September 9, 2024 • 35 mins
Join us as we talk with Jessica Riles, UF/IFAS Agriculture and Sustainable Food Systems agent in Collier County, and chair of the Southwest Florida Small Farmer Network. Jessica shares her transition from local government to supporting small farmers, discussing the importance of community support, relationship-building, and how the Southwest Florida Small Farmer Network connects farmers with vital resources.
We also dive into the challenges small farmers face, like labor shortages and high land costs, and explore innovative solutions like the Southwest Florida Fresh initiative. Jessica highlights how strategic planning, marketing, and collaboration are empowering local farmers and strengthening sustainable food systems in the region.
Thursday September 26 Fall Southwest Florida Small Farmer Network Meeting
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Fresh Take , where we at Florida Organic
Growers speak to food systemsexperts about topics related to
organic and sustainableagriculture, healthy lifestyles
and the environment.
To help us continue ourprograms at FOG, including our
podcast, consider becoming asponsor.
For more information onsponsorship, check out our Get
Involved page on our website,wwwfoginfoorg out our Get
(00:25):
Involved page on our websitewwwfoginfoorg.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hello and welcome listeners to another
thought-provoking episode ofFresh Take.
Today we're shining a light onthe unsung heroes of our food
system small farmers.
Our episode will explore theunique challenges and incredible
opportunities that smallfarmers face in Southwest
Florida.
Joining us today is JessicaRiles, the UF, ifas, agriculture
(00:47):
and Sustainable Food Systemsagent in Collier County and
chair of the Southwest FloridaSmall Farmer Network, to share
her experiences and insights onhow small farmers can thrive.
We'll explore essentialbusiness and marketing tactics
that can help these vitalplayers in our local food system
grow and succeed.
Jessica, we're so happy to haveyou here today.
(01:08):
Thank you so much for having me, lana.
Well, it's an absolute honorbecause you know, in the local
food world, you know we hearnames kind of thrown around
sometimes and you're quite thecelebrity.
Well, thank you.
(01:36):
And I, you know I say that inthe best of ways, because I know
so many people.
Well, thank you planning and soon.
So can you tell us your storyabout how you chose this
specific career path?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Well, thank you so much for having me in that very
kind introduction.
Yeah, I found myself inagriculture in a very roundabout
way.
I went to Florida Gulf CoastUniversity and have a background
in communication, and at thetime they did not have a major
for agriculture, or even a minor.
They've started an agribusinessschool there now, which is
(02:09):
pretty neat.
But so I worked in localgovernment.
I worked as a educator for thecolloquium course, I worked at a
large vegetable farm and alsogot my master's in public
administration.
So all of that kind of puttogether set me up for this job
(02:30):
opportunity and extension, whichhas been truly amazing.
As the agriculture andsustainable food systems agent,
my job is really to connectfarmers with education and
science-based resources andpretty much answer any questions
that they might have.
So there's some really greatwork that's happening all over
the state with UF, ifas and ourresearch centers, and really
(02:52):
just getting that information topeople is what I do.
So I like to say that I holdhands with the farmers and the
university, so my role is reallyto help them with knowledge on
food production, on farm, foodsafety, regulatory compliance
there's a lot of steps that needto happen to get food to
(03:16):
people's plate, you know, suchas logistics and marketing and
distribution and all of that,and so I can help them with
navigating some of thoseregulations.
And I also work with some ofour larger farms and our cattle
ranchers to educate the generalpublic about the importance of
agriculture in Collier County.
We do this by doing some farmtours.
(03:38):
And one thing that I amsurprised by I guess I shouldn't
be, but I was when I startedthis job was I do a lot of work
in disaster response for thecounty for agriculture.
So I work with our localemergency managements and do
agricultural assessments forafter the storms and report any
(04:01):
field information to local andstate agencies as well as our
economics department up at UF.
This is really importantbecause we want to get an
accurate snapshot of whathappened during storms and after
storms and in case we need somesort of disastrous assistance
or state legislators need topetition the state or federal
(04:25):
government for funding forfarmers after a disaster, we're
kind of the boots on the ground,helping to provide the data and
the information.
So every day my job isdifferent.
I think that's what makes ittruly interesting and I get to
learn and work with so manydifferent people in the
agricultural sector.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Wow, I mean that's yeah, that sounds like a really
comprehensive background thatyou have and it's.
It's something that I think youknow it's.
This is such a niche area andworking with small farmers
specifically, and I'm reallyinterested in learning about how
the Southwest Florida SmallFarmer Network came about.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, so basically this has been a network that has
gone on for quite a long time.
We're on our 16th year actuallyand yeah, it's pretty amazing,
there's a lot of formerextension agents that started
this.
So basically back in 2008, wehad an economic downturn and
(05:29):
that really kind of shiftedopinions, perspectives and
purchasing of local food in ourarea.
Dr Roy Beckford of Lee County,dr Rob Klusen of Sarasota and
Robert Hallman down here inCollier County found that, you
know, the trend was reallytowards local, sustainable,
(05:52):
organic, sort of making aresurgence, since times were
sort of getting leaner.
So they noticed they weregetting tons of requests at the
Extension Office aboutsmall-scale farming and so they
said well, you know, a lot ofour large producers are very
well connected with one another.
They have industryrepresentatives like the Florida
(06:12):
Fruit and Vegetable Association, the Watermelon Association,
the Florida Tomato Committee,farm Bureau, et cetera, and
these are all really greatorganizations that understand
you know some of the challengesand opportunities of that
industry very well and theyreally provide a lot of support
and even communicate some of thechallenges and the needs of
(06:34):
growers to decision makers.
So they said, you know, maybethere's an opportunity to create
a space like that for the smallfarmer network, which is really
pretty disconnected to some ofthe larger agricultural industry
.
A lot of that has to do withbecause many new and aspiring
(06:54):
farmers are coming into thisfield from maybe a background in
business or IT or a schoolcounselor and they maybe just
are not as plugged in to some ofthe resources.
So UF IFAS extension couldreally step up to that plate and
provide and be the facilitatorfor a network.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
That's incredible.
So how many counties does thisnetwork span and how many
farmers do you think areinvolved in this?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
That's a great question.
So the network spans from downhere in Collier all the way up
to Pasco County.
So that is basically oursouthwest UF IFAS district.
We don't really have a greatnumber on exactly how many
farmers are involved, becauseit's really a very grassroots,
(07:47):
fluid kind of group and I thinkthat kind of speaks to the
sustainability of the group aswell.
So, yeah, we've been able to.
We've got, you know, over 400people on our mailing list.
We get lately we've beengetting around 45 to 50 people
showing up to our meetings, butthey range, you know, depending
on the location and the topicand the makeup of the people
(08:10):
that have come to the meetingsin the past couple years.
