Harvest Awards Seek Community Garden Nominees

Community gardeners have a new opportunity to win recognition—and spread awareness about city farming—through the Hillsborough County Fair Harvest Awards.

A new category, Urban Agriculturist of the Year, has been created in response to the growing community gardening trend. Individuals, families and organizations developing community gardens are eligible to win.

The deadline for nominations is Monday. Forms submitted online should be emailed to hillsboroughcountyfair@verizon.net; sent by mail, postmarked by Monday, to Hillsborough County Fair Awards Committee, P. O. Box 100, Sydney, FL 33587; or faxed to (813) 737-4889. Find the nomination forms here.

"I knew of the community gardening trend but I had no idea it existed to the extent it does," said Tom Umiker, fair volunteers manager and longtime Valrico farmer. "The city of Tampa itself has been supporting it."

The Harvest Awards started about 15 years ago with categories such as Farmer of the Year and Agribusiness of the Year dominated by winners from eastern and southern Hillsborough County, Umiker said. When the fair moved from the grounds of Raymond James Stadium to its current location at State Road 60 and Sydney-Washer Road, the Harvest Awards were temporary suspended, he said. The last time they were presented was 2005.

This year's awards categories also include Farm Family of the Year, Outstanding Public & Community Service, Agribusiness of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award. The newest category should ensure at least one winner from Tampa, Umiker said.

"We've got a number of nominations," he said. 

Raising awareness through programs like the Harvest Awards could do a lot to boost gardeners' efforts, he noted.

"There's probably a lot the agricultural community out here could do to help these folks."

One of the newest awards committee members is Sam Kinsey of Northview Hills in East Tampa. The retired administrator for the state has been pushing to get word of the program out to gardeners.

"When it comes to anybody west of Brandon on the committee, I'm the only one," he said. "My thing is to make sure we recognize community gardens. There's not a lot of farming in the city, but there are a lot of community gardens."

He expects to get nominations from Seminole Heights and Tampa Heights, H.O.P.E., by Middleton High School, and Progress Village, among others.

There will be just one winner in each category. Prizes will be awarded during the Harvest Award Dinner, 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 11 at the county fairgrounds. Dinner tickets are $20; corporate sponsorships are also available. Call (813) 737-3247 or visit hillsboroughcountyfair.com.

This year's fair is Oct. 12 through 16.