The Plant City Chamber of Commerce celebrated the Salute to Agriculture and Ag Awards Luncheon on Aug. 24 at the Charlie Grimes Family Agricultural Center.
The ceremony, sponsored by the Farm Credit of Central Florida, honored five locals who supported agriculture in the community. The five awards went to the Castillo Family for Agriculturalist of the Year, Tiffany Dale for Young Agriculturist of the Year, Sue “Strawberry Sue” Harrell for Ag Educator of the Year, Hinton Farms for Agri-Business of the Year and Dan Walden for Supporter of Youth in Agriculture.
Agriculturalist of the Year: Castillo Family
Hilda Castillo and her husband Fidel are the owners of Castillo Farms, which hosts over 100 acres that grow a variety of produce ranging from strawberries to squash. The couple are first-generation immigrant farmers who grew a one-acre farm into an empire. The Castillos allow the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and the National Resources Conservation Service to use land samples from their farm for soil and water research.
The family also donates strawberries to Plant City’s St. Clement Catholic Church for the strawberry shortcakes at the Strawberry Festival. Castillo Farms gave the National Farmers Union Women’s Leadership Conference attendees a tour of its facilities and gave a farm tour in 2010 to former United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
Young Agriculturist of the Year: Tiffany Dale
Tiffany Dale was born and raised in Valrico and received a bachelor’s in Agricultural Communication and Leadership Development and a master’s in Agriculture Business at the University of Florida. After graduation she served as an academic coordinator and lecturer at the University of Florida in Plant City.
Dale is now the Director of Member Services and Community Relations at the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. She also serves as a board of director on the the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau board and the Ag in the Classroom board. She has been involved with Florida FFA, Florida Farm Bureau Federation, Ag In the Classroom and the Plant City Chamber of Commerce.
Ag Educator of the Year: Sue ‘Strawberry Sue” Harrell
Sue Harrell began her agriculture background over 40 years ago when she married Mark Harrell, a third generation Florida strawberry grower. She worked on the farms and learned how to grow and harvest the plants. She ended up working for Driscoll's and managed the company’s Florida Operations for 12 years.
In 2007, Harrell became the marketing director for the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. Her main goal in this role is to educate consumers on the importance of strawberries. Known as “Strawberry Sue,” Harrell travels to many parts of the country representing the industry and has made it her mission to engage with consumers via social media, educational videos and speaking to groups.
Agri-Business of the Year: Hinton Farms
Hinton Farms Produce was founded in 1980 by Elton L. Hinton and three of his four sons, who continue to run the business to this day. Hinton, along with his wife Vera, moved to Florida from Alabama with the intention of opening an ice cream shop. However, the couple ended up owning a strawberry farm instead. Elton taught agriculture at a local high school while the rest of the family handled the responsibilities on the farm. Many members of the family, including grandchildren and great grandchildren, all work on the farm today.
Hinton Farms grows, packs, cools and ships Florida fruits and vegetables. The farm is a member of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, the Florida Farm Bureau, the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, the Red Book Credit Services, the Florida Blueberry Growers Association and the Florida Blueberry Blue Book Services.
Supporter of Youth in Agriculture: Dan Walden
Dan Walden is the son of a strawberry farmer, citrus grower and cattle rancher. He and his wife Pam, along with their two children, run a small citrus grove left to Dan by his mother and raise cattle on the family farm. Walden worked with Farm Bureau Insurance in 1978 and then moved to Moody & Moody Insurance until it was sold to Poppell Insurance, where he has remained for the past 20 years as a commercial lines agent.
Walden has been very active in the community and has been involved in multiple activities including past member and president of the Plant City High School FFA Alumni, past Florida FFA Alumni associate board member, a judge for the FFA Tractor Driving contest at the sub-district, district and state contest and is on the Board of Directors of the Florida Strawberry Festival. Walden chaired the Strawberry Festival Swine Committee, the Overall Livestock Committee, the Parking Committee, the Long-Range Planning Committee and served on the Grand Parade Committee and Steer Committee.