We usually get about a thirdfarmers, a third aspiring
farmers or food entrepreneursand then, interestingly enough,
about a third are folks in theagricultural industry, people
from, you know FDACs or fromschool boards or other
(08:34):
government regulations, peoplethat are somehow involved in the
food system and want to learnmore about local food and tap
into what some of our smallfarmers are doing.
So it's a really varied group.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Right, and I remember I was one of those people in
that last group with fog, youknow, showing up at that last
meeting that you guys did lastyear and I just learned so much
and I was so interested to seeyou know who was all going to be
there and how.
You know how the dynamic isbetween some of these small
(09:08):
farmers, and so I think this isa really interesting group, you
know, because we know howchallenging it is to have a
small farm and to really kind offace all the different
obstacles that are now out thereto really be able to set
yourself up for success.
(09:28):
So is there, you know, specificgoals that, as the chair of
this network, you have in mindfor the people that are in this
group.
As far as it being, you knowthe short term goals versus the
long term goals.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Absolutely.
And just a little info forfolks out there Louis Rodriguez
of Polk County, who is our smallfarms agent, just became the
chair of the group.
So we're really excited to havesome new energy and some new
ideas and some new blood cominginto leadership for the group.
So that's a very exciting thing.
Oh, wonderful yeah.
But basically you know theshort-term goals really just to
(10:06):
create a space for small andmid-sized farmers, share
information, share resources,kind of keep them up to date to
any regulation or policy issues,and oftentimes we invite
representatives from FDACs orthe local property appraiser or
the local zoning planning groupsto answer some questions that
(10:27):
people might have.
Because a lot of times a lot ofthese small farmers are also
trying to do something a littlebit unique, maybe in a
peri-urban environment where thezoning laws maybe haven't
caught up quite to what they'retrying to do.
So really just bringing peopletogether and networking with one
another.
The long-term goals are reallyto create a network of growers
(10:50):
that can rely on each other.
Oftentimes we find that peopleare doing business deals when
they come to these meetings.
They're just kind of findingsynergies with one another.
So we want to encourage themand continue in that sort of
business relationship.
We also, from an extensionperspective, we want to see
knowledge gain.
(11:10):
We want to see behavior changein people.
So we don't want people comingto the meeting and learning
something.
That's really important, butdid they implement any of the
strategies or the methods thatwe talked about, you know, or
that maybe we experiencedfirsthand in those meetings?
That's going to be reallyimportant to demonstrate how
(11:30):
well we can educate and supportthe local farm community.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
And I love the emphasis on relationship
building because I think whatyou mentioned as far as
establishing these long-termconnections, like that's key, I
think, to being able to first ofall gain the confidence that
you know you're capable ofcontinuing on a successful path
(11:56):
as a small farmer and learningfrom other people that are doing
it and doing it right, but alsojust having that support, I
just think is so, so critical.
So, absolutely that piece youmentioned about you know trying
to figure out the knowledgegained from these meetings and
(12:16):
you know, I'm just wondering, isthere a way that you measure
that kind of impact?
I know that.
Last, time you had distributedsurveys to collect.
You know what kind ofconnections were made.
Is there other ways that you'retrying to figure out?
You know how the knowledge isbeing applied.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Yeah, great question.
So surveys are?
You know the way that we dothings, for sure in Extension,
but even for us on theindividual level in our
prospective counties.
You know we have so many greatrelationships with the growers
in our counties and so when wecan follow them over time and
(12:56):
provide resources for them overtime you know all of the
extension agents in this programhave wonderful success stories.
You know that they work withgrowers closely to document.
So sometimes it's, you know,getting the survey back and
saying what did you learn.
Sometimes it's following up acouple months after and saying
did you implement anything?
(13:16):
And sometimes it's like a phonecall and a text to be like, hey
, you know, that thing we talkedabout, you know, a couple
months ago.
What did you ever end up doingwith that?
And that's all really importantdata points that we can
demonstrate.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Okay, yeah, that makes a lot of sense and I think
you know that relationship alsoof being able to figure out the
best communication methods,right with communicating with
some of these farmers, is alsoreally instrumental and it
sounds like you have kind offigured out the different
(13:50):
loopholes to connecting withsome people, whether that's
texts or call or email, andfinding out what works best for
everyone, because I do think inthe farming world we have people
from so many different agegroups and that is just really a
key element to continuing thatkind of relationship.
(14:11):
But in terms of the challengesthat you know we touched on a
little earlier, are there otherchallenges aside from you know,
these small farmers working insilos that you think you know
this group really faces and istrying to figure out how to get
over?
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Yeah, and a lot of the large and small farmers face
very similar issues.
Particularly with the smallfarmers it is a very sad fact
that many of them are not ableto make a whole lot of money
selling fruits and vegetables,for example.
So, like that, direct to marketchain or, you know, direct to
(14:50):
consumer, you can get a higherprice for your items and there
are some really uniqueopportunities that people can
venture into, like value addedand agritourism.
But you know there's also extralayers of regulation and
planning and business strategythat comes along with that and
that's things that we can assesspeople with as well.
But in terms of, you know,challenges that farmers see in
(15:13):
Florida, pest and disease ishuge.
Labor is something I hearacross the board.
It's just really difficult tofind labor and help.
A lot of our large producers areable to tap into the H-2A
program, which has really been avery useful program, but for
small farmers that's kind of outof reach and I've talked to one
(15:36):
or two that have looked into it.
Maybe I can try and use the H-2Aprogram and it's just it's very
cumbersome and it's not veryit's not set up for small scale.
Certainly, land prices are a bigchallenge, particularly as the
small growers that are sellingdirectly to the consumer are
(16:00):
trying to get closer to citycenters and trying to be more
visible.
And that comes with, you know,increased land prices and, like
I had mentioned before,increased challenges with local
regulations that maybe justhaven't adapted a little bit
more to what farming might be incurrent times and in urban
spaces.
Of course, in Florida we'redealing with hurricanes and
(16:24):
freezes and wildfires andflooding and all of that, and
flooding and all of that Foodsafety has been an emerging
trend in farming over the past10 or so years.
Lack of financing, economies ofscale.
You know, again, you're notmaking a whole lot of money
selling vegetables, but theadvantage that our large
(16:46):
agricultural producers have isthey're dealing with economies
of scale.
They might get a 5-10% profitincrease but they're working at
such a large level that they canmake a decent living.
And that becomes a little bitmore difficult when you're
dealing with a small business.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Right, right, and the list.
I mean, the list is quite longand you mentioned, you mentioned
H-2A, which is something Iactually have never heard of.
Can you elaborate on what thatis?
Speaker 3 (17:34):
program from places, let's say, in South America, for
example.
