By Ellen Bausback
Communications Intern at UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute (Published November 2020)
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when grocery store shelves first lay sparse, some customers instead began to order produce from small organic farms. Amy Scoik and John Bitter, co-owners of the 63-acre Frog Song Organics farm in Gainesville, were already poised to act.
Small organic farms like Frog Song typically operate with a short food supply chain, meaning the distances that the products travel to customers are relatively small, unlike large-scale farms that ship all over the U.S. and globally, said Danielle Treadwell, a UF/IFAS state extension specialist for organic and sustainable vegetable production.
“When there was a need, they [small organic farms] were very quick to respond,” Treadwell said. “Florida’s small farm operators have historically fed local communities.”
But aside from their adaptability, small organic farms in Florida bring a host of other benefits, even when a pandemic isn’t gripping the world.
"It's About What You Put In"
Organic farming is a method of agriculture that focuses on producing food using tactics that work with the environment to “foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity,” according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.
When done correctly, organic farming methods can reduce pollution and soil erosion, conserve water and increase soil fertility. Compared to conventional agriculture, organic farming also uses less energy and generates less carbon dioxide overall.
Scoik and Bitter, both 37, are part of a growing movement of organic farmers in Florida whose industry generated more than $86 million in 2019. Nationally, organic products generated over $55 billion in sales last year, with organic produce comprising 15% of the total U.S. fruit and vegetable market. Between 2016 and 2019, sales of organic commodities rose 31%.
The modern organic farming movement in the U.S. started in the 1940s, and consumer demand has been rising since the 1990s. National standards to regulate the practice were put in place in the early 2000s, and according to the USDA, “82% of US households now purchase organic products on a regular basis.”
USDA-certified food systems must avoid certain practices — using conventional pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or biosolids (sewage sludge) is off limits on these farms. Any poultry, meat or dairy products must come from animals that were given no growth hormones or antibiotics. If an animal gets sick and needs antibiotics to heal, it will be sold on the conventional market.
But, Treadwell says organic food systems are not defined by what is not allowed, but instead the innovative practices that go into growing the food we eat.
"It's not at all what you leave out," Treadwell said. "It is what you put in."
Perhaps one of the biggest differences between organic and conventional farming methods is the way farmers fertilize their soil and control pests. Conventional agriculture relies on industrially produced synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, while organic farmers focus on using natural methods that work in tandem with the surrounding environment.
For example, Scoik and Bitter release predatory wasps to control pests, while Cody Galligan, owner of Siembra Farm in Gainesville, fertilizes his soil with homemade compost.
The specific organic growing methods and crop management techniques that farmers use depend on the size of the farm, the crops grown and whether livestock are involved.
At Frog Song, Scoik and Bitter use a method called rotational grazing with their pigs and chickens. Rotational grazing is a practice where farmers only allow animals in specific areas at one time to allow the rest of the field to recharge and recover for the next planting season.
Galligan said cover cropping has been key in operations at Siembra Farm, a technique in which farmers plant non-food crops in fields that aren’t currently being harvested. These crops help prevent soil erosion, control weeds, maintain soil moisture and restore key nutrients in preparation for the next food crop to be planted. Cover crops also provide habitat for beneficial birds and insects.
To maintain the biodiversity of the natural environment, some organic farmers practice polyculture, a method of growing several different varieties of crops together in a beneficial way. An example of this is growing corn, beans and squash together. The corn provides structure, the beans contribute nitrogen to the soil and the squash stops weeds from growing near the soil.
Despite the benefits of organic farming, the state and nation's food systems still rely on a diversity of farm sizes and production strategies, Treadwell said. Organic and conventional, as well as large-scale and local farms, complement each other to provide enough food for an ever-growing population.
And, these days, the differences between conventional and organic systems aren't so cut and dry, Treadwell said.
In fact, a growing number of farmers have split operations where they have both organic and conventional parts of their farms, she said. These farmers often take the best practices from their organic areas and incorporate them into the conventional sides of their operations when they find they work better.
"There is a lot of cross-pollination that happens,” she said.
"It definitely takes more hands"
Like all agricultural systems, organic farming is not without its challenges.
Avoiding the use of fossil fuel-based inputs like synthetic pesticides and fertilizers means organic farming takes a lot more labor and time. For example, while conventional agriculture allows for killing weeds with chemicals, many organic farmers manually pull them.
“To feed the earth using organic, it definitely takes more hands,” Galligan said. “But if it’s a healthy living and it’s feeding people healthy food, it’s worth it.”
Another issue is that organic often costs more, due to the increased manpower needed to take care of plants without conventional methods. Small organic farms may also produce a lower overall yield, resulting in higher prices that are passed on to the consumer.
But the trend to make organic more affordable is progressing, as more farmers markets offering organic allow purchases using food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and community gardens have continued to sprout across the state.
Overall, organic farming is a growing industry, Treadwell said, and those practicing this kind of agriculture are increasingly diverse in age and background.
Treadwell said she is excited about the rising rate of innovation in agriculture — people from a lot of different disciplines are working to solve big problems, like producing enough nutritious food for a growing world population. Small, organic farms can sometimes take more risks with these innovations because they can try new technologies at a smaller scale, she said.
One of the biggest challenges, according to Scoik, is that people are disconnected from where their food comes from.
She said Floridians should go out and meet the people who are growing food locally, learn about their practices and try to support farmers who are good stewards of the land.
Treadwell agrees.
“It’s really a joy. There’s a personal element in the relationships that the consumers develop with the farmers,” Treadwell said. “And, you know, the food is delicious and nutritious.”
For Bitter, solving problems is one of the bright spots in his work at Frog Song.
“It never gets old, it never gets boring,” Bitter said. “The challenges never stop.”
The Frog Song couple remains optimistic about the future of organic and its ability to add to the global food supply.
“We’ve got a couple of children,” Scoik said. “We’d better be hopeful, because they’re going to have to have something to eat here in the future.”
They predict the number of people who will want food that is produced organically will continue to rise.
“I don’t think that’s a trend that’s going to go backwards,” Scoik said.
This story is part of the UF Thompson Earth Systems Institute's student-produced Earth to Florida newsletter that curates the state’s environmental news and explains what’s going on, why it matters and what we can do about it.
The University of Florida Thompson Earth Systems Institute is advancing communication and education of Earth systems science in a way that inspires Floridians to be effective stewards of our planet.