Alturas Grower David Lawson Pushes Citrus Trees for Strawberries in Bid to Forge a Future
by REBEKAH PIERCE
photos by TYLER DiGIOVINE & JESS McDONALD
When asked why he chose to become a farmer, David Lawson responded with a question in turn. “How many times in your life do you need a lawyer? A police officer? A doctor?”
Short answer? Not often. He followed up with, “Well, how many times a day do you have to have a farmer?”
Every time we sit down to eat, he explained, we’re benefiting directly from the work of a farmer. It’s that daily demand, along with a profound love for agriculture, that drew Lawson to the career.
Lawson defies the notion of a “typical” Central Florida farmer — and not just because he didn’t inherit the profession (or the land) from generations before him. While he raised a handful of cows with his father growing up, farming wasn’t ingrained in his upbringing.
His official farming career began in 2000, when he purchased his first hedging and topping machine. By 2001, he had acquired his first orange grove. Over time, he expanded his operation to roughly 400 acres, successfully managing his farm until Florida’s citrus industry faced a devastating challenge — citrus greening.
Faith in Change
Struggling with 60 acres of underperforming citrus trees, Lawson made the bold decision to shift gears. Last October, he pushed up a portion of his citrus trees in West Lake Wales and planted strawberries, dedicating about 50 acres to his new crop. But he doesn’t plan to stop there. In fact, he intends to do the same on 60 more acres next year.
Shifting from citrus to strawberries wasn’t without its hurdles. “When you’re farming, when you put it on the ground, everything’s out to get you. You’re the bottom of the food chain,” Lawson explains. “And when you change from citrus to strawberries, you are on the whole other side of the spectrum.”
There’s already an innate learning curve that exists with changing crops, but Lawson faced additional challenges. Last year’s hurricanes repeatedly wreaked havoc on Lawson’s fields, delaying his planting schedule and creating additional strain. Yet his determination — and a strong support network — continue to carry him through.
Brianne Reichenbach of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association (which supports growers through a variety of resources, including trade show, expos, and research funding), further highlighted the importance of those connections.
“Although there is plenty of research and resources out there to support growers on best practices for growing strawberries, there is still an art to be achieved that many of these multigenerational farm families have honed in on throughout their decades of growing Florida strawberries,” she says.
But Lawson doesn’t have that multigenerational advantage. He does, however, have steadfast friends.
One key figure for Lawson in this journey is his close friend Robert Abbott, whose advice and encouragement have been invaluable. “He’s the kind of guy who tells you what you need to know,” Lawson says. “Over the past 10 years… there’ve been a bunch of times I wanted to quit.”
Abbott provided Lawson with the knowledge and moral support he needed to get the wheels in motion, but it’s Lawson’s stubborn, can-do attitude that has kept them in motion.
“A lot of people don’t understand what success is. It’s the day you want to quit and you don’t. You’ll have those days a lot. Quitting is easy. That’s the easy part.”
Lawson also takes pride in the broader impact of his work. Farming, for him, is about more than just making a profit; it’s about contributing to the community, passing on valuable lessons, and producing quality food.
“Being a successful farmer is not going broke, giving it 100% every day, and offering a person a quality product at a fair price,” he says. “It can’t just be about the money. You just have to love it.”
Setting the Scene for Future Success
Lawson’s passion and dedication are evident in those who surround him. His son, Carson Reid Lawson, has inherited his father’s enthusiasm for farming and plans to continue the family’s agricultural endeavors. Similarly, Lawson’s farm manager, Thomas Woodruff Jr., began working with him at just 16 years old and continues to inspire Lawson to push forward.
“He’s another reason that makes me want to do more,” Lawson shares.
Lawson, a prominent member of the local ag community, has served on the Polk County Farm Bureau board of directors since 2012 and has held multiple committee positions.
“David is absolutely tenacious and has an ‘all in’ type of entrepreneurial spirit. He’s straightforward and realistic, while at the same time very enthusiastic about farming. It’s refreshing, inspiring, and often entertaining to witness,” says Polk County Farm Bureau Executive Director Carole McKenzie. “It’s also exciting to know that his children are catching the ag bug as well, and to see the hope for continued generations of the Lawson family’s farming enterprises.”
His shift to strawberries comes as more growers are bringing the crop into Polk. According to Kenneth Parker, Executive Director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, the recent expansion of strawberries in Polk, Hardee, Lake, and Manatee counties is driven in large part by the Plant City families that have the desire to continue to increase their acreage finding suitable land at a lower cost.
“The unfortunate loss of citrus acreage has some families from these counties wanting to try growing strawberries as a way to diversify,” Parker says.
Lawson’s story exemplifies the resilience, dedication, and adaptability required to succeed in agriculture in Polk County as well as the rest of the world. “Give a man an honest day’s work and you’ll get an honest day’s pay,” Lawson concludes, a simple yet profound philosophy that drives his approach to agriculture.
At the end of the day, farmers like Lawson don’t just provide food—they exemplify what it means to persevere and provide. Their sacrifices are remembered every day — in fact, each and every time we sit down to eat.
