A Christmas Wish And A Wrap On The Farm City Luncheon
Article Posted on December 22, 2022
The 2022 Luncheon, It's A Wrap!
Friends,
Last month, over 200 guests gathered for One Martin's annual Farm-City Luncheon. Now in its fifth year, the event, held in partnership with the Martin County Farm Bureau, brought together urban and rural residents of Martin County to celebrate the important relationships between farmers, consumers, civic leaders, and everyone in between who contribute to our community’s safe, abundant food supply. It was part of the national celebration of Farm City Week, traditionally held the week before Thanksgiving to highlight the interdependence between rural and urban citizens.
Our theme this year was aquaculture, and we dove into the topic with our keynote speaker, Megan Davis. Some people have an image of agriculture as fields of citrus groves or cattle grazing on the land, and that’s certainly an accurate picture of a good portion of western Martin County, but there’s much more to farming than row crops and livestock. There’s an entire aquaculture (fish farming) industry that provides important food sources grown in water. It’s a big economic driver in our region. Guests learned about the innovative ways the Florida aquaculture community is farming the seas, its growing promise to address an increasing global demand for food, and its local economic impact.
Megan Davis, Ph.D., Research Professor with the Aquaculture and Stock Enhancement Program at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce, described HBOI’s ongoing work to develop sustainable production techniques for farming fish, clams, oysters, shrimp, urchins, algae, seaweed and sea veggies. “Our research work has immediate and practical impacts on the food supply, health and nutrition, and the environment,” Davis said. “It’s cool science and it’s also the hope of the future.”
Butch Olsen, Executive Director of the Port Salerno Commercial Fishing Dock Authority, and Paige Cruise, a 16-year-old passionate advocate for Florida agriculture, inspired the sold-out crowd with a renewed appreciation for the agricultural community and how interdependent rural and urban communities are.
“Everything in our day, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear and the homes we live in, comes from the farm in some way,” Cruise said. “Agriculture is our life blood.”
The luncheon menu was a model of farm-to-table cuisine: beef from the iconic Adams Ranch, flounder and sheepshead from the Port Salerno Commercial Fishing Dock Authority, veggies from the Everglades Agricultural Area, and potatoes from Agri-Gators. The event took place at Pirate’s Cove Resort and Marina, a prominent part of the Historic Port Salerno Waterfront District.
To round out the luncheon, Ransom “Reed” Hartman conducted a fast-paced live auction including a tour of Bull Hammock Ranch, lunch and trail ride at the Hobe Sound Polo Club and an original Ernie Barnett painting. Funds raised help support the educational work of One Martin.
All of us at One Martin would like to thank everyone who sponsored and attended this year’s exceptional Farm City luncheon. We are grateful to all of you and wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Sincerely,
Rick Hartman
Thank You to our 2022 Sponsors! Click on a logo to learn more about our fine supporters.
Midbrook 1st Realty Corp
Bull Hammock Caulkins Water Farm
Congratulations to all of our live auction winners!
Thank you to the Carlton family, Ernie Barnett, and Pablo Dorignac for the contributing the special items and experiences.
To learn more about One Martin Click HERE on the above logo!
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