They come into the farm works,usually with an agency to
arrange transportation andhousing and basically, you know,
living necessities, so thatthese folks are able to work on
the farm for the season.
It's a temporary situation andthey usually go back to their
respective countries after theseason is over, but they do get
(17:54):
the opportunity to come back ifthey'd like.
So it's mostly how most of ourfruits and vegetables are
harvested in the United States.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Wow, that's really great.
Thank you for touching on that.
And I'm wondering, you know,since the start of the Southwest
Florida Small Farmer Network,now that it's in its 16th year,
have you seen the dynamic changebetween small farmers in this
region?
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Yeah, that's a good question and I think it's
something that we're trying toget our hands around a little
bit more.
We're definitely buildingmomentum of the network and it
is growing over the years, sothat's very exciting to see.
We are working on doing somemore follow-ups with people to
again try and capture some ofthis stuff, because it's
(18:45):
happening, we know it'shappening, we just haven't
written it down, we haven'tgotten all of those stories yet.
So, and the big thing is again,with implementation of the
practices, that's for us anextension, kind of the best way
that we can demonstrate theimpact not only just of the
network but between farmers.
Covid-19 offered some uniqueopportunities for growers to
(19:09):
interact with each other and,you know, build some boxes that
they could send direct toconsumers, and so, again, we
just try and provide the spacein hopes that they can continue
their relationships.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Right, and I, you know, I asked that question
because I know how long it takesto really establish key
relationships and oftentimes inthis, you know, in this world is
the food industry we have someof these short term projects
whereby you know you're expectedto establish relationships but
(19:43):
in fact, you know, 10 plus yearsis really how, how long it
takes to have, you know, trustreally to develop.
So it's something that I, youknow, I'm so curious about in
terms of if there are tactics orstrategies that you've
implemented to encourage smallproducers to really learn from
(20:04):
each other.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Yeah, and that is a great question.
So I think for us, it is reallyabout staying farmer focused.
We have to be flexible tochange to their needs, and that
is something that we're alwaysdoing as extension agents.
We're always doing a needsassessment what's working,
what's not working, what are youdealing with?
(20:26):
What can we help with?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Right.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
And so we want to make space to include other
people in the food system toattend these meetings and to
participate, because they're areally important component.
I love to see you know foodbanks and food distributors and
retail outlets you know at thesemeetings because it's an
important link to what they'redoing.
But I think it's reallyimportant for us to keep that
(20:50):
farmer focused and really makesure that we are providing
resources for them in thisnetwork.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
I'm wondering if you can, you know, shed light on
examples of different eventsthat you guys have held.
What have those looked like?
Who has been, you know, thereto present, you know what have
been the highlights of thosekinds of events?
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Yeah, I mean pretty much just keeping consistent
meetings.
We try to have about twomeetings a year to highlight
some of the work that we'redoing in extension and provide
resources for the growers.
So it really has not been muchmore than that.
Quite a few of us went to therecent conference in fog and
(21:44):
were able to network and talkwith some folks, but other than,
you know, presenting what we'vecollected in data at
conferences.
Really it's just keepingconsistent meetings, keeping the
lines of communication openwith growers.
So there's definitely room forimprovement there.
But I feel I always say this tothe group I feel like we're
(22:06):
sustainable because we're kindof a low stakes, you know,
grassroots, low pressure kind ofgroup.
It's like if you want to showup and you know the topic
interests, you show up and let'stalk.
And really that's what this isall about is just getting folks
plugged in and then from therethere's really endless
possibilities of how people cancollaborate and work together.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
And speaking of that, you know collaboration and
efforts to kind of streamlinesome of these things.
I want to touch on a marketingeffort that's really seemed to
take off and benefited a lot ofthese small farmers the
Southwest Florida Fresh brand.
That has come about assomething you know for growers
(22:52):
in Southwest Florida to create adigital platform to market
their products.
So could you tell us a littlebit more about how that program
works and how it came about?
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Sure.
So back in 2017, we hadHurricane Irma that came through
our region in Southwest Floridaand had some really devastating
impacts on the farmingcommunity.
The Southwest Florida RegionalPlanning Margaret Worsley up
there got a grant to look at thesustainability of small and
(23:24):
mid-sized producers in SouthwestFlorida.
Well, I was a brand newextension agent and I didn't
know anyone.
And I got a phone call from MrGene McAvoy, who many of you
know and is a local legend herein extension and in the farming
community, and he said you know,jessica, you're a new agent.
This would be a really goodopportunity for you to meet some
(23:48):
of the growers, do a needsassessment, really figure out
you know how you can help thesesmall growers.
And I said, okay, but I am notdoing it without Eugene because
nobody knows who.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
I am.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
So, you know, we really kind of we had a number
of meetings and workshops and wedid surveys and farm visits to
really kind of understand how wekeep farmers sustainable and
when we talk, when we kind ofsaw how we keep farmers
sustainable and when we kind ofsaw that when we were talking
about sustainability, we weretalking about profitability, so
keeping them in business, and anumber of things came out of
(24:21):
that grant and that white paper.
Some of it was farm food safety, some of it was consumer
education and one of the thingsgrowers really wanted to see was
something to highlight ourlocal foods here in Southwest
Florida.
So kind of think of the FreshFrom Florida campaign where it's
(24:42):
highlighting and identifyingFlorida grown foods.
They were like you know, maybewe can do something like that
here and really connect ourconsumers and our producers.
So this was very much a growerled initiative.
I love that, yeah, and reallyit's been another sort of
grassroots effort where, youknow, folks are signing
(25:03):
themselves up on the website andlisting their farm, what
they're selling, where they canbe found, and it's a great
resource, just because when weget phone calls we say, you know
, go to this website, check itout, see where you can find
farmers markets, and so we'vehad a lot of collaboration over
the years.
The Regional Planning Council,the Southwest Florida Regional
(25:26):
Planning Council, has reallystayed strong and continued to
apply for grants and involved UFIFAS extension, so it's been a
really good partnership that hasbenefited the growers.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
That's so cool and I think you know that's something
that we should see all acrossFlorida, you know, as something
that we can do to highlight ourlocal growers.
And I'm curious is it like alabel or sticker that Southwest
Florida Fresh has on productsthat people can see in markets,
(25:59):
or is it mainly the website thatis used to market some of these
producers?
Speaker 3 (26:06):
At this point it's mainly the website, but we do
have marketing stickers thatproducers can use.
So it's up to the grower howthey want to display that item.
They can use a banner.
I've seen it on their trucks,on like their produce trucks
going to markets.
I've seen banners.
I've seen some folks that haveit at their farm stand or in
(26:26):
like their refrigerator units atthe farm stand.
We've got some like windowclings.
So you know, it's just a wayfor them to highlight yes, this
food was grown here.
