For several years now I have been a Legacy Member of the Florida Chapter of The Nature Conservancy.They have started resuming their Legacy trips-workshops in various places around the state that demonstrate the work they are doing to preserve our environment. We recently signed up for a-tour to visit Hundley Farms, a third generation family run farm located west of West Palm Beach, Florida in the hamlet of Loxahatchee. John Hundley started his farm in 1969 with his family and won numerous accolades for his progressive farming tactics that not only limit excessive watering of his crops but also carefully measures and provides fertilizer to his plants as needed. The farm sits on acres of beautiful black soil, the results of millions of years of accumulated vegetation resulting from being a floodplain from Lake Okeechobee. Palm Beach County as a result has some of the most fertile soil in the world and produces the most produce in one spot in any part of the country! To get there we drove past miles of fields of sugarcane.
When we arrived at the farm our group was given a lecture about the Hundley’s farming practices before we boarded a bus to tour some of the working fields of the farm. Sugar cane is an essential crop as when grown, it deposits essential nutrients into the soil that helps them grow other crops. The Hundleys grow sweet corn, celery, radishes, green beans, cattle,cabbage–check out these fields of cabbage being harvested
We then drove several miles away from the main farm where they were growing and harvesting radishes.
Their farm is one of the top producers of radishes in the world! We were allowed to pull some beautiful red globes of radishes for ourselves.
As we were leaving we could see the cane fields were being burned to reduce waste and add more nutrients to the soil.
Every burn must have a carefully monitored permit. It made an amazing view as we headed west for the three hour drive back to Naples.