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Bern's Has Stake In Organics

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 4, 2008

Updated: 02/03/2008 11:55 pm

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Drive past the intersection of Benjamin Road and Waters Avenue, and you'll likely miss a treasure in plain sight.

Surrounded by cars, businesses and the Veterans Expressway are 4 acres of green, red, orange and purple rows that make up Bern's Steak House's organic farm.

Bern Laxer and his wife, Gert, bought the farm in 1954 and used it to grow crops such as cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant, turnips and broccoli. When Laxer fell ill a few years ago, the farm began deteriorating, said Rick Martinez, executive director of Sweetwater Organic Community Farm in Town 'N Country. The hurricanes that pounded the area didn't help much either.

After Laxer died in 2002 and the farm's manager left, things got worse.

Three years ago, Sweetwater began a relationship with Bern's farm. Bern's allowed Sweetwater to grow crops at its farm in exchange for technical support. It took seven months to turn things around.

"It feels great. I've been doing this for 30 years, but it feels good to see this farm's come back to its own," Martinez said.

Sweetwater has full management of the farm, but the farm's products are solely for Bern's and SideBern's.

Angela Delgado

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