Roy Gene Davis is a dedicated servant of Florida agriculture. The owner and operator of two successful wholesale nurseries in the Tampa area, he is also an undaunted community activist and a generous volunteer. He has worked hard to promote Florida’s agricultural products and the industry, and he has mentored many young people interested in agricultural careers. He has been fighting for the rights of farmers, ranchers, and growers for nearly 50 years.
Davis was born in Fitzgerald, Georgia, in 1932, and moved to Brandon, Florida, with his family when he was just three years old. He received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Florida in 1953. After spending a number of years in the Air Force, Davis moved to Tampa and became manager of the garden department at Sears. He went on to manage the garden department at Montgomery Ward before buying 20 acres and establishing his first nursery.
Opening in 1962, Tampa Wholesale Nursery was an immediate success. Davis bought more land, and soon the nursery boasted 62 acres of woody ornamental plants. In 1979 Davis and his wife, Leta, entered into a partnership with Pete and Bette Walker to form Big Tree Nursery. Big Tree was also successful, and the Davises bought out the Walkers’ interest in 1992.
The demands of running two nurseries did not deter Davis from volunteering in the agricultural community. He has contributed his time, talents, money, plant material, equipment, and staff to a variety of organizations, including Future Farmers of America, 4-H, and the Florida State Fair. Each year he donates his services as an auctioneer to the American Camellia Society Auction, the Pasco County Youth Plant Sale, and many other charitable events that benefit the nursery industry. In the 1970s he helped FFA and 4-H plan produce their first Youth Plant Show and Sale at the Florida Strawberry Festival; this fundraising event now brings in over $40,000 annually.
Each spring Davis is in Tallahassee for the legislative session. He is well known to elected and appointed officials in state government and has supported many ag-friendly legislative initiatives, including the Farm Theft Bill, the Bert Harris Act and other property rights legislation, water measures, and agricultural sales tax exemptions.
Davis has worked tenaciously to correct individual injustices suffered by local farmers. He has testified before local governments for many years on growth management issues, landscape ordinances, and enforcement issues affecting nurserymen and landscape contractors. As a popular columnist in a number of publications, he gives voice to the concerns and the perspective of the farming community. He is an outspoken member of the Hillsborough County Citizens Environmental Action Committee and the Hillsborough County Parks Board.
Davis is involved in a wide array of industry groups and has risen through the ranks of every agricultural organization with which he has been affiliated. A longtime member of the Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association, he was elected president of that organization in 1985. Davis served five terms as president of the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau and is the founding chairman of the Tampa Bay Wholesale Growers Trade Show, the largest and most successful local plant trade show in the United States.
Davis’s leadership in his community and his industry has won him many accolades. In 1987 the Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association presented him with its highest honor, the Wendall Butler Award for Outstanding Nurseryman of the Year. In 2003 he earned Hillsborough County’s Moral Courage Award, which recognizes Hillsborough County residents who challenge local government bureaucracy. That same year, he received Hillsborough County’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Harvest Award for Lifetime Achievement in Agriculture.
Roy and Leta Davis live in Dover. They have two grown children, Steven and Michael.
Lillie “Belle” Jeffords was one of Florida agriculture’s most beloved and effective ambassadors. She was totally committed to the advancement of Florida’s cattle industry and had the energy, enthusiasm, and natural leadership skills to make good things happen for Florida’s farmers and ranchers. Dynamic, tenacious, and downright feisty, Jeffords fought fiercely to protect and preserve her way of life. She was determined to wring everything she could from each day. She did it all—and she did it all well. Her farm produced record yields, she brought up four wonderful daughters, and she rose from humble beginnings to become a powerful and trusted leader in her industry and her community.
Farming was in Jeffords’ blood. She was born in rural Columbia County in 1924 into a large farming family. The 12th of 13 children, she grew up working in the fields alongside her parents and her brothers and sisters. The family didn’t own a tractor and did everything by hand or with the help of a mule. This hard work prepared Jeffords for the challenges that lay ahead.
Life was difficult. By the time Jeffords was 15, both her parents had died and she was pretty much on her own. She moved in with her high school principal and his wife, caring for their young children after school to earn her keep. By 16 she had dropped out of school, and by 17 she was married. Her husband, Roy, was a farmer in Alachua, and when Jeffords became his wife, she also became a partner on the farm.
In the early days of their marriage, Roy and Belle Jeffords farmed peanuts, tobacco, hay, and watermelons. Later, they shifted their focus to beef. In 1959 they received a corn production award—they were the top un-irrigated corn producers in Alachua County. Things were going well. Then, in 1960, tragedy struck. Roy died suddenly, following a short illness, and Jeffords was left with four young daughters to raise and a farm to run.
Despite a family dispute over the ownership of the land and her own medical problems, Jeffords clung to the farm. She farmed up to 500 acres with the help of just one hired man, C.B. Freeman. The hard work paid off; the farm was successful. In 1971 Jeffords and Freeman received a Two-Ton Peanut Production Award from the Florida Cooperative Extension Service.
