Hometown Hero: Chiefland’s Watermelon Queen advocates for local farmers while promoting agricultural literacy

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CHIEFLAND, Fla. (WCJB) - 20 year old Rieley Beauchamp said she’s been interested in the agricultural industry for as long as she can remember, but it was when she took on the title of Chiefland’s Watermelon Queen that her passion truly blossomed.

“It just kind of sparked a fire under me to educate other people about it,” said Beauchamp. “I was able to work at a watermelon shed for two summers so I’ve seen first hand the sacrifices our farmers make for us everyday.”

In an effort to educate others, Beauchamp collected donations from various groups, including Seeds for the Future, to buy nearly 500 books for first grade students across Levy County.

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“When I go into the classrooms I ask ‘where does your food come from?’ and they all say ‘the grocery store’ and I say ‘Well it does come from the grocery store, but where does it come from before the grocery store?’ and that’s a conversation we have and the book explains that,” said Beauchamp.

Now as an agricultural communications major at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, she hopes reading to students is just the beginning of a life-time of advocating for those who help put food on our tables.

“I hope people will do more research on where there food comes from,” Beauchamp added. “It’s more than just planting a seed and watering it and packing in the sheds. It’s also our semi drivers that pick it up and grocery stores that get if from the drivers.”

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