TAMPA, Fla. — Tickets are on sale for the 35th annual Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet on Feb. 11, which will honor four inductees who have made invaluable contributions to Florida agriculture.
The banquet, which each year celebrates the accomplishments of industry leaders who have served in research, education and business, is held in the Special Events Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Tickets are $60 per person, and tables of eight are available. Tickets may be purchased online at https://floridaaghalloffame2014.eventbrite.com/ or by calling the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau at 813-230-1918.
“The contributions of these individuals have made Florida agriculture stronger,” said Reggie Brown, president of the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame. “Their tireless, unselfish efforts to promote and protect Florida’s greatest industry will be recognized with the agricultural community’s highest honor.”
The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet reception starts at 5:30 p.m., and the dinner and program begin at 7 p.m. Online ticket sales close Feb. 7.
The Hall of Fame also is accepting nominations for next year. Nomination forms with detailed instructions may be downloaded and printed from the Florida Ag Hall of Fame website. Visit floridaaghalloffame.org and click on “Nominate” at the top. Forms and supporting materials must be postmarked no later than Sept. 1.
This year’s inductees bring the total to 148 who have been honored to date. They are:
Scottie Butler
Butler has spent more than 40 years advocating for Florida’s farmers and ranchers. He retired as general counsel from the Florida Farm Bureau Federation in 2013 after more than four decades of service. He understood the importance of developing relationships to bring together associations, coalitions and government agencies to move key issues forward.
Bruce Christmas Sr.
Christmas is a fifth-generation farmer from Jackson County and a former Orange County Associate Extension Agent. He served as director of the Poultry Evaluation Center at the University of Florida. Christmas has been recognized by many organizations for his leadership and his volunteer service to youth and was previously chosen “National Volunteer of the Year” for the National Agriculture Alumni and Development Association.
Dr. Elver “Doc” Hodges
Hodges’ contributions to the livestock industry in Florida are significant. His research as an agronomist identified problems and found solutions to enrich low-quality Florida soils, revolutionizing beef production in the Florida peninsula. He served with the University of Florida Range Cattle Research and Education Center and with the USAID International Program in Malawi.
Dallas Townsend
Townsend served 39 years as an extension agent in Southwest Florida and was instrumental in working with UF/IFAS and the agriculture industry to bring more research capacity to the area through the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. His involvement with youth and 4-H is legendary –- he coached more than a dozen 4-H teams and thousands of 4-H youth.
For more information about this year’s Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame honorees and previous inductees, visit FloridaAgHallofFame.org.
Source: Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame