OKEECHOBEE – The Okeechobee County Commission has declared the week of Nov. 15-22 as Farm City Week.

At the Nov. 9 commission meeting, Okeechobee County Commissioner Brad Goodbread said agriculture is important to Okeechobee County and to the State of Florida.

“Every year 100,000 acres of ag land goes out of production in Florida. It gets worse and worse every year,” said Goodbread.

“With 1,000 people a day moving to the State of Florida, it won’t be long until it costs too much to farm and ranch in Florida,” he said. “Be proud now.”

“We have the most abundant, safest food supply in the entire world,” said Micky Bandi of Florida Farm Bureau.

He said this week they take the time to thank the farmers and ranchers who work long hours to feed the nation.

The commissioners approved a proclamation which states: “Florida farmers and ranchers help feed the world by producing a bounty of nutritious foods. They rely upon essential partnerships with urban and suburban communities to supply, sell, and deliver finished products to consumers across the U.S. and around the globe.

“Rural and urban communities working together have built our nation’s rich agricultural resources so that they contribute to the health and well-being of our country and to the strength of our economy. During National Farm-City Week, we recognize the importance of this cooperative network. Agriculture employs more than 2 million workers, including farmers and ranchers, shippers, processors, marketers, retailers, inspectors, and others who contribute an annual impact of $149 billion to Florida’s economy.

“As they perform their daily work, farmers and ranchers preserve freshwater recharge areas, wildlife habitat and green space. Consumers help farm families maintain their superior natural resource conservation practices by purchasing Florida’s agricultural products.

“Farm-City Week activities celebrate the mutually beneficial relationships that support the quality of life we all enjoy. As we gather with family and friends around the Thanksgiving table, we count these relationships among our many blessings. We commend the many Floridians whose hard work and ingenuity provide us with food abundance and reflect the true spirit of our state and nation.”