By Deborah Wechsler (2003)

Rosie Koenig
Rosie's Organic Farm
1717 SW 120th Terrace
Gainesville, Florida 32607
rosiesfarm@mindspring.com

Farming in this subtropical climate follows a different pattern from much of the Southeast. Production begins in the greenhouse in August and continues all winter in the field, with harvests starting in November and winding up late the following June. July and August are the "slow" months without fieldwork. Fields produce at least two crops a year, with cover crops planted in summer, not winter.

Soil fertility is maintained through a summer sudangrass cover crop (for carbon) and application of aged chicken manure (for nitrogen). Rosie no longer uses legumes like cowpeas because they build up soil nematode populations. About 50 tons a year of manure are delivered from a source about 40 miles away. The manure is spread and disked in before planting. Because waiting periods after manure application required by the National Organic Rule are a concern for crops that are ready to harvest quickly, Rosie has applied for and received a grant to develop procedures for on-farm, static-pile manure composting and for helping her supplier meet certification requirements. Plants are rarely sidedressed; the initial application is generally sufficient.

Plants are grown in 6-foot beds, with 2-3 rows per bed. She spaces the plants more generously than most growers do, because of the humid climate. Eighty percent of crops are grown from transplants, but crops such as arugula, corn, beans, and root crops are direct-seeded. Weeds are not a big problem during the winter, but they are in the warmer seasons and slower-growing crops. Says Rosie, "Nutsedge is our major production constraint--we are looking for innovative approaches to nutsedge control that would be allowed in organic production systems." Strawberries, onions, tomatoes, and melons are raised on plastic; Rosie has also participated in research on paper mulches. Organic mulch is not used because it exacerbates fire ant infestations. The Super 8 tractor, a wheel hoe, and hand hoes are used for cultivation. Irrigation is by t-tape sourced from a well.

Disease is not much of a problem, except in strawberries-for two years in a row, the plug plants have come to her already infected with anthracnose, cutting yield almost to nothing, and she is seeking a cleaner source. Insect problems are inconsistent from year to year, so Rosie's strategy is to rely on crop diversity and succession planting to hedge against bad crops in any particular plantings, intercropping and growing flowers to encourage beneficials, and optimizing planting time so each crop grows when environmental conditions are most favorable.

In the decade she has been farming here, Rosie has simplified production, eliminating crops that weren't profitable, dropping crops that were too hard to grow. "The system is streamlined," she says. "There's not a lot of waste or loss, we've matched supply and demand." Each year, the farm has brought in 20% more gross income than the year before. A big jump in profitability, notes Rosie, came when they switched from bagged manures to bulk. The cost was less, they applied more, and the plantings were much more productive. Gross income from the farm approximates her husband's income and she feels the family could probably live off the farm alone, in a good year, though much of the farm's profits so far have been invested in equipment. "I could be making more at the university, rather than working like a dog on the farm," Rosie points out, "but the advantages don't always show up in what you are bringing home."

This year, however, the seven additional certified organic acres that she had farmed as a CSA-share trade have now been sold. Farm production and profits will be down, and she finds herself asking questions: Should she find more acreage to rent or buy? Should she try to optimize production on the ten acres they own? Should she get a university job? Can she combine farming with her professional training by writing more grants for on-farm research? With both her children soon to be in school and the farm operating reasonably smoothly, Rosie is exploring future directions for herself and the farm.