Farmers are 'ever-shrinking minority' fighting to stay relevant in Florida

Eve Samples | Treasure Coast Newspapers

Florida Voices is a project of the USA TODAY Network-Florida that spotlights issues important to Floridians this election year. Learn more, including how to nominate a Floridian.

There's a natural division of labor on the small farm Carl Frost and his wife own 17 miles east of Lake Okeechobee.

Frost, with his real-estate background, is the property manager.

His wife, retired flight attendant Diane Cordeau, is the grower.

Together, they cultivate about 80 different crops, most requiring care that industrial-scale farms can't provide.

The broccolini must be hand-cut daily. The black-eyed peas are visually inspected for ripeness, then hand-picked. The frisée and watermelon radishes are labors of love.

It's fitting that the couple's venture, Kai-Kai Farm, was built on 40 acres of former citrus groves. Their approach to agriculture reflects the broader reimagining of farming in Florida.

Farmer hopes for better food policy in America | Florida Voices Carl Frost, 64, owner of Kai-Kai Farm in Indiantown, talks about the small farm's successes and how better food policy could improve his products.

"We don't use a lot of fertilizer, so things grow slower," Frost says. "Our food costs are much higher than a lot of high-volume, high-production farms."

But the taste is better, he promises, proving it with a bite of ripe, raw okra.

Frost laments the country's agriculture system is set up to benefit the biggest global corporations. He also mourns the disease-driven decline of the citrus industry in Florida.

“It saddens me. I grew up here, so I recall fruit stands proliferated on the coasts for all the tourists," says Frost, who was raised in northern Palm Beach County. "Now there’s just a handful left.”

He and Cordeau are innovating to stay relevant.

Kai-Kai's success is heavily dependent on "value added" offerings: farm-to-table dinners; live music at the farm; premium prices from chefs who want local produce on their menus.

Frost and Cordeau are clearing their own path in the state's "agri-tourism" sector, a hybrid industry that combines hospitality and farming. They host weddings at Kai-Kai, and Frost is devising plans for a commercial kitchen and cooking classes.

He wishes more politicians were talking about food policy this election year — especially its impact on small farmers.

“The fact of the matter is a lot of the lobbyists in Washington represent companies that are global,” Frost says.

Decades of federal agriculture policy have incentivized consolidation. Even as "eating local" has become fashionable, Frost has found it difficult to compete with the price of tomatoes from Mexico, for example.

“Do we really want to export all our farm production to foreign countries? I don’t think that’s a really good idea," he says. "Food security is one of those little issues that needs to be more important.”

At the local level, he hopes leaders will begin to think proactively about recycling food waste and creating more hospitable green markets.

"I've been in third-world countries that have far better green-market facilities than we provide for farmers in a place like Florida," Frost says. "It's just shameful that we have to set up in a parking lot to sell produce."

Before he and Codreau opened the farm, Frost paid only casual attention to politics.

“I was kind of apolitical, probably like a lot of people — just bumbling along, voted but didn’t get too personally committed to anything," he says.

Becoming a farmer meant following politics was no longer optional.

“I’m now a stakeholder of a piece of land that is heavily regulated from federal right down to the local level," Frost says. "I have to answer to a lot of bosses.”

As a result, he's gotten to know elected officials. He shows up at campaign stops.

“Farmers, unfortunately, are a minority — and an ever-shrinking one at that. So when you’re a minority, your voice is drowned out by those greater numbers that have other special interests," Frost says.

Farm income in Florida dropped to $7.53 billion in 2016, the lowest level in a decade, according to a November 2017 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

If something doesn't change, Frost warns, farming in Florida will be "on a slippery slope to an obscure industry.”

He's doing his part to ensure that doesn't happen.

How would you describe Florida at this moment in history?

I would describe Florida as a very diverse, busy, economically powerful entity on the world stage.

Ecologically, I think Florida is a bellwether. We’re dealing with a lot of issues that are critical for mankind’s viability on the planet.

How has your life in Florida changed over the past 8 years?

I’ve been witnessing a tremendous amount of change. From a farmer’s perspective, clearly the diminishing citrus industry is always on my mind. After all, my farm is based on an old citrus grove.

What issues will you be thinking about this election year?

We have to do our share of accommodating a growing population. We have to do our share of creating jobs so young people don’t have to migrate to cities somewhere else to find decent employment. Without a healthy economy, nothing else really matters.

From a food-policy point of view, we have a lot of work to do. Unfortunately, it’s not a sexy issue right now. There’s grassroots efforts that are underway. We have local food banks that are trying to grow food. We have community gardens. These are largely driven by academics because they have grant money, and that’s great. Somebody’s got to start the conversation.

When you think about the future of Florida, what makes you feel hopeful?

Concerned citizens, all walks of life, who invest their time to change things. I’m not talking about the rabble-rousers who just scream and shout. I’m talking about people who go to meetings, and they just sit down and they do the heavy lifting that is required to make change.

Carl Frost

Age: 64

Occupation: Co-owner of Kai-Kai Farm, a 40-acre vegetable farm and events venue

Lives in: Indiantown (Martin County)

Election issues: Food policy, agriculture, agri-tourism