SEBRING — John C. Alleyne, a horticulturist and former university professor, traveled the world, from the Caribbean island republic of Trinidad to the world's highest mountains in Nepal, before deciding to settle in Sebring. He's finishing his second week as the new director of the Highlands County Cooperative Extension Service and says he feels lucky to be in this county, rated No. 2 among the state's 67 counties in citrus production. Alleyne won't be directly involved in helping the citrus growers, as his specialty is commercial horticulture. Citrus work, he said, is handled primarily by the extension office's citrus agent, Tim Hurner. ...more

December 17, 2007

SEBRING — As Florida goes into its second winter of a drought that is expected to persist as far as official projections can go, growers are complaining that ongoing water restrictions are leaving their plants parched. Highlands County Lakes Manager Clell Ford told Highlands Today that Joe Collins, an engineer with Lykes Bros., complained that Lykes could use any water they could get from Lake Istokpoga for some of the crops it was growing. The South Florida Water Management District had shut off the water permits using the lake's canals since October. ...more

December 14, 2007

WASHINGTON — Mason Smoak, a citrus producer and cattle rancher from Lake Placid, testified before Congress on Thursday about the labor needs of the American agriculture industry. The House Agriculture Committee convened a hearing, requested by U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Palm Beach Gardens, to examine the issues of worker verification, hiring and retaining agriculture laborers, and the implications of current federal regulations. ...more

October 6, 2007