Communications Manager for Florida Farm Bureau (FFB) Federation G.B. Crawford made a special appearance in Mayo recently.

Crawford, who writes for FloridAgriculture Magazine, spoke about the importance of Farm City Week.

Nov. 18-24 was proclaimed Farm City Week in Mayo by mayor Wayne Hamlin.

Crawford spoke about a New York Times anecdote about a strange incident that occurred in the western province of Afghanistan when the insurgents suddenly quit firing on U.S. military troops. The cease-fire during the month of September and part of October, he said, was called because it was time to collect pine nuts. The sale of these collected pine nuts is how that region survives.

“What is astounding is that in the middle of a desperate, bloody struggle for control for nearly a month, every able-bodied male in the area spent time picking up pine cones just to survive,” Crawford explained. “In our society we assume that we will always have an abundant supply of food. We take it for granted that our grocery stores will be loaded. We take it for granted that we will always be able to maintain our families with sufficient food, and we don’t necessarily as a society have to pay attention to planting, harvest time or any other production side of food service activity.”

The issue, Crawford said, is that the majority of the U.S. population doesn’t have to worry about where their food comes from because our agricultural producers are so efficient. Thus, it allows us to concentrate on other things, far removed from agriculture, and it separates us from that industry. Farm City Week, he said, was instituted to remind the general population of the importance of agriculture for our society and our quality of life.

Farmers and ranchers, who depend on the local workforce to package, supply, distribute and transport their products, don’t just generate an income for themselves, Crawford stated – they contribute to our nation’s food supply, they preserve green space, wildlife habitats and fresh water recharge areas, as well as help to control invasive species of pests. They also contribute to the support of public services in rural communities by way of property taxes, something urban areas do not, Crawford added.

“For every dollar that a rural resident pays in property tax, that person receives less than a dollar’s worth of public service in return,” said Crawford. “On the other hand, urban people receive far more than a dollar’s worth of public service for every dollar they pay in property tax. That, in itself, helps to support our larger society.”

Crawford went on to say that farmers and ranchers also contribute to our quality of life with their service deeds and commitments to their communities through philanthropic activities with scouting, church and civic groups.

“That is a contribution to our general society,” he said. “It is an effort to give back some of the bounties that we in agriculture enjoy to the rest of our society.”  

Florida Farm Bureau has taken up a new initiative known as ‘Strengthening Family Farms and Communities’ as a way of maintaining the focus of educating the general public about the contribution agriculture in Florida makes to our quality of life.

The initiative, Crawford said, involves giving reliable information to the public about what agriculture offers beyond the city limits and interstate highways of the state of Florida, using volunteers to get the message out over a multi-year period. Future plans are to partner with March of Dimes, as well as continue to reach out to areas where people have had no interaction or experience with agriculture production, in order to educate them. Many valuable tools of this initiative can be found on Farm Bureau’s website at www.floridafarmbureau.org.

Most longtime Lafayette County residents already know what a vital role agriculture plays in their community because it is their lifeblood. However, Crawford and FFB District Field Representative Dan Buchanan stressed the importance of educating young people. Buchanan related a story of a recent gathering of Pre-K and elementary age children from Lafayette, Madison and Suwannee counties.

“We think that these kids understand agriculture,” Buchanan started. “Folks, you’re wrong. These kids have no concept of picking a pea or picking okra or an ear of corn. They don’t know. If we don’t start teaching this younger generation about the work, the effort and the input that dairy farmers and all the other farmers have to put in, it’s going to get worse and worse.”

Buchanan said Farm Bureau has been making excellent strides and gaining a larger presence in urban areas of the state in order to teach children about agriculture.

“They just have no concept,” Buchanan reiterated. “They think it just magically appears at Publix, Winn-Dixie and Walmart.”

Crawford said he was thankful for all the farmers and ranchers who have partnered with the Farm Bureau and allowed them to hold events like Farm City Week in their communities.

He ended stating, “We don’t have to stop as a collective society and pick up pine cones just to survive. Thanks to all of you who work hard every day, nurture your families and contribute to our larger society, we have a United States that cannot and will not fail.”