Year after year, Cherrylake always looks forward to participating in the Lake County program, Agriculture in the Classroom’s Ag Literacy Day. Cherrylakers volunteer to visit local schools, such as Cypress Ridge, Groveland Elementary and Mascotte Elementary, and read a book
about the importance of agriculture and how it benefits our community and everyday lives. Due to the recent stay-home order brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have been forced to shift their learning to the virtual classroom. When scheduled plans of visiting local kindergarten and first grade classrooms were canceled, Cherrylake was not ready to break tradition. On Monday, April 6th at 10:00
a.m., Cherrylake will be hosting a live virtual Ag in the Classroom led by Director of Production Todd Gentry on their Facebook page.

This year’s book, Forever There’s a Forest, highlights the Florida forestry industry. With forest products being Florida’s number one agricultural commodity, learning about the process of how daily items such as toilet paper are made– especially in this unique economic climate we’re in– is important. With over 5,000 uses for wood, every home in America relies on the goods produced by the forestry industry. Furniture, musical instruments, laundry detergent, diapers, crayons – and even toilet paper – the list is endless.

Cherrylake is excited to highlight this essential industry during a time when the world needs them the most. The Facebook live reading will not only help to bring communities together but will enlighten the younger generations to explore the world around them and understand the importance of the work the forestry industry is a part of.

Cherrylake first got its start on a land filled with citrus groves in the year 1980. After several hard freezes that destroyed the crops in Groveland, the company diversified, with their citrus operation, IMG Citrus, moving south to the sandy soils of Indian River County. Today, Cherrylake is one of the largest wholesale producers of ornamental trees, palms and shrubs in the Southeast United States, as well as one of the fastest-growing landscape and maintenance construction companies in Central Florida.

Although the recent Stay Home order in the state of Florida has created many challenges for locals, it has allowed our community to find new ways to connect. Soon enough, our shelves will be stocked high with toilet paper, our coworkers will be able to shake our hands, and parks will be open for our children to play in the dirt.

Stay tuned for Cherrylake’s Facebook Live Ag in the Classroom reading on April 6, 2020, at 10:00 am.