frnews v38 issue 11

VOLUME 38 NUMBER 10 • PH. 813-737-NEWS (6397) • E -MAIL: [email protected] • WWW.FARMAND R A N C H N E W S . C O M

Agriculture’s Most Trusted Source For News, Views and Advertising Since 1974

NEIGHBOR’S RESPONSE to those that would ban ownership of guns!

THIS ‘REDNECK CANNON’ was designed and built by Rocky Robbins. Mounted on a mobile platform and touting a 500-gallon tank filled with compressed air with a 30’ 10-inch PVC barrel, the unit is prepared for firing by Elmer Robbins of Plant City. The cannon will toss an 11-pound watermelon or bowling ball over 1 ¼ mile. It’s great for “redneck bowling” at point-blank range.

11-YEAR OLD MACKENZIE KLIMSON, a sixth-grader at Barrington Middle School in Riverview, was caught by the camera when she climbed a 24’ flagpole and touched the ball at the top. The agile Mackenzie is a gymnast at Bay City Gymnastics in Riverview.

The Davis Report: Our Nation is in Peril!5

Myke Morris’ “The Cracklin Kettle” Page 11

Editorial Opinion: The Answer to America’s Jobless?Page 4

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Volume 38 • Number 10 • 2011 • Farm & Ranch Newspage2 www.farmandranchnews.com

To Richard Gonzmart, president and a fourth-generation member of the family that runs Tampa Bay’s century-old Columbia Restaurant, Rusty the dog is more than a pet. He’s part of the fam-ily. When Rusty, a 5-year-old Ger-man shepherd, was diagnosed with bone cancer, it felt like one of his children was sick, Gonzmart said. He sat in waiting rooms and watched as families waited for their loved ones to come out of sur-gery. He saw the anxiety on their faces. To his relief, veterinarians at the UF Small Animal Hospital discov-ered that Rusty didn’t have cancer after all. He had a fungal infection that looks similar to bone cancer when an X-ray is taken. Gonzmart understood the heart-ache of being a parent of an animal di-agnosed with cancer. To help, the res-taurateur created his own blend of wine, called 2004 Rusty Red Wine, as a fund-raiser. Only 600 bottles will be produced by world-class winery O. Fournier in Argentina. About 70 percent of the pro-ceeds from the wine will go to the UF Small Animal Hospital’s oncology unit and about 10 percent will go to several Humane Society branches in cities where Columbia’s seven restaurants are located in Florida. Gonzmart said his goal is to donate $20,000 a year to the oncology unit. Gonzmart has pledged $100,000 to the oncology unit, said Nick Bacon,

Restaurateur Uncorks Special Vintage, to Benefit UF Small Animal Hospital

Richard Gonzmart created Rusty Red Wine as a fundraiser for the UF

Small Animal Hospital, where his dog Rusty has received care.Vet.M.B., a surgical oncologist at UF’s Small Animal Hospital. “I saw so many people in the waiting room with their family mem-bers, their four-legged family members. I know the pain,” Gonzmart said. “It’s just a great way to help people and give people hope.” Rusty is doing well since he started treatment for the fungal in-fection but will probably need lifelong therapy to manage the disease, said Alex Gallagher, D.V.M, who is treating Rusty. “Mom and Dad report he’s happy, jumping around, running up and down the stairs,” Gallagher said. “He’s doing a lot better than the average pa-tient.” Gonzmart attributes Rusty’s health to UF Small Animal Hospital vet-erinarians’ high level of skill and deter-mination to give Rusty the best quality of life possible. “We’re blessed to have such a great animal hospital,” Gonzmart said. “If we hadn’t gone there, we would’ve had to put him down.” Rusty, a trained personal protec-tion dog, has rolled down the window of Gonzmart’s car, leaped out the window and would have tackled a nearby man with a gun had Gonzmart not called him back, he said. “He would give his life for me,” Gonzmart said. So when Rusty got sick, it be-came a family matter. Gonzmart and his wife, Melanie, often bring Rusty to the gleaming-white hospital atrium with an-

