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Traci Shaver of Goshen will lead the Pike County Farm-City Committee in 2020.

Shaver stepped into the shoes of Deborah Huggins-Davis at the Wednesday meeting of the award-winning Farm-City Committee.

Following the death of longtime committee chair, Randy Hale, Huggins-Davis accepted the leadership role on an interim basis.

“Traci will do an outstanding job as our committee chairman,” Huggins-Davis said. “Traci knows and understands agriculture and the importance of the farm/city relationship. The committee welcomes her and we all look forward to working with her.”

Shaver said she is excited to have the opportunity to serve and looks forward to working with the committee.

“I’m depending on the committee members to teach me the ropes,” Shaver said. “I’ll need a lot of help because the Pike Country Farm-City Committee is very active and involved year around.”

Shaver is no stranger to agriculture. Her husband, Curtiss, farms corn, cotton and peanuts. The Shavers are longtime cattle farmers and also have breeder houses. Tracy Shaver’s on-the-farm experience, coupled with her dedication to the farm/city relationship, provide a strong basis for the Pike County Farm City leadership role.

The Pike County Farm-City Committee begins the 2020-year with an agenda that includes its tried and true programs as well as several new ventures.

The committee will initiate a Trail of Trees at the Ag Academy at Goshen High School. The tree trail will provide an on-campus opportunity for students to learn tree identification.

“John and Carol Dorrill have developed a trail of trees at their Clay Hill Farm and it is outstanding,” Huggins-Davis said. “The committee thought it would be beneficial to also have a tree trail on the Ag Academy campus. We will purchase from three to five oak trees at the Pike County Co-op for planting this year and then plant different varieties of trees each year.”

The committee’s collection of barn photographs is displayed at the Troy Public Library and will also be made available for display at the Tupper Lightfoot Memorial Library in Brundidge. The committee will continue photographing heritage barns as a preservation project.

Beginning in March, the Pike County Farm-City Committee will meet at 8 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month at the Colley Senior Complex. New members are always welcome.