Alternative Community Farmer/WPB.FL

A lot of people come to my class and want to learn about gardening and growing their own organic fruits and vegetables and most miss on the first lessons of garden ergonomics and garden safety gear .By the way I am not in the business of selling either. So, keep on reading and learning how to protect yourself and prevent potential accidents or injuries while in the garden or the farm.

 Safety garden gear is not taken seriously until something serious happens like an injury or an accident.

 As a certified massage therapist, I have learned my lesson about the importance of body posture .The way we use our body determines how long we live our life free of self inflicted injuries to our muscular and skeletal system and ultimately averting unnecessary pains and aches and the accompanying medical bills!

Here are some advices to the wise who want to eat fruits and vegetables without inflicting harm to the inner gardener in us:

 When you are in the sizzling summer sun and mosquito infested S. Florida outdoor garden.

A)-WEAR:

1-A long sleeve shirt and pants to discourage the sun burns and mosquito bites .

2-You may also wear natural organic repellents oil like citronella essential oil blended with olive or coconut oil. I personally do not use sun screens after reading about the humongous chemicals added.

3-A hat for the head and a sun glass for the eyes , will keep you from the hospital bed, not to say from the sunstroke if otherwise .

4-Boots or a shoe, but never a sandal or a flip flop or a bare foot. Snakes might be present for example , beside other uninvited or unexpected garden visitors from the animal kingdom !

B) DRINK FLUIDS from NATURE: I prefer spring water over distilled one.Our body needs minerals especially after a garden round of sweating at the garden.So replenish the lost electrolytes from the natural source:Spring water.Do not  garden under the influence DRINK NO ALCHOHOL.Hydrate not dehydrate.Alchohol dehydrates fluids out of your body!

C)BE SAFE not sorry using your BODY as a tool in gardening:Use ergonomic garden functional movements .That incudes using your body weight and training your hand  muscles(flexers and extensers).

      Uuse ergonomic tools .Carpal tunnels and tennis elbows render your hands vulnerable to doing garden choirs.Rheumatoid arthritis ,back aches,wrist and hands injuries are commom among gardeners who have such a passion that they forget to take care about their body while gardening.There are plenty of  dirt cheap  herbal  remedies to buid your strengthes right from your garden.The following herbs were used since ancient times in fortifying the body against arthritis, for example:Tumeric,sage,ginger,cayenne,stinging nettles and more.. 

D) Use organic a) fertilizers and b) pesticides c)compnion herbs ,instead of  synthetic chemicals: 

     a): Bone meal,blood meal.sea weed,alfalfa meal,coffee ground etc..

     b) Neem oil,garlic oil etc..

     c) Cuban oregano, basil, marie gold,nasteurtium etc...

E)  Prevent presence of ground pests by using natural organic methods.Example:Top get rid of ants ,use corn grits,baking soda .To discourage snakes sprinkle garden boundaries with cats poop litter .

Have a happy and safe gardening!

Neem  is an ancient Ayuervedic herb tree that is native to sout east Asia.

In India and Thailand the tree is grown in almost every home of the Hindu and Bhudist faiths.The tree is reverred and used in many ways culinary and medicinally wise.

To know more about nemm tree check out this web:

Http//www.benefits neem.

You will be amazed.

The uses range from culinary use in the kitchen to medicinal and cosmetic.A friend of mine from India told me that she was treated with neem poultices when she was yound and suffering from polio.It is widely known in India to use neem oil as a skin remedy.

Neem oil is also used to fight pests in the garden without having any toxic effects on the plants or humans.

Thai Basil is another Indegenous herb native to south asia countries.

The leaves are used as culinary and medicinal as per the folk medicine .The thai basil seed is also used to prepare a refreshing drink that supports the immune system.

Lemon grass is another indegenous herb that has been widely used in the kitchen and the medicinal herb chest bu indegenous peoples of Asia in gebneral, especially china ,India,Thailand,Vietnam and the Middle East.Teas can be prepared from infusions to combat the commobn cold and flu.