And a page you know that we cansend people to that has
up-to-date information about whois out there and what they're
growing.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
Yes, and I want to highlight this resource that is
on the websitesouthwestfloridafreshcom and
that's swflfreshcom, thatthere's this eat local map that
really showcases all thedifferent producers that are
listed on this website, and ithas so many, so many different
(27:06):
types of producers, from seafoodto citrus, to eggs and
mushrooms.
So my other question is hasthere been any kind of criteria
established for what producersin this region you know how they
can be eligible to register forthis Dr?
Speaker 3 (27:24):
So any grower in the Southwest Florida area can list
themselves on the website.
They just go over to theproducer tab and say register.
Here At this point we arefocusing on farmers.
The vision and the goal of thebrand was always to include
restaurants and breweries andother types of items that are
(27:44):
incorporating local products,items that are incorporating
local products, but that's awhole nother layer of
verification that we are notready for, at least with our
agricultural producers.
Our extension agents in thoserespective counties know those
folks and interact with them andwe can easily verify that they
have a farm.
It becomes a little bit moredifficult when you're adding
(28:05):
restaurants and things like thatto the mix, but that is, you
know, the ultimate goal andwhere we would like to see it go
.
Asma Odey at the RegionalPlanning Council has been
working the past couple years to, you know, continue keeping
things on track and keeping thewebsite updated and, you know,
communicating with growers andproducers and we've got enough
(28:26):
eyes on the ground where we feelreally comfortable about, you
know, people registeringthemselves and just saying what
kind of products they have andthat's really incredible.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
And I think you know the question that I posed I also
want to pose for the SouthwestFlorida Small Farmer Network,
which is, if folks want to be apart of that group, is there any
steps that they have to take tobe able to join that, or is it
kind of a free for all?
You show up to these meetingsand can be a part of that?
Speaker 3 (28:57):
Yeah, so we ask people to just contact their
local county extension agent inyour respective county.
We do have an event, aEventbrite, right now, because
we have a meeting coming up onlet me pull it up here the 20,
September 26th at Stock and Vineup in Hillsborough County.
(29:18):
So you know, if you're livingin the Tampa area or you're
living in Lee County, you know,reach out to your respective
county extension agent and theycan connect you with the ways to
register.
We just ask for registrationbecause we'd like to provide
lunch, so we like to get an ideaof how many people want to
attend.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Awesome and is there a you know, a call to action
that you want to put out therefor people to, you know, feel
encouraged or inspired to eitherreplicate a network like this
in their area, or even just tosupport their local producers?
Speaker 3 (29:54):
Yeah, you know farming is so very important in
the state of Florida.
We are an ag-heavy state andwe're a state that supports
agriculture, but we need to allput in the effort to support our
local farmers.
So, in whatever role that mightbe and whatever size those
growers might be, so any waythat we can engage agricultural
(30:19):
producers, support them.
You know, whether that's in therole of extension, bringing the
growers together, helping themwith education Maybe, as a
consumer, it is looking for theFresh from Florida label or
looking at a local brandinginitiative that you can seek out
to support growers.
The big thing is that we wantto see farming continue in the
(30:39):
state of Florida and any chancethat we get to provide resources
, education and facilitate thesespaces for people is really,
really important.
We talk about real, specific andtechnical things at this
meeting, but even if you are notinvolved necessarily in farming
, you can still learn a lotabout the importance of
(31:00):
agriculture and why we need tocontinue supporting agriculture
in our state.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for sharingthat, and before we wrap up our
episode today, I do want to giveyou a moment to share any kind
of you know case studies orpersonal stories that you would
like to highlight, that kind ofshowcase the impact that this
network has had.
I know that you touched on thisat the Fog Organic Food and
(31:29):
Farming Summit back in April,and I'd like to give you a
moment to share any kind ofstory that you think really
could resonate with ourlisteners today.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
Sure.
So one that comes to mind isRussell Hollander.
He's with Care to GrowMushrooms, russell Hollander,
he's with Care to Grow Mushrooms.
And back in about 2017, 2018, Iwas a brand new extension agent
putting on one of these smallfarmer network meetings.
Russell showed up and we hadthe meeting at a seated table
(32:00):
small farm, one of their smallfarms here in Collier County,
and he said, oh, I want to startthis mushroom farm and I have
have the vision for it and Ihave, you know, the skills for
it.
I'm just trying to get moreinformation about, you know,
maybe some different regulationsor marketing or things like
that.
And he just, he just kept at it.
He kept plugged in.
He connected with DavidOuterbridge up in Lee County,
(32:23):
who's part of our, our group,and they started some really
interesting mushroom programsand he has a thriving business.
He's selling specialtymushrooms, powders, tinctures.
He's popped into a market thatyou know you can't necessarily
walk into the grocery store andfind.
You know what he's selling andhe's certainly found a great
market for it.
(32:44):
So, and the greatest thing forus is that it's a two-way street
.
You know, we learned so muchfrom these growers that it is so
important for them to show upto these meetings because they
teach other farmers, they teachyou know us, we get to educate
them.
It's a very collaborativeenvironment.
(33:04):
So that's one success story.
Another one is Janelle Francis.
Up in Port Charlotte.
She's part of Fancy Farms.
This is a woman that also juststarted coming to our meetings
just to network, to learn andtalk, and she has a thriving
microgreens business and sheworks with local chefs and
(33:26):
hotels and she's really beenable to transition into farming
full time, which is, you know,the dream that we want to help
people.
Support is how can they maketheir dreams a reality?
Absolutely, it's been an honorto work alongside these farmers,
these aspiring farmers, theestablished farmers and my
(33:49):
colleagues here in extension.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Wow, I really love those stories and I fun fact.
My dream is to have a mushroomfarm one day.
So that actually just inspiredmy my own, you know self to to
maybe continue that pursuit.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
But very good.
Thank you oh.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
It's, it's happening.
So I am now I'm on a mission,but you know, we've also had the
pleasure today to learn fromyou really about the critical
role you know smart smallfarmers play in our communities
and how strategic business andmarketing tactics can really
significantly bolster theirefforts.
Strategic business andmarketing tactics can really
(34:30):
significantly bolster theirefforts, and so we really want
to take a moment to thank you,jessica, for sharing your wisdom
and your passion with us today.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
Thank you so much for providing the platform and
inviting me to be on and talktoday.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Thank you so much, and for our listeners as you go
about your day, remember theimportance of supporting your
local farmers, whether it's byshopping local or simply
spreading the word about theamazing work these farmers are
doing.
Every bit of support helpsbuild a more resilient and
sustainable food system.
Thank you for tuning in and forbeing a part of this important
(35:03):
conversation.
Stay connected, stay inspiredand continue to support local
agriculture Until next time.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
We hope you enjoyed today's episode.
Stay connected, stay inspiredand continue to support local
agriculture.