Jeffords approached motherhood with the same kind of passion and energy she put into farming. She became a Girl Scout leader and was active in the Parent Teacher Association. As her children left home, she expanded her sphere of influence, becoming involved in a wide range of industry groups and civic organizations.
She was a member of the Alachua County Cattlemen’s Association and the first woman ever elected president of that organization. In 1982 she became president of the Florida CowBelles’ Association (now known as Florida Cattlewomen). She served on the Florida Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Alachua County Green Belt Task Force and was a member of the Florida Woman’s Club. In addition, she was a poll worker in Alachua County for nearly 30 years.
Jeffords was an unflagging promoter of the cattle industry. She was also a vigorous grassroots campaign organizer and political activist for her farm and her industry. She fought for property rights and fair taxation and against undo government regulation, which she feared would cripple agriculture. She organized the first Florida Beef Cook-off, which has since become a major beef promotion event. As district chairman of the state Beef Referendum Committee, she traveled across Florida urging cattlemen to support the Beef Check-off Program, which was passed in 1988.
Jeffords’ leadership in agriculture won her numerous awards and honors. In 1980 she was named Cattlewoman of the Year by the Florida Cattlemen’s Association. She received an Outstanding Service Award from the Alachua County Cattlemen’s Association in 1982 and was made an honorary member of the University of Florida’s Block and Bridle Club in 1985. In 1989 the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services named Jeffords Woman of the Year in Agriculture.
Belle Jeffords left Florida agriculture better than she found it, and the contributions she made to the cattle industry will serve as a lasting legacy. She died in 2005 and is survived by her daughters, Martha, Barbara, Diane, and Jan.
James Neville McArthur came to Florida as a young man with nothing but an education and a sterling reputation. Twenty-five years later, he had revolutionized the dairy industry in the Sunshine State, and his reputation remained untarnished. He was known and is remembered as an astute businessman, a forward-thinking innovator, and a philanthropist of uncommon vision, compassion, and generosity.
McArthur was born in 1893 on a farm in rural Mississippi. Although McArthur’s father could barely read or write, he was determined that all 10 of his children would be educated and go to college. After completing high school, McArthur enrolled at Mississippi State College in Starkville, where he graduated in 1916 with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture.
After a stint in the Army during World War I, McArthur went back to school, attending the University of Florida and earning a second bachelor’s degree, this time in education. His education degree helped him land the position of principal at Miami’s Dade County Agricultural High School. In Miami McArthur found fulfillment in work that combined his two greatest loves: teaching and agriculture. He taught his students many practical skills, including how to run a dairy, how to bottle the milk, and how to market the end product.
In 1929 after eight years at the high school, McArthur found the opportunity to put his teaching into practice and established McArthur Jersey Dairy Farms. In the beginning the farm had just 20 cows, and McArthur was bottling the milk and selling it himself door to door. His only employees were a couple of friends who agreed to work for nothing more than food and a place to stay.
McArthur approached the operation of the farm with a kind of fearlessness, experimenting with new techniques and working his fingers to the bone. The hard work paid off. His herd grew to 5,000, then 10,000, and for a time the farm was one of the largest privately held and operated dairy farms in the world.
Throughout his lifetime, McArthur continued to improve and modernize his dairy. He made use of the latest science and technology and pioneered many new practices, including artificial insemination and the use of milking machines. He broke new ground in the management of large herds and in the application of the science of genetics. He opened a state-of-the-art milk-processing plant in 1951 and acquired a second plant in the 1970s. By introducing modern dairy farming practices and dairy processing technology, he helped Florida become the largest milk-producing state in the Southeast.
McArthur had established an enterprise that would serve as a prototype for other dairy operations in the region. Over the years many of his fellow dairymen sought his advice, and he was always eager to share his knowledge and expertise. McArthur took a leadership role in the Florida Dairy Producers Association and the Independent Dairy Producers Association, constantly pushing to improve the industry. He did everything in his power to enhance the image of Florida milk and milk products.
Despite all his success, McArthur never lost touch with his core values. He was a generous, very moral man who wanted to share the benefits of his success with others. Through the J.N. McArthur Foundation, he donated a million dollars to the University of Miami to build its School of Engineering. He built an athletic dormitory in memory of his father at the University of Mississippi and helped fund the construction of a new building for the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He funded the McArthur Hall of Science and Technology at Miami-Dade College and donated 40 acres so a new high school could be built in Broward County.
James Neville McArthur died in 1972, but his legacy lives on. The J.N. McArthur Foundation continues to fund education, and McArthur Farms, now 76 years old, remains one of Florida’s largest and most successful dairies, milking 8,500 cows.
Dudley Adelbert Putnam gave his leadership and support to Florida’s agriculture throughout his life. As a pioneering citrus grower and cattle rancher in Central Florida, he was active in a variety of efforts having long-term positive effects on the industry. Putnam personified the traits that have made Florida’s farmers and ranchers among the best in the world: He exhibited honesty, integrity, a strong work ethic, a solid commitment to family and community, and boundless love of the land.