other four-legged family member in tow. Rex, also a German shepherd, sits in the waiting room with the rest of the fam-ily. At checkups, Rusty gets an X-ray, his blood is drawn and he gets a physical exam. Had he not been so lucky — had the lesions been bone cancer tumors — the process would be different. Bacon says veterinarians can present owners with up to 10 to 12 treat-ment options when an animal is diag-nosed with cancer. The family chooses the option that best fits their needs. He said many people want to feel like they still have some control in the midst of cancer. The treatment op-tions can range from radiation treatment to surgery to pain pills — but they all are aimed at improving the pet’s quality of life. “The goal is to make their lives bet-ter,” Bacon said. In addition, there’s a chance the discoveries the Small Animal Hospital makes in dogs can help treat people. “It’s a fantastic model for human cancer,” Ba-con said. He said Gonzmart’s donation helps the Small Animal Hospital stay fo-cused on its mission of helping patients. Donation money goes toward education, student research programs, internships, day-to-day needs such as microscopes and large research projects, including those involving bone cancer, skin cancer and bladder cancer. “It was an astonish-ingly generous thing to do,” Bacon said.

Volume 38 • Number 10 • 2011 • Farm & Ranch News page3www.farmandranchnews.com


Our OpinionAre Road Construction and Immigration Issues Really the Answer to America’s Jobless?By Stephanie Farmer-Associate Publisher

This morning I read in the news how Ford Motor Company was closing another plant. Another 800 jobs lost. As I read the article, I couldn’t help but think of all the job rhetoric coming from politi-cians: “Spend money on roads, high speed rails and bridges” seems to be the call, and “throw out the im-migrants. Those are solutions to our jobs problem.” But are they really? Once a high speed rail is built, it’s built. The construction workers are done. Roads and bridges are great construction jobs, but you can only build and repair so many- then what? But, when you wear out a new pair of shoes, you need to buy new ones. When your couches wear out, you need to buy a new one. When you break a glass washing dishes, there is a need to buy a new one. Today, shoes, dishes, couches, you name it, are made overseas. Those, and millions of other items that used to be manufactured in the U.S., are what kept our country vibrant and jobless numbers low. Construction is a temporary solution. Becom-ing a manufacturing country again is a permanent solution. Throwing immigrants out of our country is touted as the answer. Really? For starters, ask farmers in Georgia, Alabama and other states if that rhetoric is making jobs while their crops rot in the fields. Then those crops are replaced with more pro-duce imported from overseas. Standing at a wooden podium or in Con-gressional halls touting “throw out the immigrants”

makes for a popular platform, but it’s not reality. Schools and others telling our youth that career and tech jobs are inferior to PhDs doesn’t help either. Did someone forget that that person with a PhD still needs to get their car fixed, wear shoes, sit on a couch and drink tea out of a glass? No one job trumps another. They are all needed, like the many pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Unfortunately, in our country, the missing piece of the puzzle has become pieces. As much flak as Governor Rick Scott gets, he is right. We need to bring manufacturing into our State to get Floridians back to work. But, in reality our Country MUST find a way to bring back manu-facturing nationwide. Ask those 800 Ford factory workers and their families how important manu-facturing is to job security. That’s the platform that needs to be touted by our politicians and by each and every one of us when we shop. Taking a few ex-tra minutes to read labels or spend a few extra dol-lars is YOUR way of helping the few manufacturing companies left in our country keep Americans em-ployed. If the 300 million Americans in our country did this while our government breaks down barri-ers, it will cause an expansion in manufacturing and American jobless rates would plummet. Just like the crow in Aesop’s fable, dropping one stone at a time in a glass to get a drink of water, that is the effect each individual shopper could have on our economy when they buy American. It simply adds up.


