Next Let's Talk Vero and Let's Talk Ag Replay
- Irina Woelfle, Let's Talk Vero
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Thank you to all who came out last week for Let's Talk Agriculture.
Baerbel welcomed a standing‑room‑only crowd before framing the evening around one core question: “What will farming and agriculture look like in Indian River County in 10–20 years, and who will decide?” and then turned the mic to a panel built to tackle exactly that.
The core messages are below and the replay here. But first:
Mark your calendar and RSVP
for
LET'S TALK VERO, SEBASTIAN AND FELLSMERE
with County Commissioner Susan Adams
Wednesday, January 7
5-7 PM
Key Takeaways:
Commissioner Laura Moss showed that agriculture here is not dead: Indian River has more farms and higher farm revenues than in 2017, though they’re smaller. She urged residents to show up for upcoming County Commission and Planning & Zoning meetings on the Oslo Road/I‑95 corridor and planned development rules, because those decisions will determine how much farmland and open space survive.
Wesley Davis, Property Appraiser and fourth‑generation local, told how his own family lost dairies and citrus ground after freezes, disease, regulation, and estate taxes made it impossible to hang on. His blunt takeaway: unless the community supports better tax, estate, and conservation tools, the “last crop is shingles” pattern will keep turning groves and pastures into subdivisions.
Tony Cho, co‑founder of the ChoZen Center for Regenerative Living, offered a different future: 40 acres of food forests, wetlands, and trails on the St. Sebastian River run as a nonprofit hub for regenerative agriculture, conservation, and education. He described ChoZen’s artisan markets, café, and workshops as a model for agrihoods and eco‑retreats that make land more valuable than paved—and urged Indian River to lean into food forests, nature‑based tourism, and regenerative design in new development.
Louis Schacht, third‑generation citrus grower at Schacht Groves, showed how a traditional grove can adapt: moving from bulk fruit to a farm market, juicing, and now farm‑to‑table dinners where guests eat seasonal meals among the trees and hear the story of the land. Every local purchase and every dinner ticket, he said, is one more reason to keep acres in citrus and mixed crops instead of selling to a developer.
From the audience, Jeff Pickering (Indian River Community Foundation CEO) added the education lens: his son’s experience competing for a spot in the University of Florida’s agriculture program shows how many young people want ag and ag‑tech careers. His challenge was to create more scholarships, internships, and hands‑on learning with UF/IFAS, IRSC, ChoZen, Schacht Groves, and others so those students can build their futures here, not somewhere else.
What can we all do?:
Show up at least once for a county meeting on planned development and speak for farmland and open space. Laura will keep us all apprised.
Spend local at farmers markets, Schacht Groves (12th Street near Home Depot), and other farms so agriculture can compete with development economics.
Experience regeneration by visiting ChoZen’s markets or programs and supporting its nonprofit work.
Back the next generation through scholarships, internships, and school partnerships in agriculture and land stewardship.
