Greene Publishing, Inc.

By Lynette Norris

Greene Publishing, Inc.

Greene Publishing, Inc. Photo by Lynette Norris, September 28, 2011. Wally Davis drops in at the Photographic Treasures of Madison County Museum to hand out flyers about the four special upcoming dove hunts.

Those who ran into Wally Davis downtown last Wednesday afternoon may have been handed a flyer for the National Wild Turkey Foundation Madison County Chapter’s Outreach Dove Hunts.

Davis, Director of the Florida State Chapter of NWTF, was promoting the series of four free dove hunts, donated by Bud and Marisa Leonard, taking place at Wildwings Kennel, 1502 SE Rogers Sink Road in Madison.

The first, the Wheelin’ Sportsmen Dove Hunt, takes place Oct. 15, beginning at 11:30 a.m., and is for all handicapped people, including wheelchair- bound men or women.

The Wounded Warrior Dove Hunt takes place Nov. 19, starting at 11:30 a.m., is for any veteran or currently active military personnel wounded in combat.

Jakes Dove Hunt on Dec. 17, is for hunters 17 years of age and younger, starting at 11:30 a.m.

The final hunt, Women in the Outdoors, is for women 18 years of age and older, starting at 11:30 a.m., Jan. 7, 2012.

All the hunts begin with a free lunch and a review of safety procedures before heading for the fields.

For more information, or to register for one of the hunts, contact Wally Davis at (850) 673-6630 or Bud Leonard at (850) 971-2832.

“FLORIDA—It’s a Swamp thing!—swamps, wetlands, estuaries and linked ecosystems.” is this year’s theme for the cutting edge educational exhibits you will find inside the University of Florida IFAS building during the Sunbelt Agriculture Expo October 18- 20, 2011. During the exposition UF IFAS Faculty will be on hand to share and answer questions on the latest in Teaching, Research and Extension at the university departments, research and education centers and local county extension offices across Florida.

For a special treat, make sure you stop by the University of Florida IFAS building and enjoy cold fresh orange juice and a taste of sweet tupelo honey! Exhibits this year include: “Nurseries of the Sea—Swamps and Marshes,” “Laurel Wilt- Kills Red Bay in Swamps – Threat to crops,” “Beekeeping – Swamp Tupelo to Prized Honey,” “Tracking Everglades Alligators and Crocodiles,” “Swamp Critters,” “Plants at the Water’s Edge,” “Winging it in the Swamp,” “Big Scary Invaders of the Swamp,” “Silent Invaders of Swamps and Wetlands,” “Tailgating in the Swamp – Safe and Healthy,” “Academic Programs Fit the Swamp.”

During the Expo you can follow the action by taking a peek at the web cameras installed inside the UF IFAS building. The web cams and more information on the UF IFAS Sunbelt Ag Expo activities can be found at http://sunbelt.ifas.ufl.edu/ or by calling the Madison County Extension office @ 850-973-4138. The Sunbelt Ag Expo, http://www.sunbeltexpo.com/ , is an agricultural-based trade show held at Spence Field in Moultrie, Georgia. Known as “North America’s Premier Farm Show”™ the annual event has more than 1200 exhibitors showcasing the latest in farming technology. Find Sunbelt Ag Expo on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/pages /Sunbelt-Ag-Expo/ 286106879463.

By Lynette Norris
Greene Publishing, Inc.
In the age of corporately owned mega-farms, CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) is helping small farmers compete in a very large playing field.
The practice of community sponsored agriculture started in Japan, a country with limited land and few resources.  However, people still wanted to eat healthy diets, so they made deals with nearby farmers, sponsoring crops and trading work hours for a share in the harvest.
The practice made its way to the United States in the 1980s, and Wynn Heritage Farm was the first in Madison County to adopt the practice.  Melvin “Mel” Wynn operates the 49-acre farm, which his parents, Jack and Velma Wynn, purchased in 1949.  The “baby” of six children, Wynn now runs the farm with the help of Roxy and Daisy, two reddish-brown boxers whose official jobs are as “greeters” during the day and “varmint control” during the night.
“I have to plant enough for the possums and the raccoons, too,” he jokes.  He has tried trapping them, but they become “trap-wise and trap-shy.”

Although some of the corn has suffered from the drought, these rows are doing quite well. Mel Wynn stands beside one stalk several feet taller than he is.