USDA Revises National Nutrient Management Standard to Improve Efficiency and Water Quality

Standard stresses increased use of technology and local information Agriculture Secretary Tom Vil-sack has announced that the U.S. De-partment of Agriculture has revised its national conservation practice standard on nutrient management to help pro-ducers better manage the application of nutrients on agricultural land. Proper application of nitrogen and phosphorus offers tremendous benefits to producers and the public, including cost savings to the producer and the protection or im-provement of ground and surface water, air quality, soil quality and agricultural sustainability. “Protecting America’s supply of clean and abundant water is an impor-tant objective for USDA,” Vilsack said. “This precious resource is the foundation for healthy ecosystems and sustainable agricultural production. USDA provides voluntary technical and financial assis-tance to help producers manage their nutrients to ensure a clean and abundant water supply while maintaining viable farm and ranch operations.” The nutrient management con-

servation practice is an important tool in the USDA Natural Resources Con-servation Service (NRCS) conservation toolbox. The agency’s staff uses this conservation practice to help farmers and ranchers apply their nutrients more efficiently. Proper management of ni-trogen and phosphorus, including the use of organic sources of nitrogen such as animal manure, legumes and cover crops, can save producers money. The nutrient management standard provides a roadmap for NRCS’s staff and others to help producers apply available nutri-ent sources in the right amount, from the right source, in the right place, at the right time for maximum agricultural and environmental benefits. NRCS’s nutrient management experts worked with universities, non-government organizations, industry and others to revise the standard to ensure it is scientifically sound. Key changes in the standard include expanding the use of technology to streamline the nutri-ent management process and allowing

states more flexibility in providing site-specific nutrient management planning using local information when working with producers. NRCS staff offices will have until Jan. 1, 2013 to comply with erosion, nitrogen and phosphorus crite-ria for their state nutrient management standard. The revised national standard is being released at a time when the agency is working with various partners to ad-dress nutrient management concerns identified in three recently released Con-servation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) cropland studies (http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/na-tional/technical/nra/ceap). These CEAP studies assessed the effectiveness of conservation practices in the Upper Mis-sissippi Basin, the Chesapeake Bay Wa-tershed and the Great Lakes Basin. One significant resource concern identified in all three studies is the loss of nitrogen and phosphorus from cropland. Most nitrogen losses are attributed to nitrate leaching through the soil to groundwa-

ter. Most phosphorus is lost due to ero-sion because phosphorus attaches itself to displaced soil particles that are trans-ported by runoff to nearby waterways. Improved nutrient management and ef-fective erosion control work together to reduce the loss of nutrients from agricul-tural land, resulting in improved water quality in downstream rural and urban communities. The revised standard will provide tools and strategies to help pro-ducers address the natural resource con-cerns relating to excess nutrients on ag-ricultural land. NRCS offers voluntary techni-cal and financial assistance to producers nationwide for planning and implement-ing on-farm nutrient management plans. Producers can use this assistance to help meet federal, state, tribal and local envi-ronmental regulations. For more information about how nutrient management fits into NRCS’s conservation work, visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/na-tional/landuse/crops/npm.

www.farmandranchnews.com Volume 38 • Number 10 • 2011 • Farm & Ranch News

www.farmandranchnews.comVolume 38 • Number 10 • 2011 • Farm & Ranch News

www.farmandranchnews.com Volume 38 • Number 10 • 2011 • Farm & Ranch News

www.farmandranchnews.comVolume 38 • Number 10 • 2011 • Farm & Ranch News

He estado pre-parando declaraciones de impuestos por más de 26 años. Para poder dar un excelente servi-cio a mis clientes, he tenido que mantenerme al tanto de todos los cambios en las leyes. La mayoría de nosotros estamos familiarizados con el Número de Seguro Social. To-dos los ciudadanos Americanos y resi-dentes legales tienen uno. Necesita-mos uno para poder aplicar para un empleo, un préstamo y todos espera-mos poder recibir algunos beneficios en el futuro según los reglamentos de la Administración del Seguro Social. Cada contribuyente y cada uno de sus dependientes necesita un número de seguro social para poder completar su declaración de impuestos. Toda per-sona que obtiene cualquier clase de ingreso dentro de los EEUU y no cali-fica para obtener un número de seguro social debería aplicar para obtener un Número de Identificación Personal del Contribuyente (IRS Forma W-7). A continuación encontrara in-formación adquirida directamente de la página del departamento de rentas internas (www.irs.gov):

