[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13350]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING VIC STORY JR., 2015 FLORIDA FARMER OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANIEL WEBSTER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 29, 2015

  Mr. WEBSTER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to take this 
opportunity to recognize a close friend of mine whose dedication to the 
citrus industry has greatly impacted our Central Florida community. Mr. 
Vic Story Jr. of Lake Wales, Florida was recently named the 2015 
Swisher Sweets/Sunbelt Expo Florida Farmer of the Year. Mr. Story 
oversees The Story Companies, his family-owned and operated business, 
which includes land holdings, citrus management, citrus marketing and 
harvesting for over 7,000 acres of citrus in Polk, Hardee, Highlands, 
and Hendry counties.
  In 1945, upon returning home from fighting in World War II, Mr. 
Story's parents moved to Polk County, Florida and purchased 100 acres. 
Mr. Story, along with his brother, Terry, helped his father plant their 
property with an orange and grapefruit grove until all the land was 
planted in citrus. Mr. Story's father, Vic Sr. grew the family's grove 
into a successful enterprise after surviving the major citrus freezes 
in 1957-58. In 1965, they began purchasing other citrus groves in the 
area, and by 1984, they had started a harvesting company. Today Mr. 
Story serves as the President and Chairman of the Board of The Story 
Companies for the family farm. He has passed on the management of the 
family business to his two sons, Kyle and Matt.
  This October, Mr. Story and his family will head to Moultrie, Georgia 
for the Sunbelt Ag Expo, where he will compete with nine other state 
winners for the Southeastern Farmer of the Year. He is most deserving 
of being named 2015 Florida Farmer of the Year. His leadership, 
dedication, and passion continue to be an inspiration to us all.

                          ____________________