FARMING NEWS
FARMERS COOPERATIVE
Vol. 29, No. 2
Live Oak • Madison • Florida
January 1, 2016
STANDARD MAIL
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT # 130
LIVE OAK, FL
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
Ira Webb Retires
I-10 Wreck in 2014 Alters Life
By Pauline Fletcher Cogdill
Ira Webb Is Making Handmade Cedar
Canes
Almost sixteen years ago, General
Manager, Todd Lawrence made a very
sound investment in hiring Ira Webb
at our Madison location as an LP Gas
serviceman. Ira’s 30 years plus experience
as an LP gas technician made him a very
valuable asset for both the Madison and
Live Oak patrons.
Ira is an individual you could always
count on whether he was tired or not he
would make another service call to see that
our patrons had gas for that Thanksgiving
or Christmas meal they were preparing
for their families. In fact, many of our
patrons have written a note of appreciation
for Ira’s outstanding service or told us
personally how much they appreciate Ira’s
willingness to take care of his customers.
Margie Caparelli of Suwannee Fence
Company in O’Brien had so many positive
comments about Ira with his excellent
attitude and he will do everything he
can to get the job done right. “ No matter
what time of day he arrived he was always
most presentable, with a clean and neat
uniform and a smile on his face. His great
sense of humor always made both of us
laugh, especially when I would play a
trick on him. That’s what I remember
about Ira, and the Co-op is very fortunate
to have such an outstanding employee
representing them.” Jimmie Ragans of
Madison, Florida said he had nothing
but good things to say about Ira. “He is
pleasant to work with, and a man of great
character, and always more than willing
to get the job done.”
Perhaps Ira’s patience comes from
being a part of a large family and being
happy with whatever you had. Ira is the
son of Truman and Joyce Webb and grew
up with his four brothers and three sisters,
and still lives about one-half mile from
where he was born in Madison County.
Most of his brothers live within a few
miles from him. Unfortunately all of Ira’s
sisters are deceased.
Ira is married to Judy Grantham
from Madison and they have two sons.
Son Jason lives in Madison, and has a
13 year old daughter, Kyla and a son,
Jalen, 16 years old, and they spend a lot
of time helping their grandparents. Son,
Josh, and his wife, Erin, live in Columbus
Ohio, and they have two sons. Josh is a
senior web developer in Columbus, and
his wife, Erin is a social worker for Aetna
Insurance. Their two sons, Ethan is 13
years old and Jeremy is 8 years old. Of
course, Josh is an avid Florida State fan
as well as one of his sons while the other
Continued on Page 2
Co-op’s LP Technician Got the Job Done
Continued from Page 1
supports the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ira’s lovely wife, Judy, has been
driving a school bus for Madison County
for 35 years. Judy can tell you there have
been many changes in her bus driving
over the years. Now she has a state of
the art bus with all the bells and whistles
you could ask for, and she takes great
pride in taking care of her bus.
Ira and Judy are very active in
their church in Greenville, Reapers of
the Harvest. They enjoy the fellowship
and worship service and know they are
blessed with many wonderful friends.
On August 11, 2014, Ira was taking
a neighbor friend to the emergency room
in Tallahassee in the middle of the night.
When he was returning to Madison about
4:30 am so that he could go to work, the
unexpected happened, when a semi truck
with a flat tire was going way below the
posted minimum speed for Interstate
10. Ira did not realize the slow speed
of the semi and crashed into the back of
the trailer.
Many people who have seen the
car after the accident were amazed that
anyone could have survived. In just a
few seconds this life altering accident
changed Ira and Judy’s way of life forever.
After more than a month in
the hospital and several months of
rehabilitation and therapy, Ira got to come
home. Now more than a year later, Ira
makes the best of a difficult situation. Ira
has said more than once he would rather
be doing service work for the Co-op and
taking care of the customers he had served
over the years.
General Manager Lawrence assured
Ira from the beginning if the doctors
would release him to come back to work,
he would always have a job. With some
continued issues and somewhat limited
mobility, Ira has decided to officially
retire from the Cooperative at the end
of December.
