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Agroforestry has a History in Orange Heights, Fla.

Ralph Brown and his son, Roy, of Orange Heights, Fla., were practicing agroforestry before it had that name. Today Roy Brown is an example of successful agroforestry practices. But decades ago, he learned from his father that growing crops under pecan trees was a good way to beat the heat in the summer and protect against frost in the winter.

Many people know his produce, including the pecans, which he sells at Brown’s Farm on State Road 26 just off U.S. 301. He produces more than the vegetable stand can sell, so he delivers produce to other outlets as well.

By planting vegetable crops under pecans, the Brown can start his crops a little earlier in the winter and harvest earlier. In most years, the pecan trees have protected his early crops from frost. With squash, green beans and other spring crops, Brown can advance his harvest under pecans to as early as April 20, whereas crops grown in open fields normally are not ready until May 5.

“I can sometimes put in a squash or green beans crop maybe a week or two earlier under the pecan trees,” Roy Brown said.

Similarly, in the summer, the pecan trees help reduce the heat, allowing the Browns to plant cool-season vegetables earlier and get a jump on the market.

Roy Brown has a simple way of determining the effectiveness of his agroforestry practices. He grows crops in open fields and he grows the same crops under pecans. Every year is different, but he has observed that 75 to 80 percent of the time, he can count on earlier harvests under pecans. When seasons determine the availability of produce, a week can make a lot of difference in sales. And he sells pecans from the same land.

Roy Brown learned the effectiveness of agroforestry from his father, who started growing produce under pecans in the late 1940s. At that time, the family leased a large tract of pecans for the practice. Today, Brown has only 10 acres of pecans to grow his vegetables. He’d like to have more because he knows that agroforestry works.