Basil is known as aphrodisiac since ancient history.In Italy basil is used in almost everthing in the kitchen.

Here in S.Florida, herbs do well in the summer heat.The following herbs can be cultivated without much maintenace and could witstand the heat and are considered somehow as draught tolerant:

Aloe vera, neem, basil,mint,sage,lemon balm,lemon grass,rosemary,Cuban Oregano,Greek Oregano,thyme..just to mention the least.

Disclaimer:If you suffer from an illness or allergies or any sort of body/mind medical condition, you are advised to consult immediately with a HEALTH PROFESSIONAL before using any of the above mentioned .The narration  presented here is only for the sake of INFORMATION only.Use herbs on your own choice.Herbs should be used in small quantities and after consulting with the certified  herbologists,medical professional only.

Imagine that we have schools and prisons sending their students and inmates to harvest in the hot blazing sun.

Imagine that we have benefits and health insurance to the farmers.

Imagine that we have wages and salaries like $15/hour to pay  a legal farmer.

In Europe and especially Spain and France most of the farmers are foreigners and immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa .

The New York Times supplement of May24-31 had an article about who is being hired to do farming jobs in Spain.Not the Spaniards offcourse!

Guess who?

Immigrants.They work hard and do a good job in all kind of weather or work hardships.The local Spaniard  residents and citizens consider this kind of job (farming)hard and menial and manually taxing and aching ..No body wants it  except the immigrants both legal and illegal.

Those immigrants worked back in their original countries in the field and developed a stemina and functional movement field experience and their muscles are time trained and tested .

The only functional body movement experience for most "Spaniards"  is to use their fingers switching the remote control on and off while relaxing watching TV in their Air Conditioned rooms and homes.I am just blaming on the Spaniards overseas lie we here do blame it on the Latinos who cross the border to do a job that most people refuse  to do.Farming..

Not any more....The next gold rush will be a green rush and the gold mine will be your back yard.Start learning,training and flexing your body   and mind muscles for a trade that will flip flop the  food from the front/backyard to the table and may be make you some extra green...bucks!

But!There are a lot of DISTRACTIONS going on .

The people are daily fed a bread of ANGER and FEAR through the mainstream media and movies etc..

That is why people do not do anything about their homes and jobs and cars when being taken away  or towed away..They became passive ,depressed,drugged,dummied( like so and so book for dummies)deployed overseas but unemployed at home and losing it for foreclosures

Big armies go to war   against Banditos and Gangsters in the name of mass distractions !.If you have not  read the "Animal Farm "book by George Orwell, there is  some time left to do so.Wake up and speak up for your rights at the HUMAN FARM...before the animal farm  "story "becomes a "reality" !

During the Great Depression, poor people in Europe and the Mediterranean regions ate wild weeds, cacti plants and made cheese and preserved them in extra virgin olive oil which lasted for a while without refrigeration. 

In times like ours where we try to make ends meet and try to survive the deep recession that seems never to end , it is wise to revisit recipes from  the past .It is said that history repeats itself , so we might as well make use of time tested recipes .

My grandfather made soap from olive oil, yogurt and cheese from goat milk and sold them on mule back. His generation witnessed sales men with a traveler’s box carried on their backs They roamed on foot and made a living sellimng door to door.They survived the depression ,thanks also , to the wild food recipes knowledge acquired from their fathers and grandfathers. May be we need to start talking to our elders in this time ,instead of sending them to assisted living homes ,and learn from them how to survive in the deep - recession of our time.

I recycle expired yogurt to make kefir and cheese, for example. In ancient history indigenous peoples learned how to incubate milk and make cheese and yogurt by culturing it with friendly bacteria.KASHKAVAL is a famous Bulgarian hard cheese that lasts for long because of the way it is prepared. Hard cheese is always easier to store and keep without refrigeration indoors at room temperature of 60 degrees fahrenhite.