General Manager Lawrence said on
behalf of the staff and Board of Directors
of Farmers Cooperative we would like
to thank Ira for his many years of service
Ira and Judy Webb
and we are reminded how fragile life is,
and how it can change in a few seconds.
Ira met a very talented neighbor,
Robert McCloskey, who is now in the
nursing home who previously made canes
to give to people. Now Ira has his own
“office” across from the chicken coop
where he is now making canes from the
cedar trees on his farm, and he will give
these canes to people that need them.
Judy and Ira are very proud to tell you,
“We give God all the praise and glory.
We know it was God who spared Ira’s life
that day, and we thank him every day.”
If you would like to send a card to
Ira , his address is 503 SW Happy Valley
Trail, Madison, FL 32340.
For the Past Quarter
NEW CO-OP MEMBERS
Renee B. Scribner, Live Oak
Georgious Malliarakis, Jasper
Pauly Ely, McAlpin
Save A Lot, Live Oak
Jay & Dede Jolicoeur, Live Oak
Maxine White Love, Lake City
Lynn Seay, Live Oak
Steven J. Hunt, Branford
Shelby Webb, McAlpin
Dr. Larry Clay, Live Oak
Joshua McClellan, Live Oak
Samantha Driskell, Live Oak
Jim Brewster, O’Brien
Greg Clayton, Live Oak
Franklin D. Newton, Lake City
Clayton D. Register, Live Oak
JoAnn Carmichael, Live Oak
Bill Duke, McAlpin
Arturo Torres, Live Oak
Patricia Peterson, White Springs
Judy Johnson, Brooksville
Charles E. Hall, Live Oak
Verona Clayton, Live Oak
Jason Padgett, Live Oak
Sue Gilliard, Live Oak
Stephen Holmes, O’Brien
Elizabeth Bullard McArdle, Lake City
Daniel F. Crenshaw, Ft. White
Donald Nelson, Live Oak
Selvin Cray, Lake City
James R. Willis, Live Oak
Tim Flowers, Live Oak
Rescare Lake City Cluster, Lake City Ricky Rudd, Lake City
Daisy Banks, Greenville
Angel Agosto, Live Oak
Andrew P. Hill, Jasper
Judith M. Mundy, Lake City
Kaitlin VanHeusen, Lake Butler
Connie Coley, Live Oak
Martin Suarez, Melbourne
Kevin Russell, Mayo
Anthony Smith, Lake City
Travis Land, Live Oak
Natalia Ballesteros, Mayo
Leonard Tidwell, Mulberry
Joseph M Damron, Jasper
Brad Dicks, McAlpin
Williie N. Woodson, Live Oak
David C .Sanderson, Lake City
Marsha Carstensen, Live Oak
James E. Turner, McAlpin
Anthony Ford, Live Oak
Robert Wilson, Lake City
William A. Frye, Jr, Live Oak
Arlene Sumter, Live Oak
Triple H Farms, Lake City
James Y. Lee, Live Oak
Donald Bacon, Live Oak
Martha Bisplinghoff, Live Oak
Camelia Howard, White Springs
Stephen Rauscher, Live Oak
Robert D. Dunlap, Live Oak
Erick Combs, Live Oak
Matt Garbett, Lake City
Jackie Kline, Jasper
Jackie M. Buroughs, Live Oak
Dale Franklin, Jennings
James N. Reese, Jr., Live Oak
Charles Bohner, Live Oak
Paul E. Mandler, Live Oak
C & R Farms, Cairo, GA
Norman Halabi, Wellborn
Rodney T. Webb, Jasper
Nancy Kropp, Jasper
Dale Parrish, Lake City
Leroy Otis, Live Oak
Orlando Rose, Live Oak
Jim Gipson, Live Oak
Sandra McQuaig, Lake City
Jason Michael, Live Oak
Chris P. Landrum, Live Oak
Freda Land, Live Oak
Richard Mahoney, Jasper