Información General sobre el ITINQué es un ITIN? Un Número de Identificación Personal del Contribuyente (ITIN), es un número tributario procesador otor-gado por el Servicio de Impuestos In-ternos (IRS). Es un número de nueve dígitos que siempre empieza con el número 9 e incluye los números 70-88 como el cuarto y quinto dígito, ejem-plo: 9XX-70-XXXX. El IRS otorga los ITIN a in-dividuos quienes requieren un número de identificación para fines tributarios en los Estados Unidos pero no tienen ni son elegibles para obtener un Número de Seguro Social (SSN) de la Admin-istración del Seguro Social (SSA). Los ITIN se emiten sin impor-tar el estado migratorio porque tanto residentes como extranjeros pudieran tener obligaciones tributarias de pre-sentar declaraciones y pagos de im-puestos de acuerdo al Código Tribu-tario del IRS. Para recibir un ITIN, indi-viduos tienen que tener el requisito y presentar una declaración federal de

¿Qué es un ITIN? ¿Quién lo necesita?By Petra Lyew/ Bayside Tax Plus

impuestos válida, a me-nos que reúnan alguna ex- cepción.

¿Para qué se usa el ITIN? Los ITIN son para reportes tributarios sola-mente, y no pretenden ser-vir ningún otro propósito. El IRS otorga los ITIN

con el fin de ayudar a individuos cum-plir con las leyes tributarias de los Es-tados Unidos, y para proveer una man-era eficaz de procesar y contabilizar declaraciones y pagos de los que no son elegibles para Números de Seguro Social. Un ITIN no concede el derecho a trabajar en los Estados Unidos ni concede al poseedor beneficios del Se-guro Social ni el Crédito Por Ingreso del Trabajo (EITC).

¿Quién necesita un ITIN? El IRS otorga los ITIN a ex-tranjeros y otros que tienen un requi-sito de reporte tributario o de presentar una declaración y no califican para un SSN. Un extranjero que no es resi-dente y no califica para un SSN, quien tiene un requisito de presentar una declaración federal de impuestos sólo para reclamar un reembolso bajo las provisiones de algún acuerdo con los Estados Unidos, necesita un ITIN.

Ejemplos de individuos que necesitan un ITIN incluyen:• Extranjeros no-residentes que necesitan presentar una declaración federal de impuestos y no son elegibles para obtener un SSN• Extranjeros residentes (según el número de días presentes en EE.UU.) presentando una declaración federal y no son elegibles para obtener un SSN• Dependiente o cónyuge de un ciudadano o extranjero residente• Dependiente o cónyuge de ex-tranjero no-residente con visa

Si usted o alguien a quien ust-ed conoce piense que necesita un ITIN, favor de comunicarse con nosotros para ayudarle a obtenerlo.

Bayside Tax Plus102 Pierce Christie Drive, Suite A

Valrico, FL 33594(813) 685-7810


T h e days have been getting shorter and the nights longer head-ing into De-cember, just like anybody would ex-pect. By the

time you read this, it should be going the other way. Making decisions in the dark can lead to some unfortunate outcomes. Back in the days before electricity, a miserly old farmer was fussing at his hired man because he always carried a lighted lantern when he went to call on his best girl. The old farmer figured it was a waste of money to have a light on the path when his man should know the way pretty well. “Why,” he stated, “when I was a-courtin’ I never carried one of them things. I always found my girl in the dark.” “Yes,” the hired man said matter-of-factly,” and look what you got!” So the darkness has had me thinking about light. Light is a big industry over the world. Everyone wants to have more light, for safety, convenience, and plea-sure. You may know that The Devil’s Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce, is a fa-vorite reference book. Appropriately, it doesn’t contain a definition of light but the one for lighthouse reads, “A tall building on the seashore in which the government maintains a lamp and the friend of a politician.” Even though he is the fourth most productive inventor in history, everyone probably remembers Thomas Edison more for his invention of the light bulb than anything else. As convenient

