Jackson County Celebrates Farming With Farm City Celebration

JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. -The Jackson County Farm City Celebration is a long-standing tradition.

“This will be our 52nd year celebration, it started in the 70s,” said Doug Mayo, the Director of the Jackson County extension of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (IFAS).“The idea is that the week before Thanksgiving, we celebrate the farms and farm families that provide the food, the fiber, and other supplies that consumers enjoy.”

According to Mayo, agriculture may be central to the region, but only a small percentage of residents actually farm.

“Only 5% of Jackson County citizens farm or work on farms. So, basically, there’s a small group of people that provide all the food and other products that we use,” said Mayo. ”So those 5% feed the other 95% of us."

This year, those farmers have been battling tough conditions.

“It’s been a rough year for farming; we’ve been extremely dry the last half of the growing season,” said Mayo. ”Currently, we are in the extreme drought category."

Mayo says this is exactly why this celebration matters.

“This is an opportunity to interact on a positive level, and remind people that agriculture is important here, and that it’s something that makes our economy stronger,” Mayo said.

Events during the celebration include a pecan festival, a tractor parade, and a banquet. But it all kicks off Friday with the Youth Livestock Show, giving kids like 9-year-old Dakota May a chance to show off animals like Prue the chicken.

“I’m expecting just to have fun, and for Prue to enjoy it,” said May. “It means more than getting a thousand bowls of ice cream.”

The celebration wraps up Tuesday night with a banquet honoring local farmers and sharing their stories.