Opinion: Big Ag Innovation Can Take Place In A Tiny Town
September 12, 2013 
Sometimes it’s easy to take for granted all the work going on around you while you are busy doing your own job. After all, you are putting food on the plates of folks here at home and abroad. That’s important work, and we are grateful you are occupied and dedicated to the task.
It is common to see stories and opinion in agricultural trade publications like ours and in mainstream media regarding the challenge of feeding a rapidly growing world population on ever scarcer resources and land — so much so that it almost has become cliché. You’ve seen the stats before, a world population expected to surpass 9 billion by 2050. We are at a little more than 7 billion now. But, underneath the often repeated “feeding a hungry world” challenge is the question: How are we going to do it? Throw on top of the agronomic obstacles the political, regulatory, and international trade issues, the “challenge” becomes even bigger.
This month, we featured the work of the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) in advance of the Florida Ag Expo, which will be hosted there on Nov. 6. It is a great event to attend if you grow small fruits and vegetables. We are proud to be a partner in presenting the show, along with UF/IFAS, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, Florida Tomato Committee, and the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.
The Center calls Balm its home, which is an unincorporated community tucked away in the country just southeast of Tampa. “Where the heck is Balm?” That’s a question I’ve gotten from more than a few folks when they call asking for information on the Expo. I tell those people the GCREC is a world-class research facility working on some of the biggest challenges facing growers in their fields. That might be missed being located in a tiny place virtually off the map.
However, growers local to the Center appreciate the work. And its impact has benefited agriculture in Florida and beyond. Tasti-Lee, the popular branded tomato, was bred at the Center. Some of the best known strawberry varieties in the world have been bred there as well.
I covered more of the important work coming out of GCREC in this month’s cover story (page 8). It is important to note, given the confined space of the magazine, I was only able touch on a small part of what is being done there and the people who do it. There is a lot more important research going on at the Center and many more good folks hard at work.
That brings me back to the mercurial challenge of “feeding the world.” The scientific study at GCREC and other facilities across Florida is where the rubber meets the road in addressing the challenge. That sounds lofty for little ole Balm, but also a fitting recognition for the facility and its people.
We invite you to come see the GCREC in November during the Florida Ag Expo. If you are having trouble figuring out where Balm is, contact us. We will give you directions.
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