BAKER — Being approached by a lumbering 650-pound porker can be unsettling, until the hog proves he's just eager to make a new friend who'll rub his jowls and ears.

Hilltop Farm gallery photos>>

This particular pig is Peter, the breed hog on Grundel Hilltop Farm, and he has plenty of reasons to wear a big grin, including the hearty rubbing he gets from farmer Dr. Don Grundel.

Peter and his mates, Pansy and Peaches, are Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, and thanks to a handful of pig farmers such as Grundel, their breed was rescued from the brink of extinction.

Today there are about 200 registered breeding Gloucestershire sows in the United States, and only one breeder in Florida, Grundel said. Between 300 and 500 of the pigs remain in their native England.

Almost 1,000 of the pigs in the U.S., including Peter and his family, aren't registered, Grundel said.

"They've got a great temperament," Grundel said as he rubbed Peter's snout, evoking a chorus of grunts and snorts. "Any other breed hog of this size, you'd never be able to get close to."

Gloucestershire Old Spots are pasture pigs; they prefer to forage in fields that he has planted with peas, okra, squash and, soon, rape (also known as colza), rather than being confined to a sty waiting for food.

Grundel feeds Peter and his family, including several 4-month-olds, pig chow to supplement the vegetation.

A local tradition

Though the breed is new to north Okaloosa County, raising pigs is a tradition that dates back to the region's earliest settlers.

Older residents recall the excitement of hog butchering day, when the whole family would pitch in to help produce sausages, hang meat in the smokehouse, render lard and make cracklin's.

"At the turn of the century, the pig was the No. 1 meat source around here," Grundel said. "For black residents, 90 percent of the meat they ate was pork."

George Washington Carver's first published article at the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute Experiment Station instructed pig owners to harvest autumn acorns as pig feed, Grundel said.

"The pigs are acorn vacuums," Grundel said. "They love 'em. Forage pigs raised on acorns make great lard."

Very little of a slaughtered Hilltop Farm pig goes to waste. Meat is sold to a waiting list of customers, and fat is rendered into lard for cooking and soap making.

Soap making

Grundel makes scented soaps in a large cast-iron Dutch oven in the family's kitchen. As lard combines with lye and water, it produces soap and glycerol, which Grundel leaves in the soap.

"It has a moisturizing effect," he said.

Saturday morning, Grundel produced several dozen bars of lavender soap in less than an hour. As the mixture in the pot reached the right thickness, it was immediately ladled into molds.

"Sometimes it thickens so fast that he's yelling, "Bonnie, come help!'" his wife said.

After setting up overnight, the filled molds were moved to a cabinet to cure for two weeks. The couple sells the soap at festivals and fairs, including the annual Baker Heritage Festival in November.

Hilltop Farm is a hobby rather than a vocation for Don, an Eglin Air Force Base engineer, and Bonnie, a local physician assistant. They also raise a few Big Black and Berkshire pigs, horses and chickens.

"Pig farming doesn't pay the bills," he said, adding his daytime job "pays for the pigs."

Contact News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker farm raises rare Gloucestershire pigs (GALLERY)

Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have announced four additional license-free fishing days.     

Florida annually offers four days on which the recreational fishing license requirement is waived for residents and visitors. Saltwater license-free fishing days this year were June 1 and Sept. 1; freshwater days were April 6 and June 8.

During its Sept. 5 meeting, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission added four more license-free fishing days to the calendar; the Florida Legislature approved this increase earlier this year. Additional saltwater license-free fishing days will be Oct. 12 and Nov. 30. Additional freshwater license-free days will be Nov. 29 and Dec. 28. 

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Scott, Florida Fish & Wildlife add four more license-free fishing days

Goldenrod is a familiar sight this time of year, with its showy yellow flowers held high on stems swaying from autumn winds.

A field full of these vivid yellow blossoms, with a bright blue fall sky as a backdrop, is a sight to behold. Too often, this plant is blamed for the sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes that many people suffer while goldenrod blooms.

However, the common culprit causing these allergy symptoms is ragweed, not goldenrod. Ragweed blooms at the same time — August to frost — as goldenrod.

Ragweed releases its billions of tiny, lightweight pollen grains into the air this time of year. This windborne pollen causes much of the hay fever problems.

