File photo/UAA Communications
Florida Department of Agriculture Presents Sunshine Showdown Series
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 | General
The Florida-Florida State game on Saturday night highlights partnership.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The Florida Department of Agriculture has joined forces with two of the state's most successful and popular sports programs – the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles – and will tap into the Sunshine State's passion for college sports throughout each school's athletic year by highlighting each contest between the two as a "Fresh From Florida Sunshine Showdown.""The 'Fresh From Florida Sunshine Showdown' represents one of college football's most storied and passionate rivalries," said Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam. "Whether you root for the Seminoles or the Gators, I hope you'll support Florida's hometown farmers, ranchers and fishermen."
Through the statewide multi-media assets of Florida and Florida State athletics, the partnership will enable Fresh From Florida to deliver core messages about food freshness, nutrition and the importance of the agriculture industry to Florida's economy. In addition to messaging around Sunshine Showdown match-ups, a dedicated website, SunshineShowdown.com, will keep fans informed of recent Sunshine Showdown results, upcoming contests and offer custom content.
As part of the initial launch, fans can visit the site and register for the chance to win a trip to their team's bowl game and 2017 season football tickets in the "Fresh From Florida Sunshine Showdown Sweepstakes." A separate social media hashtag battle will pit the two fan bases against each other in a friendly competition to see which side garners the most support in real time.
With the schools squaring off each season in not only football, but also soccer, volleyball, swimming & diving, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, softball and baseball, the Sunshine Showdown calendar matches up with the seasonality of Fresh From Florida products. Both institutions recognize the significance of the intense rivalry, as well as the strength of the joint platform.
"We're pleased that the annual athletic competitions between Florida State University and the University of Florida will now also highlight the importance of state agriculture," said Vice President and Director of Athletics at Florida State, Stan Wilcox. "Our rivalry draws great interest throughout the state and the partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture is a win for all Floridians."
"We are excited to have this great rivalry across all of our sports and teams highlighted through a relationship with the Florida Department of Agriculture," said Scott Stricklin, Director of Athletics, University of Florida. "While we are rivals on the field, we can all agree about the importance of our state's farmers, fishermen and ranchers, and help remind our great fans that buying local positively impacts Florida's economy. That's something we can all root for."
Agriculture is a $100 billion industry in Florida and Floridians can support their neighbors and communities by buying locally-grown and harvested products. For more information about the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, visit FreshFromFlorida.com, or follow Fresh From Florida on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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