One of my favorite things about Farm City Week in Manatee County is the farm tour. I want to be a tour guide one year, because they are probably the coolest tours anyone will ever invent, and I’d love to be a part of it! This year was really exciting, because we had so many people come out and participate! I arrived at SMR, one of the ranches on the tour, super early to help set up with some of the other volunteers (some from our local FFA Alumni chapters, some from our Cattlemen Association, and we even had a UF/IFAS extension agent from Ona!)
The ranches and farms on the tour are carefully selected by county extension agents who pick locations based on success and relevance to the lessons we are trying to educate the consumers in our county about. We take people in and around the community around the county and show them what farmers and ranchers do on a daily basis. The point of the tours is to show people the county and its true beauty and heritage. I had to show off a little, and pop the whip after one of my fellow cattlemen showed off before me.
The next day, when I spoke at the Kiwanis club meeting in our county, (they help plan the Farm City Week tours and put everything together), several of the members commented on my whip-popping skills, and it was nice to be remembered!
The tours are an awesome tool to educate, and a way to have a lot of fun in your own community. I love encouraging farmers and ranchers to offer tours and have people out to their facilities. I know that it isn’t as easy as putting a sign up that says something like, “Farm tours here, come on in,” but it can be such a neat thing to do!
I hope that you have all enjoyed this short post, and I look forward to many more Farm City Weeks to come!
God Bless,
The Beef Queen
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