Winery, and we grow Muscadine grapes,” he said. Roberts got involved in the St. Lucie County Farm Bureau by joining the local board in 2017 where he has served as treasurer and secretary. January 2022 will mark his one-year term as president.

“I remember growing up spending my summers potting plants and working on the landscape crew,” Roberts mentioned. “I got to experience all phases of the business and a little bit of everything.” Roberts and his wife Ariana, a kindergarten schoolteacher, live on the family farm with their two children.

Roberts said that there are two main events in St. Lucie County that he is particularly proud of, one of them being the annual Cattle Extravaganza cattle show at the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds. In its second year, the event encourages local youth to be involved and expresses the many facets of Florida agriculture. Past YF&R State Leadership Group member, Kyle Patterson, has helped spearhead the event which takes place in December.

For the past 17 years, St. Lucie County Farm Bureau has held the annual Clay Shoot which supports the county’s Youth Enhancement Fund. “We distribute usually between 3-5 scholarships to someone pursuing a career/degree in agriculture,” Roberts stated.  “We also give out teacher mini-grants to local teachers who incorporate ag in their classrooms.”

“The agriculture industry has changed significantly in the last several years. Getting people involved in Ag has been difficult,” he said. ” We need to, as a grassroots organization, continue educating the public about Ag and what it means to our communities and explaining how important it is to our everyday life.”

Congratulations to Broward County Farm Bureau and Hillsborough County Farm Bureau for being selected as winners in the American Farm Bureau Federation County Activities of Excellence program! Broward County Farm Bureau won for their COVID Testing project. Hillsborough County Farm Bureau won for their Ag-Venture in a Box project. Members from these counties came together to implement new, innovative efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic that positively impacted individuals throughout their local communities.

All 18 winners will have the opportunity to be showcased at the 2022 American Farm Bureau Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.  We look forward to sharing more information about their individual, winning projects soon.

October 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

The White-Reinhardt Grant Program

The White-Reinhardt Grant Program funds projects that will increase agricultural literacy. County Farm Bureaus may apply for $1,000 grants for education programs for grades K-12 in order to initiate new ag literacy programs or expand existing programs. Organizations or schools may work with their local Farm Bureau to apply.  Apply here.

White-Reinhardt scholarships to the 2022 National Ag in the Classroom Conference are for full-time educators and/or volunteers who actively participate in classroom ag literacy programs or events. This scholarship provides travel expense funds for educators to attend the national conference and then use the information gained to expand their outreach to students regarding food, fiber and fuel. Apply here.

The White-Reinhardt Fund for Education is a special project of the Foundation in cooperation with the AFB Women’s Leadership Committee. It was established to honor two former chairs of that committee, Berta White and Linda Reinhardt, who were leaders in the national effort to improve agricultural literacy.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].

Florida FarmPAC has historically raised all of its funding through a voluntary $2 contribution on a member’s annual membership renewal. These contributions have allowed Florida Farm Bureau to support many pro-agriculture candidates at significant levels.

As Florida’s population continues to grow and more and more legislators reside in urban areas, it’s more important than ever, that Florida Farm Bureau have a strong impact on legislative elections. A well-funded FarmPAC helps us to elect candidates who support agriculture and will influence policy.

As a member of our PAC Roots Team you are able to help elect candidates who care about keeping Florida agriculture strong.

Click here to become a member of the FarmPAC Roots Team.

Florida FarmPAC provides members the flexibility of making monthly, annual or on-time contributions to support Florida agriculture. FarmPAC accepts corporate or personal contributions.

October 2021 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter

John Thomas
Hernando-Citrus County Farm Bureau President
District 5

John Thomas was born and raised in the small community of Oak Grove in Southwestern Citrus County. “The town had a school house, a church and a post office,” recalls Thomas. With its dirt roads and overhanging oaks, Oak Grove is reminiscent of “Old Florida,” much different from how most would view Florida today.

