Astin Farms, a multigenerational strawberry and blueberry operation, earned Farm Family of the Year at the 25th annual Hillsborough County Fair Harvest Awards on Tuesday, Oct. 20.

The noon luncheon at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds in Dover honored five recipients across agriculture and community service, according to the Hillsborough County Fair. Mosaic presented the awards.

John Davidson received the Lifetime Achievement award. Hilda Castillo was named Woman in Agriculture. Plant City Commons Community Garden won Outstanding Public and Community Service, and Everglades Farm Equipment took Outstanding Agribusiness.

Hillsborough County District 6 Commissioner Chris Boles, who attended the ceremony, said on Instagram he was celebrating "the people and families who are the heart of our agricultural community." He singled out the Astin family, saying he was grateful they "continue to invest in our community and carry forward our agricultural heritage." Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister also attended, writing on X that the event celebrated "25 years of recognizing agriculture in Hillsborough County."

The Astin family's farming roots stretch back more than a century. Sam Astin Sr. moved to Plant City from South Georgia in the early 1920s and opened for business in 1923, growing corn, pole beans and strawberries, the Observer News reported. Sam Astin III joined full-time after graduating high school in 1982. He now runs the operation with his wife, Buffy, and their three daughters. The Observer News reported the farm spans more than 2,000 acres and produces roughly 50 million pounds of fruit each season.

Awards are given each year in five of 10 possible categories, but Farm Family of the Year, Lifetime Achievement and Woman of the Year are always among them. Fair board members Suzie Churchwell and Betty Jo Tompkins co-chaired the ceremony.

The program was developed by Mike McKinney, then director of UF/IFAS Extension in Hillsborough County. When McKinney retired, fair manager Tom Umiker moved it under the Hillsborough County Fair Board of Directors, according to the fair's website.

Past honorees with South Shore ties include the Ruskin Community Development Foundation, Tomatoes of Ruskin, Council Growers in Wimauma and Karen Hamilton, a longtime agricultural education teacher at Riverview High named Outstanding Woman in Agriculture in 2024.

Ruskin's own agricultural identity runs deep. Founded in 1908 as a utopian community on the southeast shore of Tampa Bay, Ruskin became known for farming, especially tomatoes, according to Hillsborough County records. More than 25,000 people live in the area, though subdivisions and roads have replaced many of the original farming fields.

The Hillsborough County Fair runs Nov. 5-15 at the fairgrounds, 215 Sydney Washer Road in Dover.