The 51st Annual Athens Chamber of Commerce Farm and Ranch Tour and luncheon was held yesterday. Ken McGee, Jr. was named the Agriculturalist of the Year, which you can read about here.
In addition, here are three quick thoughts:
1. We may have computers in our pockets and access to the world at our fingertips, but Henderson County is still a rural community. Don’t believe me? According to information released yesterday, the agriculture industry generates over $125 million in annual income in the county.
2. This year’s event attracted a huge crowd. There were more than 200 people who took the tour in the morning and that number ballooned to nearly 400 for the luncheon at the Cain Center. That’s a lot of interest in local agriculture.
3. Keynote speaker Ronnie McDonald was outstanding. He is a former county judge of Bastrop County and Tuesday he was more like a motivational speaker, clipping on microphone under his bow tie and coming out into the audience to give his speech. His talk on “sowing and reaping,” and how agriculture believers understand the work that is necessary to make that process work, resonated very well with the audience.