The farm now pumps out more than 200 varieties of vegetables,
edible flowers, and micro-greens, remaining on the cutting edge of food
technology and trends. Customers are mostly restaurants that order in
bulk, but the average Joe can get the goods at the Palm Beach Green
market every Saturday from October through May.
We started researching hydroponics in 1990. Hydroponic farming
research began in 1996. Then we purchased 20 acres in 1999 and started
the farm in 2001.
Three full time, one part-time, plus one or two volunteers.
Can you explain why you feel hydroponics is the way to go?
How do you keep up with industry news -- innovations in hydroponics, restaurant and eating trends, etc?
As far as hydro innovation, I read a lot when I have time. I'm big on the Growing Edge blog. Always have supported the Growing Edge publication. As far as food trends, having a good relationship with our chefs helps us keep up, and we like to search out good-quality food when we travel.
What's your take on/involvement with the "farm to table movement"?
Farm to table and Slow Food go hand and hand. Can't have one without the other. Both Jodi and I and our three kids are involved in the Slow Food Movement. We are on the advisory board of our local chapter, Slow Food Glades to Coast. It's all good!!!
Can you talk a bit about your approach to no-pesticide, all-natural produce? Is it more expensive than conventional farming methods?
My approach was and still is when I first started farming, I didn't use anything at all. As problems started to occur, I just took each one as an individual problem and solved it with a natural approach. The natural approach only works with a diversified variety growing method. This way, if you have a problem with one variety, it will not implode your whole business. For example, the first problem I ever came across was diamondback moths on arugula. I resolved that issue with BT (bacillus Thuringiensis). Another major issue are aphids; I resolve that with a beneficial fungi (beauveria bassiana). If you add up all the costs of conventional farming such as human health and environmental issues, natural/organic farming practices are way cheaper.
Does not growing in soil mean you can't be labeled organic? How do you feel about that?
I get asked this question a lot. We grow two different ways. One is a water culture system (NFT), which is enclosed and recycled, and the other way is a carbon-based system where we utilize Florida peat and pearlite and amend it with organic nutrition: poultry manure and feather meal, plus beneficial bacteria and fungi. To that, the answer is no, because you can utilize fish waste and certify organic as long as your plastics are HDPE (high density polyethylene.)
What is your opinion regarding genetically modified produce, which has been in the news quite a bit lately?
The GMO foods that are being produced are just a way for the huge agri-food corporations to get a stranglehold on the food system. They want you to buy their seeds that are compatible to their chemicals. There's no sustainability there, and it's certainly not natural!
