Agriculture is the production, processing and marketing of foods and fibers.
Products we use in our everyday lives — like food, surgical sutures, lumber, tires, adhesives, shampoo, leather shoes and soft cotton clothes — come from plant and animal products and byproducts that America's farmers and ranchers produce.
National Farm-City Week celebrates those who produce these products, consume the products, and make them readily available through an efficient production and marketing chain.
Farm workers, researchers, processors, shippers, truck drivers, inspectors, wholesalers, agribusinesses, marketers, advertisers, retailers and consumers play important roles in the productivity that has made our nation’s food and fiber system the envy of the world.
Every year, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, let’s remember the vital farm-city partnerships that have done so much to improve the quality of our lives.
Rural and urban communities working together have made the most of our rich agricultural resources. They have made significant contributions to our health and well-being and to the strength of our nation’s economy.
For this, we can give thanks.
Food drive
This year, to celebrate National Farm-City Week, University of Florida IFAS Okaloosa County Extension has teamed up with Okaloosa County Farm Bureau to collect and distribute fresh vegetables and foods to needy families identified by a local church.
We will collect money, peanut butter and fresh local vegetables until Nov. 15. We will load all donations onto trailers and pull them down Main Street as we make our way to the church parking lot on Nov. 16.
Please help us celebrate National Farm-City Week with your donations.
Send donations to the University of Florida IFAS Okaloosa County Extension office or the Okaloosa County Farm Bureau office.
Call 689-5850 or email heady@ufl.edu for more details.
Jennifer Bearden is an agent at the Okaloosa County Extension office in Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: EXTENSION CONNECTION: National Farm-City Week Nov. 16-22