The award-winning Farm-City Committee of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce held its first planning meeting for the 2015 Farm-City Week activities Tuesday morning.

The committee is coming off a successful 2014 Farm-City campaign, having won three state awards. The committee was named Best Farm City Committee among counties with populations less that 35,600. The committee also won the Best Media/Proclamation Award and the Best Event Award.

Randy Hale, committee chair, congratulated the committee members on a successful 2015 Farm-City Week campaign and expressed confidence that the committee would continue to work diligently to strengthen and promote the partnership between the rural and urban communities in Pike County.

Farm-City Week historically begins on the Friday before Thanksgiving and concludes on Thanksgiving Day.

“The theme for this year’s Farm-City Week is ‘Agriculture: Sustaining Future Generations,’” Hale said. “During Farm-City Week, we need to make every effort to make the public aware of the fact that the food and fiber that feeds and clothes us comes from a small percent of our population. And, also that those few farmers could not be sustained without the goods and services provided by the business sector.”

Hale said it takes the efforts of both the rural and urban communities to sustain this nation.

“Only one percent of our population is listed at farmers,” he said. “That’s only three million people. One farmer feeds 155 people. Agriculture is the lifeblood of our country.”

Hale highlighted the success of the different events and activities sponsored by the Farm-City Committee and the role they will play in the 2015 Farm-City Week activities.

“Pike County has not had a Century and/or Heritage Farm since 2010,” he said. “In years past, we really worked to get that designation for the farms that had been in families for 100 years or more and had a structure or structures that were 50 years old or older. We would like to recognize a Century and Heritage Farm this year and we have two possibilities. And we hope we can get everything together to recognize them in 2015.”

The committee will continue most of its Farm-City Week activities and events, including having a booth at the Pike County Fair and participation in the Peanut Butter Festival Parade.

The committee will host Classroom in the Forest for all fifth-grade students in Pike County and also include Troy University international students. Pike County Farm Days has not been confirmed as an event.

The annual Job Swap is a definite activity along with the Farm-City Tour and the Farm-City Awards Banquet. The annual signing of a proclamation declaring Farm-City Week in Pike County is always a part of Farm-City Week activities.

Several members of the committee have agreed to speak to various groups and organizations when invited.

John Dorrill suggested the Farm-City Committee might want to be involved in the annual Free Kids Fishing Day in June and also initiate a strong anti-litter campaign that begins with each property owner assuming that responsibility.

“We’ve got a busy agenda of Farm-City Week activities and we’re all looking forward to another successful year as we bring the rural and urban communities together to celebrate what is accomplished when we work together,” Hale said.