Farm-City Week Recognizes Importance Of Local Agriculture
November 20, 2011
Residents of northwest Florida will have an opportunity to get closer to their food this Thanksgiving.
That’s because the week of Thanksgiving is National Farm-City Week. Local communities across America will be celebrating and spreading agricultural awareness through this annual movement, which focuses on connecting rural and urban dwellers.
The movement is sponsored by the National Farm-City council, which has been dedicated to organizing the event since 1955.
In recent years local events for Farm-City Week have been coordinated by a community partnership located in Santa Rosa County.
“We got involved back in 2010 to raise awareness about the value of agriculture to our local region,” University of Florida’s West Florida Research and Education Center Director and Professor Dr. Jeff Mullahey states.
This will be the second year that the center has partnered with community organizations like the Bay Area Food Bank to sponsor a food distribution event that provides Thanksgiving dinner to resource-limited families in the area. The Bay Area Food Bank manages the pre-qualification process for families hoping to benefit from the event, while the center organizes food donations and harvest. The Santa Rosa County Extension Service will provide recipes and instructions on how to prepare the locally grown produce. , which will take place the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week.
“Some of the food is locally grown, which is really nice,” Mullahey continues. This year local produce will be provided by Barnhill Farms and Steve’s Farm.
Mullahey states that the main goal for the Farm-City Week is to “create more awareness about the importance and value of agriculture in northwest Florida, and to promote the benefits of agriculture as more than a source of food and fiber.”
While the healthcare and military industries may be the most visible in our regional economy, agriculture remains a top player. According to a 2008 study conducted by the University of Florida agriculture and natural resources directly provided 44,249 jobs to the northwest Florida region (consisting Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties). For perspective, compare that number to the estimated population of 51,923 within Pensacola city limits.
The study goes on to state that for every $1 million of revenue created by agriculture and natural resources, the industry creates 13.72 jobs. In 2008 the industry created over $357 million in revenue, roughly a quarter of which was paid out as labor income.
Part of the Farm-City movement is to encourage local communities to spend locally, by getting to know local farmers and purchasing local produce. By buying local produce, consumers can ensure that more money stays in the area. Buying locally also reduces the overall cost of food and production, which increases with every mile the food travels from producer to consumer. Shipping and processing are two unseen costs that raise the price of imported produce, while local produce either cuts down or cuts out these costs.
Consumers are also encouraged to educate themselves about where their food comes from and how it is produced by local farmers in NW Florida. Locally grown food is sold at farmers markets, roadside stands, retail markets, and on-line.
Agriculture creates jobs, adds money to the local economy and provides environmental benefits, like green space, that improve the quality of life in northwest Florida.
“Not to mention,” Mullahey adds, “agriculture feeds us three times a day and provides clothes for our family.”
Pictured top: Wheat is one of the crops produced in North Escambia. Pictured inset: Escambia Grain in Walnut Hill. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Featured Recipe: Two Hour Turkey Streamlines Thanksgiving
November 20, 2011
Today’s featured recipe, from columnist Janet Tharpe, is a Two-Hour Turkey that quickly roasts the turkey in the oven at a high heat.
Going Nuts: Crowds Attended Fruit And Nut Sale
November 19, 2011
Crowds were waiting in line Saturday morning to shop the annual one-day Dried Fruit and Nuts Sale at Steve’s Farm in Walnut Hill. The sale offered a variety of dried fruits and nuts, direct from California. There were over 50 different kinds of fruits and nuts available.
Submitted photos by Marcella Wilson for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Ernest Ward FFA Sells Five Tons Of Sweet Potatoes
November 19, 2011
Members of the Ernest Ward Middle School FFA sold over five tons of sweet potatoes as a fund raiser. The 20-pound bags of Baldwin County sweet potatoes were delivered to the students on Friday to deliver to their supporters.
Funds from the Ernest Ward Middle School FFA’s annual sweet potato sale are used to support group activities during the year.
Pictured top: Just some of the five tons of sweet potatoes sold by the Ernest Ward Middle School FFA during their fall sale. Pictured below: The top seller sold 75 bags of red and white sweet potatoes, about three-quarters of a ton. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Molino Park Presents ‘On The Radio’, Collects 2,900 Food Items For The Needy (With Gallery)
November 18, 2011
Students at Molino Park Elementary School collected over 2,900 food items during a drive to held the needy in the Molino area at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The school partnered with Aldersgate United Methodist Church for a “Help our Neighbor’ food drive. The items collected by Molino Park will distributed in the community along with turkeys and hams from Aldersgate.