Until next time, atax-deductible donation or
become a sponsor.
Learn more about our work andhow you can become a sponsor
from our website, wwwboginfoorg.
Welcome to Fresh Take , where we at Florida Organic
Growers speak to food systemsexperts about topics related to
organic and sustainableagriculture, healthy lifestyles
and the environment.
To help us continue ourprograms at FOG, including our
podcast, consider becoming asponsor.
For more information onsponsorship, check out our Get
Involved page on our website,wwwfoginfoorg out our Get
(00:25):
Involved page on our websitewwwfoginfoorg.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Hello and welcome listeners to another
thought-provoking episode ofFresh Take.
Today we're shining a light onthe unsung heroes of our food
system small farmers.
Our episode will explore theunique challenges and incredible
opportunities that smallfarmers face in Southwest
Florida.
Joining us today is JessicaRiles, the UF, ifas, agriculture
(00:47):
and Sustainable Food Systemsagent in Collier County and
chair of the Southwest FloridaSmall Farmer Network, to share
her experiences and insights onhow small farmers can thrive.
We'll explore essentialbusiness and marketing tactics
that can help these vitalplayers in our local food system
grow and succeed.
Jessica, we're so happy to haveyou here today.
(01:08):
Thank you so much for having me, lana.
Well, it's an absolute honorbecause you know, in the local
food world, you know we hearnames kind of thrown around
sometimes and you're quite thecelebrity.
Well, thank you.
(01:36):
And I, you know I say that inthe best of ways, because I know
so many people.
Well, thank you planning and soon.
So can you tell us your storyabout how you chose this
specific career path?
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Well, thank you so much for having me in that very
kind introduction.
Yeah, I found myself inagriculture in a very roundabout
way.
I went to Florida Gulf CoastUniversity and have a background
in communication, and at thetime they did not have a major
for agriculture, or even a minor.
They've started an agribusinessschool there now, which is
(02:09):
pretty neat.
But so I worked in localgovernment.
I worked as a educator for thecolloquium course, I worked at a
large vegetable farm and alsogot my master's in public
administration.
So all of that kind of puttogether set me up for this job
(02:30):
opportunity and extension, whichhas been truly amazing.
As the agriculture andsustainable food systems agent,
my job is really to connectfarmers with education and
science-based resources andpretty much answer any questions
that they might have.
So there's some really greatwork that's happening all over
the state with UF, ifas and ourresearch centers, and really
(02:52):
just getting that information topeople is what I do.
So I like to say that I holdhands with the farmers and the
university, so my role is reallyto help them with knowledge on
food production, on farm, foodsafety, regulatory compliance
there's a lot of steps that needto happen to get food to
(03:16):
people's plate, you know, suchas logistics and marketing and
distribution and all of that,and so I can help them with
navigating some of thoseregulations.
And I also work with some ofour larger farms and our cattle
ranchers to educate the generalpublic about the importance of
agriculture in Collier County.
We do this by doing some farmtours.
(03:38):
And one thing that I amsurprised by I guess I shouldn't
be, but I was when I startedthis job was I do a lot of work
in disaster response for thecounty for agriculture.
So I work with our localemergency managements and do
agricultural assessments forafter the storms and report any
(04:01):
field information to local andstate agencies as well as our
economics department up at UF.
This is really importantbecause we want to get an
accurate snapshot of whathappened during storms and after
storms and in case we need somesort of disastrous assistance
or state legislators need topetition the state or federal
(04:25):
government for funding forfarmers after a disaster, we're
kind of the boots on the ground,helping to provide the data and
the information.
So every day my job isdifferent.
I think that's what makes ittruly interesting and I get to
learn and work with so manydifferent people in the
agricultural sector.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Wow, I mean that's yeah, that sounds like a really
comprehensive background thatyou have and it's.
It's something that I think youknow it's.
This is such a niche area andworking with small farmers
specifically, and I'm reallyinterested in learning about how
the Southwest Florida SmallFarmer Network came about.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, so basically this has been a network that has
gone on for quite a long time.
We're on our 16th year actuallyand yeah, it's pretty amazing,
there's a lot of formerextension agents that started
this.
So basically back in 2008, wehad an economic downturn and
(05:29):
that really kind of shiftedopinions, perspectives and
purchasing of local food in ourarea.
Dr Roy Beckford of Lee County,dr Rob Klusen of Sarasota and
Robert Hallman down here inCollier County found that, you
know, the trend was reallytowards local, sustainable,
(05:52):
organic, sort of making aresurgence, since times were
sort of getting leaner.
So they noticed they weregetting tons of requests at the
Extension Office aboutsmall-scale farming and so they
said well, you know, a lot ofour large producers are very
well connected with one another.
They have industryrepresentatives like the Florida
(06:12):
Fruit and Vegetable Association, the Watermelon Association,
the Florida Tomato Committee,farm Bureau, et cetera, and
these are all really greatorganizations that understand
you know some of the challengesand opportunities of that
industry very well and theyreally provide a lot of support
and even communicate some of thechallenges and the needs of
(06:34):
growers to decision makers.
So they said, you know, maybethere's an opportunity to create
a space like that for the smallfarmer network, which is really
pretty disconnected to some ofthe larger agricultural industry
.
A lot of that has to do withbecause many new and aspiring
(06:54):
farmers are coming into thisfield from maybe a background in
business or IT or a schoolcounselor and they maybe just
are not as plugged in to some ofthe resources.
So UF IFAS extension couldreally step up to that plate and
provide and be the facilitatorfor a network.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
That's incredible.
So how many counties does thisnetwork span and how many
farmers do you think areinvolved in this?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
That's a great question.
So the network spans from downhere in Collier all the way up
to Pasco County.
So that is basically oursouthwest UF IFAS district.
We don't really have a greatnumber on exactly how many
farmers are involved, becauseit's really a very grassroots,
(07:47):
fluid kind of group and I thinkthat kind of speaks to the
sustainability of the group aswell.
So, yeah, we've been able to.
We've got, you know, over 400people on our mailing list.
We get lately we've beengetting around 45 to 50 people
showing up to our meetings, butthey range, you know, depending
on the location and the topicand the makeup of the people
(08:10):
that have come to the meetingsin the past couple years.
We usually get about a thirdfarmers, a third aspiring
farmers or food entrepreneursand then, interestingly enough,
about a third are folks in theagricultural industry, people
from, you know FDACs or fromschool boards or other
(08:34):
government regulations, peoplethat are somehow involved in the
food system and want to learnmore about local food and tap
into what some of our smallfarmers are doing.
So it's a really varied group.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Right, and I remember I was one of those people in
that last group with fog, youknow, showing up at that last
meeting that you guys did lastyear and I just learned so much
and I was so interested to seeyou know who was all going to be
there and how.
