THE FERN rrangements locally and beyond by Patrick Evans-Hylton
It ’ s not a far drive from the sun and surf of the beach , but in this rural northwest corner of Volusia County , the waves are green and not blue . Pierson is known as the Fern Capital of the World , and for generations , the namesake plant , and other agriculture , have fed the economy and traditions here .
Traveling through the countryside , glimpses of the ferns can be seen under canopies of protective netting , gently blowing in the wind . Fronds will be cut and exported across the globe to be used in floral arrangements and other decorations .
An estimated 80 % of the foliage supplying the United States and Canadian markets are harvested in northwest Volusia County .
One contributor to the impressive statistic is FernTrust . It was founded as a co-op in 1986 when several growers , wanting to break into the cut foliage market , did not have the overall volume to supply the market .
“ Local growers banded together to what came to be FernTrust ,” says Victoria Register Hunter , director of sales and marketing . Today , there are seven growers as part of the trust , contributing to the region ’ s growing reputation .
Victoria ’ s father , David Register , now executive vice president , was part of the co-op from the beginning .
“ I was born into what we call diversified agriculture . I am currently the fifth generation agriculturalist in my family ,” David says . “ My grandfather started growing foliage in 1960 before I was born . Growing up , we had some foliage , but also had several orange groves that we farmed .”
Unfortunately , a series of freezes in the 1980s cut the family ’ s orange tree production . That ’ s when cut foliage became a focus for the family operation .
Like the other half-dozen members , Register ’ s growth operations produce the ferns and other products . Acting like a clearing house , the trust is responsible for everything past the growing point for the farmers .
“ Once a product is ready to harvest , FernTrust comes in and does all of the cutting , packing , marketing and selling of the foliage ,” says Victoria . She notes the co-op offers more than 200 different varieties of foliage every day .
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