Voice of Agriculture Newsletter

5/28/2018 Voice of Agriculture Newsletter

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The Voice of AgricultureMarch | 20The Official Publication of the Dade County Farm Bureau

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dade-agriculture.o

Robert Is Here: More Than A Fruit Stand

Robert is here! And hes been here for more than 54 years. Establishedin 1960, Robert Moehling, whos been running the stand since he was 6years old, can be found behind the counter on any given day, answeringquestions about exotic fruits and chatting with inquisitive customers. Itsa warm and inviting environment, with pyramids of tropical fruits, rows of

unusual jams and jellies, and a line of customers waiting to try a decadenttropical fruit shake.

The successful stand is located in Homestead at the edge of the EvergladesNational Park. Robert Is Here gets visitors from all over the world and has

Dade County Farm Bureau

1850 Old Dixie HighwayHomestead, Fl 33033

www.dade-agriculture.orgPhone (305)246-5514 Fax (305)245-9170

become a must-stop for touristsand locals alike. Moehling offerscustomers everything fromthe traditional to the unusual,including avocados, mangos,strawberries, sapotes, carambolasand canistel. He and his familygrow the fruit and he also getsproduce from local growers likethe tasty Asian guavas and rowcrop vegetables.

Customers come from all overthe world, and most of them havenever heard of the tropical fruitswe grow here. We are representingSouth Florida agriculture to theworld and the responsibility lieswith us to showcase it, Moehlingsaid.Behind the stand, is a mini-zoo,where you can find a giant tortoise

chowing down on a watermelon,goats standing on boulders oremus wandering around. Recentlya splash pad was added for thosehot summer days. Its a great

By: Sonia ColonRobert Moehling (center) with his two sons Robert Jr. (left) and Brandon (right)


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Features and Publishers Note

Publishers Note

The Voice of Agriculture is the quarterly publication of the Dade CountFarm Bureau, Miami-Dade Countys oldest and largest agriculturaorganization. The Farm Bureau was established in 1942 to collectivesolve agricultural issues in the regulatory, legislative, economic ansocial arena. For advertising or membership information pleascontact Debbie Brady at (305) 246-5514.

The South Dade Senior High FFA held a Farmers Market at the Homestead Chili Cook-Off and Outhouse

race on February 22, 2014.

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IssueIN THIS

1 Robert Is Here

2 Features and Publishers

Note

3 Presidents Message

4 Cover Story: Robert Is

Here

5 Mary Lamberts Honored

at Women In AgricultureLuncheon

6 Why You Should Buy Local

7 A Letter to Our Grocers

8 Harvest Queen to be

Crowned at DCFB BBQ &

FUNraiser

9 TREC One Night in the

Tropics Event

14 Community Corner


3/16

Presidents Message

To all of our members,

Spring has arrived and many of our growersknow this because this is their busiest timeof the year! The extreme weather this winteracross our nation has caused many consumersto rely on a limited supply of fresh vegetablesand fruits. When transportation of produceis interrupted by weather delays the grocerystores are limited and raise the prices to make upfor their most profitable area of the store. Mostconsumers dont realize that the profits gainedby box stores seldom reach the local farmer. Toquote John F. Kennedy, The farmer is the onlyman in our economy who buys everything atretail, sells everything at wholesale, and paysthe freight both ways.

This is why it is a part of the Dade County FarmBureaus mission to raise awareness and promoteour local growers who keep our country wellfed. Our Buy Local campaign kicked off duringthe Food Check-Out week in February. We arefortunate to live in such a diverse agriculturalcommunity. So many delicious fruits andvegetables are readily available year-round forall to enjoy. There is so much grown here thatcannot be grown anywhere else in the UnitedStates and consumers want to take advantageof the opportunity and buy local.

Fresh from Florida has started a new marketing campaign in local restaura

in different regions of the state of Florida. The Florida Department of AgricultuCommissioner Adam Putnam, and the marketing staff launched a new campaentitled, Fresh from Florida on the Menu. The campaign promotes restaurawhich allow consumers to enjoy dishes featuring delicious, fresh ingrediefrom Florida, including produce grown by local farmers and seafood caughFlorida waters. Please ask your favorite local restaurant if they are participatiby doing this you will be helping promote our local growers.

The agricultural industry has had many dilemmas since the start of plantseason last August: water, water, water! We have several growers who hplanted and lost millions of dollars due to high water in areas that have befarmed for over 100 years. Dade County Farm Bureau has kept in contact wthe South Florida Water Management since last summer regarding the hwater tables and are currently working with legislators to get some answers. will be meeting on April 17 at 9:00 a.m. at Dade County Farm Bureau to discthis urgent issue and we welcome any member who would like to attend.

