Following the retirement of Executive Director Ted Campbell, the Florida Strawberry Growers Association selected a new leader, Kenneth Parker. His background is as local as the berries that come from the fields of Plant City.
Campbell held the position for six years. He lived in Naples but commuted weekly between the two cities.
“That wasn’t the lifestyle I had in mind when I took that job,” Campbell said. “I had some personal strains … but it was for the good of the growers.”
He said he appreciated how the people of Plant City had been so hospitable and welcomed him as an outsider.
Now that Campbell has retired, he is able to remain in Naples with his wife.
“I did my duty and got (the association) on the right direction, and they’ve hired a really excellent replacement,” Campbell said.
After Campbell announced he would be retiring, the search began for another leader. Tommy Brock, one of the founding members of the FSGA, knew Parker personally and called to ask whether he would be interested in the job.
“I thought about that for a minute, and I said, ‘Tommy, 10 years ago, I would not have considered it. Ten years from now, I might wish I had not.’” Parker said. “But, after talking with a lot of my friends who are in the industry, they thought it would be a very positive thing for the association, and the board then voted unanimously to hire me as their new director.”
Parker said he was humbled by that unanimous vote. His first day on the job was Aug. 5.
Parker grew up on family land near Lithia. Both he and his wife, Dee, have large families in the area.
“We always had a few cows,” he said. “My grandfather had some oranges. I had opportunities right out of college to travel around the country, but I never really wanted to leave Plant City.”
The FSGA can expect changes under Parker’s leadership.
“One of my goals is to really unite all of the growers,” he said. “We would like every grower to be a member of the association. There’s enough serious challenges ahead of us that we need to all be together.”
One of those challenges, from a business perspective, is competition. Companies that grow strawberries in Mexico compete with the Florida market, because they have the same growing season.
“But, we are the most locally grown strawberries in the wintertime to two-thirds of the country,” Parker said. “So, hopefully, that message will sell well with the consumers.”
Keeping in mind the goal of producing the most desirable strawberries possible, the FSGA funds plant breeding research at the University of Florida.
Another challenge is the labor intensity that strawberries demand.
“Every strawberry plant is hand-planted annually,” Parker said. “Every acre is harvested by hand twice a week. That becomes the need for a skilled, reliable work force.”
Parker’s leadership role in the community extends far beyond his new position. He is an associate director of the Florida Strawberry Festival and superintendent of the Steer Committee. He also serves on the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau board and is an associate board member of the Florida FFA Foundation. In Lithia, Parker is a co-owner of a commercial cow and calf operation called South Prong Ranch, as well as a deacon at Welcome Baptist Church.
“It’s nice to have had a legacy left here, but we can’t assume that we’re entitled to anything,” Parker said. “We want to continue to work hard together — all stakeholders in this industry.”
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.