Christian Peterson
news@greenepublishing.com
The Hamilton County Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) held its kickoff meeting on Thursday, May 30. Twenty young farming and ranching families from around Hamilton County made their way to the event, beginning the evening with a dinner cooked by Hamilton YF&R Chair Seth Adams and his wife, Morgan.
The state president of the organization, Madison County's Tyler Shadrick, made the trip down to speak to the attendees on the importance of YF&R and how important it is for young families to be involved in the agriculture business. Johnathan Crain, from the Suwannee River Water Management District, spoke on cost-sharing programs available to assist Florida farmers buy equipment and other farm-related services. Then, Adams spoke on the political climate for farmers regarding the new farm bill and its relation to peanuts. Finally, Caraline Coombs, the field representative for YF&R, spoke on contests available around the area that farmers can enter into at the annual convention. The evening came to a close with a tour of the Suwannee River Peanut Company's facilities.