Tag Archives: Marion County

Cakes for a Cause

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Cake auctions are a beloved tradition for County Farm Bureau events across Florida. Attendees donate desserts to be auctioned off, with proceeds benefiting local charities or community programs. These auctions showcase the counties’ creativity and generosity, with the excitement of friendly competition often fetching bids well into the thousands. By using desserts as a tool for giving, Florida Farm Bureau members unite in their efforts to support local programs and celebrate agriculture. 


Funds raised at Hernando/Citrus County’s annual meeting supported
Citrus County 4-H and the Hernando/Citrus Farm Bureau Women’s programs.

 


Bill Elrod of Elrod Auctions proudly donates his services as a professional auctioneer to run the cake auctions in Clay, Bradford and Putnam/St. Johns counties. Clay County’s cake auction proceeds are used for student scholarships. 

 


The Hamilton County Women’s Committee cake auction raised $2,750 to be split between the Women’s Fund and a local charity that will be determined by the Women’s Committee in December.

 

 
Highlands County auctioned off 17 cakes, resulting in a $1,300 donation to Highlands County 4-H. 

 


In Hillsborough County, annual meeting attendees raised money for their Young Farmers and Ranchers program. 

 


Indian River County’s cake auction funds scholarships to help local high schoolers interested in agriculture fund their college
expenses. 

 


Jefferson County raised money for youth agricultural activities to
promote a better understanding of where food comes from among
local students. 

 


Marion County raised more than $2,300 for a local food bank.  

 


Okeechobee County raised a total of $3,250 for Real Life Children’s Ranch, a ministry that offers residential group homes with a family atmosphere for neglected children. It is one of the few group homes in Florida designed to care for groups of siblings. 

 


The Polk County Women’s Committee cake auction proceeds will be donated to Florida Agriculture in the Classroom, a non-profit organization that provides educational resources to help Pre-K through 12th grade educators incorporate agricultural concepts into their core subject area classes.   

 


South Sumter High School students helped facilitate Sumter County’s cake auction to raise funds for their FFA Chapter.

 


Suwannee County Farm Bureau’s lively cake auction raised money for Vivid Visions, Inc.– a local crisis center founded in 1995 by Suwannee area residents to support survivors of domestic violence. 

 


Taylor County collected nearly $800, donations that will support youth agricultural programs. 

The generosity of Florida Farm Bureau member bidders and bakers creates a lasting impact across our communities. We look forward to carrying on this tradition for years to come.  

Farm Bureau Counties Give Back

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FloridAgriculture eNews | May 2020

Giving back is a tradition of County Farm Bureaus, even amid a pandemic. Multiple county Farm Bureaus have donated to community food banks, helped link farmers and ranchers to local citizens to distribute fresh produce and coordinated various food and peanut butter drives.

Marion County Farm Bureau has donated $15,374 in COVID-19 relief to the First Step Food Bank, Inc., in Marion County. The food bank works with various food banks and pantries to distribute items to local citizens. Marion County Farm Bureau also donated $1,000 to the Victory2020 Gardens Project sponsored by the Marion County 4-H Office. The project provides virtual gardening tips and modules from UF/IFAS Extension in Columbia and Marion Counties.

Baker, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Nassau and Putnam-St. Johns County Farm Bureaus contributed $39,000 to purchase from area farmers affected by COVID-19 in North Florida.  Lake County Farm Bureau presented a $10,000 check to Irene O’Malley of Lake Cares Food Pantry to support citizens in need of food assistance.

These are just a few examples of how county Farm Bureaus have given back during COVID-19.

Grassroots List Connects Farms with Consumers

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FloridAgriculture eNews | May 2020

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses deemed non-essential to shut down, disruptions in the food supply chain created a domino effect across agriculture. Florida farmers and ranchers faced severe challenges because key markets and distribution channels were closed.

The heart and determination of Florida Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers is unmatched to any young group of millennials. These qualities appeared in a response to the crisis. The instinct and passion of one Hardee County Young Farmer and Rancher, Kalan Royal, kicked in.

It all started after Royal received a phone call from fellow YF&R member Samantha Dailey of Marion County asking if he knew of any farms that were selling directly to the public. Wheels were set in motion to develop a grassroots direct to consumer product list.

“Knowing the struggles that American farmers and ranchers already faced pre-COVID-19 with trying to get their products sold and remain in business another year to keep the population fed as they compete against unfair competition from foreign producers, I knew I had to get as many farms on this list as possible,” said Royal. “The state’s farmers and ranchers now were in need of help more than ever in getting their products sold.”

“I kept researching and gathering as much information as I could get my hands on to help out those who give so much of themselves to provide food for this country,” added Royal. “As a result of Samantha prompting me to create a list and valuable input from FFB District 8 Field Representative Eva Webb, we were able to come up with an extensive list to help both consumers as well as farmers and ranchers.”

The grassroots farm to consumer list contains more than 250 farms and produce stands across the Sunshine State that are selling fresh produce and meats direct to consumers and is available on the FFB website.

Since the YF&R list has been created, a number of farm to consumer lists have been made available to the public, including the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Florida Farm to You initiative that connects consumers directly to farms. Producers are able to submit available products via the website and consumers can search by county for various commodities.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Farmers to Families Food Box program was also recently put into motion to assist agriculture and families in need.

Farmers interested in getting their products listed on various websites can visit the Florida Farm Bureau COVID-19 Resource page for available links.