Here Are the Latest Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Inductees
December 8, 2020 Global pandemic or not, the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame is forging on to carry out its longstanding mission to honor leaders in the industry. The Selection Committee for the organization recently announced four more industry influencers will be inducted as the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
The latest honorees include John Jackson, Lew Prosser, former State Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, and Steve Sorrells. The four will be recognized during the 58th Citrus Celebration Luncheon, tentatively scheduled for Nov. 5, 2021 at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. The luncheon, which normally takes place in spring, was moved as a precaution due to the pandemic.
Get to Know the More About the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Class of 2021
John Jackson was inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame last year and has led a distinguished career as a county Extension Agent IV (Professor) for almost 40 years before heading up the Florida Citrus Industry Research Coordinating Council, which was responsible for determining citrus industry research priorities and projects. During his citrus career, he was responsible for such innovations as Florida’s Automated Weather Network (FAWN) and Water Conserv II, encouraging citrus producers to use reclaimed water for irrigation.
John Jackson
He established the Mid-Florida Citrus Foundation (MFCF) as the research arm of the effort and served as the MFCF manager for more than 20 years. Jackson is the only extension agent in Florida ever to have been recognized twice with USDA’s distinguished Award of Superior Service: one for his work with reclaimed water, the other for his work with FAWN. He was a member of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame for more than 40 years, serving as Chairman from 2006- 2019.
Lew Prosser (1899- 1996) began his career in the citrus industry in 1921, working for R.W. Burch, Inc., eventually assuming ownership in 1928.Two years later, he had become the third largest independent citrus shipper in Florida. He created the first farm production credit association in the Plant City area, sponsored by a forerunner to the Federal Production Credit Association, organized the first and only citrus canning plant in the area, Citrus Products Co., and created the Florida Mixed Car Company, which specialized in marketing mixed carlot shipments of citrus and produce on one rail car.
Lew Prosser
He underwrote a three-year long case against the ICC in the mid-1930s that resulted in significant relief for produce growers and shippers by requiring express companies to provide full refrigerated car service for produce at reduced rates. The landmark ruling resulted in increased shipments of produce from Plant City, eventually paving the way for the state’s largest farmers’ market.
Known as Plant City’s “Quiet Entrepreneur,” Prosser was the author of “Early History of the Produce Industry in Plant City” and passed away in 1996 at the age of 97.
Adam Putnam is a fifth-generation Floridian and third-generation farmer whose public service career began with serving in the Florida House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000, followed with his election to the U.S. House of Representatives for five terms. He served as the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture during the past two decades. During his tenure, he assisted and coordinated virtually every political aspect of the Florida citrus industry’s needs to preserve and protect the industry – helping to obtain much needed funding to combat a variety of problems over the years such as canker, hurricanes, and citrus greening.
Adam Putnam
He has provided leadership on food safety laws, water issues, government transparency, the preservation of the Florida Everglades, and created the “Fresh from Florida” campaign to raise awareness and access to fresh fruits and vegetables from Florida. His efforts in maintaining international market access for Florida citrus trade during his tenure helped keep export markets viable and his leadership in recovery efforts after the hurricanes in 2004 helped farmers get back on their feet.
Currently the CEO of Ducks Unlimited, headquartered in Memphis, TN, Putnam owns Putnam Groves Inc., a family-owned and operated citrus farm and cattle ranch located in Central Florida.
Steve Sorrells has been a giant in the Florida citrus industry for more than 47 years, growing a family business from 400 acres in 1972 to its current production of 5,500 acres. One of his biggest contributions to the industry was being the first grower to utilize the U.S. Department of Labor’s H-2A visa program to obtain labor to harvest citrus more than 20 years ago, helping promote the program to other growers and making it a common practice that has modernized the industry’s labor force and state regulations. Sorrells has been a tireless advocate on improving the program for the benefit of growers and labor alike.
Steve Sorrells
He has served on numerous industry boards and organizations and is the only two-time president of Florida Citrus Mutual, where he led the industry through the tariff and anti-dumping battles with Brazil. Sorrells chaired the Citrus Tariff Oversight Committee, which directed the industry strategy on how to preserve the tariff on imported OJ while also making sure that exporters were playing by the rules. An innovator in production, Sorrells served as chairman of the original Florida Citrus Production Research Advisory Council and has embraced new technology and practices in rehabilitating groves that could soon become industry standards.
For more information about the 58th Citrus Celebration Luncheon, which is sponsored by Florida Citrus Mutual and the Florida Department of Citrus, visit FloridaCitrusHallofFame.com.
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