Goat Hard Cheese making 1-2-3:

1-Use 1-2 gallons of goat milk (pasteurized if you buy it from store) warmed to 85-88 degrees fahrenhite.and mix with 1/4 of crushed rennet tablet (you can order it from internet source)...Stir slowly and keep the mix at around 90 degrees fahrenhite.Separate the forming whey from curd and keep aside..

2-.Cut curd in small cubes to make hard cheese. Warm it to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, for around 2 hours, slowly stirring occasionally to keep the curds separate.

Pour curd and whey into a cheese cloth .Drain for around half an hour.

3-Use cheese presses if available to make a mold of cheese. Otherwise you may devise a make shift thick cheese cloth to wrap the cheese curd .Cover with a damp cloth and a board or plate. Put a brick weight on top of the board. Turn the cheese over and keep overnight. Next day unwrap the cloth and sprinkle sea salt on the cheese and rub. Keep on doing the turning and salt rubbing protocol once every 24 hours for around 2-4 weeks,  depending how hard you want it.

My grandfather used to do the protocol in our cellar where the temperature was cool around 50-55 degrees Fahrenheit, and ideal for making the cheese. Aged cheese is the one that I liked most .The older the cheese the better. Make sure that the equipment and utensils and materials you use are all clean and sterilized with hot water.Those were the days of old good cheese making at home that now I try to recollect and remember as I try to make my own home made cheese. Elders are a blessing. You learn a lot from their stories and old recipes.

“Quelle domage mon vieux fromage” as the French saying goes..Non plus! Oh ...la la !

Bonne Appetite…mon petite!

In tribute to my father and grandfather I want to share with you some home made yogurt and cheese recipes .The reason is there are less CHEESE  (MONEY) to earn and spend .So home made will even  be the best to eat with all the family and take a memorial picture with a "say cheese to the camera" smile.

As a fourth generation farmer I have stored so many kitchen memories and recipes that I feel I need to share with you in celebration of this coming Father Day June 20th.

My father used to keep some goats and cows and sheep .He loved to make his own yogurt and cheese and off course salads. My mother was the daughter of a butcher so she loved to cook and eat meat dishes. I followed my father and became a vegetarian since 9 years old. My favorite was the home made yogurt from raw fresh goat and cow milk. Here is the recipe:

Goat (or Cow) Yogurt (KEFIR/Laban) Home Made Recipe:

1-Warm raw or pasteurized ORGANIC whole milk to 100-110 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you wish to make it thick add a tablespoon of Honey or Carob Molasses before incubation.

2-Incubation.Add a half cup of cold  cultured goat(cow) organic yogurt to the organic milk with heat  temperature  around 100 -0F to incubate and ferment the culture (test with your clean finger to make sure it is close to body temperature ,if you do not have a thermometer).Slowly disperse and mix together. If you want to make it more sour add more culture and keep longer to sit before serving.

I prefer  ,personally, sour yogurt because this is how it was originally prepared  ,to boost the immune system with the sour pro-biotic lacto bacillus bacteria.(Pro biotic means PRO-LIFE  as opposed to Anti Biotic which means ANTI-LIFE(kills all good and bad live  bacteria in the colon particularly initiating CANDIDA to flourish)!

3-Keep in warm 100 degrees Fahrenheit dark place and cover with towel if you live in a cold region, or expose to the sun to make a solarized yogurt if you live in a warm southern region like our south Florida, for 5-8 hours.

Pour into stone or brick containers and refrigerate. Cover with a clean cloth.To make Kefir or Labneh, simply pour ober a cheese or clean cloth and upside down to separate the whey from yogurt and strain to become thicker .This is called Labneh or Kefir in the middle east,  while here it  is known as sour cream.It should taste sour though not sweat!

Enjoy serving cold with cucumber and mint leaves and a pinch of sea salt .It is best for the summer season to refrigerate your body in case your electric bill can not afford Air Condition!

