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AGRICULTURE >> MEEKO FARMS
GREEN THUMBS
Ladybugs are great for any garden or farm, because they eat pesky aphids.
TWO FRIENDS TAKE ON ORGANIC, SMALL-SCALE BIOINTENSIVE FARMING
Meeko Farms S T O R Y A N D P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y B Y B I A N C A FAVA T A
How can one acre of land produce over 1,000 pounds of produce per month? Friends-turned-business-partners, Trenton “Chico” Brown (39) and Mike Alligood (37), have figured it out. The two have built their new business, Meeko Farms, from the ground up. Meeko Farms, located in Micanopy, began in November of 2016. Their farming philosophy is to use small-scale biointensive technology in order to yield the most produce in the smallest amount of land possible. It’s a passion both of them decided to pursue, after much deliberation. Brown and Alligood met while playing in local bands together and have been friends for about five or six years. Brown noticed Alligood had a garden in his backyard; Alligood noticed Brown had an aquaponics garden. For a year, the two tossed around 134 |
OUR TOWN MAGAZINE
MAY/JUNE 2017
the idea of starting a farm. Brown discovered two men named Curtis Stone and J.M. Fortier. Stone and Fortier are Canadian farmers who have successfully implemented biointensive gardening, which is the small-scale farming of organic produce. John Jeavon’s book, “How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You Can Imagine,” was another stepping stone for the two. After learning about these processes, Brown and Alligood came to the decision that substantial agriculture could be more than just a hobby. “Access to land is one of the biggest barriers,” Brown said. Originally, they thought about farming in an urban environment, using multiple backyards, but when they received the opportunity to farm out in Micanopy, the pair couldn’t pass up the offer. If they were going to do this, it would require full-time commitment. So, Brown left his job at the University of Florida PHOTOGRAPHY: BIANCA FAVATA