The responsibility to care for the land is a value that many in the agricultural industry share, including Farm Credit of Florida. 'We know how lucky we are that the good Lord chose us to be the stewards of this land and it is a responsibility that we do not take lightly at all.' 'We take our jobs very seriously,' Bolin said. For Bolin, working on the same land her family settled on centuries ago brings with it great pride, along with great responsibility. Bolin works with her father and brother every day to continue the family tradition of raising cattle in southwest Florida. The Carlton family has ranches and groves across three south Florida counties. They are a bank that supports farmers so I prefer working with Farm Credit than any other banks. 'Farm Credit as the name says everything. We want to grow more and more and every nursery that wants to grow needs support from one bank- and we select Farm Credit and for me that is the best bank for my business.' Ismel says, 'Farm Credit has helped me a lot in this business.

One key to this growth has been the help of Farm Credit of Florida. 'I want to try to grow more and get bigger and bigger', he says. Today, Vera's Nursery consists of more than 100 acres growing fifty different types of palms, shrubs, topiaries, and hibiscus however, Ismel is not done yet. Like in my situation, I like the plant business so I'm here in the plant business.' You have to select the business that you are passionate about.

'In this business we learned that when you do what you like to do you see different results in the end. Throughout his years of growing, Ismel has learned that what makes him truly successful in the nursery business is this love for what he does. You take a seed and grow it into one big palm in a 25 gallon container. 'You can actually see the change in the plants. 'I like the nursery business because you are working with nature,' says Ismel Vera. They named their business Vera's Nursery and continued to work hard, never taking a day off, fueled by their passion to grow plants. The family worked seven days a week, often from 7 in the morning until 5 at night, on only two acres of land. Two years after their arrival the family business was born. Leaving behind everything except a dream, the 'American Dream', they brought with them hard working ethics that later turned out to be the very key to their success. It's a story of the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness: fifteen years ago the Vera family, of Vera's nursery, arrived from Cuba, running away from a regimen that had no room for freedom of speech, liberty, and much less the ability of someone to own a business.

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