They’ve never learned how to handle the dogs, however.  If Roxy or Daisy finds them, “they’re up a tree.” Deer are another problem, he says, pointing to a set of deer tracks near a field.
Wynn credits his success to his family members, who support his endeavor with use of tractors and other farm equipment, but the most credit by far goes to his number one helper and right-hand man, Larry Morris, who can fix anything that needs to be fixed and do anything that needs to be done.  If not for him, says Wynn, “Most of what gets done around here wouldn’t get done at all.”
Wynn enjoys his work, and left 30 years in the jewelry business to come back to farming.  He and Morris have a favorite saying that “what we do should be illegal because it’s so much fun.”
The members who buy into his community sponsored farming either purchase a share for cash at the beginning of the planting cycle, or put in work hours at the farm, or both.  In return, the members receive one box a week of six to eight different items during lean times, and up to 14 during times of plenty.  The popularity of what he does has grown so much that he has tripled his membership in the last year.  If he triples a couple more times, his farm will be maxed out.  “It’s hard to do what I do on a large scale,” he says.  Most CSA farms have an average membership of about 100, although he has heard of farms with membership numbers in the thousands.
This helps not only the community but the farmer as well.  Wynn doesn’t have to borrow money for buying seeds and plants at the beginning of the plant cycle and he doesn’t have to guess how much to plant or how much he thinks he might be able to sell.  He knows how many members he is growing for.  Any extra he has, he sells to the public, but if supplies are limited by unforeseen things like droughts, members will get theirs first.  “I treat all of them like family.”
Like a family, they share in the good times and the bad times.  Sometimes a harvest will fail, or not be as abundant as usual, because Wynn cannot control nature.  This year, the cantaloupes failed because of the drought (last year they thrived because the rains were “absolutely perfect”) and even with irrigation, some of the corn is suffering.  The watermelons are half the size they usually are, “but they’re super-sweet.”
He will also make “u-pick” arrangements with members of the public in addition to selling at the market.  All they need to do is contact him.  Also, if anyone donates a piece of equipment that he can actually use on the farm, they become members of the CSA.
The list of things he grows on his farm is a long one; as he says himself, “there’s not much I don’t grow.”  He has several acres of vegetable gardens spread out everywhere, growing broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, four or five kinds of lettuce, onions, sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, pole beans, wax beans, butter beans, zipper cream peas, black-eyed peas, purple hull peas, three varieties of purple eggplant, white eggplant, okra, mustard, turnips, Brussels sprouts, cantaloupe, honeydew, kohlrabi….
He also grows fields of sweet corn and field corn, which must be planted at least 500 feet apart to avoid cross-pollination of the two varieties; that would mar the taste of the sweet corn.
Additionally, he doesn’t plant the entire crop all at once, but over several weeks, so he can make the harvest last longer for members.  It is a constant chore to maintain the plants at different ages, requiring a constant switching out of plows to accommodate the different sized plants.  It is a marvel that he can keep up with all of it, but he does.
He tries to incorporate as many organic practices as possible into his farming; but his farm is more what he calls “transitional;” not completely organic because sometimes the bugs have to be sprayed, but he uses the safest spray he can find.  He also enlists the help of purple martins to control the insect population, and each year he tries to incorporate a few more organic growing techniques if he thinks they might be feasible.
If anyone else wants to start up a CSA, he’ll be glad to answer any questions and give them any helpful information they might need in the process.  “We’re not in competition with each other,” because the goal is sustainability.
As he drives around in a cart pointing out the spread-out gardens over multiple acres, he admits that the work is hard, but still he hopes that this will soon be a full-time endeavor, as he gradually reduces the amount of time he spends running his lawn-care service on the side.  “I love it,” he says, looking over the fields of peas, peppers and corn.  “I just got tired of living my life at 550 miles an hour.  I love the quiet, the peace, the solitude of God’s world.”
To learn more about Wynn Heritage Farms, visit the website at www.localharvest.org/wynns-heritage-farm-M32301, or contact Mel Wynn at (850) 973-2729.

By Fran Hunt
Special from ECB Publisihing, Inc.
The neighboring Jefferson County Health Department (JCHD) issued a Rabies Alert in Jefferson County last week, which will remain in effect for the next 60 days, after a Jefferson County man was attacked.
The JCHD Environmental Health was notified of a possible rabid bobcat in the Lloyd area.  On the evening of May 18 the victim reported an attack by a bobcat.  The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Jefferson County Animal Control acquired the bobcat for testing.
On May 20, the bobcat tested (FRA) positive (rabies) with (MAb) still pending. The victim began PEP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) treatment after presenting to the Emergency Department.
JCHD Administrator Kim Barnhill, has issued a rabies alert for Jefferson County. This is in response to the bobcat that tested positive for rabies reported on May 20, 2011.
All citizens in Jefferson County should be aware that rabies is present in the wild animal population and domestic animals are at risk if not vaccinated.
The public is asked to maintain a heightened awareness that rabies is active in Jefferson County. The recent rabies alert is for 60 days.

Rabies is a deadly infection that can be prevented but not cured. The rabies virus spreads to people from the saliva of infected animals and it is usually transmitted through a bite. If an animal bites you, there is no time to lose. You should wash the wound gently and thoroughly with soap and generous amounts of water, and seek medical care immediately,” – warned Barnhill.