Frank Burress, Lake City
Danny Kersey, Jennings
Hollis Moody, Jasper
Rob A. Waite, Live Oak
Forrest Greene, Wellborn
Alan Bonds, Live Oak
LIVE OAK STORE
Paul Terrell, Lake City
John E. Gikas, Live Oak
Wayne Hawk, Live Oak
Jeffrey Bennett, Live Oak
James Kennedy, Branford
Elizabeth Hulson, Jasper
Kadie Bodden, White Springs
Randy Slaughter, Live Oak
Shawn Brown, Live Oak
Mark Duren, Lake City
Robert Pitts, Lake City
Clay McMillan, Live Oak
Kelly Smith, Live Oak
Jaromir Zaldivar, Live Oak
Frank Ellis, Lee
Michelle Gilliland, Live Oak
Levis Futch, McAlpin
Delilah Brown, Live Oak
Bevan Wagstaff, Live Oak
Jim Adkins, O’Brien
Mary Wood, Live Oak
David Rygwalski, Lee
Mollie Edwards, Madison
Italo Santana, Adel GA
Loni Kesler, Madison
Marvin S Bell, Madison
Lisa M Betros, Perry
Steven Richardson, Madison
Lisa Hackle, Pinetta
Clifford Cummings, Madison
Jason Plain, Madison
Cherry Lake First Baptist
Church, Madison
Deborah Henderson, Madison
Nathan Wadley, Jasper
Harrie Reddick, Greenville
Joshua T Ezell, Perry
William Brookes, Monticello
Dennis & Kathy Norris, Lee
Undre Hatchett, Madison
Crooked Row Farm LLC,
Robert M Shepherd, Greenville
MADISON STORE Brian K Strattonh, Pinellas Park,
Michael Newman, Salem
Elbert & Juanita Sever, Lamont
Larry Jones, Brooksville
Marvin L. Townsend, Madison Eddie Taylor, Madison
James Ray Blue Jr., Perry
Vivian Bass, Madison
Gloria & Larry Mcloud, Pinetta Troy Bradfield, Lee
William B. Shaffner, Jennings
Daphine Peacock, Madison
Carol Ann Turner, Madison
Dorothy Mitchell, Madison
Luis & Gricelle Gonzalez, Lee
Peggy J DeVane, Perry
Mary Whitehurst, Greenville
James Bernard, Lee
Rhonda Gayle Thompson, Perry Carlton K. Hamrick, Greenville
Rebecca Hockenbury, Quitman
Brad Inherst, Madison
Brandy Hunter, Madison
Maria Brown, Perry
Blackwater Investors, Greenville Georgia Ann Holland, Lamont
Tara A Flynn, Madison
Sylvia Cruce, Madison
Stanley & Cheryl Brenson,
Justin Gowan, Madison
Jennings
W. Turnbull Anderson,
Betty
Tuten, Madison
Monticello
James
C Petty, Perry
Geneva Morris, Greenville
Ellen
Williams,
Greenville
Roy Miller, Lee
Debbie
R
Rutherford,
Madison
John Hoxie, Altoona
Rod
Heffern,
Madison
2D Land & Cattle LLC, White
Stephanie Sapp, Pinetta
Springs
John Henninsen, Tallahassee
Perry Dietrich, Lee
Dorina Sadman, Greenville
Katie Knight, Madison
Williams Strickland, Madison
Jennifer Masters, Jennings
Save 5% On Co-op’s Advanced Deposit Program
Our 5% advance deposit program
will be available through January 31, 2016.
For our patrons who are not familiar
with the Co-op’s 5% advance deposit
program, we will automatically credit
your account for a 5% discount of the
amount that you prepay during the month
of January 2016.
The 5% discount does not apply,
however, to equipment construction
contracts.
When you have decided just how
much money you will need to spend at the
Cooperative for the calendar year 2016,
please visit your Co-op at Live Oak or
Madison and we will be happy to assist
you with your farming needs.
