ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Hastings is known as the “Potato Capital of Florida” and on Sunday, the area surrounding the small St. Johns County community will be featured on the biggest stage.
St. Johns County potato farmer DeLee Parker, 5, and her family will be featured in a Super Bowl commercial scheduled to be broadcast in the 3rd quarter of the game on Sunday, Feb. 9. The commercial titled “The Little Farmer” is produced by Frito-Lay for its Lay’s Potato Chips brand with the tagline “Lay’s are made from real potatoes, and our potatoes come from real farmers.”
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The 60-second commercial concludes with a photo of DeLee holding two potatoes from the family’s Parker Produce in Elkton. That transitions into a photo collage of her dad, Jeffrey, his dad, Jeff, and his dad’s cousin Scott, along with their multiple generations of farmers in the family photo.
“Our family is happy and honored to be chosen by Frito-Lay to be in this commercial,” said Jeffrey Parker. “Our farm has contracted with them to provide quality potatoes since 1964. Our family has been farming in St. Johns County since 1937. We are proud 4th generation farmers, and DeLee will carry on that tradition.”
Two other farming families from the area are featured in the collage at the end of the commercial. They are Wesley Smith of Smith Farms, Steve Singleton, his wife April, and their three sons, of Singleton and Sons Farms.
According to the NFL, last year’s Super Bowl had more than 123 million viewers.
St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) Chair Krista Joseph recently visited with local farmers to discuss creating a new Agriculture Advisory Board for the BCC.
“For generations, our local farmers have grown agriculture in St. Johns County, and on Sunday, this heart-warming commercial will grow the world’s attention to the responsible farming happening in our community,” said Joseph. “These farmers supply food to Florida and the entire country from here in St. Johns County, Florida!”
The Florida Farm Bureau has profiled Parker Produce in their County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) program. It promotes agriculture’s role in protecting Florida’s natural resources. The program recognizes the farmers and ranchers who have taken voluntary action to preserve the land for the next generation. Exemplary practices of farmers and ranchers statewide conserve water quality and protect wildlife habitat and the state’s natural resources.
