NORTH FORT MYERS — A Florida farmer is drawing knowledge from agricultural experts and applying it to his farm, which could ultimately end up on your table.
Josh Jamison, the primary grower at Cody Cove Farm and Nursery in central Florida, credits the ECHO International Agricultural Conference with having an impact on his farming practices.
Watch Fox 4's Allie Kaiser see how local farmers learn from those who work across the world:
The conference connects farmers and ranchers from similar climates to share knowledge and techniques.
"I'm very interested in learning from people that are working in tropical countries," Jamison said.
The knowledge exchange has proven valuable for Jamison, who says each gathering provides new insights.
"Every time you gather with people like this, there's some little tidbit of knowledge that you never knew that you might come across," Jamison said.
Working with farmers from hot and humid climates similar to Florida's, Jamison has discovered crops he never thought of growing in his area.
"Winged bean - actually a bamboo that I'm seeing off here in the distance is something we have on our farm that I dug from that plant right there," Jamison said.
Grace Ju Miller, director of ECHO's North America Impact Center, said discovering new growing methods is a key component of the conference.
"They get ideas from other parts of the world," said Miller. "They get ideas from each other."
These agricultural innovations directly impact what consumers can find available from local farms, such as Jamison's.
"The things that go on in our farm are a direct outflow from interactions and positive things that I've had attending this conference," Jamison said.
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