Farm City Week
Farm City Festival
Hillsborough County's Economic Development
Department, Agriculture Industry Development Program and the Hillsborough
County Farm Bureau Federation teamed up to present the "Farm-City
Festival." The festival was held Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007 from 11:30
a.m. - 1:30 p.m. at the Joe Chillura Courthouse Square, across the street
from County Center in the 600 block of Kennedy Boulevard in downtown Tampa.
The free event was held in conjunction
with National Farm-City Week, designated every year as the seven days leading
up to and including Thanksgiving Day. In addition to samples of local farm
products, visitors were able to “milk" a mechanical cow, make butter
and learn more about the county's $654 million agriculture industry. At
noon, County Commissioners designated Nov. 19-25, 2007 as "Farm-City
Week" in Hillsborough County, and growers presented the season's first
flat of strawberries and first box of tomatoes. There was a variety of
fresh produce, made-to-order omelets, and fresh-squeezed orange juice on
hand for residents to sample, all for free.
The goal of this event was to bring the country/farm setting into the city, in a fashion that the urban population of Hillsborough County can appreciate. We offered information about the economic impact of agriculture on Tampa and Hillsborough County, and attempted to impress upon the urban citizens how vital agriculture is to their communities.
Groups participating include the Hillsborough County Cattlewomen's Association, Florida Strawberry Growers Association, Florida Poultry Federation, Hillsborough County Farm Bureau Federation, Florida Dairy Farmers, Sanwa Growers Produce Company, Florida Department of Citrus, Hillsborough Community College, the Florida Tomato Committee, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Florida Nurserymen and Growers Association, Hillsborough County's Cooperative Extension Service, Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County, and the Hillsborough County Agriculture Industry Development Program.