Putnam was born in Chicago in 1909 and moved to Central Florida with his family when he was a child. His father had purchased substantial acreage at Hesperides in the Lake Wales area near Alcoma during the Florida land boom. After losing nearly everything he owned in the land bust of the 1920s, Putnam’s father returned to Chicago, leaving his three sons behind. Putnam scraped together enough money to pay taxes on the Lake Wales property and hold onto it. He saved money, purchased more land, and—little by little, as he could afford it—he began planting citrus.
Putnam began to raise cattle, too. He was never afraid of hard work, and that’s what it took to see his ranches and groves through such challenges as falling prices, hurricanes, and devastating freezes. He rebuilt and replanted time and again in the wake of storms and cold weather. He refused to allow himself to become discouraged.
Putnam’s business philosophy combined fiscal conservatism with a progressive attitude toward technology. In the 1930s he was one of the first individuals to establish a long-distance trucking company. He started his citrus hauling business with one restored burnt-out truck, and when the business took off he pioneered the use of tandem-axle trailer trucks for fruit hauling. He went from cross-country shipping to citrus processing. With the help of C.E. “Tiny” Williams, he sold shares of stock to establish a state-of-the-art processing plant in Bartow.
Despite his hectic schedule, Putnam made time to offer assistance to his fellow growers. He saw great value in professional organizations. Through them he worked unstintingly to improve the economic conditions of citrus producers and other farmers. A founding member of the Polk County Farm Bureau, he served on its board for over 50 years, in every leadership position. Putnam was also active at the state level in the Farm Bureau, serving as state director, vice president, treasurer, and secretary. He was a charter member of the American Hereford Association, the Florida Hereford Association, and Florida Citrus Mutual.
Putnam was not afraid to stand up for the interests of agriculture and was particularly vocal on water and tax issues. During his many years with the Farm Bureau, he spearheaded “out of the box” ideas while lobbying on behalf of farmers and ranchers. He worked to help pass the Greenbelt Exemption for Florida agriculture and helped secure a gasoline tax refund for gas used in farm tractors. In Tallahassee and Washington, Putnam demonstrated an uncanny ability to bring members of the industry together to fight for the cause of agriculture. He was humble when describing his efforts: “I lent my support to anything that was positive for agriculture,” he said. “When I finished one battle, it was time to take up another. There is always another challenge.”
Putnam instilled his love of agriculture in his son and grandsons. They joined the business and kept it in the family. Today Putnam Groves and Dudley Putnam, Inc., include more than 800 acres of citrus in Polk County and 5,500 acres of cattle ranches in Polk, Hardee, and Highlands counties.
Charles Raymond “Chuck” Smith has dedicated his very productive and energetic life to improving, promoting, and protecting Florida agriculture. The industry could not have asked for a more passionate advocate. Smith has served agriculture in a variety of capacities, as a county extension agent, a farm manager, and a legislator. In each position he has worked diligently to effect positive change.
Smith was born in 1928 in Webster, Florida. Like many young men of the 1940s, he entered military service shortly after high school, enlisting in the Air Force. When his tour of duty was complete, he enrolled in the University of Florida, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture in 1953. That same year, he accepted a job as an assistant county extension agent in Citrus County.
He was promoted to county agent a year later, working in Hernando and Liberty counties. As an agent, he spent many hours helping rural people as they struggled to combat hog cholera and improve their swine herds. He was not afraid to get his hands dirty as he worked to assist his neighbors.
Smith was elected to the Hernando County Commission in 1966 and served 12 years. In 1967 he became general manager of the Hernando Egg Cooperative. He spent years helping to promote the use and sale of broilers and eggs.
In 1978 he was elected to the Florida House of Representatives, where he served until 1992. During his legislative tenure, he made it his mission to protect agriculture and the natural resources on which the industry depends. He helped create the Market Improvement Working Capital Trust Fund, to be used for the operation and maintenance of agricultural facilities. He also assisted in the creation of the Surface Water Improvement and Management program, which addresses water quality issues and works to rehabilitate degraded water bodies. He wrote the first bill on Everglades restoration and helped draft legislation to provide excise tax exemption for fuels used in certain agricultural purposes. “I helped and opposed Chuck Smith on many issues,” said former House member Everett Kelly, “but there was never any doubt that if you attacked agriculture he would be your worst enemy. He worked tirelessly in all parts of the legislative process to protect and promote agriculture and would take on the highest or the lowest state or national government official in defense of agriculture.”
Smith’s dedicated service to the industry has won him many awards and honors. In 1961 he was presented with an Outstanding Achievement Award by the Hernando County Chamber of Commerce. In 1989 he received a Ten-Year Service Award from the Florida Poultry Federation. That same year, he was named Legislator of the Year by the Florida Farm Bureau. In 1995 he received the Agriculture Volunteer of the Year Award from the Hillsborough County Cooperative Extension Service.
Smith is a founding member of the Florida Agricultural Coalition and a past president of the Florida Federation of Fairs and Livestock Shows and the Florida Poultry Federation. He is currently serving as executive vice president of the Florida Poultry Federation and director of the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation. He is involved in the activities of the State Poultry Executives Association and the American Egg Board.
Smith lives in Brooksville with his wife, Mildred. They have three grown children -- Linda, Randy, and David -- and five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
