Lars Hagstrom is a farmer who cares about the earth. On October 3 during the Volusia County Farm Bureau Annual Dinner, Hagstrom was recognized for his efforts with a presentation of the This Farm CARES award. He runs Albin Hagstrom & Son in Pierson and is the first CARES recipient in Volusia County.
The County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) began in 2001. Through it, Florida Farm Bureau Federation publicly recognizes farmers and ranchers who use Best Management Practices on their farms to protect the environment. The award received is a large outdoor sign to let the community know the Hagstrom farm takes care of the environment. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and University of Florida/IFAS are partners on the program.
“Lars is very smart, very caring and he’s a very, very good farmer. He loves farming,” said Lorna Jean Hagstrom, his mother.
The Hagstrom family first came to Volusia County in 1884. “Citrus was big in the county and they all planted orange trees,” said Lorna Jean Hagstrom. After the historic freeze in the winter of 1894-95 the Hagstrom family changed their livelihood to cut foliage. In 1928, Albin Hagstrom and his son, Raiford opened Albin Hagstrom & Son.
“Today, four generations later, the Hagstrom family continues his legacy of operating a family business growing cut foliage for the floral industry with environmental stewardship as a top priority,” said Florida Farm Bureau CARES Coordinator Cacee Hillard during the award presentation.
Hagstrom received CARES status for installing overhead wobblers to irrigate ferns and micro-jet irrigation for planted trees. His farm has retention ponds that gather water and Hagstrom recycles it, pumping it back to foliage fields for irrigation use. Hagstrom uses weather stations and soil moisture sensors to assist with decisions on irrigation when there is no rain. He also performs soil and tissue sampling to monitor nutrient uptake in plants and to prevent runoff from occurring.
“By maintaining uniform coverage during irrigation events they have noticed a reduction in fertilizer use since plants are receiving optimal amounts of water and applied nutrients,” said Hillard.
“It is a special honor to present (the CARES designation) to the first recipient in any particular county, but it is a special honor to present it to a multi-generational farm family who are dedicated to carrying on a legacy in agriculture,” said Hillard.