Dear Editor:

In this Thanksgiving season, most of us gather with our families and reflect upon the many blessings. One of those blessings is a nutritious and abundant food supply produced by our farmers and ranchers. We also benefit from other agricultural products used to produce the clothing, housing, medicines, fuel and other products we use on a daily basis.

These basic necessities are available to us because of a broad partnership of farmers and ranchers, processors, brokers, truckers, shippers, advertisers, wholesalers and retailers. The collaboration of these members of our society helps maintain our standard of living.

In appreciation of our farm-city partnerships, the President of the United States annually proclaims the week leading up to and including Thanksgiving Day as National Farm-City Week.

Agriculture employs more than two million individuals and annually contributes $148 billion to Florida’s economy.

As the president of the Okeechobee County Farm Bureau, I would like to encourage local residents to pause for a moment this holiday season and consider the abundance available to us.

Neither the farm nor the city can exist in isolation. Our interdependence creates jobs, markets and relationships that build our economy and support our collective security.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, I urge your readers to remember the farm-city relationships that have allowed us to create an exceptional quality of life for all Floridians.

Please join us in celebrating Farm-City Week, Nov. 18-25, as we give thanks for all that we enjoy.

Mickey Bandi, President
Okeechobee County Farm Bureau