110 Miles Through Hendry Farm Country

28th Annual Farm Tour Shows Rural Hendry To 300

LABELLE, FL. -- The Hendry County City-Farm Tour Council hosted hundreds of visitors Saturday for the 28th Hendry county farm tour visiting cattle ranches, citrus groves, a packing plant, a storm water treatment area, and an organic vegetable farm.

(Photo: Gene McAvoy, Hendry Agricultural Extension Director holds up some fresh vegetables at a south Hendry county packing house.)

Six busloads of people from Lee, Collier, and Hendry county were shown how agriculture affects everyone's life from the food they eat to the clothing they wear.  Agriculture in Hendry county saw nearly half billion dollars in sales last year from beef, citrus, vegetables, nurseries, sod, and sugarcane,

Citrus and vegetable growing make up most of Hendry's farm revenues, with sugarcane and beef cattle following. Cattle however take up the most Hendry county acreage of all by far, at 403,000 acres.

Tour leaders this year included Gene McAvoy, Les Baucum, Mongri Zekri, Kelly Morgan, Fritz Roka, Jack Johnson, Lindsey Wiggins, Chuck Obern and Butch Wilson.

Stops on the 110 mile round trip journey from LaBelle to Clewiston included Mobley Plant World in LaBelle, Duda Farms, Alico Ranch (one of southwest Florida largest landowners), Storm Water Treatment Area #5, Southern Gardens Citrus (owner of Florida largest contiguous citrus grove at 35,000 acres) and C&B Organic Specialty Vegetable Farm. A steak lunch was provided by the Hendry Cattlemen's Association at the Hendry County Fairgrounds in Clewiston.

One of the most interesting stops for many was Chuck Obern's C&B Farms. Obern started farming in Southwest Florida in 1986 with 10 acres and now farms over 1000 acres in the Devil's Garden area of southern Hendry. Producing 36 different vegetables including ethnic and specialties from arrugula to zucchini.

Another unique feature of the C&B Farm is a 40-acre composting operation where waste products are composted to produce high quality soil amendments to the naturally poor sandy soils.

Obern is one of a handful of family owned and operated vegetable farms in southwest Florida, and one of an even smaller number where the farmer lives on the farm. He and his wife typically work 7 days a week, 12 hours a day along with his Mexican farm workers.

At the conclusion of the tour, all had a greater appreciation of how agriculture is a vitally important part of the Hendry county economy and all left with full stomach after the great lunch, and a bag of specialty vegetables courtesy of C&B Farms.

Hit And Run In Clewiston's Harlem

Man In Critical Condition

CLEWISTON FL. -- The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a hit and run that left pedestrian 32-year old Timothy Baulkman in critical condition Friday morning about 5:30 a.m. A 2003 Mazda sedan struck Baulkman on Harlem Academy  Avenue at 11st Street in Clewiston's Harlem subdivision.

According to FHP Trooper Travis Parks, Baulkman was walking on the paved shoulder of the road when the vehicle turned and struck him, propelling him several feet in the air. Baulkman was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers.

The hit and run vehicle was later found in Belle Glade at 1326 NW 13th Street.

Shook Murder Decision-Guilty Says Hendry Jury

Four-Day Trial Ends With 6-Member Jury Finding Guilt

LABELLE, FL. -- A five-female, one-male member jury begins deliberations at the Hendry County Courthouse in LaBelle this afternoon after hearing the State Attorney's arguments seeking a murder conviction of Joseph Shook.

After a little more than an hour, the jury found Shook guilty of the murder of his wife.

Shook was accused of murdering his wife Melissa Shook in 2007, and then burying her in a shallow grave on the Hendry-Lee county line just east of Alva, Florida. Prosecutors displayed evidence to the jury including duct tape and a shovel found at the Shook home which were said to be used by Joe Shook in the grisly murder/burial.

While Shook lived in Lee county, he was given a choice to stand trial in Hendry or Lee county. Shook only spoke once during the trial, telling the court he was not going to testify in his defense. His attorney put no defense witnesses on the stand during the trial. The state rested it's case Thursday, while the defense ended it's arguments Friday.

Jurors came in with a guilty verdict after deliberating about an hour after finishing a late afternoon lunch break. During deliberations, they had asked the judge for a magnifying glass, but the request was denied by Circuit Judge Cristine Greider.

Snake Hunters Welcome In South Florida

OK to take �big game snakes� during small-game seasons

LABELLE, FL. -- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) reminds hunters that they may continue to take Burmese pythons and all other reptiles of concern within four South Florida wildlife management areas (WMAs).

An FWC executive order, which went into effect Aug. 29, gives all properly licensed and permitted hunters authority to harvest pythons and other reptiles of concern (Indian python, reticulated python, northern and southern African rock python, amethystine or scrub python, green anaconda and Nile monitor lizard) on Everglades and Francis S. Taylor, Holey Land, Rotenberger and Big Cypress WMAs during specified hunting seasons.

Besides Big Cypress WMA, small-game seasons are going on in the other three management areas, continuing through March 7.  On Big Cypress, general gun season is in, immediately followed by the area�s small-game season, which goes through Feb. 1.  In all four WMAs, only a Florida hunting license and management area permit are required to hunt reptiles of concern from now through the end of the small-game seasons.

With the exception of the small-game season in the Deep Lake Unit of Big Cypress (where only bows and muzzleloaders are allowed), hunters may use shotguns, rimfire rifles and handguns to take pythons.  Nets and snares also may be used, but no matter the method of take, all reptiles of concern must be euthanized on site.

Reptiles of concern may not be taken out of the wildlife management areas alive and must be reported to the FWC within 36 hours by calling, toll-free, 866-392-4286, or going to MyFWC.com and selecting �Burmese pythons� in the �Quick Clicks� menu.  However, any reptile of concern taken from Big Cypress must be checked in at one of the area�s six check stations.

Hunters may do what they wish with the reptile�s skin and meat. However, according to the National Park Service, mercury testing on two dozen captured Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park revealed extraordinarily high levels of mercury in the meat - well above levels considered safe to eat in freshwater fish and alligators.

Officials estimate there are thousands of Burmese pythons in the wild in South Florida.  The FWC�s goal is to contain the spread of these pythons in the wild and prevent establishment of other reptiles of concern.  Data collected by hunters on these state-managed lands will assist in preventing their northern movement.

LaBelle Man - Graduates Army Training

In The Service

LABELLE, FL. -- Army Pvt. Martin M. Gomez has graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga.
    
During the nine weeks of training, the soldier received training in drill and ceremonies, weapons, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army history, core values and traditions.  Additional training included development of basic combat skills and battlefield operations and tactics, and experiencing use of various weapons and weapons defenses available to the infantry crewman.
    
He is the son of Melissa Gomez of N. Oak St., LaBelle, Fla. Gomez is a 2009 graduate of LaBelle High School.