By Brian McBride
Associate Editor

A local farmer who is supporting citrus engineering, helping to improve the way the fruit tastes and is grown, was honored as Farm Family of the Year Nov. 18

National Farm-City Week, which celebrates the collaboration between the farming industry and business sector, made its way to Osceola County last week, with two families being recognized for their contributions to the partnership.

As part of the weeklong celebrations, every year a ranching or farming family is selected by the Osceola County Farm Bureau to be the recipient of the Farm Family Award, and a city business family is chosen by the Kiwanis Club of Kissimmee to receive the City Family Award.

The American Farm Bureau Federation and Kiwanis International began celebrating Farm-City Week in 1955.

The farm of Orie and Louis Lee, east of St. Cloud, is 100 years and has been passed down three generations, Orie said. They were named Farm Family of the Year.

“I didn’t think we deserved that recognition,” Orie said. “We are a quiet, country couple.

Orie, 84, works on his farm daily. He allows researchers from the University of Florida to use his farm for citrus engineering.

“They bring it to me. We plant and care for it on the farm under commercial conditions for six to eight years until we have enough to produce data to permit a valid evaluation,” Orie said.

Orie works under contract with Minute Maid to grow oranges.

Some studies done on the citrus include time of maturity, quality of the juice, flavor of the juice and color of the juice.

“We have helped identify eight to new variety (of oranges) used commercially,” Orie said. “We are part of the process in evaluating better food as far as citrus goes.”

He’s lived on the farm for 62 years and doesn’t plan to quit anytime soon.

“I plan to do it as long as I’m able to continue,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed it.”

City Family of the Year

The Murray Overstreet family was named City Family of the Year.

“I’m overwhelmed by it,” Overstreet said. “I was very surprised.”

The City Family of the Year is determined by how much it has supported agriculture over the years.

The Overstreets, a pioneer family that came to Kissimmee in the 1800s, has been involved in cattle and citrus for “years and years and years,” Overstreet said.

Overstreet has five children, one being Osceola County Attorney Jo Thacker.

The farm and city family awards are held each year to bring both worlds together, said Mary Beth Salisbury, Osceola County Extension Office director.

“The whole idea is to get the city and farm folks to understand each other,” she said.