Chamber, Lender Salute Agriculture

The spotlight was on farming at an annual awards ceremony sponsored by an agriculture lender and the chamber of commerce.

The Salute to Agriculture breakfast and ceremony, a tradition for about 20 years, has grown so large that it has nearly outgrown the seating capacity at the Red Rose Inn and Suites' Red Rose Ballroom, noted Reggie Holt, president of Farm Credit of Central Florida. The event honors those who make outstanding contributions to farming, said Holt and chamber officials.

The winners at the Aug. 13 breakfast meeting included:

•Richard Joyner, who recently retired as president of Farm Credit of Central Florida, was named agriculturist of the year. Joyner has worked as a Baptist minister since his retirement and stays active in agriculture in part by helping his grandchildren with their FFA and 4-H projects.

Joyner recalled his decision to enter agriculture in his days at the University of Florida. "It's not been a job working in agriculture," he said. "It's been a blessing to me."

•Maurice and Leslie Laroque Turgeau, who own Berry Bay Farms in Wimauma, were named young agriculturists of the year. The husband, 34, and wife, 33, grow strawberries and a spring crop of cantaloupes and squash.

They are 1992 graduates of Plant City High School and married in 2000. They have both been active in such organizations as the Florida Strawberry Growers Association and the Farm Bureau.

•Jason Steward, an agriculture teacher at Tomlin Middle School, was named agriculture educator of the year. Steward, who is in his second year at Tomlin, formerly taught at Durant High School.

He tries to make learning fun by challenging his students to think and ask questions, a chamber of commerce spokesman said. He and his wife, Katie, have a 2-month-old daughter, Carly Ann. He is a 2003 University of Florida graduate and is active in the alumni association.

•Karen Berry, publisher of In the Field, was named agribusiness owner of the year. She started the farm magazine about three years ago and has editions in three areas with two more in the works.

Berry, who once worked in advertising sales for The Tampa Tribune and other newspapers, thanked her family, friends, employees and advertisers for her success. She also credited her religious faith with giving her the vision for the venture.

• Publix Super Markets was given a newly created award for its support for youth agriculture. The grocery chain supports hundreds of agricultural events large and small, including youth activities at the Florida State Fair and Florida Strawberry Festival, a chamber spokesman said.

The featured speaker at the breakfast was Marshal Sewell, a 2008 Durant High School graduate and state FFA president. Sewell advocated use of nonfood agriculture products as switch grass and sawdust for production of ethanol. The products, which often go to waste, can help break the nation's "addiction" to foreign oil, he said.

Sewell said he plans to give the same speech in competition at the upcoming national FFA convention. FFA is the youth organization formerly known as Future Farmers of America with nearly 500,000 members.