The benefits of Home Made ORGANIC yogurt (containing live beneficial bacteria), according to recent study and research:

1-Helps your body to lose weight.

2-Boosts your immune system.

3-Helps your body fight diabetes.

4-A good source of protein for vegetarians.

5-Reduces the risk of Osteoporosis.

6-Discourages Candida growth.

7-Great for colon health and fights colon cancer and colon inflammation.

8-Anti aging food.

9-Calms the nervous system with its loaded B vitamins.

Helps in alleviating constipation.

10-Reduces the risk of high blood pressure.

Ancient long living people s that ate yogurt:

1-The Hunzas-

 2-The Bulgarians and the Armenians who ate KASKAVAN CHEESE and YERIVAN(EYERAN )yogurt. 

3-The long living Caucasian Russians who ate KEFIR.

 4-The Greeks, Turks and Phoenicians who coined the words:  LABAN and off course GREEK YOGURT! The Mediterranean diet is known because of a study that researched the reason why the GREEKS of CRETE in the Mediterranean, were the most CENTURIANS on earth during the 1950s.Therefore the MEDITERRANEAN DIET is named after that study.

Stay tuned. Coming next is the  home made cheese recipe!

Enjoy-Yasso!

The Japanese and the Scandinavian countries have pioneered in bringing the garden to the hospital to treat patients thhrough Garden Therapy.

Here in the US farmers are paid incentives so as not to farm and Organic Urban farmers are discouraged to market their produce by making their visibility  more difficult through imposing high  stands  and insurance fees at the farmers/green market.

The growing demand for organically grown organic produce is now changing the rules of engagement and alternatves to the green markets that are run for profiteering and tourist attractions purposes.

Churches and colleges and community gardens are now having their own organic produce markets.They are inviting local urban farmers to market their harvest without imposing any of the green and farmer markets ultra fees.same with Garage sales .

The trend of popular markets were initiated in Europe during the first and second World Wars as a cheap outlet for farmers to sell directly to the urban and city residents at affordable prices that eliminate the extra expenses paid to middleman and merchants.

So what is the link between garden therapy and popular markets?

Therapy comes when patients immerse their hands in the organic soil and plant and harvest organic produce,fruits and flowers.They will absorb the healing energy that emerges for the Cosmic Universe and the interact with four elements of creation:EARTH(SOIL/MUD THERAPY)-AIR(OXYGEN THERAPY )-WATER(HYDROTHERAPY)-FIRE(SUN-THERMOTHERAPY).

Stress the root of all dis-ease.People in our times are lacking food,pure water and steady jobs .The  faltering economy is stripping them from their basic needs of housing,transport,health insurance,health foods stc..

So , now we are in similar situation to the WW-I and II .There was the Victory garden solution back then and now the Backyard /Frontyard and community organic gardens are immerging to be same .What is missing is the Farmer Factor.Now we use migrant farmers who soon will be deported so sho will fill in the blank? You and me mon amie!So start digging and flexing your muscles in the backyard and forget about the expensive inefficient GYM.

The garden will make you:Fit and healthy .

I was invited yesterday to give a presentation about composting at the city of Lake Worth -Public Services department.The director of Public services  Mr.Joseph Kroll gave directions ,information and  distributed compost bins to a group of residents who took  the  composting class and the credit rebate of $ 35 that the city  offered to the participants .

There was a crowd of around  forty five  participants which included two city officials:  Commissioners Joan Golden  and Cara Jennings .There were also present local activists , business owners  ,community leaders and ordinary LW residents

The L W city  has the first green building of the Palm Beach county with  a roof garden .In addition ,  it promotes  following green energy solutions , welcomes and encourages establishment of green energy businesses .

Recently ,the Lake Worth Resource Centre (LWRC) for example has started ioffering a class on Solar Panels and organic gardening to local residents.

I will be giving an organic gardening class once every month (second wednesday of the month) at the LWRC.

