By Clint Thompson
Last week’s Farm to Table Dinner in Auburn, Alabama, hosted by Sweet Grown Alabama, included farmers and industry leaders. Approximately 150 guests attended the event on Thursday, Aug. 13 and sampled Alabama-grown foods.
This included jam from Hornsby Farms in Auburn and watermelon samples, provided by the Gulf Coast Watermelon Association watermelon queen.
Sweet Grown Alabama Director Ellie Watson talked about this year’s event in an interview with AgNet Media.
Director Quote
“It really is fun to look back and see how far we’ve come with this event and how many incredible celebrations we’ve had in locations all across Alabama. It’s fun to reflect on the times that we were all the way from, almost Tennessee state line at Scott’s Orchard, down to Robertsdale to now in Auburn and think back on all those happy celebrations that we’ve had with consumers in different parts of Alabama,” Watson said.
“Our program started in 2019, and we started the farm to table dinner shortly thereafter. But really even in my interview for the Sweet Grown Alabama director position, I knew a farm to table dinner had to be part of our annual programming. It just makes sense when you’re promoting local farmers to offer an opportunity for those farmers to get together with sponsors and organization leaders as well as the community leaders, legislators and consumers that are in each of these cities. Having a place where we can all come together once a year to taste the fruits of our farmers’ hard work and to celebrate those farmers and thank them for all they do is, again, just the lifeblood of our program and really the heart of Sweet Grown Alabama.”
Rick Pate, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and Sweet Grown Alabama board member, attended the event.