Hello, members and friends. Your board of directors held officer elections in October, and we are pleased to present the officer and executive committee team as follows:
Christian Spinosa, President
Daniel Lanier, Vice President
Corby Myers, Treasurer
Scarlett Jackson, Secretary
Michael Matteson, Immediate Past President
Dean Evans, Member at Large
Kyle Story, Member at Large
Polk County Farm Bureau delegates recently attended the Florida Farm Bureau Annual Meeting to represent our members at the “Ag Up”-themed event. In addition to resolutions adopted as policy for 2026, the meeting included award and recognition programs to honor outstanding young farmers and ranchers, state lawmakers, county Farm Bureaus and individual members for their service to agriculture. We are very pleased to announce that Polk County Farm Bureau has once again received the President’s Award as well as Awards of Excellence in all six of the following categories:
- Legislative & Policy Implementation
- Public Relations
- Organizational Management
- Education & Agriculture Promotion
- Leadership Development
- Membership
Also at the annual meeting, our own Emma Self, former Bartow FFA President, and Florida FFA Area IV Vice President, and now current Warner University agribusiness student, won the Florida Farm Bureau State Collegiate Discussion Meet contest. Congratulations Emma!
Heading into the holiday season, Thanksgiving is a time when many Americans gather with their families to reflect upon blessings. One of those blessings is a nutritious and diverse food supply produced by our farmers and ranchers. We also benefit from other agricultural products that provide clothing, housing, medicines, fuel, and other products we use on a daily basis. These basic necessities are available to us because of a broad partnership of farmers, ranchers, processors, brokers, truckers, shippers, scientists, wholesalers, and retailers. In appreciation of our farm-city partnerships, the president of the United States annually proclaims the week leading up to Thanksgiving Day as National Farm-City Week. We encourage our fellow citizens to pause for a moment this holiday season and consider the many diverse and healthy foods available to us. Neither the farm nor the city can exist in isolation. Our interdependence creates jobs, markets and relationships that build our economy and support our collective security. Please join us in celebrating Farm-City Week, Nov. 19-26, as we give thanks for all that we enjoy.
In celebration of Farm-City Week, the Polk Young Farmer and Rancher Committee is once again sponsoring a Farm-City Week Essay contest for 4-H and FFA students in 9th – 12th grades. This year’s essay topic is “Think about how agriculture influences the way people live, work and interact. How is your community – whether rural, urban, or somewhere in between – shaped by agriculture? ” The winner will receive recognition in our publications and a $500 cash prize. Applications are due by Friday, January 2 at 5 p.m. to saraht@pcfb.org. Get the application on the Polk County Farm Bureau or Polk Young Farmer and Rancher Facebook pages or contact Sarah Waldman at saraht@pcfb.org.
Sincerely,
Christian Spinosa
President