MANATEE COUNTY, FL (WWSB) - Every year, during Farm City Week in Manatee County, a community member is awarded the Manatee County Agriculturalist of the Year.

This year’s recipient is Whiting H. Preston.

He was given the title of 2025 Manatee County Agriculturalist of the Year on Tuesday, November 18, at the Bradenton Kiwanis Club meeting.

Preston has decades of leadership, innovation, and service to the local agricultural community.

According to Farm City Week committee members, Preston is a fourth-generation Manatee County farmer and lifelong Palmetto resident. He played a transformative role in shaping the county’s fruit and vegetable industry. He owns and operates Manatee Fruit Company and Manatee Farms.

Farm City Week committee members say Preston’s forward-thinking approach

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