MIAMI — Mat Santos stands at the edge of seven acres of land, the field of his future, pondering what to plant, grow and harvest, and sell.
“Hmmm, maybe acai or some other fruits and vegetable that I can grow organically,” he says, shovel in hand, surveying the overgrown lot, once home to a fish farm and, in another life, crops of malanga and sunflowers.
This time three years ago, Santos was finishing up a four-year stint in the U.S. Navy. After deployments in Central and South America, Santos returned to civilian life in Miami, his hometown, to begin the next chapter. For months, Santos and his father scoured the southwestern unincorporated corner of Miami-Dade County looking for the perfect place to start an organic farm, with tropical vegetables and, maybe, livestock. Together, they purchased the land in January.
Now Santos, 26, is learning the world of agriculture, from the art of planting to the new technology to marketing, with the help of Florida International University’s new Veterans and Small Farmers Outreach program. The idea is to give veterans, along with minority and women farmers, the opportunity to learn or expand their knowledge of the business. For veterans returning from duty, the program offers a crash course in the farming life, a way to explore a new career option.
Before Santos began his journey, he knew little about agriculture. But like the other students, he felt called to the land and work regulated not by man but by the seasons.
“I want to learn everything I can about farming and plants and livestock,” says Santos, an FIU student who grew up in Doral. “It is really hard to break into the business. I am learning working alongside the farmers who are already doing it.”
The program, with 19 students, takes a ground-level look at farming through workshops, training and paid apprenticeships. The students work at four different farms or nurseries in Miami-Dade and Broward counties to get hands-on experience. They are presented with some of the real-world, real-time problems that small farmers face in South Florida.
They also attend weekly classes and training to learn the other side: farm risk and business management and financial accounting. This month, for example, the schedule includes an introduction to QuickBooks and a course on horse ownership. The students are also assisted with USDA applications for loans.
