Our family farm, Alderman Organic Farms, supports Earth Day and quality of life
People around the world will celebrate Earth Day on April 22. On our family farm, Alderman Organic Farms, we achieve Earth Day objectives throughout the year, guided by respect for the blessings natural resources provide. We grow an array of certified organic vegetables, including tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, eggplant and cabbage from late October to early June. We also produce beef cattle and conventionally grown herbs.
By maintaining our Palm Beach County farm as level ground, we prevent soil erosion. We flood it during the summer months with collected rainwater and nearby surface water to control harmful insects, avoiding the use of chemicals. In all seasons our farm functions as a large retention pond that helps to recharge the aquifer all southeastern Florida residents depend upon for drinking water.
Regular soil testing allows us to apply precise amounts of fertilizer for each plant only when necessary for growth. As a result, we achieve plentiful harvests while making sure that water leaving our farm is not contaminated by phosphate. We have to conserve our water and our soil not only for the next crop, but for the next generation and the generations after that. We pick and pack what we grow. One of our staff members oversees food safety daily, assuring that the produce coming out of our farm is safe and fresh.
As a primary part of our beef cattle production, we suppress invasive vegetation with controlled burns. This technique supports the growth of native plants and trees and also maintains habitat and food sources for the abundant wildlife surrounding us.
Along with other farm families in Florida, we help preserve our national security by growing food. We also support our collective economy. In our county, agriculture supports more than 194,000 jobs, as University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences data show. On our farm we have 50 full-time employees.
On this Earth Day I hope that all Floridians recognize that farmers are outstanding stewards of our state's natural resources. We are basic contributors to the positive quality of life in our state available for everyone.
Jim Alderman is president & CEO of Alderman Organic Farms, a 1,200 acre operation in Palm Beach and Martin counties.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Earth Day, a time to remember best farming practices | Opinion
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