Dasher Farm

Commissioner's Agricultural Environmental Leadership Award

Dasher Farm is located on the same land Randall Dasher’s father purchased the farm in Suwannee County in 1948. In 1971, Randall started farming more than 200 acres of the family farm where he grows peanuts, seed crops and operated a seed processing facility.

Since the late 1980s, Dasher has grown hydroponic crops in greenhouses. He has used the hydroponic systems to recirculate the nutrient solution to crops. When the solution collection tanks need to be flushed to maintain Best Management Practices (BMPs) for disease control and maintain proper nutrient levels, he pumps the nutrient rich solution into a holding tank and later applies it to his crop fields to utilize the nutrients in the most environmentally friendly manner. Dasher Farm participates in the local Farm to School program in Suwannee County and teaches others around the country about hydroponic farming.

Additionally, Dasher Farm has adopted a farming system that makes the most efficient use of the land, water and agricultural technology to maintain an economically viable operation that carefully follows BMPs in the Suwannee Valley. One of the most notable changes Dasher has made includes the adoption of conservation tillage practices, crop rotations, cover crops and careful selection of crops that allow farming row crops without and irrigation system. Dasher Farm keeps rainfall record dating back decades allowing them to make key water decisions, saving at least 40 million gallons of water annually.

Another example of Dasher Farm efforts in developing a farming system that enhances environmental stewardship includes his support and leadership in the newly established sesame industry in the Suwannee Valley. As Dasher learned that sesame is a crop that could potentially be grown without irrigation and with moderated to low rates of fertilizer, he decided to plant close to 100 acres in 2013 when the first contracts were offered to farmers in the area. He also offered to work with a marketing company to serve as a receiving point for Suwannee County. Sesame acreage grew from under 1,000 acres in 2013 to more than 6,000 acres in 2014. Despite the challenges that come with learning how to manage new crops, Dasher Farm has worked relentlessly with UF-IFAS Extension Service to research and share information with other growers. Dasher’s support has been key for researcher to secure funding to study tropical sesame varieties that can adapt better to Florida’s climate.