Imagine advising farmers on raising food crops and cattle in Florida’s heat and alternating wet and dry spells, not to mention hurricanes, tornadoes and lightning strikes. Now, imagine advising farmers in Iraq where the temperature can reach 120 degrees in July and August, a dusty dry wind blows from April to June and the 120-degree heat after June gets a little help from a steady flow of dry air. Florida’s hurricanes are replaced by dust storms over there. And rain occurs mainly from December through April. Anthony Drew, Levy County Agricultural Extension Agent, is truly excited about that “I never thought a rag-tail boy from Levy County would get to go there,” Drew told the Levy County Board of Commissioners during their regular meeting Tuesday as he asked for a one-year leave of absence. During that time, he will be an Agricultural Extension and Education Adviser for the U.S. Department of Agriculture working with high-level counterparts in the Iraqi Ministries of Agriculture on rehabilitating the country’s agricultural extension system and establishing extension policies. Drew, who is not related to County Commissioner Marsha Drew of Yankeetown, said his deployment to Iraq is provisional and dependent on a national security background check and physical. But he also wanted the commission to agree to use his salary to pay for a replacement for the one-year period and to win a 15 percent pay increase for his co-worker, Barbara Edmonds. Drew said while Edmonds has been with the office a year and will handle the Master Gardener program and other extension duties, the other person will handle commercial agricultural programs. The commission agreed with Drew’s plans and he will pursue finding a temporary replacement. “Above all I’m going to be challenged, I’m going to learn, I’m going to grow and I’m going to have fun,” Drew said of the job facing him. His big goal: he wants to return fluent in a new language �" Spanish. While Drew’s news was exciting for the commission, the swearing in of a new interim commissioner was another highlight. Levy County Judge Joseph Smith swore in Owen Chad “Cracker” Johnson as the first order of business. Johnson, a University of Florida graduate and Gator fan, wore an orange patterned tie to complement his blue jacket. That drew a comment from Smith, an ardent FSU fan, who fluffed his garnet and gold tie. In other business, the commission: Approved an application by the Nature Coast Transit Authority for a $265,799 grant to participate in the Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged program. Toni Collins, representing the Levy Association for Retarded Citizens, thanked the commission for providing transportation for the association’s clients through the grant. Decided against piggybacking Inglis employees into the insurance risk pool program. Inglis Mayor Bill Lake told the commission the city’s health insurance premium from Blue Cross/Blue Shield went up 37 percent this year for the town’s 12 employees. Lake said the cost would be $12,415 per employee, eating up 10 percent of the town’s ad valorem revenue. Commission Chair Nancy Bell said she felt it was unfair to not offer the same coverage to all the county’s municipalities and Commissioner Danny Stevens said he agreed and made the motion to defer piggybacking for at least a year while county staff studies it. I passed 4-1 with Commissioner Drew dissenting. She also suggested that Lake contact Yankeetown officials to see if he could piggyback onto their lower-cost coverage. Appointed Commissioners Drew and Johnson to the Value Adjustment Board. It also named Commissioner Stevens as the alternate. Received the Tourism Development Council’s tentative budget of $303,515 for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, and approved two new tourism advertising grants for $2,500 each to the Williston peanut festival and the annual aviation festival.