Down on the County Farm

The Geraldson family had farmed their 22-acre plot of land in northwest Bradenton for more than 50 years. Famous for tomatoes and strawberries, the Geraldsons shut down operations in 2004 and decided to sell. Instead of shopping it to developers, like some of their neighbors, they approached the county. There was one small catch. The Geraldsons wanted their property to remain a farm.

Laura Morton FUTURE FARM: A conceptual site plan for the Geraldson Community Farm, and an aerial view (below) of the area as it looks now. Serious work on the site is expected to begin next year.

For Laura Morton, the opportunity was too good to pass up. She's an employee of the USDA and coordinator for the Florida West Coast Resource Conservation and Development Council, then a fledgling organization that was ready for a challenge. This was the opportunity they were waiting for.

Two years later, it looks like Manatee County will be getting its very own Community Supported Agriculture project, and a whole lot more.

It's obvious that Morton is passionate about agriculture -- "I'm like a kid in a candy store with this stuff," she tells me -- and her enthusiasm is infectious. By the time she's explained the concept to me, I'm already tossing her suggestions and ideas. Instead of an interview, it's turned into a brainstorming session.

"We'd already identified community agriculture as this area's biggest need," says Morton, so Geraldson's Farm was a perfect fit. Charlie Hunsicker -- then Manatee County's ecosystems manager -- contacted Morton and the Florida West Coast RC&D to determine the feasibility of a county--run farm project. "It was up to me to create a vision," explained Morton.

Rick Martinez, organic farm consultant and originator of Tampa's Sweetwater Farm CSA (see main story), was brought in to help on the project. Like Sweetwater, one of the best aspects of Geraldson's Farm is its location. "It's urban," he says, which will allow for better interaction with the community. At 22 acres, Martinez explains, it also has all the space needed to host a variety of different schemes.

Morton says she stole the best ideas from similar community agriculture projects across the country. The foundation would be a working CSA, providing a membership-based produce subscription service -- like Sweetwater in Tampa or Worden Farm in Punta Gorda -- where people could pay a yearly fee and pick up a weekly supply of fresh vegetables and produce on the farm grounds. The farm could also sell its produce at local farmer's markets. Unlike the other CSAs, this would be the first one in Florida to be run by a county government.

The goal, at least for the CSA, would be to make money. "We'd be using a functional business model as an educational opportunity," says Morton, training the next generation on successful small-scale farming. Apprentice and internship programs, as well as local vocational classes, would turn Geraldson's Farm into an incubator for community agriculture.

Sections of the property could also be set aside as a community garden, where individual citizens could tend their own plots to grow food or ornamental plants. Individual schools could farm their own sections of land, tending to vegetables and fruit that could then be used in school cafeterias, giving kids a chance to learn about nutrition from the ground up. That's the sort of hands-on community interaction and education that makes Morton giddy.

There would also be an opportunity for a Manatee agricultural museum, as well as the chance to use the farm as a showcase for agricultural products of the area. There's even been mention of a cozy front porch where citizen farmers could congregate with a hot cup of coffee, sharing stories about their experiences. It'll need some rockin' chairs, I reckon.

Just before Christmas, 2004, the county presented Morton's plan to the Geraldson family. They agreed, and by fall of 2005, Manatee County owned a farm. According to Morton, it was an easy sell. The addition of the Geraldson property to the county's portfolio of protected lands creates an extensive corridor along 99th Street, along with the Palma Sola Botanical Gardens and Robinson Preserve. It's a huge chunk of "green" space.

Since then, the Florida West Coast RC&D has been working on a conceptual management plan for the farm. "It's gaining momentum," says Morton, but there's still the necessary rounds of public hearings and political maneuvering to make sure that the county's residents get a say in the final disposition of Geraldson's Farm. The next public meeting is June 26 at Palma Sola Botanical Park, from 6-7 p.m.

At the beginning of June, the first plans for the design of the farm were presented to the county, including the addition of a linear "edible" walkway along the edge of the farm, lined with fruit trees, flowers and butterfly attractors. When complete, it will allow visitors to circumnavigate the entire property, with a view into each of the farm's working sections.

Right now, the property is overgrown and quiet, but both Morton and Martinez predict that serious work on the land will begin in 2007.

Later that year, or more likely by the beginning of 2008, you could be picking up a box of Geraldson cucumbers, tomatoes, collards and potatoes down at the government farm. Or harvesting the first crops from your very own plot. If you don't want to get your hands dirty, and if Morton has her way, you'll be able to enjoy Geraldson Farm produce at local restaurants.

And she's just getting started. "This team could move mountains," she said excitedly. She quickly sketches a vision of small CSAs on every available plot of land, big and small, from church lots to big back yards. "We could set these up everywhere!" she exclaims.

The Food Issue

• Eat my Florida
• Home cooking
• Farm Facts
• Down on the County Farm
• Here, There, Everywhere
• How Does The Wine Taste?
• Off the menu