Farmers are blessed to have an abundance of many things — patience, fortitude, resilience, you name it. But time … well, we all know that’s not on the list.
You may have seen the articles we published earlier this year in July and October discussing Visit Central Florida’s Culinary Initiative. The goal of that initiative is to bring together farmers, ranchers and restaurateurs to create a farm-to-fork powerhouse that would benefit all parties and establish Polk County as a culinary destination.
Central Florida Ag News has been to two brainstorming meetings held by Visit Central Florida to discuss the culinary initiative, both of which were attended by restaurateurs and growers alike. The attendance and feedback have been positive and opportunities have been surfacing, but like most things in life, there’s room for more. More growth, more participants, more public knowledge.
This initiative has the potential to help growers cash in on food they are already growing just by making the right connections. Growers can get their names in the “yellow pages” of producers at flfarmtoyou.com.
Getting the word out about this initiative is critical. We know growers are more likely to be found in a field or packinghouse than in a meeting room or an event. That means word of mouth is going to be key here.
Reach out with your questions. The folks at Visit Central Florida would love to hear from you, and the Polk County Farm Bureau has been a strong supporter.
This could be the start of something big.