NORTHEAST TALLAHASSEE, FL — The Tomato Festival is a chance to celebrate a local crop, but for farmers, it also raises an important question about who will be growing these crops in the years ahead.
While younger farmers are entering agriculture, many say getting started isn't easy.
Simon Stolle, Co-owner of Stolle Farms, said breaking into the industry without a farming background comes with steep learning curves and financial strain.
"A lot of this stuff is knowledge that's passed down. I didn't come from a farming family, so it's figuring a lot of stuff out," Stolle said. "And it's really financially hard. We've been going for a year and a half, and we haven't turned a profit yet."
For many aspiring farmers, the challenge isn't just learning how to grow crops; it's finding the money, land, and support needed to stay in business long enough to succeed.
While younger farmers work to get established, veteran farmers are already thinking about what happens when they're no longer able to do the work.
Katherine Quick, Co-owner of K&R Hidden Farms, has spent the past decade building her farm and says the impact of losing local growers extends far beyond the field.
"When people stop farming, we are really going to come into a problem. The fresh and local produce really helps fuel the community by spending your money with local farmers. It helps bolster them, it helps to keep them going, and it helps this sort of cycle of life between the farms and the big box stores and our competition, we may not be the cheapest, but we're definitely freshest," Quick said when talking about local farmers.
Without local farms, Quick says communities could have fewer local food options and lose connections to the people growing their food. That is why she believes events like the Tomato Festival help bridge that gap by introducing families to local agriculture and showing younger generations what's possible.
"Just try it, experiment. It doesn't take a lot. Just buy a plant, put it in a pot, and see what you can do. And then from there, if it works, keep going. If it doesn't, try it again, but don't give up," Quick said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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