On a positive note we are ready for the Spring season in the horticultuindustry! Our nurseries are full of beautiful plants and ready to ship to gardcenters, florists and your local box stores. While shopping , keep an eye out ayou will see many local nursery tags.

Our volunteers have also been keeping very busy. The Dade County FaBureau Womens Committee spent the month of December collecting toys the Farm Worker Toy Giveaway. Over 100 students received toys at the giveaw

at the South Dade Skills Center. The Womens Committee also made a visitthe Ronald McDonald House in Miami to drop off items collected to benthe facility along with a donation. This committee has spear-headed our BLocal campaign and all public relations efforts. The Womens Committee willvolunteering for the upcoming Miami International Ag, Horse and Cattle shby educating and promoting our local agricultural industry. We are thankfuour Womens Committee for all the work they do!

Finally, dont forget to save the date for our 36th Annual BBQ and FUNraiwhere Bill Losner will be inducted into the Hall of Honor. This event brings growers together at the close of the row crop season to celebrate a seasoharvest. It is the biggest fundraiser for our organization and we appreciate continued support we receive from our community.

Sincerely,

George ButlerPresident


4/16

Robert is Here: More Than A Fruit Stand4

opportunity for kids, and adults, to cool down.So how does a 6-year-old start his own fruit stand? It allstarted when Robert Moehlings family came under hardtimes. His father, also named Robert, was having a hardtime selling his harvest. He decided to set his son upon a rural intersection with vegetables to sell. However,he didnt get any customers to stop that first day so hisfather concluded that people must not have seen hisson. So he made a sign that read Robert Is Here in bigred letters. The next day Robert sold all of his cucumbersand for the next several weekends, Moehling returnedto the corner, the same location where the fruit standremains today and the rest is history.

The stand is still a family affair, with Roberts wife Traceyand all four of their children working the stand. Allfour kids came back to work for the stand after theygraduated college. They take just as much pride in thestand as their father.

I tried to do other things when I went to college. Wealways had a choice of what we wanted to do but this is

what we were bred for. Its a wonderful feeling becausethis is what Ive been searching for the whole time.Its definitely a sense of family pride, said oldest sonBrandon.

The kids have enjoyed growing up living the fruit standlife and they learned the value of hard work at a youngage.

He let us run around and play on the trampoline till wewere around 11. When we were 11 we had to pull our

weight like everyone else. But its always been fun. Weget to do this every day, said Brandon.

The Moehling family likes to fruit stand in style withtheir beautiful displays of produce. It takes a lot ofcreativity and man power to display 1,500 pounds offruit that is constantly flying off the shelves and in needof restocking.

Come to the store at any given time during the day andit looks like we havent sold anything. Everything looksperfect all the time. And we are moving huge amountsof fruit all day, said Robert Jr.

A regular work day begins about 2:00am where Robertand his sons go to the market to pick up fruit andbegintheir displays. They dont return home till about8:00pm. But its all worth it for the family. Robert ispassionate about the work that he does.

What we do here is art. I dont paint or draw but ourdisplays are a form of art, Moehling said.

Robert Is Here is more than a fruit stand for the Moehlingfamily and customers. Its a gathering place for familyand friends to enjoy a sunny afternoon in South FloridaIts an opportunity to educate consumers on theirproduce and to connect with tourists who are visitingfrom across the globe.

Its a family tradition. I couldnt imagine doing anythingelse. We are going to be here for another 50+ years, saidRobert Jr.


5/16

Mary Lamberts honored at Women in Agriculture Luncheon

Every year Dade County choses to honor a woman who hascontributed to Miami Dades agricultural industry at theWomen in Agriculture Luncheon. On February 7, 2014 MaryLamberts was honored at Schneblys Winery and Brewery forher outstanding contributions to agriculture.

Mary Lamberts was a Vegetable Extension Agent and CountyPesticide Trainer in Miami-Dade County from 1983 through2013. Her work with vegetable growers included addressingthe challenges facing the industry due to the introduction ofseveral serious new pest problems. She was the go-to personfor many new regulations affecting agriculture.

Mary moved to Florida from Ithaca, NY, where she earned herdegree in Vegetable Crops from Cornell University. She wasa Peace Corps Volunteer in Thailand, teaching English as aforeign language at Nakorn Sawan Teachers College.She grew up in: Tempe, AZ, the upper Midwest, and TheNetherlands for a year while her father had a FulbrightFellowship.

Mary is active in two professional societies: American Societyfor Horticultural Science and Florida State Horticultural

Society and has served on both Boards of Directors. She hasalso worked with: Southern Florida Tropical Growers; DadeCounty AGRI Council, Inc.; and the Womens Committee of theDade County Farm Bureau.