Thomas’ family has deep roots in Citrus County agriculture, in the cattle industry in particular, and his grandfather was part of the 1850 census. Like most rural children in the 1940s, Thomas was born at home and is one of four siblings. Today, he and his wife, Ella, also a Citrus County native, own the property in which he spent his childhood years.

The Thomas’ were raised in the cattle industry and are still very much involved today. John and Ella have two daughters, Sarah and Martha, both of whom are University of Florida graduates and have families and cow-calf operations of their own.

“We raised our girls to be hard workers, we taught them the importance of going to church, going to work and how to provide for themselves,” Thomas said. “Ever since they were babies, they were with us in the pastures and learning about agriculture – cattle, hay and watermelon production.”

Thomas said that it was because of the support from organizations like Farm Bureau, he was able to raise his children, and now grandchildren, in agriculture. “Farm Bureau stands for all of us and helps us accomplish what we have to do every day to make a living,” he stated.

Service to Hernando-Citrus County Farm Bureau (HCCFB) is deeply rooted.  Thomas is the second generation to serve as president, currently in his twelfth year. He succeeds his father and father-in-law in presidency with a tenure of 44 years on the board of directors behind him.

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t involved in Farm Bureau,” he said cheerfully. Upon obtaining his driver’s license when he was 17, Thomas purchased Florida Farm Bureau Insurance and has been a member ever since. He celebrated his 75th birthday last June.

Held every year in the fall, the HCCFB Annual Meeting is an event that draws a crowd of 250-300 people to the Hernando County Fairgrounds. The event is a time where members of the community enjoy fellowship and visit with legislative officials and other special guests over a catered meal.

A bake sale and pie raffle is held to raise money for the HCCFB Women’s Committee in conjunction with the annual meeting.

Last Christmas, local young farmers and ranchers held a turkey cooler donation drawing where, through the generosity of the community, they were able to raise enough money to purchase 100 turkeys to donate to families in need.

“I am so proud of what our young people are doing to make an impact in our community,” Thomas said. “Because of them, Farm Bureau will be strong for years to come.”

Florida FarmPAC is Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s political action committee. Funded exclusively by Farm Bureau members, FarmPAC provides support for pro-agriculture candidates who value Florida Agriculture and will support Farm Bureau’s legislative agenda. Each FarmPAC contribution is approved by the Florida Farm Bureau Board.

We know that while our members are working hard every day on their farms, it is critical for Florida Farm Bureau to have a strong voice and help hold your elected officials accountable in Tallahassee. FarmPAC is the roots of what helps to make our political activism grow. As the fundraising arm of our grassroots mission, FarmPAC aides in keeping legislators in office who support Farm Bureau priorities.

Why should you give?

Until now, Florida FarmPAC has raised all of its funding through a voluntary $2 contribution on a member’s annual membership renewal. This has provided consistent funding throughout the years, and has allowed us to support many pro-agriculture candidates at significant levels.
But as Florida’s population continues to grow and more and more legislators come from urban areas, it’s more important than ever that Farm Bureau have a strong impact on legislative elections. With a well-funded FarmPAC, we can help elect candidates who support agriculture and help our closest legislative advocates gain influence.

That is why we are asking active Florida Farm Bureau members to help us increase the impact that FarmPAC can have by joining our PAC Roots Team!
Florida Farm Bureau’s strength has always been in its grassroots members. If a large group of grassroots members commit to making modest, sustained contributions, FarmPAC can drastically increase our ability to help pro-agriculture candidates and expand our impact on the legislative process.

How can you give?

Below you will find a form where you can sign up to make monthly, or annual or a one-time contribution to FarmPAC.
Notice that we are not asking for substantial contributions from any of our individual members. As a grassroots organization, we would prefer to fund FarmPAC with many modest contributions rather than a few large ones. You can sign up for $5 or $10 per month or make annual contributions up to $500.

FarmPAC can accept corporate or personal contributions, so please fill out the form below to become a member of our PAC Roots Team.