We held our Polk Agriculture Economic Summit event on February 26, and by all accounts the event was a huge success. I believe the Polk Agriculture Economic Impact Study results presented at the event will continue to be a useful resource for years to come. The results of the study can be viewed on our website at www.pcfb.org.
I’d like to once again thank the over 250 attendees that joined us at the event, and the following partners who made the study and the event possible: Central Florida Development Council; CenterState Bank Agribusiness; Ben Hill Griffin, Inc.; Burks Financial Group; Dundee Citrus Growers Association; Florida Farm Bureau; Stallings Crop Insurance; The Mosaic Company; and the Warner University Agriculture Program.
We held our annual Ag Deputy Luncheon on March 12 with Sheriff Grady Judd and our local ag deputies. This event is always well attended as our members enjoy the opportunity to speak directly with Sheriff Judd and the Ag Unit Deputies to share their concerns. Our ag deputies are an incredible resource to our businesses and help protect our bottom lines on a daily basis. We appreciate their diligent service to our community.
March 18 marks National Ag Day, and representatives of Polk County Farm Bureau will appropriately be celebrating that day in Tallahassee, meeting with our legislative delegation on issues critical to Polk agriculture during Florida Farm Bureau days.
Throughout this AgriYouth edition of Central Florida Ag News, you will see stories of volunteers, educators, and industry leaders who give their valuable time and talents to youth development. Without the earnest dedication of these individuals, we could not hope to influence future generations of agricultural leaders.
This year’s Agri-Fest will take place April 6-10 and 13–17, and volunteers are still needed. If you would like to volunteer to help Polk County fourth-graders learn about agriculture production in Florida, please call Lori Kuehl at (863) 533-0561 or email her at lorik@pcfb.org.
Our Harvest Celebration fundraiser will be held on May 8 at the Lake Eva Banquet Hall in Haines City. This is our biggest fundraising event of the year, and proceeds go directly toward funding our many youth development and community education activities. This event comes close to selling out each year, so get your tickets now from any Polk County Farm Bureau board member, or call Carole McKenzie at (863) 533-0561, ext. 111, or email her at carolem@pcfb.org.
Sincerely,
KYLE R. STORY
President, Polk County Farm Bureau