A Look into Florida Agriculture

This post is sponsored by the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association.

Think of the hands that go into bringing your Florida agriculture to the table. It’s the 9 billion people question. By 2050, there will be 9 billion people on this planet that we call home. With less than 2% of the current population dedicating their lives to farming, the question is, where will our food come from?

I had the eye-opening experience of touring Florida farms in southwest Florida hosted by the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association and sponsored by Fresh From Florida and the American Seed Trade Association. We’ve all heard the phrase farm to table, but it’s bigger and more complicated than that. Until this trip I never fully comprehended just how many hands played a part in feeding us.

The complex process can begin up to ten years in advance before you even slice into that juicy tomato or roast up those pillowy potatoes. From the years of research that can go into studying and perfecting a seed to the heart and soul that goes into nurturing the soil, this is as much about science as it is humility, humanity, and family. So, let’s dig into the intricacies involved in just what it takes to bring the beautiful produce we love to our tables, and what we can do to support our farmers.

It Starts with the Seed

To paraphrase Rachel Syngo of Melon1, farmers are the ultimate gamblers. With all of the things out of their control like weather, labor issues, supply chain issues, lower price points from neighboring countries, and diseases like citrus greening, starting with dependable seed is vital.

Our tour started at Sakata’s Ft. Myers Research Station. It was incredibly fascinating to learn that the produce we are eating today spent between 7-10 years in development. With so many variables out of the control of Florida farmers, being able to breed a hardier seed sets root for a more successful harvest. Research includes everything from going directly the original source of the fruit or vegetable like wild watermelons in Zimbabwe and studying those that are thriving to developing a sweeter tomato with a higher brix rating.

From Seed to Greenhouse

With so much research and development going into seeds, it’s no surprise that they’re incredibly expensive. To plant 1/3 an acre of peppers alone is $800 in just seeds. Keep in mind the average size farm in Florida is 204 acres. There are too many variables like weather, disease, bacteria, and wild animals like deer so the next stop for the seeds are growers like Mobley Plant World in LaBelle, Florida.

Farmers send their chosen variety of seeds to be sorted, planted, and germinated in greenhouses. The level of organization, attention to detail, and just years of knowledge to know the success rate of each seed variety, how long to keep them before shipping them to the farmers combined with the sheer logistics involved in housing up to a million baby plants per greenhouse was truly mind boggling.

Florida Farmers, It’s About Family

If you live in the southeast and are slicing into a gloriously juicy crimson tomato in March, there’s a good chance it was grown in Florida. With over 9.7 million acres of farmland and some form of agriculture in every county, Florida is the breadbasket for the southeast during winter months. Being a native Floridian, I’ve always known that agriculture played a vital role to our economy and looked forward to all of our specific food seasons, like tomatoes, sweet corn, strawberries, and blueberries, but until this experience, I didn’t fully comprehend the extent of the second most profitable boost to Florida economy, agriculture.

From the moment we stepped onto Lipman Family Farms and every farm that followed, one word resonated again and again, family. Not just the generations of family within the businesses like Troyer Brothers and Melon1, but their employees and farmworkers as well. Testament to that was COO of Melon1, Trey Miller, telling us about the ten quinceañeras his family was invited to in one year from workers as well as president of Tamiami Citrus Ron Mahan firing up the grill to cook for his workers after hurricane Ian hit. These farmers are literally feeding their families as they feed ours.

