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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the award-winning Farm-City Committee of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce is moving ahead with its plans for Farm-City Week 2020.

The committee met Wednesday morning at the Murphree Park Pavilion.  Masks   and social distancing were the order of the day and so was business as usual.

The Farm-City Committee considered how to continue to support the activities and events that are “normally” a part of Farm-City Week activities which traditionally begin in early fall and conclude the week leading up to Thanksgiving.

With the restrictions of COVID-19, some of the activities would not be possible but would present the possibility for new ideas, said Dana Sanders, Pike County Chamber of Commerce president.

Committee Chairman Traci Shaver said the theme for Farm-City 2020 is “Sweet Grown Alabama” and that should be kept in mind as the committee plans its activities and events for Farm-City Week.

Farm-City Week is a celebration of the relationship between the rural and urban communities and that relationship is strong in Pike County, Shaver said.

Deborah Huggins-Davis discussed the Trail of Trees planned for the Agriculture Academy at Goshen High School.

Huggins-Davis said the trees will be planted in the fall and suggested that several more trees be added to the plans.

“Jamie Rich, academy director, said fruit trees would be great additions and could be nurtured in the academy’s greenhouses,” Huggins-Davis said. The committee members were in agreement to purchase the additional trees.

The committee voted in favor of having the annual Farm-City Banquet in November. The date and place set for the annual awards banquet is November 12 at Cattleman Park. Masks and social distancing will be observed.

The Farm City Job Swap is an annual event of Farm-City Week. A member of the farming community and a member of the business community “swap” jobs for a day in an effort to gain a better understanding of and appreciation for the others’ job,

Russell Johnson, broker and timber buyer, and Melissa Sanders, planning and zoning administrator for the City of Troy, will swap jobs for a day at a date to be determined

The committee was agreement to continue with the project to preserve the “barn culture” of Pike County through the photography of the aging and dilapidating barns in the county.

Huggins-Davis will present a teaching video focusing on the crops of Pike County as an educational tool for young students.

Cyril Newman suggested that the committee honor members who have been leaders in the Farm-City Week program through the years. He presented a list of suggested former members who have made significant contributions to the Farm-City Committee and to the Pike County community.

The Pike County Farm-City Committee always welcomes new members. For more information, visit the Pike County Chamber of Commerce, 101 East Church Street in downtown Troy.