How it started

My name is Ruby Noland. I’m graduating from UF this semester with a bachelor’s in horticultural sciences. I specialized in organic systems and focused my studies on agroecology and sustainable food systems. One thing I love about my degree is the intersection of technical plant science combined with practical application in the field.

I started visiting Glenn Farms in the fall of 2023. Tom Glenn and his mom, Judy Glenn, eager to learn about organic agriculture, offered their beautiful property for experimentation. What started as a fun way to spend my free time and gain hands-on experience has since developed into my capstone project.

How it’s going

In trying to decide what to do for a senior project, I knew I wanted to sum my academic experience with a real-world application that addressed what “sustainability” truly means and invited others to step into my world. The Roots Up Festival on May 17th is the culmination of what I have learned during my undergraduate experience, and is intertwined with my personal goals.

My project is to design a farm plan inspired by USDA organic standards that capitalizes on Florida’s early growing season, featuring vegetables, fruits, and cut flowers. I will transition this design into a holistic system using the knowledge I have gained throughout my time at UF.

One day I found sprouted garlic in the back of my mom's refrigerator. She told me that if I planted it, it would grow. I was hooked. This is me, Ruby Noland, as a child with my first garden.

One day I found sprouted garlic in the back of my mom's refrigerator. She told me that if I planted it, it would grow. I was hooked.

Roots Up

Excerpt from an assignment I completed detailing my project plan

“I will be anticipating and executing nutrition requirements, irrigation needs and installation, soil management, plant pathogen interaction, IPM techniques, adapting to weather conditions/events, implementing organic weed management, researching and sourcing my own seeds, raising them through harvest, problem solving along the way, and more. I hope that on May 17th, any attendees I have will enjoy the unique ability to trace back every decision that went into their produce. I hope they have fun. I’ll be selling fresh, local, healthy produce and bouquet flowers at a personable level where attendees get to meet their farmer (me) and see how their food was grown.”

If you only shop at grocery stores, your food was probably harvested weeks prior to you eating it. Many people will never eat food harvested that same day, let alone within hours or minutes. It doesn’t get fresher than this.

What it is

Roots Up map

  1. Produce

  2. Bouquet Flowers

  3. Local Vendors

  4. Cows and Sheep

  5. Bring a Picnic

  6. Ichetucknee Springs

Come as you are. Decompress on your own or bring friends and family to explore the farm, pick up to 30 different types of fresh produce, build beautiful bouquets, check out some local vendors, pet the cows and sheep, bring a picnic blanket and relax in open fields. If you get too hot, the crystalline Ichetucknee springs are 8 minutes down the road.

We will be open from 8AM-8PM. I highly encourage attendees to join us in the morning hours or for the sunset. The afternoon would be the perfect time to enjoy the springs. I invite you to stay for an hour or make a day out of it.

Contact me

Got a question? Fill out some info and I will be in touch shortly. I can’t wait to hear from you :)