For over sixty years, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has hosted Farm-City Week throughout Florida to bring consumers and farmers together. In Sumter County, where the number of farms has increased by 63 percent since 2011, it is more important than ever to raise awareness of the importance of agriculture and help residents connect to the food they eat and the people who grow it. Farms in that county account for more than 183,000 acres and produce and sell more than $42 million worth of agricultural products a year. In November of 2016, as part of Farm-City Week, UF/IFAS Extension Sumter County office hosted a Farm-City Tour for Sumter County residents to meet their neighboring farmers. Stops on the tour included the Bushnell Nursery, the John Graham Ranch, the Webster Livestock Auction and Farmer’s Market and the Florida Bass Conservation Center.

UF/IFAS File Photo