New Directions For Florida Growers
From the time they open up their first lemonade stand, true entrepreneurs are constantly looking for new ways to grow and prosper. The successful ones often take a few more risks and spread their wings in search of new horizons. That category of entrepreneurs includes Florida agriculturists.
Farm stands and U-Pick operations have flourished for generations, but these days producers are moving in directions that their grandparents couldn't have imagined. The recent Agritourism, Ecotourism & Heritage Tourism Opportunities workshop held in the North Florida community of White Springs highlighted dozens of potential money-making ventures for those with the smarts and ambition to make them happen.
Some examples of these extracurricular ventures include traditional roadside stands, farmers markets, overnight farm stays, ag tours, bed and breakfasts, hunting, U-Pick operations, pumpkin patches, nature-based operations, and aquaculture tours, as well as Christmas tree farms, corn mazes, petting zoos and wine-tasting events.
Besides offering some great ideas, the workshop also dived into what it takes to build a successful side business, including a self-assessment and examination of zoning and land-use hurdles.
Back To The Forest
Other farmers are venturing into growing crops that previous generations never gave a thought to producing. Harvester Online featured the drive to produce crops for alternative fuels in the September 2006 issue.
Another alternative is trees — and we're not talking about timber. The Chicago Climate Exchange runs North America's only legally binding greenhouse-gas reduction and trading system. Here's how it works: landowners sign up, agreeing to maintain woodlands and grasslands, and are issued "carbon credits." Companies and governments join in order to buy the credits. At current prices, a farmer can make about $2,000 a year by maintaining a no-till farm of about 1,300 acres. It's not a lot, but it's a start.
Not-Too-Traditional Crops Popping Up
In an effort to diversify, Florida growers are gravitating to everything from peaches and blueberries to Asian and other specialty produce. The latest in non-traditional crops is macadamia nuts. Citrus growers are drawn to the trees as a replacement for orange and grapefruit trees they lost to the citrus canker eradication campaign and recent hurricanes. One Hendry County tree dealer says he's selling out of baby macadamia trees, chosen to thrive in Florida conditions, and grown in a unique soil mixture treated with sulfuric acid.
George Anderson's grove and nursery began 10 years ago, but just recently experienced a peak in sales when the Florida Farm Bureau featured him in a publication in October 2005. He told reporters he received 120 calls from growers after they read the piece. "I returned the first 20 calls, and got 14 orders and sold all my available trees," he said, estimating that some varieties will yield as much as 40 pounds of nuts per tree by the third year.
Something Fishy Going On
Aquaculture is an accepted and somewhat traditional field in Southern states, but one area remains in the alternative crop category. That's bait fish. Florida's long growing season, good soil and water quality, and strong market demand for the fish provides opportunities. Those seeking customers in areas not currently served by large bait fish operations are likely to be the most successful. Finding a niche and researching marketing conditions is imperative.
Other alternative crops and value-added ideas include firewood production, growing materials like corn husks to be used for decorative arts, offering pet and/horse boarding, and providing a site for festivals or community events.
Starting The Thought Process
These only scratch the surface of possible ideas to bring in extra cash. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offers a brief paper, Alternative Enterprises - for Higher Profits, Healthier Land. It's a valuable tool to help you decide whether something new and different will work for you.
Read the NCRS paper, attend workshops offered and talk to fellow growers. FFVA Producer Members can speak with the Marketing & International Trade Division for help and ideas. And most important, take a few moments to dream. What do you like to do for fun? Do you like to meet new people? Are you skilled at a craft or hobby? Those are pathways to developing interesting and fun ways to bring more cash to your operation and more public awareness of what we in agriculture do "way out there in the country."
(Source: FFVA Harvester)
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