Who better to welcome members of the Agricultural Retailers Association to Florida for their annual conference than William Jameson, the Florida State FFA President and symbol of agriculture’s future?
Florida stands tall in the agriculture industry, growing more than 300 types of commodities from fresh produce like grapefruit and sweet corn to beef and field crops. The state also boasts 65,000 students enrolled in agriculture classes and 18,000 in the FFA organization.
But just as critical to food production, says Jameson, is the contribution of retailers. “Your work as agriculture retailers is just as important. You supply farmers and ranchers with the products and services they need; products like seed, nutrients, crop protection, feed, equipment and technology, and also provide consulting services, including things such as crop scouting, soil testing, field mapping, custom planting, application and development of nutritional management and conservation program. The agriculture program needs you and we need you.”
If there’s anything Jameson already knows about farming, it’s that agriculture isn’t for the feint of heart. The industry has faced challenges for generations and it needs farmers and the people who make their work possible to feed the world. Be proud of what you do, Jameson concludes.
Listen to Jameson’s welcome remarks yourself and be proud of the future of the industry as well: [wpaudio url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/zimmcomm/ara-16-ffa-jameson.mp3″ text=”Welcome Remarks, William Jameson, Florida State FFA President”]
Lots of photos being uploaded here: 2016 ARA Conference & Expo Photo Album