Issues Facing Florida Farmers

• Florida is synonymous with citrus but our citrus industry was hit hard by citrus greening, the first known autoimmune disease diagnosed in plants. This weakens the trees, causes bitter miscolored fruit, and makes them extremely susceptible to any stressors in the environment which is what eventually causes the trees to die. The sad truth is you are just as likely to see miles upon miles of dead citrus trees as you are a beautiful thriving orchard.
• Land is incredibly valuable. Most farmers don’t own their farmland but lease it. As Florida becomes more and more developed there is less land zoned for agriculture. Even if a hole is dug for sand, that piece of land can never be zoned for agriculture again.
• There aren’t enough farmworkers. Florida’s specialty produce are all hand harvested, from tomatoes to watermelon. Remember when I said I never realized how many hands were involved in bringing food to our tables?
• Weather is a constant battle. Southwest Florida has been hit especially hard by back-to-back hurricanes. Weather affects every aspect of the supply chain, from when seeds are harvested, to when farmers schedule the delivery of their plants from the greenhouses to those already compromised citrus trees hit by greening.
• US farmers are getting outpriced by our neighbors to the north and south. When retailers are faced with buying flats of strawberries from Mexico for $5 vs $25 for Florida strawberries, they’re going to opt for cheaper.
• We need happy, healthy bees. Bees play just as a vital a roll in bringing food to your kitchens as the farmers themselves. Look at watermelons for example, a bee needs to hit a watermelon flower 7-10 times in order for it to pollenate, and that is just one single flower.

What We Can do to Support Florida Farmers

With all of the issues Florida farmers and the Florida agriculture industry are facing, they are still hopeful. There are things we all can collectively do to support local farmers, and they’re all incredibly easy. Most of these hold true whether you’re a proud Florida girl like I am, live in Delaware, or North Carolina. So let’s break it down.

• Look for the Fresh From Florida label. If you call this gorgeous state home, look for the Fresh From Florida label in any of your grocery stores. This is the easiest way to make sure you’re buying local and supporting our Florida farmers.
• If it’s not in season in Florida, buy southeast produce. The next best thing to buying local is buying regional. We’ve all been there. You’re picking up that tomato at the grocery store and it has a label that it was grown in Tennessee. Keeping it as regional as possible supports the surrounding economy while also giving you the most flavorful produce.
• Buy US produce if Florida or regional isn’t an option. Unfortunately, the same time our produce are at peak season the same produce are coming over, often at cheaper prices. Not only are you getting a fresher product when you shop US, but you are putting the money back into our economy. In addition, it directly sends a message to retailers letting them know what their consumers are buying and want. Always check the labels.
• Shop and cook seasonally. This is a win all the way around. Shopping seasonally means that there is a good chance your produce have come from local farms. You are buying a beautiful product at its maximum level of quality so will get the most flavor. Plus, you are also most likely going to get the best cost.
• Talk to your retailers and let them know what you want. We as the consumers ultimately have control with our voice and our wallet, but we have to exercise that. If you don’t see Fresh From Florida produce at your local retailer, or regional produce, let them know. You can talk to your produce manager. It is also as simple as the survey at the bottom of your receipt. In a digital age where it’s easier to just shoot off an email or send a text, this is a quick and easy way to speak up and let your stores know what you want…the freshest produce from Florida farmers.

Thoughts From the Beach

• Do your research. It’s a sad truth but shock factor and fear sells. Use real science to back up your choices like Safe Fruits and Veggies.
• Educate yourself. Immigration is a hot topic for sure, but the farmworkers coming over on an H-2A visa are not taking American jobs. All farmers are required to advertise locally before they can apply and the process is incredibly rigorous. Let that sink in.
• Think of the hands. The next time you cut into that tomato, watermelon, potato, think of all of the people that brought this to your table. Starting with the seed researchers and breeders, then the growers/greenhouse. After that it finally goes to the farmers, and all of the hands involved. Remember, specialty produce are handpicked. Next comes the produce brokers/packers. Retail stores don’t want to deal with a lot of individual farms. Keep in mind all of the truck drivers that play a role in both transporting those baby plants to farms as well as shipping our produce. And that is just a small slice of the hands that go into the supply chain of Florida agriculture. It is truly about heart, perseverance, love of humanity, and even a little stubbornness.

Looking for seasonal recipes? Make sure to check out Calabacitas con Elote and Grilled Shrimp Ceviche.