Opinion: The Spice Of Life

By Brian Sparks|October 28, 2010

Think about how many times you hear that this person, or that product, is the “next big thing.” Now think about how many times that prediction actually turns out to be true. Being a child of the late 1970s and early 1980s, I can point to a number of examples of this. Remember New Coke? Milli Vanilli? How about Euro Disney?

The point is, it’s easy to make the claim that something will be the wave of the future, but it’s another thing entirely to be accurate in that prediction.
Let’s take this one step further, into the world of agriculture. Farming is, by nature, a venture that requires a constant eye toward the future. One of the key steps in maintaining long-term success and profitability is not only being able to see what the biggest market opportunities will be years from now, but developing a strategy to capitalize on those opportunities. The best growers are those who are willing and able to adapt their business models accordingly.

Fortunately for Florida’s fruit and vegetable growers, these opportunities are becoming more evident every day. The answer to how to take advantage of them comes down to one word: diversification.
• The October issue of Florida Grower included a special report on blueberries, a crop that has come into much higher demand thanks to numerous studies touting their health benefits. If you missed any part of
this report, you can find it at FloridaGrower.net. The report covers everything from selecting varieties to managing the crop from planting to harvest. As one of the story authors in this section explains, growers need to be resilient and able to diversify in order to meet the challenges facing them every year. Diversification spreads risk out among the different segments of an operation, and can provide benefits such as reducing fluctuations in cash flow and better utilization of labor and capital inputs.

• Erickson Farm in Canal Point, the subject of this month’s cover story, is another example of diversifying by finding a niche and sticking to it. The Erickson family specializes in growing the most challenging crops, including mangos and avocados. “We’ve accumulated specialized knowledge that allows us to be successful in doing things we’re not supposed to be able to do,” says Kim Erickson, president of the company. Read more about their story by clicking here.

• The Florida Ag Expo, which takes place Nov. 10 at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Balm, offers another chance to learn more about what’s on the horizon. Last year’s expo included a discussion on new peach varieties suitable for Florida’s climate, and this year the focus moves to tropical and subtropical fruit. The Expo is your chance to have important discussions with UF/IFAS researchers keeping up with these production trends, as well as other growers who are on the cutting edge and might have insights they are willing to share. By the time you receive this issue, the Expo will only be days away. Go to FloridaAgExpo.com for more information.