“Light”by Myke Morris - Contributing Editor

and important as light bulbs are, there is wisdom in an Irish proverb that says, “Firelight will not let you easily read fine stories, but you will feel the warmth and you cannot so easily see the dust on the floor.” Think of this, the poet Emily Dickinson’s last words were “…the fog is rising” and the pioneer in agricultural science, Luther Burbank said, “I don’t feel good.” The great German genius Goethe, as he died, said, “Mehr licht” which means, “More light.” Some people change their ways when they see the light, others only when they feel the heat. I like the Maori proverb, too, “Turn your face to the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.” It is the time of year when we all want more light. The second century Greek physician, Aretaeus of Cappado-cia, prescribed, “Lethargics are to be laid in the light, and exposed to the rays of the sun for the disease is gloom.” And the first century Roman encyclopedia au-thor, Cornelius Celsus suggested, “Live in rooms full of light.” All the lights of the season are as much an effort to cheer the heart as to simply light the way. Goethe also said, “Someday perhaps the inner light will shine forth from us, and then we’ll need no other light.” Someday. Jesus preached to the multitude gathered on the mountain side “Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (ASV)

James Thurber observed, “There are two kinds of light - the glow that il-lumines, and the glare that obscures.” Which brings me to the caution of the month. Feeble humans that we are, we may mistake the glare for light. We may follow the brightness only to find, in the end, that we have missed the true light. Lead kindly light, amid th’ en circling gloom Lead Thou me on; The night is dark and I am far from home; Lead Thou me on. John Henry Newman In the bizarre way that I often have, I’ll take you right back to where I began with the days getting shorter and then starting to get longer again just like we expect. There is comfort in knowing what to expect, in things not changing. The sun always rises in the east and sets in the west and does so on a schedule that can be predicted to the minute for a date 10 years or 1,000 years from now. I leave you to consider the danger in that:

2 Peter 3:2-7 (ASV)

that ye should re-m e m b e r the words which were spoken be-fore by the holy proph-ets, and the command-ments of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles: knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God; by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, per-ished: but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and de-struction of ungodly men.


Our Freedom and the Nation’s Future is in Great Peril! Tis the season, right? Many folks are not so jol-ly this year. In recent past years, most people have had decent jobs. The

reat majority of these jobs were full time jobs that paid salaries that were reason-ably good. The last few years have dra-matically changed that situation. Just a couple of days ago we were told that the jobless rate had dropped a full half percentage point. We are told that the REAL jobless rate in our once great country is now 8.5 %. Of course, we all know that even if this is an accurate (and a real) figure, it is still the highest jobless rate we have had since around 1973. Our economy is not doing well if our jobless rate is even that high, and the truth is that the rate is substan-tially higher than 8.5%. If we were still calculating our jobless rate the same way we were in the late 60’s and 70’s, that rate would cal-culate out to 14 % or higher. The fine bureaucrats in our nation’s Capitol have determined that if they are unable to ac-tually lower the jobless percentage,they would find new ways to calculate the rate. It appears that is the only way they could get this rate down to 8.5%. Many people who used to have good paying, full time jobs, have now accepted jobs that pay at or near mini-mum wage. These are jobs such as con-venience store clerks or burger flippers. Many men now are doing odd jobs for cash payments, but the economy of to-day simply does not allow these folks to work enough hours to make up equal in-come for their lost jobs. Hey Roy! You are supposed to be writing about Agriculture! Well, I know that. All of these tidbits also factor into the health of our Agricultural economy. The failure of our mortgage industry was a direct result of our federal legislators meddling in the mortgage industry. Legislation was passed that re-quired the lenders to finance homes for people who could never afford to repay them. Federal loan guarantees allowed

the davis reportBy Roy Davis- Associate Editor

certain lenders to make many loans, then package them together and sell the loans at a profit. When the loans soured, the holding companies that bought them faced failure. The Feds convinced us that these companies were too big to fail, so they used our tax money to “give” to these institutions so they would stay in business. Of course the feds had to bor-row the money they used to bailout the industry. This, in turn drove the home building industry into the tank. When people quit buying hous-es, they quit buying plants for them.. The Nursery Industry is a very significant part of Agriculture. Many nurseries are no longer in business. I have no direct knowledge of the health of our Tropical Fish industry. My instinct tells me that with family income as unstable as it is, not too many folks are spending very much to renew the fish in their home aquariums. Our Tropical fish sales must be suffering a little too. It would seem that row crop farmers are faring reasonably well. Families must eat and produce, and meat products are still moving. Yet the cost of food products has increased markedly. Government interference in the energy field has an affect there. The federal requirement that all gasoline products must contain at least 10% alco-hol has driven the price of cornmuch higher. This not only increases what we pay for the corn products we put on our table, it raises the cost of produc-tion of beef and pork products, poultry and eggs, even beer and grain alcohol. Food products cost more be-cause of Government meddling into en-ergy products. You probably know that your tax money subsidizes the produc-tion of alcohol for fuel. The feds have to borrow money to finance this alcohol to gas program. If our Government were to quit deficit spending TODAY, and then begin to repay our National debt at the rate of $100 million dollars per day (this calcu-lation does not even factor in the interest on the debt), America would be out of debt in approximately 383 YEARS. That is astounding! Yet, we continue to allow Con-gress to stifle business and Agriculture

