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MARCH-APRIL

March 22
March 27
April 2
April 10
HAINES CITY FARMERS’ MARKET
PCFB AG DEPUTY LUNCHEON
10TH ANNUAL BEAST
WINTER HAVEN FARMERS’ MARKET
FEAST & AUCTION
Stop by Railroad Park in down- Polk County Farm Bureau
Start the New Year off right with HERE’S A GLIMPSE OF
town Haines City and check out invites members and ag industry The Beast Feast and Auction will fresh produce! Head down to WHAT’S HAPPENING IN
all the great local produce and professionals to their annual Ag be held at the Florida FFA Leader- the farmers’ market, held weekly
YOUR AG COMMUNITY.
products available, held every Deputy Luncheon. The event will ship Training Center at 5000 on Thursdays, from 8-5 p.m. For To view more events like the ones
Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 2 be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 Firetower Road, off Highway 542 more information, contact Audrey you see here, visit our website at
p.m. For more information, call p.m. at 1715 Highway 17 South, (Hatchineha Road) near Haines McIntosh at (863) 291-5870.
www.FloridaAgNews.com
(863) 421-3700.
Bartow. For more information, City from 11a.m. to 2 p.m.
and click on our AgriCalendar.
please call Carole McKenzie at Guests will enjoy great food,
(863) 533-0561 ext. 111.
raffles, silent and live auctions,
exhibits and entertainment.

Items to be auctioned include April 12
April 29
vacation trips, airboat tours, LAKELAND DOWNTOWN FARMERS AG LITERACY DAY!
fishing trips, hunting trips, park
CURB MARKET
The annual reading event is
admissions, framed prints, grills, The Lakeland farmers market is a chance for farmers, ranch-
gift baskets, livestock feed, fish-
ing and hunting equipment, gift open every Saturday (except ers, University of Florida IFAS
August), from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., extension and 4-H agents and
certificates to local stores and in the street at the intersection of master gardeners, FFA teachers
restaurants and a wide variety E. Pine Street and N. Kentucky and students and agriculture
of other exciting items. As a
Avenue. Enjoy produce from industry representatives to read a
special addition to this year’s farmers plus resale produce, children’s book about the Florida
event there will be drawings artisans and street food, music agriculture industry to students in
from the admission ticket stubs
worth $2,500. The person and more. For more informa- kindergarten through fifth grade.
tion, contact Becky Abel, LDDA To learn more or to register a
drawn for the winning tickets Coordinator at (863) 687-8910 class or a reader, go to www. April 19
April 25
must be present to win. Food EASTER BASKETS
HARVEST CELEBRATION
will be served 11 a.m. to 12:30 or visit www.downtownfarmer- agtag.com.
AT THE GROVE HOUSE
scurbmarket.org.
Join Polk County Farm Bureau for
p.m. For more information or Come out to the Florida’s Natural their annual Harvest Celebration
for tickets, contact Vic Story at Grove House at 20160 U.S. Hwy event, 6 p.m. at Lake Eva Banquet
(863) 287-1836 or Vic@story- 27 in Lake Wales from 10 a.m.
Hall in Haines City! Tickets are
companies.com.
to 2 p.m. to get ideas for Florida- on sale now. For more informa-
inspired Easter baskets. For more tion or to purchase tickets, contact
information, call (863) 679-4110.
any PCFB board member, email

carolem@pcfb.org or call (863)
533-0561, ext. 111.

MAKING MORE USE OF THE RAILROAD IN THE COLD SUPPLY CHAIN

“ALL ABOARD!” In the glory days Allain, a physics professor at Southeastern carried Florida citrus up the
of passenger railroad, it was the call of the Louisiana University, has done the Eastern Seaboard in box cars

coachman to get passengers on the soon- math and science for WIRED magazine cooled by blocks of ice stored
departing train. Today, “All aboard!” and determined that the CSX claim is under the flooring.

is also the call for all kinds of industries “plausible.” More math shows that rail Here at Adams Cold

to use the resurgent transportation provides a 33 percent savings versus truck Storage in Auburndale, we’re
railroad sector to get their products from transportation. With rail, you can haul located adjacent to a

production to consumer.
three truckloads of goods for the price of series of railroad tracks,
by BEN ADAMS, JR.
Last month, we noted the two.
and as part of our

evidence of rail’s comeback. This month, Secondly, rail technology is current expansion, we’re
we will focus on why it makes sense to much better, particularly when it comes answering the call from

make more use of it in the cold supply to safely moving refrigerated and frozen customers who want to add rail to their
chain.
food. Today, railcars can be fitted with a mix of transportation services. We will
BIO: Ben Adams Jr. is an owner and president
First, rail transportation is large, diesel-powered refrigeration unit, upgrade our current warehouse rail siding of Adams Cold Storage LLC in Auburndale. He
has been directly involved in citrus production,
highly efficient. You might have heard and, by satellite, these refrigerated cars can and rail dock doors to meet specifications
commercials from CSX Corporation with be individually controlled and monitored that apply to moving refrigerated goods warehousing and distribution, as well as state
and community support, since 1980. His facility
a claim that its freight trains can move for location, temperature and fuel levels. to and from warehousing and railroad incorporates 200,000 square feet of multi-tem-
a ton of material 500 miles on a single We’ve come a long way from the 1950s box cars. This will ensure that there’s
perature warehousing, with an extensive expan-
gallon of diesel fuel. It’s not hype. Rhett
when the famous Orange Blossom Special
absolutely no break in the cold chain.
sion currently under way.

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