You know how the dynamic isbetween some of these small
(09:08):
farmers, and so I think this isa really interesting group, you
know, because we know howchallenging it is to have a
small farm and to really kind offace all the different
obstacles that are now out thereto really be able to set
yourself up for success.
(09:28):
So is there, you know, specificgoals that, as the chair of
this network, you have in mindfor the people that are in this
group.
As far as it being, you knowthe short term goals versus the
long term goals.
Speaker 3 (09:43):
Absolutely.
And just a little info forfolks out there Louis Rodriguez
of Polk County, who is our smallfarms agent, just became the
chair of the group.
So we're really excited to havesome new energy and some new
ideas and some new blood cominginto leadership for the group.
So that's a very exciting thing.
Oh, wonderful yeah.
But basically you know theshort-term goals really just to
(10:06):
create a space for small andmid-sized farmers, share
information, share resources,kind of keep them up to date to
any regulation or policy issues,and oftentimes we invite
representatives from FDACs orthe local property appraiser or
the local zoning planning groupsto answer some questions that
(10:27):
people might have.
Because a lot of times a lot ofthese small farmers are also
trying to do something a littlebit unique, maybe in a
peri-urban environment where thezoning laws maybe haven't
caught up quite to what they'retrying to do.
So really just bringing peopletogether and networking with one
another.
The long-term goals are reallyto create a network of growers
(10:50):
that can rely on each other.
Oftentimes we find that peopleare doing business deals when
they come to these meetings.
They're just kind of findingsynergies with one another.
So we want to encourage themand continue in that sort of
business relationship.
We also, from an extensionperspective, we want to see
knowledge gain.
(11:10):
We want to see behavior changein people.
So we don't want people comingto the meeting and learning
something.
That's really important, butdid they implement any of the
strategies or the methods thatwe talked about, you know, or
that maybe we experiencedfirsthand in those meetings?
That's going to be reallyimportant to demonstrate how
(11:30):
well we can educate and supportthe local farm community.
Speaker 2 (11:36):
And I love the emphasis on relationship
building because I think whatyou mentioned as far as
establishing these long-termconnections, like that's key, I
think, to being able to first ofall gain the confidence that
you know you're capable ofcontinuing on a successful path
(11:56):
as a small farmer and learningfrom other people that are doing
it and doing it right, but alsojust having that support, I
just think is so, so critical.
So, absolutely that piece youmentioned about you know trying
to figure out the knowledgegained from these meetings and
(12:16):
you know, I'm just wondering, isthere a way that you measure
that kind of impact?
I know that.
Last, time you had distributedsurveys to collect.
You know what kind ofconnections were made.
Is there other ways that you'retrying to figure out?
You know how the knowledge isbeing applied.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Yeah, great question.
So surveys are?
You know the way that we dothings, for sure in Extension,
but even for us on theindividual level in our
prospective counties.
You know we have so many greatrelationships with the growers
in our counties and so when wecan follow them over time and
(12:56):
provide resources for them overtime you know all of the
extension agents in this programhave wonderful success stories.
You know that they work withgrowers closely to document.
So sometimes it's, you know,getting the survey back and
saying what did you learn.
Sometimes it's following up acouple months after and saying
did you implement anything?
(13:16):
And sometimes it's like a phonecall and a text to be like, hey
, you know, that thing we talkedabout, you know, a couple
months ago.
What did you ever end up doingwith that?
And that's all really importantdata points that we can
demonstrate.
Speaker 2 (13:30):
Okay, yeah, that makes a lot of sense and I think
you know that relationship alsoof being able to figure out the
best communication methods,right with communicating with
some of these farmers, is alsoreally instrumental and it
sounds like you have kind offigured out the different
(13:50):
loopholes to connecting withsome people, whether that's
texts or call or email, andfinding out what works best for
everyone, because I do think inthe farming world we have people
from so many different agegroups and that is just really a
key element to continuing thatkind of relationship.
(14:11):
But in terms of the challengesthat you know we touched on a
little earlier, are there otherchallenges aside from you know,
these small farmers working insilos that you think you know
this group really faces and istrying to figure out how to get
over?
Speaker 3 (14:30):
Yeah, and a lot of the large and small farmers face
very similar issues.
Particularly with the smallfarmers it is a very sad fact
that many of them are not ableto make a whole lot of money
selling fruits and vegetables,for example.
So, like that, direct to marketchain or, you know, direct to
(14:50):
consumer, you can get a higherprice for your items and there
are some really uniqueopportunities that people can
venture into, like value addedand agritourism.
But you know there's also extralayers of regulation and
planning and business strategythat comes along with that and
that's things that we can assesspeople with as well.
But in terms of, you know,challenges that farmers see in
(15:13):
Florida, pest and disease ishuge.
Labor is something I hearacross the board.
It's just really difficult tofind labor and help.
A lot of our large producers areable to tap into the H-2A
program, which has really been avery useful program, but for
small farmers that's kind of outof reach and I've talked to one
(15:36):
or two that have looked into it.
Maybe I can try and use the H-2Aprogram and it's just it's very
cumbersome and it's not veryit's not set up for small scale.
Certainly, land prices are a bigchallenge, particularly as the
small growers that are sellingdirectly to the consumer are
(16:00):
trying to get closer to citycenters and trying to be more
visible.
And that comes with, you know,increased land prices and, like
I had mentioned before,increased challenges with local
regulations that maybe justhaven't adapted a little bit
more to what farming might be incurrent times and in urban
spaces.
Of course, in Florida we'redealing with hurricanes and
(16:24):
freezes and wildfires andflooding and all of that, and
flooding and all of that Foodsafety has been an emerging
trend in farming over the past10 or so years.
Lack of financing, economies ofscale.
You know, again, you're notmaking a whole lot of money
selling vegetables, but theadvantage that our large
(16:46):
agricultural producers have isthey're dealing with economies
of scale.
They might get a 5-10% profitincrease but they're working at
such a large level that they canmake a decent living.
And that becomes a little bitmore difficult when you're
dealing with a small business.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Right, right, and the list.
I mean, the list is quite longand you mentioned, you mentioned
H-2A, which is something Iactually have never heard of.
Can you elaborate on what thatis?
Speaker 3 (17:34):
program from places, let's say, in South America, for
example.
They come into the farm works,usually with an agency to
arrange transportation andhousing and basically, you know,
living necessities, so thatthese folks are able to work on
the farm for the season.
It's a temporary situation andthey usually go back to their
respective countries after theseason is over, but they do get
(17:54):
the opportunity to come back ifthey'd like.
So it's mostly how most of ourfruits and vegetables are
harvested in the United States.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Wow, that's really great.
Thank you for touching on that.
