Please join local farmers for this popular, self-driving Farm Tour on November 17. The is a chance to get to know the people in agriculture and to learn how farms in Volusia operate. It’s free and self-driving, so visit as many of the farms as you like at the times stated.
University of IFAS Extension Services and Volusia County Farm Bureau are hosting the tour.
East side stops include –
Yaupon Brothers American Tea 8:30-9:30 a.m., 504 Pullman Rd, Edgewater
Benedict Farms 10:00-11:00 a.m., 705 Airport Road, New Smyrna Beach
Innovation Arabians 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 2552 Tomoka Farms Rd, Port Orange
Longleaf Pine Preserve 1:00-2:00 p.m., 3736 E New York Ave, DeLand
West side stops are –
Evans Fish Farm 8:30-9:30 a.m., 1195 E Washington Ave, Pierson
H&H Greens 10:00-11:00 a.m. 1990 Reynolds Rd, DeLeon Springs
Common Ground Farm 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., 1330 E Taylor Rd, DeLand Persimmon Hollow Brewing Co. 1:00-2:00 p.m., 1635 Patterson Ave, DeLand
Evans Fish Farm is a 100 acre fish farm located in Pierson. It is one of the most progressive aquaculture facilities in Florida. See several species of sturgeon and other varieties of fish. The of the only American producers of premium farm-raised sturgeon caviar. Their brand, Anastasia Gold Caviar, is a classic rich nutty flavor perfect for any occasion. www.anastasiagoldcaviar.com
H&H Greens has five generations of Florida farmers working and growing for you. Monaca and Tanner Campbell along with the rest of their staff grow a variety of greens and cut their products to meet the needs of wholesale and retail. They specialize in fresh cut Florida greens including the leather leaf fern, magnolia trees and seasonal varieties. Check out their website https://www.hhgreensflorida.com
Common Ground Farm – John and Pat Joslin are the owners of Common Ground Farm. What started out as a small garden has grown into a farm that is now in its twelfth season. They grow over thirty different vegetables and herbs using only organic practices. In addition, they offer classes ranging from canning to baking bread. It has become their passion to educate the public on what is happening to our food supply in the current commercial food industry and how it impacts our health. “We feel we are doing more to promote general health now than they ever did during our nursing careers.” Check out their website https://www.cgofarm.com.
Persimmon Hollow Brewing Co. Robbie and Andy made their dream become reality in 2014 with the opening of the original brewery and taproom in DeLand. Brewers add hops in stages to affect the bitterness, flavor, and aroma. Persimmon Hollow Brewing is a place to gather for fun, for all to feel welcomed and a place to gather to give back to the community through educational and environmental causes. Today their beer can be found throughout Florida. This final stop will be a tour of the beer making process. https://persimmonhollowbrewing.com
Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co. wild-harvests, processes and ships Yaupon Holly tea all from our forest and factory in Volusia County. Yaupon Holly is the only naturally caffeinated plant species in North America and was at the center of Native American civilization for thousands of years. Their organic certified operation began in 2015 when two brothers, Bryon and Kyle White and Mark Steele formed Yaupon Brothers American Tea Co. They are committed to sustainable agriculture, providing local jobs, respecting Yaupon’s native origins, and above all, making great tea. They produce several varieties of tea and all of them are based upon Yaupon Holy. They currently have 10,000 Yaupon trees in the ground at four tea plantations, https://yauponbrothers.com.
Benedict Farms, located in Samsula, established circa 1934, and is built on family tradition. After many years of producing hay for their cattle, the farm is expanding by growing delicious seasonal vegetables to be enjoyed by their local community. They are rapidly growing to offer their community traditionally raised and grown just like grandma and grandpa used to do.
Longleaf Pine Preserve includes several natural communities, including mesic and wet flatwoods, cypress strands, cypress domes, and scrub. The preserve covers 12,005 acres and has two marked trails. The red trail is a 7 mile loop and the blue trail crosses 6 miles of the preserve. Trails are open to hiking, biking and horseback riding. Wildlife along the trails may include sandhill crane, great blue heron, river otter,bobcat, coyote, fox, deer, black bear and alligator.
Innovation Arabians, one of Volusia county’s largest horse farms, was founded in the 1980’s by Dr. Diane Lapham of Port Orange. With five barns, four riding arenas, countless paddocks, and hundreds of acres of riding space, Innovation Arabians was originally designed as a training and breeding facility for nationally and internationally ranked Arabian and Half-Arabian horses. In 2021, Diane’s daughter, Dr. Ava Lapham, and her husband Scott Clark took over management of the farm and have continued to put an emphasis on creating a true family farm. Innovation Arabians continues to offer boarding for all breeds, riding lessons, and summer camps, but also now boasts a Farm School program, birthday parties, a community garden, poultry breeding and sales, and an up-and-coming dairy operation with both goats and cattle. The farm also has a goal of establishing permaculture type cropping systems in the future that will sustainably create food for citizens of our community. Visit them here: www.Facebook.com/innovationarabians.