Dogwood Lane Farm

There’s a little bit of everything at Dogwood Lane Farm, and owner Rusty Ludlam seems to like it that way. “I’m from Missouri, and we had a two acre garden growing up,” Rusty said. “We never bought apples, potatoes or much of anything growing up.”

Rusty has taken that love of growing food and transformed it into a four acre farm, with a heavy focus on hydroponic vegetables. “Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are the main thing that I grow,” said Rusty. “As long as the weather holds, we can grow them all year round.”

Rusty inhereited the hydroponic system in 2007 when he bought his property in Suwannee County from a man who had grown hydroponically for 20 years. The previous owner showed Rusty how to farm using hydroponics in their three greenhouses. “With the tomatoes and cucumbers, they are in a recirculating water system where the fertilizers are added to feed the roots,” Rusty said.

Dogwood Lane also raises dairy goats and laying chickens, and bring goat milk, goat cheese and eggs to market along with their vegetables. Their animals are raised without hormones or antibiotics. “It's just relaxing being out there milking my goats,” Rusty said. “It's theraputic.”