An animal with rabies could infect other wild animals or domestic animals that have not been vaccinated against rabies. All domestic animals should be vaccinated against rabies and all wildlife contact should be avoided, particularly raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes.
Rabies is a disease of the nervous system and is fatal to warm-blooded animals and humans. The only treatment for human exposure to rabies is rabies specific immune globulin and rabies immunization. Appropriate treatment started soon after the exposure, will protect an exposed person from the disease.
The following advice is issued:
• All pets should have current rabies immunizations.
• Secure outside garbage in covered containers to avoid attracting wild animals.
• Do not leave pet food outside. This also attracts other animals.
• For questions regarding the health of an animal, contact a veterinarian.
• Veterinarian staff and animal control staff should be alert for animals encountered with sign suspicious of rabies and use appropriate precautions, especially when working with unvaccinated animals.
• Persons who have been bitten or scratched by wild or domestic animals should seek medical attention and report the injury to the Madison County Health Department, Environmental Health Office at (850) 973-5000
• Rabies is preventable when treatment is provided in a timely manner.
• Avoid contact with all wildlife, especially raccoons, bats, and foxes.
• No animal is too young to have rabies.
• For general questions pertaining to animals, contact the Madison County Health Department at (850) 973-5000.
Madison Veterinary Clinic offers the rabies vaccines for animals. Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome. Call (850) 973-3100 for further information.
A pet that had just been bitten or scratched by a rabid animal may take several weeks to months to develop rabies.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), rabies is one of the most feared zoonoses because it nearly always results in fatal, acute encephalitis.  This disease is usually transmitted to humans when the virus is introduced into an open wound or abrasion of the skin or mucous membranes following exposure to the saliva of a rabid animal. The first known human case of rabies in Florida was recorded as “hydrophobia” on a death certificate of a 38-year old white male from Key West in 1881.  A total of 73 human cases of rabies have been reported as Florida-acquired cases since then, with the last case seen in 1948. This was a black male from Tampa, FL, who refused treatment from the local health department after being bitten by a neighbor’s dog. More recently, two additional human cases reported in adult males during 1994 and 1996 were found to have had exposure to dogs in Haiti and Mexico respectively.
Between the turn of the century and World War II, rabies outbreaks in dogs became quite common throughout the state. The disease in dogs was finally brought under control in the early 1950s as public concern resulted in the passage of rabies vaccination and animal control laws in many Florida cities and counties. Vaccination of cats was not initially included in many local animal control ordinances; however, it is now required as part of a statewide rabies ordinance passed by the legislature in 1994. Rabies in raccoons and other wildlife is now endemic throughout most of the state.
In 2005, there were 201 confirmed cases of animal rabies reported in Florida compared to 205 in 2004, and 188 cases reported during 2003. Rabid animals were identified in 38 counties in 2005, and eight counties reported 10 or more cases.  The majority of cases were among wild animals, especially raccoons (N=108, 54%), foxes (N=29, 14%) and bats (N=28, 14%).  Rabid bobcats (N=2), skunks (N=2) and an otter were also recorded.  Since 1988, the number of rabies cases in cats continues to outnumber dogs.  In 2005, 26 rabid cats and five rabid dogs were reported.
No beavers, cattle or horses were found rabid this year. The urban/suburban epizootics of raccoon rabies that spill over into foxes, bobcats, otters, feral cats, dogs and horses present unique control problems for local authorities.
Recommendations for the prevention and treatment of rabies published by the CDC6 are endorsed by the DOH. After immediate cleansing of a wound following exposure, post-exposure treatment consists of a human rabies immune globulin (HRIG) series in conjunction with Human Diploid Cell Vaccine (HDCV. Imovax), Diploid Fetal Rhesus-Lung Cell Vaccine (RAV, Michigan Department of Public Health), or Chick Embryo Cell Vaccine (PCEC, RabAvert). Persons in occupations at risk for exposure are encouraged to have pre-exposure prophylaxis with HDCV or PECE with scheduled boosters. HRIG, HDCV and PCEC may be obtained through all DOH County Public Health Departments and most major hospitals.
Animals with rabies may show strange behavior. They can be aggressive, attacking for no apparent reason, or act very tame (especially wild animals). They may not be able to eat, drink or swallow. They may drool because they have difficulty swallowing. They may stagger or become paralyzed. Rabies will kill most animals.
Rabid raccoons have been reported most frequently, followed by bats and foxes.
Since the 1980s, rabid cats were reported more frequently than rabid dogs.
Rabid bobcats, skunks, otters, horses, cattle and ferrets have also been reported.
Immediately scrub the wound with lots of soap and running water for five to ten minutes. Try to get a complete description of the animal and determine where it is so that it can be picked up by animal control staff for quarantine or rabies testing. Go to your family doctor or the nearest emergency room. Call your county health department or animal control agency with the animal’s description and location. The animal will either be quarantined for ten days (if it is a dog, cat or ferret) or be tested for rabies.
If you kill the animal, be careful not to damage the head and avoid further contact with the animal even when it is dead.
Have your veterinarian vaccinate all of your dogs, cats, ferrets and horses against rabies, and make sure you follow your veterinarian’s instructions for revaccination.
Do not allow your pets to run free. Follow leash laws by keeping pets and livestock secured on your property. Support animal control in your community.
If your animal is attacked by a wild, stray or unvaccinated animal, DO NOT examine your pet for injuries without wearing gloves. DO wash your pet with soap and water to remove saliva from the attacking animal. DO NOT let your animal come into contact with other animals or people until the situation can be handled by animal control or county health department staff.
For further information about rabies go to http://www.myfloridaeh.com/medicine/rabies/rabies-index.html or http://www.cdc.gov/rabies/