PLANT CITY, Fla. — Wish Farms was recently recognized by the Florida Department of Agriculture as this year’s winner of the Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award.

This award highlights environmentally friendly growers and ranchers.

It’s nearing the end of strawberry season at Wish Farms, but the work to maintain the farm isn’t over yet.

With more than 2,100 acres — 700 of them farmed — each area is tended to in a different way.

Manager Chris Parks describes the farm as “half organic, half conventional” — but the half that’s organic is split into thirds with one third farmed each year.

He says this method has been proven to help maintain the crops they grow.

“The consistent pesticide usage that we did in the past actually had a negative effect on controlling the bugs we were trying to control,” Parks said.

In 2003, Wish Farms became a commercial organic strawberry grower. The methods used on the organic side have slowly trickled into their conventional crops.

They even use the help of drones that help release beneficial predators. And this year they’re trying something new.

“Planting beneficial flowers that host predators and hopefully keeping population local and to fight them all summer when we don’t have a crop,” said Parks.

It’s that innovation that the Florida Department of Agriculture has recognized and why Wish Farms is this year’s winner of the Agricultural-Environmental Leadership Award.

Wish Farms was founded back in 1922. It started with Nick Wishnatzki’s great-grandfather selling fruits from a pushcart. Today, Wishnatzki says they’re continuing the founder’s legacy in a unique way.

“We’re always trying to stay ahead of the curve and figure out what’s this next problem on the horizon, and how can we fix it and it really just drives the innovation,” he said.

They’re also helping reduce their environmental footprint at their headquarters in Plant City. They have a 2,100-panel solar system that helps support 60% of their electrical needs.

With an app, they’re making labor on the farm more efficient. And with a push of a button, they can turn on and off all water pumps on the property.

For Parks, managing the farm has meant he can continue to help keep food on the tables of many.

“This is the only piece of land we get to farm,” he said. “We have to take care of it.”

Wish Farms will be recognized by Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson at the Fresh From Florida breakfast in October.