This is another step forward towards spreading the green awareness and creating green jobs in the city simply by providing  educational classes ..Knowledge is power.Imagine if  this power is GREEN!

At the event yesterday,I gave a brief presentation on composting and distributed handouts .It ended with a community interaction  of questions and answers about composting.I felt so happy and weclome at the event.We urban farmers are not limited to the chores of harvesting  and planting. We have a role in our community as well to educate and raise green awareness like  replacing inefficient lawns, that are a waste of our water and financial resourses , with productive organic vegetable gardens that will  help to :

 1)Beef our local economy and Farmer market by creating more jobs and businesses.

2)Donate locally grown organic produce for the soup kitchens and food pantries , and make it affordable for low income residents to buy organic produce thaty are locally grown. 

3)Create marketing opportunities for the urban farmers who can not afford the green /farmer market stand.

4) Save money for the city on waste managemnt expenses by creating the compost program . Same ,  well as  by saving on the grocery bill, for the residents who participate in the "replace your lawn" with an orgnic garden pilot .

The city of Lake Worth  has  a program to promote the usage of rain barrels ,as well.Another green pilot program is in trial also , which will allow  residents   to harvest honey from their backyard bee hives and eat eggs from their home  raised chicken .

It is good to know that the first  community Organic Garden ever in Palm Beach County was in  Lake Worth:

Chief Sitting Bull Organic Community Garden.Unfortunately it ceased to exist not long time ago , but there are hopes that a new rebirth will follow .

Those greening efforts by local residents and officials  are establishing  a trend of saving historical buildings,preserving a small town culture of diversity and  promoting community green businesses  .

As the Gulf oil spill now approaches our shores and takes a hit of national condemnation , it is good to remember that there were residents and local leaders and activists who raised the alarm about saving the environment of clean water and chemicals free soil,not recently but long time ago ,through local groups  like the Lake Worth based  PBC Environmental Coalition .

Last but not least,  the city of Lake Worth has a state of the art Reverse Osmosis water fascility that will be operational by the end of next year. A LIVE SIMPLE and LET SIMPLY LIVE   mentality is now in the air.To  promote and preserve our natural environmental sources and resources ,is the new way of doing business(as unusual) in the City of Lake Worth.BRAVO Lake Worth!

The temperature outside the air conditioned room is now climbing into the sizzling zone.It is getting hot out there and boy , still do you want to garden?

Well, I consider gardening as a THERAPY, so it is OK to sweat out the toxins and get extra vitamin D from some sunny outdoors productive active gardening.Also , do not forget the bonus:Eat from your own backyard fruits and vegetables and save on the grocery bill.

Most people who come to my classes ask me if it is possible to grow a vegetable garden in the summer here in S.Florida.My answer is YES.Vegetables are not confined to what you only know or eat.There are Tropical and sub tropical vegetables that thrive in the summer heat.For example ,take OKRA.

Okra is one of my favorite vegetables.My mother Sarah eats the Okra pod raw wrapped in a pita bread.She is now 92 years old and counting thanks to OKRA!

If you know waht OKRA does to your body then you will start right away growing it.Do not jump conclusions about  any hallucination ideas or ehem ehem you know what I mean!.That is not what I mean, what you are thinking!.Okra is a southern favorite dish and it is known for the locals how great it is to the Colon health.It is slimy though, but there is a way to take away the slime if you just steam it first!Voila.

Wil talk more about what grows in the sizzling summer of Florida.Stay tuned.

Happy Summer Gardening

Alternative Community Farmer

http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M20618

The word ERGONOMICS was first used by the GREEKS .Hippocretes the father of medicine used it in explaining the use of the right tools as applied to surgery .The Egytians also knew and used the tem as applied to the work environment and tools used by the different workers.

The meaning of ERGONOMICS :The originof the word as mentioned is GREEK.ErGO means WORK and NOMICS means LAWS.The laws of work as to fit the human worker .Today the cognitive meaning can be stretched to cover the physiolgical,cognitive,organizational,social and environental factors to say the least.