She belongs to Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of SouthFlorida and Your Bosom Buddies, a breast cancer supportgroup. Her hobbies include: reading, gardening, and variouscrafts. She enjoys taking classes at the John C. Campbell FolkSchool with her husband, George Fitzpatrick. She is currentlystudying enameling at the Alper JCC in Kendall. George andMary have two children and two grandsons, Meredith Bush(son Casey) and Danny (wife Stacey and son Logan).


6/16

Why You Should Buy Local6

Consumers are looking to connect the dots be-tween the farm gate and the dinner plate. They are

looking for fresh, locally grown produce in their gro-cery stores. So how can one define local produce?Local produce is produce that is grown or producedanywhere from 100 miles away or even within thestate of Florida. The buying local movement iscapturing the attention of consumers and they areseeking the best source for fresh produce for theirfamilies. People care where their food is grown andprocessed and many buyers take advantage of themany farmers markets in our area. From Sam andPhillys U-Pick and Market to Robert Is Here, the lo-

cal produce finds are plentiful in Homestead. Retailgrocery stores have also picked up on the buyinglocal trend by stocking a few varieties of local of-fers, however customers would like to see more.

So what are the benefits of buying local produce?Buying local produce reduces our carbon footprint.Buying local food will help reduce the amount ofcarbon used in transporting produce to our plates.Purchasing produce from the closest source also

helps retain its nutritional value. Produce eatenwithin the week of harvest contains much morenutritional content than produce that is eatenweeks after harvest. It begins losing nutritionacontent from the moment it is picked. But most importantly, buying local food is an investment in thefuture. By supporting local farmers today, you arehelping to ensure that there will be farms in youcommunity tomorrow. That is a matter of impor-tance for food security.

Agriculture ranks as the #2 industry in MiamiDade County and $8.3 billion is spent on localfood annually in Florida. Florida consumers likelocal food and local farmers, and appreciate thevalue local food adds to their economy. Accord-ing to research by UF/PIE Center, the averagehousehold annually spends $1,114, or about 20percent of their food purchases, on local food.

There is so much locally grown produce available

from one of the many growers here in MiamisCountryside. Locals in the area searching for freshsafe, affordable and abundant food need to lookno farther than their backyard.

You can be a part of the change. Ask your grocersfor local produce. Please see next page for an easytemplate to fill out and give to your supermarket!


7/16

A Letter to Our Grocers

Produce Manager of:____________________________________________ (Insert name of your supermarket)

I am a regular customer and your store is where I do most of my food shopping and I amwriting to ask you to stock more local produce products in my supermarket.

I always try to buy local produce that is labeled Redland Raised or Fresh From Florida.Florida consumers like local food, local farmers and appreciate the value local food addsto our economy. I believe it is an easy and effective way in which I can be sure that lo-cal growers are getting a fair return for the food that I enjoy. Produce that has to travel1500 miles to the grocery store holds little nutrition compared to produce that travelsless than 100 miles.

The range of products that I am looking for are very limited and it was difficult to find the

labeled products that were available as there was no extra signage to draw attention tothem. I would really appreciate to see more of these products available.

I look forward to your response.

Yours faithfully,

Name: __________________________

Address: __________________________

__________________________


8/16

Shelby Borek, 2013 Harvest Queen

Harvest Queen to be Crowned at BBQ8

At the DCFB Womens Committee meeting in

March, Susan Newman created a delicious Red-land Raised meal. The DCFB Womens Commit-tee is a group of dynamic women who are dedi-cated to the preservation of local agricultureand the general well-being of the community.

The Womens Committee has been instrumen-tal in increasing awareness of agriculture in Mi-ami Dade County.

It is that time of year again. Planning is underway for the 36tAnnual DCFB Barbecue and Fun Raiser. The historic event wtake place April 26, 2014. This is the biggest event every year fthe Dade County Farm Bureau. It is an event where supporteof our organization get together for a fun-filled evening. Guesenjoy some of the best BBQ in town featuring delicious locproduce from our South Dade farmers.

This year the Dade County Farm Bureau will be holding its 2nAnnual Harvest Queen contest for girls between the ages of and 21. The Harvest Queen will serve as an agricultural reprsentative of the organization and receive a $1,000 scholarsh

Each contestant is tasked with raising money for our nonproorganization through barbecue ticket sales. The money raisewill directly benefit the Dade County Farm Bureau WomenCommittee scholarship fund.

2013 Harvest Queen, Shelby Borek will crown the 2014 HarveQueen at the 36th Annual BBQ and FunRaiser. Shelby Boris a freshman at Southern Arkansas University. She is an Agbusiness major and a member of the Sigma Alpha Sorority. Duing her reign as Harvest Queen Shelby Borek attended severevents with and on behalf Dade County Farm Bureau advocaing for agriculture.

