Excerpt from a Q&A between SunSentinel and Ethan Basore

Q. Do you use machinery for harvest?

Leafy vegetables are too fragile to be harvested by a machine. All of our produce is harvested by hand with the assistance of Highlanders — a stainless steel labor-assisting aid that improves employee safety, food safety and production.

Q. Can farming and conservation work together to protect wild areas and grow enough food for the nation?

Yes. Farming and conservation can work together to proetect wildlife habitat and provide food for the nation. Farmers share the same environmental stewardship each day by implementing Best Management Practices on their farms. More than 9.3 million acres of agriculture and forestry land in Florida is enrolled in BMPS. These enviornmentally sound modern agricultural practices protect the soil, conserve wildlife habitat, conserve and protect water quality and increase energy efficiency.

Read the rest: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/sfl-ethan-basore-tkm-bengard-farms-harvest-manager-20150119-story.html