So, if you are really interested in
getting the most out of your money, our
advance deposit program will give you an
even greater savings than the 5% discount.
Employee Years of Service Awards
General Manager Todd Lawrence
presenting Robert E. Sapp with 50
Years of Service Award
General Manager Todd Lawrence
presenting Mickey Tuten with 29
Years of Service Award
Robert E. Lee Sapp was recognized
for his 50 years of employment with
Farmers Cooperative, Inc. at our Annual Christmas Party. Robert began his
employment in August 1965 and is still
reporting to work every day. Sam Weeks
hired Robert as a liquid nitrogen driver.
When he was not driving the truck, he
was working the counter, putting tires on
vehicles, loading fertilizer with a Bobcat,
helped with bookkeeping, and yes filing his
paperwork also. In fact, all the employees
were very versatile back then.
Mickey Tuten was recognized for his
29 years of service as a Fertilizer Contract
Spreader with Farmers Cooperative in
Madison at our Director’s Meeting in Madison, Florida on December 1, 2015. General
Manager Lawrence commented that we are
grateful that Mickey will continue to work
for our LP Gas Department In Madison.
General Manager Lawrence commended
Mickey for his outstanding customer service that he provided for our patrons and
expressed appreciation to Mickey for his
loyalty to Farmers Cooperative.
Farming News
www.farmerscooperative.org
P.O. Box 610
Live Oak, FL
32064
Phone
386-362-1459
P.O. Box 390
Madison, FL
32341
Phone
850-973-2269
Is published quarterly, or as the need arises, by
Farmers Cooperative in Live Oak and Madison.
Todd Lawrence, Publisher & Editor
Co-op Directors
Kenneth Dasher, McAlpin (Suwannee County)
Ted Henderson, Live Oak (Suwannee County)
Eddy Roberts, O’Brien (Suwannee County)
William T. Carte (Suwannee County)
Tim Steichen, Wellborn (Suwannee County)
Walter K. Brown (Suwannee County)
Kevin Morgan (Hamilton County)
Kenneth McLeod (Madison County)
Jeff Lee (Suwannee County)
(Left to Right)
Jerry Owens,
Madison Crop Specialist,
25 years of service
Larry Deas,
10 years of service in Live Oak
Denise Watts,
5 years of service in Madison
Todd Lawrence,
General Manager,
30 years of service
Robert E. Lee Sapp,
Live Oak Crop Specialist,
50 years of service.
Co-op Has 69th Annual Membership Meeting
Farmers Cooperative’s 69th Annual
Membership Meeting was held at First
Baptist Church in Live Oak on October 3,
2015. Following registration, the meeting
started at 10:00 a.m.
General Manager Todd Lawrence reported annual sales volume of $13,826,977
with a net profit of $343,725 for the year
2014-2015. Lawrence said he was pleased
to report to the patrons that your Cooperative will mail Patronage Refunds checks
in December 2015 for those patrons who
qualify for a refund. Additionally, we will
retire 1981 equity in the amount of $68,
121.06 in December. Each year we retire
equity to the heirs of our deceased members, and this year we paid out $33,822
to heirs of our deceased members at our
Live Oak and Madison Stores.
General Manager Lawrence then
discussed Farmers Cooperative’s participation in the Seventh Annual Bonnie
3rd Grade Cabbage Program. Lawrence
displayed several photos of the students
and their cabbages. General Manager
Lawrence remarked, “It’s a good way to
get the entire family involved in this educational project, and as you can see the
students look forward to winning the pizza
party for their class.” General Manager
Lawrence gave a power point presentation with several photos of the new and
renovated fixed assets we purchased this
past fiscal year.
Your Cooperative helps sponsor
activities for FFA, (local and state), 4-H
activities, Love, Inc., Breast Cancer Awareness, and the Big Buck Contest that is so
popular with our hunters.
After the business meeting, several
door prizes valued at over $2,500. were
awarded to the members attending the
Annual Membership Meeting.