Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and enjoyed spending time with your family! I cannot believe it is already 2020, this means six months of my term as sweetheart is already over with! It has been an amazing experience so far, taking me from Okeechobee to Ocala to Tampa, and anywhere in-between. January also means the start of county fairs! The Manatee County Fair (my county) runs for two weeks at the end of January and it is the first fair of the year! I love getting to see all the hard work that the exhibitors put into their projects pay off. For the exhibitor’s that show steers, they must sell them at the fair. Many kids use this money to help with their projects for next year or put it into a college fund, so be sure to look at your county fair schedule and consider buying a steer. It is a great investment into our future generation, and you get a freezer full of delicious beef!
I was able to attend the Holiday Gift Market held at the Florida State Fairgrounds. It was such an exciting experience to sample recipes and teach people how quick and easy some recipes can be while still be delicious! They raved over all our recipes and I loved getting to answer their questions about the beef industry.
The next day I traveled to the Villages in Sumter County for their annual Farm City Week! There I was able to promote beef and educate the public on where their beef comes from. They had many questions about why they do not get to see the baby cows on the side of the road grow up. I got to teach them that we are a cow calf state and explained to them what happens to them.
The same weekend I also got to travel to Little Everglades Ranch in Pasco County for the Savage Race. What a great time promoting beef and telling people what a great source of protein beef is! Also giving them lots of recipes for them to meal prep and help them train!
Remember if you have any questions or have an event that you would like me to attend, email me at caseywingate@yahoo.com!