with these spending and borrowing pro-grams. It is evident to me that we must change the balance of power in our na-tion’s Capitol. In the three years that Barrack Obama has been our president, his policies, led by the U.S. Senate, have increased our National Debt by more dollars than our country has borrowed in the 235 years that have passed since the founding of our nation. We know that we must work within the system that ex-ists in America today. That means that we must elect a Republican whom we be-lieve will support new poli-cies that will get this debt under control. Which Republi-can, you might ask? At this point I do not know. I suggest that you listen to what the vari-

ous candidates have to say, and care-fully evaluate them. Sometime around the middle of July, I will announce my choice for the President whom we should want to lead us from 2012 forward. It might be one of today’s candi-dates, and it could be a new face whom we have not yet considered. You all must keep doing your homework, and I will continue to evaluate these folks. Mean-while we must keep our eye on the road and our hand on the wheel.


Can you believe it is December already?! It is and time to review the vari-ous advocating and coverage venues that Farm & Ranch News has done around the State in 2011. Not everything we do is published but here are a few things from this year. We would like to give a special thank you to ALL of our advertisers as your support helps us support others in a variety of ways.

This year’s coverage began with the inauguration of Governor Rick Scott and his cabinet. Farm & Ranch News was the only agricultural newspaper covering the events as well as speaking to various politicians alongside television and news media from around the State.

Farm & Ranch News walked the Legislative Halls in Tallahassee with the Florida Cattlemen and women during the Cattlemen’s Lobbying Day. Here University of Florida’s Dr. Jack Payne ad-dresses the group before they head out.

Farm & Ranch News met with and covered FFA members in Tallahassee dur-ing their Ag on the Hill Day.

2011: A Year In ReviewFarm & Ranch News covered Agriculture, FFA and 4H like the SunshineBy Stephanie Farmer - Associate Publisher


We covered Governor Rick Scott’s address to over 500 4-H members during 4-H Day at the Capitol.

Water is one of the big issues we have been following this year. We have been keeping up with a variety of topics from the Tri-States Water Wars to the Numeric Nutrient Act. Commissioner Putnam speaks to a crowd at the Water Forum in Orlando this summer.

When USF students wanted to hold the first ever farmer’s market on campus they contacted Farm & Ranch News for help and guidance.

When the Florida Wildlife Commission proposed deer tagging rules, hunters asked for guidance in working with government. Farm & Ranch News traveled to various FWC meetings around the State, including Apalachicola to help and to learn firsthand what was being proposed.

This year has been fraught with headaches for Florida’s oyster industry. We have spent most of this year working on a variety of issues that all boil down to communication between industry and government. Sarah Ward with 13-Mile Seafood Market displays some fresh Apalachicola oysters and other seafood.

Continued on page 26


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What is an ITIN? Who needs one?By Petra Lyew/ Bayside Tax Plus

I’ve been preparing income tax returns for the past 26 years. In or-der to be an excellent tax preparer, I’ve had to keep up with the many changes. Many of us are familiar with what a Social Security Number is. All Ameri-can citizens and legal residents have one. We use them to apply for a job or a loan and we all hope that when the time comes, we can get some benefit from the Social Security Administra-tion. Every taxpayer and his or her dependents need a social security num-ber to file his or her income tax return. Everybody else that earns any money in the U.S. and does not qualify for a social security number should apply for an Individual Taxpayer Identifica-tion Number (IRS Form W-7). I have copied directly from the IRS website (www.irs.gov) the follow-ing information:

General ITIN InformationWhat is an ITIN?An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) is a tax processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service. It is a nine-digit number that always begins with the number 9 and has a range of 70-88 in the fourth and fifth digit. Effective April 12, 2011, the range was extended to include 90-92 and 94-99 in the fourth and fifth digit, example 9XX-90-XXXX. IRS issues ITINs to individuals who are required to have a U.S. taxpayer identification number but who do not have, and are not eligible to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN)

from the Social Security Administration (SSA). ITINs are issued regard-less of immigration status because both resident and nonresident aliens may have a U.S. filing or reporting re-quirement under the Internal Revenue Code. Individuals must have a filing require-ment and file a valid federal income tax return to receive an ITIN, unless they meet an exception.

