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Ted SchraderWinter Haven Citrus Growers Association |
Ted Schrader sits in front of the house on Lake Jovita that his grandfather bought in 1922. His Uncle Herman still lives there today.
Herman and Ted discuss the condition of the trees. As a citrus manager, it's Herman's job to maintain the trees' overall health and help them adapt to environmental changes.
Ted strolls the groves behind his family's home. Just beyond the groves is Lake Jovita, where the family still gathers in the summers.
When Ted Schrader's grandfather, Art Schrader, Sr., bought their family's home on the edge of Lake Jovita, it wasn't unusual to see orange groves lining the shores. Today, while many of the groves are gone, a blanket of green still frames the traditional white home, just as it did in 1922.
Art started out at as a fruit buyer at a local packinghouse in Brooksville, and eventually became a prominent member of the community and County Commissioner. Before growing up to take the lead role in the family business, Ted's father Arthur used to row his boat from the dock of their home, across the lake to the former prep school that is now St. Leo University. Ted's father has since passed away, but his uncle Herman still lives there today and can be found out in the groves daily.
In this area just outside Tampa, it's hard to find a citrus tradition as old as the Schraders'. Though many have succumbed to the pressures of development and urbanization has pushed up many of the groves, they continue to operate Lake Jovita Farm and Grove Services, Inc. for the local groves that do remain. Herman acts as citrus manager while Ted manages the company's marketing and planning.
As president of the Winter Haven Citrus Growers Association, Ted has seen the issues that face growers in the area. "The spread of the metro Tampa area is a real issue," he says. "The groves have gone from 40,000 acres down to 5,000, and it's obviously impacted many growers. There have been some real decisions to make."
Plant epidemics like greening and canker have also posed a new threat to the groves, something the growers weren't accustomed to dealing with until recent years. The Schraders work with the University of Florida to find farming techniques that are both eco-friendly and economical to maintaining the health of the citrus treesWant to show your support?
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In his lifetime as a grower, Herman has seen his share of changes in the industry. Looking back, he's amused by the way they used to do things compared to today's technology. "I hoed the trees by hand, pruned them by hand, it's just how we did everything—by hand. It's so much quicker now." Now, though, Herman says it's not making the changes that's the challenge, but keeping up with the fact that they change so quickly. "You have to be able to keep up and then you have to be able to change," he says. But it's part of what's helped their family find continued success in the industry: their ability to adapt.
"Our family has been very lucky to do what we do," Herman says. "I've been doing it all my life, and to be honest, I'll probably do it until the very end of it."