Released December 2, 2011
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – For Agricultural & Resource Economics alumnus Pete Charlerie, studying agriculture and business was like discovering his scholarly soul mate.
“It was like milk and honey,” he said. “I was smitten. I fell in love.”
Today, Charlerie nurtures his passion for agribusiness through cultivation—he plans to grow vegetables, cut flowers, and culinary herbs on five acres of farmland in Upper Marlboro that he purchased this September.
“One of the benefits that you get from the farm experience is being able to produce your own food,” he said, adding, “It gives you that opportunity to know what goes into your body and where it comes from.”
Charlerie applied for a Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Loan through the Farm Services Agency of the USDA. The funds from the loan supported the purchase of the land, equipment and fixed assets, and will maintain the operations of the farm.
Originally from Trinidad, Charlerie was introduced to agriculture at a young age when his father worked as a farmer. He was inspired to start his own farm, named SunSplash Farm, after taking AREC and Business classes and interning at Brookeside Gardens.
“It was always a dream of mine to take [agriculture] a step forward,” Charlerie said, adding, “It was important for me to learn modern farming techniques.”
He said that the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Loan program helped him realize a dream that seemed impossible.
“You learn in AREC that it is so hard to become a farmer, but there is a program for people out there who really want to become farmers,” he said.
Charlerie, who graduated in 2009, has always imagined himself as an entrepreneur and applied this mindset to his studies at UMD. He said that the networking, seminars, and educational opportunities of AREC and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources were essential to preparing him for this business venture.
“AREC really gives you a good introduction into the big picture of agriculture,” he said, adding, “Classes like marketing and the economics of farm management really give you good theoretical knowledge.”
His first crops will be lettuce, spinach, and other leafy greens, which he will sell to local restaurants and the Maryland Food Co-op in the early spring. He plans to promote his vegetables as “Turtlegrass” to “appeal to the alumni and supporters of UMD who desire locally grown produce.”
As SunSplash Farm grows, Charlerie will produce niche crops, such as callaloo and bodi, to sell at ethnic restaurants and grocery stories.
Jim Hanson, an associate professor of AREC, first met Charlerie in his Futures and Options class and stayed in touch with him after graduation, reviewing his business plans and encouraging Charlerie to pursue his goal of owning and operating a farm.
“Pete has many good qualities, but the ones which have served him well in this venture are his positive outlook and his ‘never-say-die’ attitude,” Dr. Hanson said. “A lot of people would have given up, but Pete never did. I am sure these same qualities will help make him a successful farmer.”
--30—
University of Maryland, http://www.agnr.umd.edu/news/article.cfm?id=005531760a5a5a8f0091ea7dbbe0...
