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Sorrento, Florida

Growing Responsibly,
Giving Back to the Land

A closed-loop blueberry operation built for Florida's environment — and the communities around it.

By the Numbers

70–95%
Water Savings
vs. open-field flood irrigation — recirculated back through our closed system
Zero
Pesticides Used
No synthetic chemicals applied to the soil, water, or fruit — ever
Zero
Agricultural Runoff
Our closed-loop system ensures nothing leaves the farm into Florida's waterways
100%
Florida-Grown
Every berry picked at White Water Farm is grown, harvested, and sold right here in Sorrento

What a Closed Loop Really Means

In a conventional blueberry operation, irrigation water carrying fertilizer, runoff, and sediment drains freely into the surrounding soil and eventually into Florida's lakes, rivers, and aquifer. We built something different.

Our system captures every drop that passes through the field. Water is pumped from a tailwater pond through the drip system, collected on the other end, filtered, and returned to the pond — completing the loop. Nothing is discharged. Nothing is wasted.

Blueberry rows aerial

Revolutionary by Design

Built Into the Earth.
Protected by It.

Most farms sit on top of the land. White Water Farm was built into it. Our blueberry operation is engineered into a closed basin — a naturally enclosed depression engineered to sit just above the natural water table. This isn't just a design choice. It's an agricultural advantage that changes everything about how these berries grow.

Natural Wind Protection

The surrounding earthen berms act as a natural windbreak, shielding plants from storm damage and reducing the wind stress that hurts fruit development during Florida's unpredictable spring weather.

Frost & Freeze Defense

The enclosed earthen walls trap radiant heat from the soil overnight — creating a warmer microclimate during cold snaps. In Florida's spring blueberry season, a few degrees of protection can be the difference between a full crop and a lost one.

Water Table Access

Engineered to sit just above the natural water table, the root zone benefits from consistent ambient moisture in the surrounding soil — reducing irrigation dependency and keeping plants stable during dry periods without any risk of waterlogging.

Gravity-Fed Drainage

Water drains naturally back into the tailwater pond by gravity alone. No energy wasted pumping. No runoff escaping. The system works with the land's natural slope — exactly as it was designed.

Natural Pest Barrier

The enclosed depression creates a physical buffer that reduces wind-carried pest pressure from surrounding areas — one reason we can operate completely pesticide-free.

Soil Temperature Stability

Below-grade soil maintains more consistent temperatures than surface-level fields. Blueberries are highly sensitive to temperature swings — stable soil means more consistent berry quality and yield season over season.

Zero Erosion Risk

The closed basin contains everything. Florida's heavy rain events cause significant topsoil erosion on conventional farms. Here, nothing escapes. The soil, the nutrients, and the water all stay exactly where they belong.

Built for the Future

As water restrictions tighten and climate variability increases, closed basin operations will become the standard. White Water Farm was built ahead of that curve — not in response to it.

"We didn't find this land and adapt to it. We engineered it — from the ground up."

Why It Matters

Eight Reasons the System We Built Changes Everything

01
Zero Runoff
Agricultural runoff is one of Florida's biggest water quality threats. Our closed system produces none — by design.
02
Pesticide-Free Fruit
What you pick at White Water Farm has never touched a synthetic chemical. Clean growing, clean eating.
03
Aquifer Protection
Florida's Floridan Aquifer supplies drinking water to millions. Closed-loop farming keeps agricultural inputs out of the recharge zone.
04
Dramatic Water Savings
Recirculating our irrigation water means we use a fraction of what conventional operations consume per acre, per season.
05
Lake & River Health
Central Florida's spring-fed lakes are under pressure from nutrient loading. We're one less source of phosphorus and nitrogen entering the system.
06
Native Habitat Buffer
The land surrounding our farm remains a natural buffer. We don't drain wetlands or clear native vegetation to expand our footprint.
07
Soil Integrity
By eliminating chemical inputs and reducing compaction, our growing practices protect the microbial life that makes Florida soil productive long-term.
08
A Model Worth Copying
We believe the closed-loop approach should be the standard, not the exception — and we're proof it's economically viable for a small farm operation.

Our Commitment

"We didn't build this farm in spite of Florida's environment — we built it to protect it."

Every decision we make on this land — from irrigation design to the animals we raise — is made with the land in mind. Come see it for yourself.

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