And I'm wondering, you know,since the start of the Southwest
Florida Small Farmer Network,now that it's in its 16th year,
have you seen the dynamic changebetween small farmers in this
region?
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Yeah, that's a good question and I think it's
something that we're trying toget our hands around a little
bit more.
We're definitely buildingmomentum of the network and it
is growing over the years, sothat's very exciting to see.
We are working on doing somemore follow-ups with people to
again try and capture some ofthis stuff, because it's
(18:45):
happening, we know it'shappening, we just haven't
written it down, we haven'tgotten all of those stories yet.
So, and the big thing is again,with implementation of the
practices, that's for us anextension, kind of the best way
that we can demonstrate theimpact not only just of the
network but between farmers.
Covid-19 offered some uniqueopportunities for growers to
(19:09):
interact with each other and,you know, build some boxes that
they could send direct toconsumers, and so, again, we
just try and provide the spacein hopes that they can continue
their relationships.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
Right, and I, you know, I asked that question
because I know how long it takesto really establish key
relationships and oftentimes inthis, you know, in this world is
the food industry we have someof these short term projects
whereby you know you're expectedto establish relationships but
(19:43):
in fact, you know, 10 plus yearsis really how, how long it
takes to have, you know, trustreally to develop.
So it's something that I, youknow, I'm so curious about in
terms of if there are tactics orstrategies that you've
implemented to encourage smallproducers to really learn from
(20:04):
each other.
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Yeah, and that is a great question.
So I think for us, it is reallyabout staying farmer focused.
We have to be flexible tochange to their needs, and that
is something that we're alwaysdoing as extension agents.
We're always doing a needsassessment what's working,
what's not working, what are youdealing with?
(20:26):
What can we help with?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Right.
Speaker 3 (20:28):
And so we want to make space to include other
people in the food system toattend these meetings and to
participate, because they're areally important component.
I love to see you know foodbanks and food distributors and
retail outlets you know at thesemeetings because it's an
important link to what they'redoing.
But I think it's reallyimportant for us to keep that
(20:50):
farmer focused and really makesure that we are providing
resources for them in thisnetwork.
Speaker 2 (21:13):
I'm wondering if you can, you know, shed light on
examples of different eventsthat you guys have held.
What have those looked like?
Who has been, you know, thereto present, you know what have
been the highlights of thosekinds of events?
Speaker 3 (21:23):
Yeah, I mean pretty much just keeping consistent
meetings.
We try to have about twomeetings a year to highlight
some of the work that we'redoing in extension and provide
resources for the growers.
So it really has not been muchmore than that.
Quite a few of us went to therecent conference in fog and
(21:44):
were able to network and talkwith some folks, but other than,
you know, presenting what we'vecollected in data at
conferences.
Really it's just keepingconsistent meetings, keeping the
lines of communication openwith growers.
So there's definitely room forimprovement there.
But I feel I always say this tothe group I feel like we're
(22:06):
sustainable because we're kindof a low stakes, you know,
grassroots, low pressure kind ofgroup.
It's like if you want to showup and you know the topic
interests, you show up and let'stalk.
And really that's what this isall about is just getting folks
plugged in and then from therethere's really endless
possibilities of how people cancollaborate and work together.
Speaker 2 (22:28):
And speaking of that, you know collaboration and
efforts to kind of streamlinesome of these things.
I want to touch on a marketingeffort that's really seemed to
take off and benefited a lot ofthese small farmers the
Southwest Florida Fresh brand.
That has come about assomething you know for growers
(22:52):
in Southwest Florida to create adigital platform to market
their products.
So could you tell us a littlebit more about how that program
works and how it came about?
Speaker 3 (23:02):
Sure.
So back in 2017, we hadHurricane Irma that came through
our region in Southwest Floridaand had some really devastating
impacts on the farmingcommunity.
The Southwest Florida RegionalPlanning Margaret Worsley up
there got a grant to look at thesustainability of small and
(23:24):
mid-sized producers in SouthwestFlorida.
Well, I was a brand newextension agent and I didn't
know anyone.
And I got a phone call from MrGene McAvoy, who many of you
know and is a local legend herein extension and in the farming
community, and he said you know,jessica, you're a new agent.
This would be a really goodopportunity for you to meet some
(23:48):
of the growers, do a needsassessment, really figure out
you know how you can help thesesmall growers.
And I said, okay, but I am notdoing it without Eugene because
nobody knows who.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
I am.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
So, you know, we really kind of we had a number
of meetings and workshops and wedid surveys and farm visits to
really kind of understand how wekeep farmers sustainable and
when we talk, when we kind ofsaw how we keep farmers
sustainable and when we kind ofsaw that when we were talking
about sustainability, we weretalking about profitability, so
keeping them in business, and anumber of things came out of
(24:21):
that grant and that white paper.
Some of it was farm food safety, some of it was consumer
education and one of the thingsgrowers really wanted to see was
something to highlight ourlocal foods here in Southwest
Florida.
So kind of think of the FreshFrom Florida campaign where it's
(24:42):
highlighting and identifyingFlorida grown foods.
They were like you know, maybewe can do something like that
here and really connect ourconsumers and our producers.
So this was very much a growerled initiative.
I love that, yeah, and reallyit's been another sort of
grassroots effort where, youknow, folks are signing
(25:03):
themselves up on the website andlisting their farm, what
they're selling, where they canbe found, and it's a great
resource, just because when weget phone calls we say, you know
, go to this website, check itout, see where you can find
farmers markets, and so we'vehad a lot of collaboration over
the years.
The Regional Planning Council,the Southwest Florida Regional
(25:26):
Planning Council, has reallystayed strong and continued to
apply for grants and involved UFIFAS extension, so it's been a
really good partnership that hasbenefited the growers.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
That's so cool and I think you know that's something
that we should see all acrossFlorida, you know, as something
that we can do to highlight ourlocal growers.
And I'm curious is it like alabel or sticker that Southwest
Florida Fresh has on productsthat people can see in markets,
(25:59):
or is it mainly the website thatis used to market some of these
producers?
Speaker 3 (26:06):
At this point it's mainly the website, but we do
have marketing stickers thatproducers can use.
So it's up to the grower howthey want to display that item.
They can use a banner.
I've seen it on their trucks,on like their produce trucks
going to markets.
I've seen banners.
I've seen some folks that haveit at their farm stand or in
(26:26):
like their refrigerator units atthe farm stand.
We've got some like windowclings.
So you know, it's just a wayfor them to highlight yes, this
food was grown here.
And a page you know that we cansend people to that has
up-to-date information about whois out there and what they're
growing.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
Yes, and I want to highlight this resource that is
on the websitesouthwestfloridafreshcom and
that's swflfreshcom, thatthere's this eat local map that
really showcases all thedifferent producers that are
listed on this website, and ithas so many, so many different
(27:06):
types of producers, from seafoodto citrus, to eggs and
mushrooms.
