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Local Agricultural Innovators Receive National Attention
July 24, 2014
Several North Escambia area agricultural locations were featured to extension educators from across the country Wednesday.
Over 2,000 agriculture and natural resource extension educators and guests attending the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference.
Wednesday, attendees fanned out across South Alabama and Northwest Florida for educational bus tours.
A “Where’s the Beef” tour visited with people from 19 states enjoyed lunch and toured the Gizmo Angus Farm in Molino.
“It was very interesting meeting folks from all over the country and giving them the opportunity to see our cattle and the differences in management due to geographical location,” said Debbie Gilmore of Gizmo Angus.
The group also visited Cunningham Farm, founded about 1950, which emphasizes marking replace females regionally versus locally. The tour also stopped at Perdido River Farms which serves as a tribal entity leading the Poarch Tribe’s stewardship of agricultural land. PRF produces feeder calves. In addition to the cattle production, PRF manages 2,200 acres including a pecan orchard and 200 acres of row cropland utilized for farming peanuts, soybean, cotton and wheat.
A “Down on the Farm” tour visited the Yoder Family Dairy in Bratt, a micro-dairy that produces whole, pasteurized but not homogenized milk from less than 25 milk cows for direct sale. They also stopped by Gabbert Farm, home to one of the largest individual farm equipment collections in the South. For 24 years, thousands have attended the annual Jay Peanut Festival, and other events on the Gabbert Farm.
After lunch at the UF/IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center-Jay Research Farm, the group visited Sweet Seasons Farms near Milton, founded by Trent and Sharon Mathews. Four years ago, they partnered with a Utah company to create a 5-acre corn maze and an agricultural experience. Visitors learn how their food is produced and why agriculture is important to their lives while enjoying the maze and fun farm activities. And the farm tour visited Holland Farms a diversified family farm that sells peanuts, melons, and other produce directly to the public.
Other conference attendees took part in tours not directly agriculturally related in the North Escambia area…including visits to the Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum, Naval Air Station Pensacola and the Poarch Creek Indian Reservation.
Pictured : Extension educators from across the nation toured locations Wednesday that included Holland Farms in Jay (top photo), Gizmo Angus Farm in Molino (insets and below), and the Poarch Creek Indian Museum (bottom). Courtesy photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
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One Response to “Local Agricultural Innovators Receive National Attention”
I often wonder how many children in the cities across the country even know where their food comes from? Farmers are some of the most important people in our country…without them we would all go hungry, and they work hard at what they do! My thanks to all of them, and for this article calling attention to it!