Some Hillsborough County veterans got a first-hand look at farming of the 21st century on Friday, Jan. 19 during an agriculture tour of different local businesses.

  • Tour organized through county departments, community partners
  • Goal to assist veterans transitioning into civilian careers
  • Want to learn more? Visit HCFLGov.net/Vets2Ag

The tour is organized through a partnership between Hillsborough County Economic Development, the Hillsborough County Farm Bureau, the Hillsborough County Extension Service, and community partners committed to assisting transitioning veterans by providing meaningful connections to quality civilian career opportunities and training.

"Hillsborough County and the surrounding Tampa area has the largest working veteran population in the state and this is one way to introduce the veterans to opportunities in agriculture," Hillsborough County’s Manager of Agribusiness and Development Simon Bollin said.

After spending their careers traveling across the world, Army veteran Laura Matayoshi and her husband decided to plant some roots in the Bay area and wanted to explore options in agriculture.

"Veterans bring a lot of wealth and skill and experience and knowledge," Matayoshi said.

During a stop at Jaymar Produce, the group went from the coolers to the crops to see how strawberries are produced and packaged. Staff said they’re all jobs that require more than just driving a tractor.

“Technology is only as good as the people who are using it," Dwight Rainwater with Jaymar Produce said. "All of our tractors are GPS guided, our fumigation rigs are computerized. We manage crops by flying drones over to look for hot spots."

County leaders and business owners said the AG industry offers a wide range of positions that require certain skill sets and knowledge. They focus on using technology and management systems for the production of food, medicine, consumer products and energy.

"It's a big industry and there's lots of different opportunities for folks, not just being a home farmer, but if you're interested in whatever you've learned to do, there's probably a place for you," Matayoshi said.

If you’d like to learn more about agriculture-related resources available for veterans, visit HCFLGov.net/Vets2Ag.