North Florida Revisited

North Florida is a land of many different faces. Not only in people but also in landscape. For instance, in the picture in this writing you see a very different type of Florida. Not the glitz and glamour of South Beach. Nor the traditional vacation destination on one of her hundreds of beautiful beaches. But the flat, quiet and serene picture of a still vibrant Agrarian Economy.  Little would you know that this landscape exist not far from the busy streets of a major metropolitan city, Jacksonville, Fl.  But it does! And in abundance too.

Acres upon acres are increasingly being managed with the rotation of crops in and out of this flat loamy soil.  Conditions are nearly perfect for growing crops year round in this region of Florida. Strategically located between the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean, the small town of Hastings is a major player in the world of Agronomy. Often referred to, and proudly so, as the potato capital of the world, this region offers much more than a few "spuds" for the dinner table. Because of the lay of the land, the temperature is elevated during the winter months with the river temperature and the ocean temperature building a natural barrier to freezing temperatures. Sure there is the occasional Arctic blast that comes through, but those are the exception rather than the rule. A hard freeze is a rarity here.

The area is also teamed with wildlife. Water birds, such Egrets and Blue Herons are in abundance feeding off the many drainage ditches filled with water. Sea Gulls come inland in the mornings for feeding. Florida whitetail deer, skunk and a host of others inhabit this beautiful land where man and nature have agreed to co-exist for centuries. Keepers of the land, these farmers are. They take their duty very seriously as well. Early mornings and late nights, sun up to sun down they work these fields with all the fervor needed to insure that this economy keeps going for generations to come.

From Cracker Swamp Road, back over to SR13 as it meanders alongside the St. Johns River, there is a calm that envelops the soul. So the next time you travel through the Great State of Florida, be sure to visit this region and take a journey back in time to a place where time itself seems to stand still and enjoy the beauty of nature.