About 50 people from around Florida gathered at Florida Farm Bureau (FFB) headquarters in Gainesville for a listening session about rural job creation, where USDA Rural Development and Farm Service Agency officials listened to ideas from all attending. Posing a list of questions to the crowd, FFBF President John Hoblick moderated the session as various attendees spoke their minds. Naturally, a myriad of ideas were discussed, among them, 
high-speed on-line access for more rural areas, reducing federal regulations and adjusting tax laws to ease pressure on agriculturists and the business sector. Among those attending (photo left, left to right) Interim UF/IFAS VP Larry Arrington, Florida Citrus Mutual’s Mike Sparks, Florida Fertilizer and Agrichmical Association’s Mary Hartney, and Florida Nurserymen and Landscape Assn’s Ben Bolusky. The listeining session is part of President Obama’s effort to find ways to stimulate job creation.