Mr. Paul Bowers Sr. is readily recognizable in any crowd not only for his trademark red scarf but also for his quiet, self-assured demeanor and warm smile. You'll usually spot him nearby a couple of endeavors he's remained committed to throughout his life - working at creating and selling his wood carvings that are beautifully hand crafted in the traditional Seminole way or you'll find him near a rodeo arena. When we caught up with him it was at the bunkhouse by his horse barn which made for the perfect place for him to share stories and insights about his childhood, his tour of duty in Vietnam, early days in rodeo, and the creation of his hand crafted birds, gators, ladle spoons and toys such as tomahawks made from cypress knees, spears, knives, and more. In a fast paced, ever changing world, Mr. Bowers remains dedicated to carrying forward the old ways for future generations and appreciating the simple things that keep us all grounded.

Florida was the third state to secede from the Union and played a key role in supplying not only beef, but also other subsistence supplies, to the Confederate States Army. What turned out to be one of the bloodiest battles during the War Between The States occurred on February 20, 1864 in the pine flat woods near Ocean Pond east of Lake City. The Battle of Olustee was the largest battle fought in Florida and resulted in a Confederate victory when Union Forces under General Truman Seymour faced off against Confederate troops led by General Joseph Finegan. In this episode, we review a Florida Historical Society Quarterly article that considers what led General Seymour to proceed against orders with this ill-fated engagement.

In this episode, we cover some fun history by taking a look at the name origins for Florida's 67 counties. The names come from many sources including famous public figures, historic languages, prominent landmarks, and more. There are surprises here even for the seasoned Florida native so be sure to tune in and share it with your friends and family.

Note: We had multiple undiagnosed technical difficulties recording this episode. After a second recording attempt of the second half that partially failed again, we salvaged one audio line to complete the episode. With that said, please excuse the diminished audio quality of the second half as we had to settle for one mic recording both voices.

NOTE: This week in honor of Giving Tuesday we're re-airing our episode describing all the wonderful work done by our partners at the Florida Cattlemen's Foundation. If you're considerig year-end giving and want to know that your contribution will used wisely, please visit www.floridacattlemen.org and select the tab for the Foundation where you'll be able to donate. Alternatively, you can contact the FCA office to discuss alternative ways to give. Jim Handley has since retired and passed the torch to Dusty Holley as the FCA executive VP, and the same great work for Florida's cattle business continues. Please consider donating today and sharing with your friends and family.

FCA executive vice president Jim Handley joins us to share a wealth of information about the Florida Cattlemen's Foundation, including it's history, an in-depth look at the many projects they've helped fund and bring to fruition, as well as some general history regarding FCA and his role there. We dig deep in our conversation for what amounts to a very informative discussion that you're sure to enjoy so don't miss it!

This week we're collaborating with the hosts from Herding Her Story. For those listeners who've never tuned into this podcast, their goal is to showcase women from across the agriculture industry to highlight their accomplishments, success stories, and unique perspectives. In this conversation, we dive into their individual background stories, how they came together to produce the podcast, and then we flip the script and have the hosts answering the questions rather than asking them. You'll learn a lot about these two vibrant ladies and how they're sharing the story of Florida agriculture in a new way.

NOTE: On the heels of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting and a lot of time on the road for numerous other obligations, we're taking a break to regroup this week. While we get reorganized, please enjoy this batch of cowboy poetry that originally published on the podcast a couple years ago.

Episode 117 serves up some cowboy poetry focused on finding the underlying, essential value in the world around us from both the male and female perspective. You'll hear some of Brad's own poetry as well as some poems from Wallace McRae and Barney Nelson that all serve to shift focus to things of intrinsic worth.