Tickets for the event are $100 per couple and can be purchasein advance or on the night of the event. Tickets for children 1and under are $25. Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. Event proceebenefit the Dade County Farm Bureaus efforts to keep agricuture economically viable through educational, promotional anlegislative efforts.


9/16

Harvest Queen Contest

We are welcoming you to the

University of Florida in your backyardPlease join the Gator Nation for this special introduction to the Universityof Florida/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center in the Redland

There will be Fabulous tropical food with an international flare Tours of the laboratories, plant diagnostic clinic, tropical fruit groves,

landscape area and vegetable fields

Learn about some of our projects on Insects, diseases and their control on ornamentals, vegetables, and

tropical fruits Water conservation and irrigation management practices Fertilizer development to reduce environmental impacts Biofuel projects including space-based research

UF/IFAS Homestead Tropical Research and Education Cente

ONE NIGHT IN THE TROPICSSaturday, April 12, 2014 |Time 6-9P

18905 SW 280th Street, Homestead, FL 3303Tours start at 6 p.m. | Dinner starts at 7 p.m. |Catered by DonPae

UF/IFAS TropicalResearch and Education Cente

305-246-7000

http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu

SAVETHEDATE

Please mail your check payable to

the University of Florida FoundationMail to TREC, ATTN: Melissa Stanton

18905 SW 280th Street, Homestead, FL 33031

To purchase tickets via credit cards please go to

http://onenightinthetropics.eventbrite.com

Cost: $80

Illustration courtesy of the Florida Keys Gatorclu

per person

$90 after March 31, 2014

Includes LOCALLYGROWNfood,

wine, beer, toursand exhibits


10/16

Support Local10


11/16

Support Local1


12/16

Support Local1


13/16

Support Local

Robert is Her

Hours: 8 a.m. 7 p.m19200 SW 344th St. Homestead, FL 33034

Knaus Berry FarmCASH only. Sorry no credit cards accepted at the farm

Pinecrest GardenHours: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m

11000 Southwest 57th Avenue Pinecrest, FL 3315

Curbside Market & Milkshake29100 Krome Avenue Homestead, Florida, 33030

Hours: 9am - 6 pm 7 days a wee

Sam and Phillys U-Pick and MarkeKrome and SW 168th Stree


14/16

Community Corner1414

Events Calendar

March 24, 2014DCFB Scholarship Deadline

March 29, 2013Sam and Phillys Spring Classic

Car Show

March 13 - 30, 2014

Miami-Dade County Fair and Expo

April 12, 2014One Night in the Tropics

TREC Center

April 17, 2014Water Meeting

with Congressman

Joe GarciaDCFB Board Room

9:00am

April 11-13, 2014Miami International Ag, Horse, and

Cattle Show

April 26, 2014

36th Annual DCFB Barbeque andFun Raiser

Visit dade-agriculture.org for all

Commissioner Lynda Bell presents a proclamation tothe Blaylock family at the 51st AgriCouncil Luncheon.


15/16

Board of DirectorsGeorge Butler, III, President

Ivonne Alexander, President Elect

Phil Marraccini, SecretaryKelvin Moreno, Treasurer

Gary BirdRobbie BishopTeena Borek

Kern CarpenterLeonard CavallaroAngela DelliVeneri

Larry Dunagan, Past PresidentRobert Epling

Sal Finocchiaro

Jerry FryeSteve GreerDavid HanckCarol Harris

Jenn Helms-ShelleySteve Hoveland

David KaplanBill Losner

Robert MartensRobert McMillan

Steven MeeksRobert Moehling

Alice Pena, Past PresidentHerb PiersonTom Rieder

Diego RodriguezPeter Schnebly

Erik TietigTom Vick

Mark Wilson, State DirectorGeorge Cooper, Director EmeritusJohn Fredrick, Director Emeritus

Kenneth Graves,Director Emeritus

Vito Strano,Director EmeritusDade County Farm BureauMember Services Staff

Ray N. Timmons,Agency Manager Debbie Brady, Executive Director Hal Arve, Jr.,Agent Donna Alfaro, Receptionist Dawn L. Baird,Agent Hilda G. Davila, CSR

Judith M. Fernandez, Office Manager Eddy Munoz,Agent Ronald D. Herbert,Agent Ray Timmons Jr,Agent

Elena Serna, CSR Sonia Colon, Executive Assistant


16/16

DadeCountyFarmBureau

850OldDixieHighway

omestead,Florida33033

OFFICE SPACEFor Rent in Homestead

Two private offices, one large workarea, restrooms, private entrance,1010 sq. ft. includes designated

parking. Perfect for Attorney,CPA or Doctors office.

Prime location:1850 Old Dixie Hwy

Call 305-246-5514

Documents

Voice of Agriculture Newsletter