Goldenrod pollen is too large, heavy and sticky to be windborne; it relies on insects to carry its pollen. I suppose if you nestle your nose into a cluster of goldenrod flowers and take a big sniff, the pollen might bother you, but otherwise, it is not going to get into your nose.

Goldenrod is an innocent bystander; ragweed remains camouflaged while releasing pollen and it visually blends in with other green plants.

Despite the fact that common ragweed, an annual, can grow 3 to greater than 6 feet tall, it just does not get your attention. It is quite common along roadsides, vacant lots and abandoned fields.

Its inconspicuous flowers start out green — similar in color to the leaves — and turn yellowish green before drying to brown. They are never showy.

Enjoy the bright yellow flowers of goldenrod this fall.

However, please do not blame them for your allergies.

Larry Williams is an agent at the Okaloosa County Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: Blame ragweed for fall hay fever

TALLAHASSEE— The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has prohibited importation of live captive deer from out-of-state sources.

The rule was passed to reduce chances of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, being introduced into the state. Eighteen other states, including Georgia and Alabama, also prohibit importation of live cervids such as deer, elk and moose.

CWD is a contagious, fatal neurological disease affecting cervids. So far, the disease has been discovered in 22 states, two Canadian provinces and in South Korea.

The order includes limited exemptions for reindeer and zoos.

Learn more about chronic wasting disease, this rule and the CWD Alliance; see the link at MyFWC.com/CWD.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission prohibits deer importation

CRESTVIEW — Several hundred family and friends, including many alumni, listened Monday evening as the 2013-14 Crestview High School chorus made its debut.

See a video of selections performed at chorus night here>>

Like Meet the Band Night, the annual introduction of the 125-member chorus is an opportunity to preview music to come.

Choral music director Kevin Lusk — who received multiple hugs from previous choral students during the pre-concert potluck supper — announced two big performances in addition to the annual Christmas and spring concerts.

The much-anticipated Madrigal Dinner, a lavish medieval musical dinner theatre event catered by the school's culinary arts program, will be Dec. 5-7. It is performed every other year.

In April, the chorus will perform at the World Stride Heritage Festival in Nashville, timed to coincide with the national show choir competition at which Crestview's chorus will also perform.

Fundraisers for chorus travel expenses are underway, and advertising opportunities are available for businesses and other supporters in this year's program book, Lusk said.

Crowd-pleasers

The mass chorus performance of the "Star Spangled Banner" was a crowd-pleaser because, as one father put it, "it was sung right, not like those Hollywood stars who think they have to embellish it."

The combined chorus also performed the school's alma mater in the round, which brought the young vocalists close to many audience members.

Each of the individual choirs performed selections, including two from "Les Misérables," which Lusk called "an homage to the band," as the international musical hit is the theme of the Big Red Machine's halftime show this season.

The Women's Choir's "On My Own" and the Men's Choir's "Bring Him Home" were both delightful, and Chorale's performance of "El Capotín" was rousing fun.

The two show choirs, the all-women Destiny, sparkling in their tie-dyed T-shirts, and mixed Chanticleer, gave hints of exciting music to come with performances of "Stranger" and "Everybody Talks," respectively.

"We're going to be busy this year," Lusk said. "The kids are doing a pretty good job so far."

Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or brianh@crestviewbulletin.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview High School chorus makes its 2013-14 debut (VIDEO)

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has implemented a recreational hunting and fishing license exemption for disabled veterans, active and reserve duty military personnel, immediate family members of these veterans and military personnel and assistants during special events designed for the enjoyment or rehabilitation of participating military personnel and disabled veterans.

Event organizers apply for the permit to exempt their qualifying participants. To qualify for exemption, special events must be designed to provide rehabilitation or enjoyment to participating disabled veterans or active or reserve duty military personnel in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, U.S. Coast Guard or Florida National Guard. Immediate family members — parents, spouses and children — of participating disabled veterans and military personnel and one designated assistant for each disabled veteran are included in each event’s license and permit exemptions.

Exemptions will last for these events’ duration. FWC regional directors, as the executive director’s designee, will issue these permits. Established seasons, bag or slot limits, size restrictions and all other laws will still apply. Limited-entry activities won’t be permitted under this exemption.

This effort to help disabled veterans and those serving in the military arose during the 2013 legislative session, when the commission requested and the Legislature and governor approved the new license exemption.

Learn more about hunting and fishing licensing; see the link at www.crestviewbulletin.com/lifestyle.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FWC sets license exemption for disabled vets, military