Most applied techniques of egonomics address the industrial and manufacturing environment to define the best tools,seats ,machines etc that fit into the use of a human.

We do not have much research and study material that adress the farm and garden work.Physiacl therapy,massage therapy and TCMTraditional  Chinese medicine do touch on the repetitive motion and musculr and skeletal injuries through alexander technique and trigger point fo example.

As farmers and gardeners who use their body to do physical work , we need to be aware of the methods and mechanisms that protect and prevent injuries to our body systems as we use fuctional garden movements and work related tools.

The first thing we find available when we try to do a research on the subject is the deluge of business related articles that promote sales of Garden Ergonomic tools forget to explain methods and mechanism to help the human body avert injuries through proper body mechanism.

I have adressed this subject in an earlier article "TheTen Commandments of Ergonomics".That will also be of help if you wanted to get a closer look and better grasp.Check it out. 

When it comes to saving on our bills in an ecconomy that is hurting almost all of us, it is time to start rethinking and rewriting  our  waste  habits and laws.

One time I was trying to salvage a huge amount of alfalfa and hay horse feed that were dumped in a close by barn I was told to stop and leave the property by the store manager.I was told before that I could compost same if it was taken from the trash bin and later was told not to.

Imagine how much valuable struff are trashed in the dumpster that could be composted.Lake Worth City is spearheading a composting project and the city residents were asked to attend a composting class that will entitle them to have a composting bin and a credit rebate as well.

There are so many businesses that are crowding our dumspters with stuff that could go to the compostingf bin.There are cities that have passed laws to stop this from happening.

Composting is a green energy endeavor that saves on trhe costs of waste management and also promotes healthy productive  habits .It will help to turn garden and kitchen trash into organic soil that produces fruits and vegetables and encourages the creation of organic gardens in our backand front yards to replace the unproductive lawns.

Officials and residents  who help bring out this message into reality are the true leaders who care about the wellness of the community.Let us give them a hand and a big THANK YOU!

This memorial day let us be kind to the living as well.I am writing this article from the office next to a rammage sale of three community churchesthat have a Hunger project and another act of charity to feed the homeless through a food pantry that draws donations from neighbors and the community by just knocking on doors and asking for donations to a food drive .

Today the traffic at the rummage sale was slow.There is a truck that is full of clothes , it is being offered for free because customers did not show up in numbers and the clothes need to be recycled to humans and not to the trash bins.

Yes, the trash bins get a lot of our excess.I am going to give a class next week in collaboration with a city official about composting.Awareness helps as well.So spread the good news and be part ofit ratgher than condemning darkness:Light a candle!

How many of us recycle our food scrapings from the kitchen?How many of us share thier leftovers with a hungry soul?

Compassion is ssomething we humans grow in our heart and harvest as a spiritual and emotional fulfilment that brings us joy and comfort .

Acts of kindness will remind us that we are mortals and need to  help each others and recycle LOVE in acts of kindness even to strangers.

I feel good today becasue I donated few bucks to the teens who were  were selling water to raise funds for their summer camp.I felt good because I shared the joy and the smile with those school kids who were working for collecting funds for a youth program that will keep them active in a positive way.You can do it as well.

Happy memorial day. 

I am going to share with you my PERSONAL opinion and story with Farmers and Green markets , without naming them because they know who they are.

I have applied  in the past 10 years to display at four Green and Farmer markets in my area and all ended up in nowhere after few times of trials.As an urban farmer growing radishes and herbs and greens imagine how much money you need to pay in order to have a stand at the market?One Farmer market owner asked for 150 $ per month for the four Saturdays of display and also wanted insurance policy that costs like 600 $ per the SIX months of growing and market season.How much do you pay for a bunch of radishes?Would that money pay the bill of a small urban farmer to the BIG MONEY market owner- or manager- who enjoys political cover beach umbrella and a fat chair to support his fat ...wallet ?Common!

