Lunch with Ernest

The fruits of a farm heritage

Tampa columnist HOOPER E-mail: Click here Archive

Whether she's picking strawberries on her family's 30-acre farm, showing dairy cows at the State Fair or competing in a Florida Farm Bureau oratorical contest, Melissa Hinton can't contain her passion for agriculture. It's a fairly uncommon trait for a 17-year-old growing up in the 21st century, but as her countywide victory in the Farm Bureau contest indicates, she is proud about being a farmer's daughter.

Over barbecue platters at Woody's (she had the barbecue salad, I had the pulled pork) the president of the Durant High FFA (formerly Future Farmers of America) chapter talked about strawberries, her farming passion and what to expect from the next generation.

Pull up a chair and join us.

MELISSA: I've written so many essays and things about my memories of growing up on the farm. That's what I want for my children and their children. That's why I want to preserve agriculture so much. I want to make sure people realize the importance of it. I mean, it's our food.

I remember every Christmas morning we would ride over to the farm and the whole strawberry field would be covered in ice because we usually have to water every Christmas. My granddad would bring me, my cousin and my brother the first red strawberries from the field.

Definitely. I mean our business, it's not just my dad and his three brothers. It's my aunts, my cousins, my other cousins. It's everybody. I work there sometimes when I have time. The whole atmosphere of the farm is everyone is relaxed. We always have cookouts and fish fries and go four-wheel riding.

It's tempting to sell your land because you have people offering you so much money to make your land into a development. My parents want to have something to retire on. There's always the thought of selling, but I think that if they do sell, we'll get more land and keep farming. I don't think it's something we want to lose. You've probably noticed a lot of the farms around here are getting smaller and smaller.

It scares me and I don't like to think of it. By the time I grow up to buy a house, are there going to be 10-acre lots or are they going to be just half-acre lots?

All year, we have to make sure they're getting enough protein to keep them growing. Before we go to the show, we walk them. They're trained how to lead properly and they have to set their feet a certain way, so you have to train them to do that.

They're suppose to stop with their front feet square and their back feet uneven. If you walk them enough, they'll stop perfect.

It's a lot of work, but I've learned a lot through that project. You have to clip their entire body. That's probably the worst part. You get hair all over you. When you get there, you have to clean up their beds, wash them, shine their hooves and clean their ears.

I've had some that just go crazy when they get water on them, and pretty much all of them don't like to have their eyes cleaned.

I get really stressed out, but lately, every time I give my speech it's like an adrenaline rush. I'm really enjoying it now and I'm starting not to be stressed out. What do your friends who aren't involved in farming think about your activities?

Sometimes I get teased. Not mean tease, they're just like Melissa is going to another cow thing or She's going to judge some trees. I try to explain it to them and they think it's cool just like I think it's cool that they play football or cheerlead.

Right now, my hope is to become a state FFA officer next June. If I get elected to that office, I'll take a year off from school. They visit every chapter in the state of Florida so you're always running places, doing chapter programs, giving speeches.

Definitely. Both of my parents were state officers. My mom was actually the first female state officer. It's something I really hope to do.

I don't know. I just think it's important we do appreciate it. I'm sure there are some people who have misperceptions. Just to get more people interested helps the industry so much.

I think we're in good shape. We do a lot of good things that sometimes go unrecognized. I know there are bad things in every situation, but I think there's enough good that we'll be okay.

If she doesn't become an FFA state officer, Melissa hopes to attend either the University of Florida or Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Ga., next year. Melissa has had just about every kind of strawberry concoction known to man, but her favorite is her aunt's strawberry pizza: a flat pie crust covered with layers of cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, strawberries and whipped cream. Melissa loves country and bluegrass music, played volleyball until she got heavily involved in the FFA, and yes, she has a boyfriend - a fella who works on the family's farm. You have to figure city slickers don't have much of a chance with a girl who's a little bit country.

- Ernest Hooper also writes a column for the Tampa & State section of the St. Petersburg Times. Lunch With Ernest is edited for brevity and clarity. To suggest lunch partners, call Ernest at 226-3406 or e-mail hooper@sptimes.com