17727433269
top of page
Search

How Can Florida Farmers Restore Soil Without Losing Productivity?

Florida is an agricultural powerhouse, producing citrus, vegetables, sugarcane, and more for markets across the country and world. With multiple growing seasons and high demand, farms often push the land hard. This method leaves farmers with fewer options for protecting long-term soil health.


Instead of viewing soil as a living system, many growers have been trained to see it as just a tool to produce crops. The common way to keep things growing is to add fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals. But every season those inputs break the soil down even more.



Why Should Growers Prioritize Soil Health?

Healthy soil is not just dirt, it is alive and supports all the things plants need to grow. Soil holds water, cycles nutrients, and gives roots a place to breathe.

Florida’s soils are often sandy and low in organic matter, so they need help to stay productive. This leads to dependence on synthetic fertilizers and chemicals, and is slowly killing the health and vitality of the soil.


When farmers rely too much on fertilizers and additives, they miss the chance to build soil that works for them year after year. Over time, this approach leads to compacted ground, fewer nutrients, and weaker plants.


Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science

Long before modern farming, people around the world were improving soil using simple, powerful methods. In the Amazon rainforest, farmers created “terra preta” by mixing in charcoal-like materials with the poor soils they were living on. These soils stayed rich and fertile for generations.


They may not have known why it worked, but now scientists do. These carbon-rich materials help soil hold water, store nutrients, and support healthy microbes.

Today, this process is called biochar. Biochar is made by heating wood or plant waste in a low-oxygen setting, known as pyrolysis. What remains is a stable carbon material that helps soil stay healthy for years; thanks to its ability to host beneficial microbes, store moisture for prolonged periods, and create optimal aeration.


A Better Path Forward for Florida Farmers

While demands continue to rise for Florida-grown produce, so does the reliance on soil additives to sustain the levels of production required. With this demand comes the need to access what is and is not working. Instead of feeling forced to continue using these products that hurt the soil and our ecosystems, sustainable methods can be used to improve the health and longevity of Florida's soil.


What is Biotech Applied Research (BAR)'s approach to integrate biochar application into Florida's agricultural industry? It starts with identifying sustainable sources to produce biochar, something that is a major problem within the industry. Florida’s farms generate large amounts of wood waste from dead citrus groves, storm cleanup, and orchard removal. Instead of burning or dumping this material, BAR is now converting this waste into biochar with on-site mobile biochar production machines.


This turns a problem into a powerful solution. The resulting biochar can be applied right back onto the land to boost soil fertility, reduce greenhouse emissions, and improve long-term yields.


Biochar helps with:

  • Soil restoration

  • Moisture retention

  • Carbon sequestration

  • Nutrient storage

  • Climate-smart agriculture


Are you ready to invest in the future?

Farmers who invest in soil health are also investing in the future of their land, their yields, and their bottom line. Biochar offers a proven, sustainable way to do that. According to Cornell University, biochar-amended soils can increase crop yields by up to 30 percent in poor soils and reduce nitrogen loss.


BAR is Florida's leading non-profit on a mission to make an impact on the soil, water, and economic quality of Florida's precious communities. Working together, we are able to make change possible for large-scale impact with locally based action. Want to be involved in restoring Florida's soil?


 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page