I went to commissioners and asked for help because the owner is being given FREE usage of the city parking location without paying any rent and guess what...No body responded to offer help except one who offered fifty bucks from her own pocket! ..I am sick of the RACIAL discremination and abuse of small farmers at Farmers markets.I am sick of the way the local governments do to help such owners who only try to get rich by just selling to tourists and bringing in Jewellry venders and others non-farmers, but mostly merchants ,to the market as vendors.They are eroding the marketing visibility to small farmers and some one needs to stop them.

I was rejected from one Green market because the manager  who works for the X-city did not like my national origin and religion.Yes, there is so much discremination and abuse and slavery going on to farmers , but most of the time it is not reported because of the fear factor and retaliation .No more.Farmers wake up and speak up.I am glad that I am not the only one to do so, I am happy to hear another farmer from another state who did just that and I felt I need to speak up myself because I am struggl;ing with the same problem at Farmer/Green market.I approached commisioners in my area who say they are green and support the environment and asked them to interfer and set up a FREE sstreet market for farmers and people who lost their jobsd and have acraft to market their work and make a few bucks to pay the bills...Guess what ..Hello! Nobody home...I am glad we have local harvest to vent .I will be even more glad if local harvest kick out those fake farmer /green markets from their web which advocates the moto REAL FARMERS...and those markets are not REAL Farmers markets but rather REAL merchant markets.So help us God,Amen!

I was reading an article by the POST of today May 25th about how "Florida growers warn of danger to food supply " in case there is a crackdown on undocumented workers.I refer you to the whole article to check it out and form your own opinion!I already formed mine!

John Lantigua of the Palm Beach Post writes on May 25th on the above title:

I qoute Mr Lantigua:"

Mike Carlton, labor relations director for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, is sometimes criticized for his position on U.S. immigration law.

The group, which represents most of Florida's large growers, supports the legalization of undocumented farm laborers.

"What don't you understand about the word illegal?" critics ask him about the immigrants.

"What don't you understand about the word eating?" is the retort that occurs to Carlton, although he holds his tongue.

Amid a tide of anti-immigrant sentiment, the usually conservative agricultural sector finds itself an unlikely champion of the undocumented worker.

Supporters of changes in immigration law say people who believe all undocumented workers should be expelled from the country don't comprehend how that would affect the availability and security of the U.S. food supply.

"We would be looking at an increase in the cost of food," Carlton said. "And we would almost certainly end up going offshore for much of our food supply, which would also mean having to worry about food safety."

Carlton and other proponents of legalizing farmworkers support a bill before Congress called AgJobs, which could forge a path to documented, permanent residency for those laborers.

Opponents say it amounts to amnesty for entering the country illegally. They also say it doesn't do anything to increase border security.

Craig Regelbrugge, co-chairman of the Agricultural Coalition for Immigration Reform in Washington, believes opponents don't recognize the main security question associated with farm labor. "There would be shortages. Prices would go up" if the U.S. expelled farmworkers, he said. "But we would also make ourselves reliant for our food on other countries."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says at least half of the people who pick U.S. crops are undocumented. Others in the industry say it is closer to 70 percent.

With U.S. production crippled, Brazil would enthusiastically supply citrus and Mexico would gladly sell vegetables, Regelbrugge said. But relations could sour between the U.S. and those countries and leave the nation at the mercy of foreign governments, he said.

Importing fresh milk would be difficult from the outset, said Ray Hodge, director of governmental affairs for Southeast Milk in Marion County, which markets milk produced by more than 100 Florida dairies.

"We supply all the milk to Publix," Hodge said. "If all those workers were kicked out, in about a week there would be a crisis. … Foreign-born workers are the agricultural workforce in this country. Nobody else wants to do it."

The AgJobs bill would give temporary legal residence to about 1 million undocumented farm laborers and roughly the same number of spouses and minor children. Because Florida has the nation's second­-largest agricultural economy, after California, the measure could have a particularly strong impact here.

