After graduating from UF, John Bitter and Amy Van Scoik traveled all over the world, from Taiwan to Mexico, before settling in Hawthorne, Florida, to answer their calling: farming.
The married couple’s passion for agriculture led them to the heart of Northeast Florida, where they founded Frog Song Organics — a now 60-acre farm abundant in herbs, produce, hogs and chickens. Its main mission is to provide quality, nutritious food to Alachua County and its surrounding communities.
They live on the farm with their two children, harvesting crops and managing the land, but as more people move to the county and development continues, the risk of losing farmland grows.
Bitter and Van Scoik are among many farm owners in the county and the state focused on preserving their land.
Per Alachua County’s Climate Action Plan, Alachua County has lost more than 50% of its farmland since 1950 due to increased urban and suburban development. According to the World Population Review, the county’s population has risen from approximately 57,000 in 1950 to 286,000 as of 2023. This loss of land and growth in population emphasize the importance of agricultural land conservation and supply.
Van Scoik said farmland, including its preservation, feeds communities and keeps them nourished.
“It is pretty essential for our society to exist,” she said.
To protect their land, Bitter and Van Scoik applied for an Alachua County conservation easement.
The program is an agreement between the landowner and Alachua County that allows the county to permanently preserve the land for agricultural use and prevent it from future residential development. By entering an easement, farmers voluntarily give up their rights to develop the land, ensuring the land remains strictly for agricultural use.
According to Van Scoik, the process can take several months. She applied in the spring and isn’t expecting the process to be finalized until after January.
The lengthy process is worth it to Van Scoik and Bitter; they want to preserve their land indefinitely.
“It would break my heart, break my soul, to see this place actually develop,” Bitter said.
However, there’s a reason this plan isn’t so popular. Van Scoik acknowledged the temptation for farmers to sell to developers for a profit.
“That’s their retirement plan,” Van Scoik said, referring to farmers who want to sell because they are aging, their children don’t want to take over, and the land isn’t profitable anymore.
Selling to developers is often the most sound alternative, said Kimberly Morgan, a UF extension associate professor in the department of food and resource economics.
Morgan said the opportunity cost for farmers is significant: While farming might bring in a few hundred dollars per acre, development can generate tens of thousands.
Finding people to buy that land isn’t necessarily difficult.
“We have the temperature and the climate that a whole lot of people want to live in,” Morgan said.
According to Morgan Alachua County is particularly appealing because of its natural springs and landscapes, which drive up the value of agricultural land.
Farmers face a tight economic squeeze with rising costs of production and crop prices remaining the same. From fertilizer and feed to labor and equipment, operational costs have increased, while profits have not, hence why Morgan says development looks all the more appealing.
In addition to making more money selling their land, she added, farmers can have more time for their personal lives without long, laborious hours.
“You actually can have vacations and you can have nights and weekends with your family,” Morgan said. “It’s not really a hard decision.”
While there is financial pressure to sell, Gainesville Giving Garden stresses community impact over profit.
Like Frog Song Organics, Gainesville Giving Garden shows how farms not only produce food, but bolster food security and communities.The nonprofit farm donates its produce to those experiencing food insecurity.
“There are more opportunities for equity and for resilience when a local food system is strong,” Meg Boria-Meyer, the founder and executive director of the organization, said.
Boria-Meyer said local agriculture helps reduce residents’ dependence on large supply chains and empowers them to access fresh produce.
“When there’s too much dependence on global chains or very large supply chains, a community is not very resilient in terms of overcoming moments of crisis or disaster,” she said.
But, communities can’t reap the benefits from local agriculture if there isn’t any land for crops to be cultivated.
For Bitter and Van Scoik, their hope for the future is simple. They want their land to remain farmland long after they are gone so Alachua County residents can keep eating quality food grown close to home.
“Hopefully the employees, whenever I’m not on Earth, will be able to keep on farming the way we’ve been farming,” Bitter said. “That’s the goal. Teach people how to farm, and at the same time, make sure our farm keeps being successful.”