A specialty license plate says: "Agriculture keeps Florida Green." It may do that, but only if farmers and ranchers fight every day to survive and prosper. In a time when land prices are at a premium, what does the future hold?
A search for answers compelled Professor Fritz Roka of Florida Gulf Coast University to conduct an 18-month-long study.
He came up with these conclusions: use of technology, and growing more on less land, are major keys to survival.
"The mantra is: Do more with less," Roka said. "Less land, less water, less fertilizer, and less labor."
Loss of land for farms and ranches is the big challenge. Developers have spent millions of dollars to buy rural land for homes, retail outlets, and businesses to serve a booming population.
The University of Florida has predicted that the state could lose about 3,000 square miles of farmland in the next 45 years. That's roughly equal to the land mass of Lee and Collier counties combined.
Brett Whann graduated from FGCU in 2020, and now works for Creel Tractor Company.
"I'd be lying if I said my personal opinion is not a little bit grim," Whann said. "But, I also believe that with technology and people who are determined, it can be OK. But it's certainly not the for light-hearted nowadays for sure."
Whann added another comment about the importance of agriculture and its survival.
"People got to eat food. You can't eat money," he said.
FGCU held its annual Agribusiness Day on Nov. 20. Hundreds of students from 10 high schools around the region attended. They met with companies that do business with farmers and ranchers. Companies ranged from seed and tractor firms to US Sugar.
FGCU student Lexi Luevano helped with the event. She said her father is a citrus crew leader in Highlands County, He inspires her to help agriculture survive.
"My passion is definitely to gain more knowledge and to make the high-schoolers and college students aware of what farming does," Luevano said. "They need to know how important agriculture really is."
Citrus used to be the crown jewel of Florida agriculture. Greening and canker have devastated citrus, and the harvest now is small compared with 30 years ago. Lately, disease-resistant citrus is showing some promise, thanks to research by the University of Florida.
And growing vegetables remains a vital part of farming in south and central Florida.
Professor Roka, director of the Center for Agribusiness at FGCU, said farmers are using drones to determine more precisely which parts of fields need more water or less.
He also said the industry is looking at different ways to grow crops.
"We need a lot of open space for citrus and tomatoes," Roka said. "So maybe we can move to more urban-style farming, with hydroponics and aquaponics. Those techniques use nutrient-rich water to grow plants."
This business of humans raising crops and animals for food has never been easy. But it also makes for resilient and creative people. That's partly why Roka said he believes Florida agriculture will survive and even thrive 25 years from now.
"It will be a vibrant economy," he said. "It'll look different; it won't be as big in terms of size of land. But it will be vibrant in production and technology."
Rancher Jim Strickland agreed. He said his ancestors started raising cattle in what's now Manatee County in 1860. Strickland currently owns 1,600 acres and manages another 7,000.
He is a tireless promotor of Florida agriculture.
"Look at food security for the state of Florida and food security for our nation, with everything that is happening in the world right now,: Strickland said. "So I encourage anyone, if you have a passion to get into agriculture, get into agriculture."
Mike Walcher is a reporter with WGCU News. He also teaches journalism at FGCU. He can be reached at mwalcher@wgcu.org
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