Applicants would have to prove they had worked a certain number of hours in farm labor during the past two years. They would have to pay $500 in fines for entering the country illegally and settle outstanding tax bills. Felons or those with serious misdemeanor convictions would be excluded.

If they continued to work in agriculture a certain number of hours every year for the next three to five years, they and their immediate families could apply for permanent residence.

Critics complain that there are many unemployed Americans who would take the jobs. Carlton's response: "We have found that not to be true. Even with 10 percent unemployment, agriculture cannot attract native-born Americans."

The work is often hot, back­breaking, isolated, seasonal and transient. Carlton said some farmers have offered up to $15 an hour to U.S. citizens to work as harvesters, much more than foreign workers make, but with little success.

Even though Americans may not want those jobs, the bill has positive employment implications for U.S. citizens, he said: "It's a jobs bill for American workers, because for every person working in the fields, there are two to three jobs upstream that depend on that person." He cites equipment suppliers, truckers, grocery clerks, restaurant workers." Unqoute.

I beleive that we can create our own workforce from people who have entered the US legally and chose to work in the farm in case the born Americans do not want to work as the article above points and qoutes one official.I beleive that there are so many Americans who are homeless and would need some training on the farms and would fit in the farm work force.

I beleive that there are already urban farmers who are going out of business because there is no support for their efforts in marketing and growing  locally grown produce.

I beleive that there are opportunities for many legal immigrants who have lost their jobs to apply for farm work  jobs if they are given the incentives ,training and benefits that born Americans ask for.

Why not apply the law equally on all.Those who entered the US legally and paid taxes and obeyed the laws should be given a chance to apply for farm jobs that presently are being to illegals who are treated close to slavery conditions and who are afraid to report abuse by their employers who care only about profits and put them in dire conditions that endanger their lives (exposure to chemicals and pesticides).

The law of the land is made for all .So let us respect it and move forward.The Big Agri business have had its time to reign our farm lands and employ illegals.Now is the time to shift gears and set the stage for  legal and smaller organic farmers ,even at the educational school level , through spreading the awareness of small scale organic farming.

Summer is here.Welcome tourists to the Florida sun and beaches...OOOPS...did we say something politically correct but environmentally speaking incorrect!

Farmers of the sea or fishermen now are crying for help to stop the oil spill from spilling their Florida Lobster harvest season which starts in the summer...Others who make a living from the ocean harvests are as well worried for losing their source of livelihood for the oil spill ..

Do we include SEA FOOD in the FOOD SAFETY BILL?If not , this is the right time to rush for adding it to the bill that is now pending at the Senate floor.may be some of us have forgotten already about it...So here is a refresher...Check out this web link:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/568/t/1128/campaign.jsp?campaign_key=26714

The nation is watching the oil spill while we here in Florida are slogging through oil in some beaches that took the hit recently.We are responding with anger at BP and law suits are sky rocketing.Is this the kind of answer or solution to protect the environment?.I beleive we need a proactive and positive attitude to face the problem and a calm head to look for solutions other than dollar bills in exchange for the oil spill.

People read the news and respond by being ANGRY .This is the REACTION that makes us fume and get MAD.Stress is the root of all diseases.Stear clear from ANGER and STRESS , instead stress that the PRESS write articles about passing SAFETY BILLS to protect our WATER,FARM LAND and AIR from CHEMICALS that poison our food.

I do not support the doom and gloom attitude of the main stream media that tries to diffuse the situation by just spilling our anger at the oil spill.

We need to come together and find a way as farmers whose livelihood depends on the health of the soil.When oil and soil mix food becomes poison.When irrigation water and acquifers ,marshes,rivers and water become polluted with pesticides and herbisides and you name it of man made pollution like the oil spill in Florida, then we need AN OIL  SAFETY  BILL to fight the SPILL.That kind of action will protect the environment , not ANGER !