Meet the Grower: Karen Ellis

Grove Location: Groveland, Florida

Acreage: 25

Crops: Sunburst tangerines, Orlando Tangelos (cross between grapefruit and tangerine) and Murcott tangerines

Uncle Matt’s Grower Since: 2005

Uncle Matt’s Organic citrus grower Karen Ellis has come full circle.  Born in Florida and raised around citrus groves her whole life, Karen always loved everything about the groves -- from the geometry of the layout to the sweet smell of orange blossoms that fill the air every spring.

While Karen has farming in her blood (she’s the great-granddaughter of Georgia cotton farmers), she was encouraged to pursue a career outside of agriculture, which she did until 1986.  Then, along with her husband Dean and daughter Kristen, Karen left the city life of Orlando for the quaint Florida town of Howey-in-the-Hills.  It was there she became actively involved in The Garden Club. “I think it was a continuation of liking to dig around in the dirt,” she laughs. “Growing up in Central Florida with land all around you full of groves, it just becomes a part of you.”

It was that love of the land that eventually led her to where she is today --- growing organic citrus for Uncle Matt’s, and overseeing a small herd of grass-fed cattle, on about 90 acres in Groveland, Florida. (We think her great-grandparents would be proud!)

Here’s more on Karen’s progressive journey to becoming an organic citrus grower:

UM:  You acquired 15 acres of certified organic groves back in 2005. What made you want to convert an additional 10 acres of existing groves to organic?

Karen: Organic is a life commitment for us. We prefer not to use chemicals. We felt that by acquiring the fifteen acres that was already organic, it gave us an open door into the market and it was the direction we wanted to take the other ten.

UM: So was part of your decision based on your farming principles?

Karen: You could say that. We pretty much observed organic principles even when we weren’t officially certified organic. Even with our cattle, I use organic fertilizer on the pastures. For the last couple of years, though, I haven’t had to fertilize because we’re very religious about dragging the cow manure. We also compost everything.

UM: Uncle Matt’s is committed to maximizing health through natural means. It sounds like you share that same commitment.

Karen: Nature responds positively to having healthy soil and land -- you’ll have healthy fruit, healthy trees, and healthy cattle. I am a vegetarian and have been most of my life  (which is weird when you’re raising cattle), but my husband Dean eats beef and he likes to know what’s gone into those cattle. I think it’s part of a whole commitment in your life, not just saying, organic for me is “just the groves.”

UM: How did you come to partner with Uncle Matt’s?

Karen:  We were aware of Uncle Matt’s for awhile from just knowing what was going on in our area.  We had talked to Matt and knew what Uncle Matt’s was about, but it wasn’t until we acquired the 15 acres that were already certified organic and made the commitment to organic farming that we began our partnership.

UM: How does that partnership work?

Karen: My husband and I are actively involved in irrigating and mowing and those sorts of things while Uncle Matt’s provides the grove plan. I’m not an absentee grove owner, that’s for sure!

UM: Do you like to actually be out in the grove?

Karen: Absolutely, absolutely.

UM: What is it that you like the most?

Karen:  I feel so much that I’ve come full circle (to my grandmother’s complete dismay, I’m sure). I just feel at home in the grove. It’s hard work, do not make a mistake, but it’s a fulfilling feeling.

UM: For you, or because you know you’re producing something worthwhile for others?

Karen: Actually, for me it’s very fulfilling. I love to see a healthy-looking tree. I love to smell the orange blossoms, see the symmetry and geometry in the groves. It’s just a beautiful thing to me. And while I never thought I’d be in a position of overseeing a grove myself, it’s become so much a part of my life. Also, it’s a great feeling to know you’re continuing such a strong tradition in the state.

UM: A tradition that dates back more than several generations...

Karen:  Funny thing here. When you go back to the days of even my grandparents, the 1940s and 50s, most of the growers did not use chemicals. Honestly, they used farm equipment and hand labor to take care of the same problems that chemicals are used to treat today.

UM: What do you see as the biggest difference between large-scale conventional farming and small, local organic farming?

Karen:  For me, large-scale farming seems like a big factory production in so many instances. I know it feeds people and I know it helps to keep costs down, which I think are admirable. It can work until the system is faced with a recall; the volume is so large and the number of people affected is so great that it can be scary. On the other hand, as a small organic farmer, I am concerned with the health of the entire life cycle of my crop --- from bloom, to fruit set, to harvest. I am not going to take shortcuts that will cause problems down the road for my land or trees or livestock just to increase production. I believe organic farming, in general, takes a more holistic approach to farming over conventional.

UM: How does organic fit into your own lifestyle?

Karen: We buy organic; we eat organic. I love the trend right now of knowing where your food comes from; I think that’s a good thing. I get my bread from the Yalaha Bakery in Yalaha, Florida. The owner is hands-on and very concerned with where his ingredients are coming from. It’s that attention to detail that I believe can prove very beneficial to your health in the end.