Farm at your fingertips, virtual Farm Tour with UF/IFAS Extension

Foodies and agricultural enthusiasts can “visit” six farms across the county for the annual University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension Seminole County Farm Tour, which moved to a virtual format for this year.

Beginning April 19, participants can access farm tour videos and participate in a virtual scavenger hunt for a chance to win prizes including a hydroponic vegetable growing kit and others. Topics include beekeeping, organic fruit and vegetable farming and more.

“Due to incredible technological advancements in agriculture, the average person is further removed from farming than ever before,” said Morgan Pinkerton, UF/IFAS Extension agent in sustainable agriculture and food systems. “This is an incredible opportunity for a behind the scenes tour of agriculture here in our community that some people may not experience otherwise. We are so excited to virtually “bring” people out to some of our local farms.”

Alongside videos of each stop of the tour, blog posts will provide educational content for participants about agriculture.

“Seminole County was built on an agricultural economy that has, like many other Florida counties, transitioned to a more urban area,” said Rex Clonts, Jr., president and owner of BigDaddy’s Farm, one of the virtual farm tour stops. “It is important to make people aware that there is still agriculture not just surviving but thriving in Seminole County. I hope people walk away with an appreciation of agriculture. Not only to provide greenspace and food, but to provide a vital diversification of the economy for the county.”

“Despite being a fairly urban area, we have over 400 farms in Seminole County,” Pinkerton said. “Each farm is incredibly unique, too. The farms here range from small farms under nine acres to larger farms over 1,000 acres. The producers in the county grow all sorts of different agricultural products from citrus to tomatoes and many more. We have farms that have been around for generations and quite a few young farms too.”

“People often ask us at BigDaddy’s Farm if we would deliver vegetables to their home,” Clonts said. “We sell more than vegetables; we sell the farm experience. And we hope people can get a taste of this farm experience on this virtual tour.”

Registration is not required, and participation is free. For more information, visit the UF/IFAS Extension Seminole County website.