FARM-CITY WEEK CELEBRATES URBAN, RURAL RELATIONSHIPS

North Carolina will celebrate the ties between urban and rural communities during annual Farm-City Week Nov. 21-27. Counties around the state observe Farm-City Week throughout the summer and fall with harvest festivals, farm tours, fruit and vegetable picking, and more.

Farm-City Week activities, coordinated by local centers of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, recognize the important relationships between farms and cities. Residents of urban areas rely on a plentiful supply of inexpensive food produced on North Carolina farms, as well as fibers for clothing and wood products for furniture and construction. Thanks to our bountiful agribusiness industry, Americans pay less for food than many neighbors around the world.

And just as urban dwellers and businesses depend on their rural neighbors, farmers rely on city-based transportation, research and marketing assistance to get their products to consumers.

This year, North Carolina's Farm-City Week theme, "Together Achieving Success," was developed through an essay competition among North Carolina youth. Thirteen counties with active 4-H youth programs encouraged their 4-H'ers to develop a theme for Farm-City Week and write an essay explaining the relationship between farms and cities.

Ashley Taylor, age 12, of Newton, won the competition. "Without the farms growing the products that we eat and wear, and the transportation from farm to city, agriculture wouldn't be where it is today. We must all work together to achieve success," she wrote in her essay.

North Carolinians from farms and cities share a rich heritage in agriculture and a strong commitment to preserving our state's natural resources. Farm-City Week celebrates those common interests. For information on Farm-City Week activities planned for your community, contact your local county center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.