President’s Column

By the time this issue of CFAN is published, Polk County Agri-Fest will have been in full swing with more than 4,600 students registered to attend over the eight-day event. Each year, students get to experience interactive sessions that feature citrus, beef, small farms, phosphate, forestry, and horticulture. I would like to say a special […]

Each year, the fair highlights students’ project accomplishments and demonstrates their determination and strong work ethic.  We hear that this year saw a recent year record number of participants.  Congratulations to all volunteers and participants on another successful year.   The 2023 Legislative Session will begin on March 7, and Florida Farm Bureau members will waste

The Polk Ag community is off and running as we begin 2023 with the long tradition of the Polk County Youth Fair.  This year’s fair dates are January 21 – 27, and a schedule of daily events can be found at www.pcyf.net. We encourage you to visit the fair and support youth participants who have

We hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends and found plenty to be thankful for. Our Polk Young Farmers & Ranchers Committee celebrated Thanksgiving and Farm-City Week by holding a donation drawing where proceeds were used to purchase 72 turkeys distributed to local families in need through Feeding Tampa Bay and the

Greetings!   Polk County Farm Bureau delegates recently attended the Florida Farm Bureau Annual Meeting to represent our members at the “Rooted in Resilience” themed event. In addition to resolutions adopted as policy for 2023, the meeting included award and recognition programs to honor outstanding young farmers and ranchers, state lawmakers, county Farm Bureaus, and individual

Greetings!  In partnership with the Polk County Extension Office, we held our bi-annual Polk County Ag Tour on September 23.  Themed  “Rural-Urban Ag Connections in Polk County” the tour provided attendees with insight into the benefits of living and recreating in a county that has strong ties to traditional agricultural production and also introduced agriculture

Greetings!   We held our annual Youth Speech Contest on August 23 with 11 great participants who presented their speeches on the topic “In addition to food and fiber, what other positive impacts in your local community can be attributed to agriculture?”  It is always inspiring to hear students’ unique perspectives on topics presented by the

Greetings!   Members of the Polk Young Farmer and Ranchers committee joined more than 200 of their colleagues from around the state in St. Augustine on July 8 – 10 for leadership training, competitive events, and fellowship at Florida Farm Bureau’s 2022 Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Leadership Conference. I’m pleased to share that our Polk