EXTENSION CONNECTION: Agriculture's importance cannot be overstated

Hello, Okaloosa County! I'm Evan Anderson, your new University of Florida Agricultural Extension agent.

I look forward to covering Okaloosa and Walton counties after moving here to Florida from West Virginia.

I grew up and studied horticulture and agricultural education at West Virginia University.

My experience includes work on outreach to farmers in West Virginia as well as operating a community supported agriculture and market garden, growing vegetables, flowers and herbs.

Agriculture's importance cannot be overstated. Beyond food, which people need to survive, agriculture supplies us with many other materials. For example, locally grown cotton fibers are wonderfully useful for clothes.

Approximately $16 million annually is contributed to the local economy by agriculture and forestry, and the Extension Service has served those who work in these industries for a century.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to work for Extension in such a fantastic place, and I hope that I can help not only local farmers, but also communities, in every way I can.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or the Okaloosa County Extension office at 850-689-5850 for information on our programs.

Evan Anderson is an agent at the University of Florida/Institute of Agricultural Sciences' Okaloosa County Extension office in Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: Agriculture's importance cannot be overstated