Venetia Fountain’s class was first place in the food drive, donating over 800 items.
The students wrapped up the food drive with a fourth grade performance of “On the Radio” Thursday, under the direction of music teacher Twinette McDonald.
For a photo gallery from “On The Radio”, click here.
Pictured top: “On the Radio” Thursday night at Molino Park Elementary School. NorthEscambia.com photo by Sara Calhoun. Pictured below: Over 2,900 food items donated by MPES students and staff, submitted photo by Sandra Greenwell.
New Culinary Arts Academy Cooking Up Success At Ernest Ward
November 16, 2011
Ernest Ward Middle School added a new Culinary Arts Academy this school year, giving students an opportunity to explore a variety of academic and occupation goals in the hospitality and tourism industries.
Students are learning food preparation techniques, food safety, proper equipment use, menu development, food presentation, technology use in the culinary field and more.
Pictured top: Ernest Ward students (L-R) Savanna Roux, Courtney Weekly and Sarah Dutton enjoy lasagna and garlic bread Tuesday as part of a Culinary Arts Academy lesson. Pictured inset: Lasagna and garlic bread prepared by EWMS Culinary Academy students. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
College Fair Held
November 16, 2011
Northview High School held a College Fair Tuesday night for NHS seniors and their parents. Information was available from several schools, financial aid, scholarships and more.
Pictured: Northview senior Austin Albritton and his mother, Lisa Albritton, talk to a University of West Florida representative during a College Fair Tuesday night at Northview High School. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.
Doucette, Wright Receive High School Heroes Scholarships
November 15, 2011
Two Northview High School students were recently awarded $1,000 High School Heroes Scholarships from Fisher Brown Insurance and WEAR TV 3.
The Northview students, Josie Doucette and Elizabeth Wright, were among a dozen dozen scholarship winners from Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. Each winner received a $1,000 scholarship to their choice of either University of West Florida, Pensacola State College or Northwest Florida State College.
Doucette and Wright will be showcased in upcoming 30 second commercials on WEAR TV 3.
Pictured above: Northview High School Heroes Scholarship winners Josie Doucette (left) and Elizabeth Wright with Escambia County Superintendent of Education Malcolm Thomas. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Jay Pageant Winners Named
November 15, 2011
Miss Jay High School and other winners have been announced in pageants sponsored by the Jay High School Cheerleaders and FCCLA.
Pictured top, left to right: Miss Jay High School Pageant — Third runner-up Carly Owens, second runner-up and physical fitness winner Tori Reid, first runner-up and talent winner Abby Raney, and Miss Jay High School Kathryn English.
Pictured left top: Junior Miss Jay Crystal Hope Miller. Pictured left bottom: Little Miss Jay Kinsley Cook.
Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Pecan Prices Rise; Good News For Local Producers
November 14, 2011
Money really does grow on trees — thanks to a drought and an increasing demand from China, pecan prices are soaring this year.
That’s good news for producers, from pecan farmers all the way down to local residents with a tree or two in their yards. Drive around North Escambia much on a sunny afternoon and you’ll see local folks out picking up pecans and looking to cash in on the high prices. Area pecan houses are paying about $1 per pound to locals selling their “seedling” pecans — whether from a grocery sack with a few pounds up to hundreds of pounds at a time. The more in-demand varieties of pecans are Stuarts or Elliots and are worth even more.
The higher prices are bad news for consumers, with the price of that Thanksgiving pecan pie very much on the rise. The average retail price of whole pecans halves is expected to reach as much as $11 per pound this year, according to analysts. That’s up about $4 in three years.
China typically buys about one-fifth of the U.S. pecan crop. The United States is expected to produce about 252 million pounds this year, down 14 percent, according to the USDA.
Pictured top: Pecans harvested Sunday in Walnut Hill. Pictured inset: A rolling pecan harvester — small plastic “fingers” pick up the nuts which are deposited into a basket. Pictured below: Typical seedling pecans. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