So my other question is hasthere been any kind of criteria
established for what producersin this region you know how they
can be eligible to register forthis Dr?
Speaker 3 (27:24):
So any grower in the Southwest Florida area can list
themselves on the website.
They just go over to theproducer tab and say register.
Here At this point we arefocusing on farmers.
The vision and the goal of thebrand was always to include
restaurants and breweries andother types of items that are
(27:44):
incorporating local products,items that are incorporating
local products, but that's awhole nother layer of
verification that we are notready for, at least with our
agricultural producers.
Our extension agents in thoserespective counties know those
folks and interact with them andwe can easily verify that they
have a farm.
It becomes a little bit moredifficult when you're adding
(28:05):
restaurants and things like thatto the mix, but that is, you
know, the ultimate goal andwhere we would like to see it go
.
Asma Odey at the RegionalPlanning Council has been
working the past couple years to, you know, continue keeping
things on track and keeping thewebsite updated and, you know,
communicating with growers andproducers and we've got enough
(28:26):
eyes on the ground where we feelreally comfortable about, you
know, people registeringthemselves and just saying what
kind of products they have andthat's really incredible.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
And I think you know the question that I posed I also
want to pose for the SouthwestFlorida Small Farmer Network,
which is, if folks want to be apart of that group, is there any
steps that they have to take tobe able to join that, or is it
kind of a free for all?
You show up to these meetingsand can be a part of that?
Speaker 3 (28:57):
Yeah, so we ask people to just contact their
local county extension agent inyour respective county.
We do have an event, aEventbrite, right now, because
we have a meeting coming up onlet me pull it up here the 20,
September 26th at Stock and Vineup in Hillsborough County.
(29:18):
So you know, if you're livingin the Tampa area or you're
living in Lee County, you know,reach out to your respective
county extension agent and theycan connect you with the ways to
register.
We just ask for registrationbecause we'd like to provide
lunch, so we like to get an ideaof how many people want to
attend.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
Awesome and is there a you know, a call to action
that you want to put out therefor people to, you know, feel
encouraged or inspired to eitherreplicate a network like this
in their area, or even just tosupport their local producers?
Speaker 3 (29:54):
Yeah, you know farming is so very important in
the state of Florida.
We are an ag-heavy state andwe're a state that supports
agriculture, but we need to allput in the effort to support our
local farmers.
So, in whatever role that mightbe and whatever size those
growers might be, so any waythat we can engage agricultural
(30:19):
producers, support them.
You know, whether that's in therole of extension, bringing the
growers together, helping themwith education Maybe, as a
consumer, it is looking for theFresh from Florida label or
looking at a local brandinginitiative that you can seek out
to support growers.
The big thing is that we wantto see farming continue in the
(30:39):
state of Florida and any chancethat we get to provide resources
, education and facilitate thesespaces for people is really,
really important.
We talk about real, specific andtechnical things at this
meeting, but even if you are notinvolved necessarily in farming
, you can still learn a lotabout the importance of
(31:00):
agriculture and why we need tocontinue supporting agriculture
in our state.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for sharingthat, and before we wrap up our
episode today, I do want to giveyou a moment to share any kind
of you know case studies orpersonal stories that you would
like to highlight, that kind ofshowcase the impact that this
network has had.
I know that you touched on thisat the Fog Organic Food and
(31:29):
Farming Summit back in April,and I'd like to give you a
moment to share any kind ofstory that you think really
could resonate with ourlisteners today.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
Sure.
So one that comes to mind isRussell Hollander.
He's with Care to GrowMushrooms, russell Hollander,
he's with Care to Grow Mushrooms.
And back in about 2017, 2018, Iwas a brand new extension agent
putting on one of these smallfarmer network meetings.
Russell showed up and we hadthe meeting at a seated table
(32:00):
small farm, one of their smallfarms here in Collier County,
and he said, oh, I want to startthis mushroom farm and I have
have the vision for it and Ihave, you know, the skills for
it.
I'm just trying to get moreinformation about, you know,
maybe some different regulationsor marketing or things like
that.
And he just, he just kept at it.
He kept plugged in.
He connected with DavidOuterbridge up in Lee County,
(32:23):
who's part of our, our group,and they started some really
interesting mushroom programsand he has a thriving business.
He's selling specialtymushrooms, powders, tinctures.
He's popped into a market thatyou know you can't necessarily
walk into the grocery store andfind.
You know what he's selling andhe's certainly found a great
market for it.
(32:44):
So, and the greatest thing forus is that it's a two-way street
.
You know, we learned so muchfrom these growers that it is so
important for them to show upto these meetings because they
teach other farmers, they teachyou know us, we get to educate
them.
It's a very collaborativeenvironment.
(33:04):
So that's one success story.
Another one is Janelle Francis.
Up in Port Charlotte.
She's part of Fancy Farms.
This is a woman that also juststarted coming to our meetings
just to network, to learn andtalk, and she has a thriving
microgreens business and sheworks with local chefs and
(33:26):
hotels and she's really beenable to transition into farming
full time, which is, you know,the dream that we want to help
people.
Support is how can they maketheir dreams a reality?
Absolutely, it's been an honorto work alongside these farmers,
these aspiring farmers, theestablished farmers and my
(33:49):
colleagues here in extension.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
Wow, I really love those stories and I fun fact.
My dream is to have a mushroomfarm one day.
So that actually just inspiredmy my own, you know self to to
maybe continue that pursuit.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
But very good.
Thank you oh.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
It's, it's happening.
So I am now I'm on a mission,but you know, we've also had the
pleasure today to learn fromyou really about the critical
role you know smart smallfarmers play in our communities
and how strategic business andmarketing tactics can really
significantly bolster theirefforts.
Strategic business andmarketing tactics can really
(34:30):
significantly bolster theirefforts, and so we really want
to take a moment to thank you,jessica, for sharing your wisdom
and your passion with us today.
Speaker 3 (34:36):
Thank you so much for providing the platform and
inviting me to be on and talktoday.
I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Thank you so much, and for our listeners as you go
about your day, remember theimportance of supporting your
local farmers, whether it's byshopping local or simply
spreading the word about theamazing work these farmers are
doing.
Every bit of support helpsbuild a more resilient and
sustainable food system.
Thank you for tuning in and forbeing a part of this important
(35:03):
conversation.
Stay connected, stay inspiredand continue to support local
agriculture Until next time.
Speaker 1 (35:10):
We hope you enjoyed today's episode.
Stay connected, stay inspiredand continue to support local
agriculture.
Until next time, atax-deductible donation or
become a sponsor.
Learn more about our work andhow you can become a sponsor
from our website, wwwboginfoorg.
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