What is an ITIN used for?ITINs are for federal tax reporting only, and are not intended to serve any other purpose. IRS issues ITINs to help individuals comply

with the U.S. tax laws, and to provide a means to efficiently process and ac-count for tax returns and payments for those not eligible for Social Security Numbers (SSNs). An ITIN does not authorize work in the U.S. or provide eligibility for Social Security benefits or the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Who needs an ITIN?IRS issues ITINs to foreign nationals and others who have federal tax report-ing or filing requirements and do not qualify for SSNs. A non-resident alien individual not eligible for a SSN who is required to file a U.S. tax return only to claim a refund of tax under the pro-visions of a U.S. tax treaty needs an ITIN.

Other examples of individuals who need ITINs include: • A nonresident alien required to file a U.S. tax return • A U.S. resident alien (based on days present in the United States) filing a U.S. tax return • A dependent or spouse of a U.S. citizen/resident alien • A dependent or spouse of a nonresi-dent alien visa holder

If you think that you or some-one you know might need an ITIN, please get in touch with us for assis-tance.

Bayside Tax Plus102 Pierce Christie Drive, Suite A

Valrico, FL 33594(813) 685-7810


Gloria Hastings contacted Farm & Ranch News as her daughter Darby, a 4-H and FFA member, was diagnosed in June with a kidney disease called FSGS. Gloria said, “There is no cure, only treat-ment with medications to prolong her life which eventually leads to renal failure.” She asked us to do a story about a fund-raiser for “NephCure Walk” in Largo in hopes that funds raised would find a cure. We also put a special link on our website to the fundraiser as an extra way of helping. As always, issues are often re-solved by people taking the time to write letters, make phone calls and/or a special visit to those in government. We at Farm & Ranch News applaud everyone’s efforts again this year. It takes a team effort.

2011: A Year In ReviewFarm & Ranch News covered Agriculture, FFA and 4H like the SunshineBy Stephanie Farmer - Associate Publisher

Thankfully, this was a relatively quiet year for Extension and 4-H around the State. A few issues did crop us such as a proposed fee on Direct Support Organizations and some budget issues. But, all were worked out. These hard times have helped agriculture receive the recognition it deserves as the number one economic generator for our State.

When it looked like the Sub Tropical Ag Research Station in Brooksville might be closed due to funding issues, we dropped by for a visit to learn more about what they do. Everything worked out thanks to a lot of supporters.

Farm & Ranch News was honored with a personal one on one interview with Governor Rick Scott.

Immigration is not an issue taken lightly among Florida’s ag community. Farm & Ranch News tries to keep up to date on the latest when traveling the state and at various events. Gary Wish-natzki of Wishnatzki Farms spoke about these issues to the Plant City Day Break Rotary Club. The bottom line, as stated at the recent Florida Ag Expo in Balm, is that individual farmers must contact their government officials as government needs to hear from them, not just organizations. Our government wants to hear directly from YOU, the individual farmer!

When things looked tough budget-wise for Miami- Dade Extension and 4-H with a proposed closure of 4-H and about an 80% cut to Extension, Farm & Ranch News traveled to Miami. The great news is it all worked out with 4-H and Extension receiving the funding they needed. In this photo is Emily Freeman. She visited County Commissioner Suarez about the proposed budget cuts and explained the importance of Extension and 4-H. He was so impressed; he asked her if she would like to be part of the Youth Commission Administration to help give Commissioners insight from a youth’s perspective!

When Iraqui 4-H leaders visitedFlorida 4-H, Farm & Ranch News was there talking to them one-on-one

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