1. Charles B. Trolley
Orlando, Florida USA
Cell No.: (239) 284-3002
E-mail Address: chasbt1@gmail.com
I was born and raised on a farm in Albion, New York. I have been involved in farming all of my life. I have
worked on vegetable, livestock, grain and fruit farms in New York State as well as Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Georgia,
Pennsylvania and Hawaii. I have also worked in Canada, and Russia as well as going on a study trip to learn about
the different types of agriculture in Mexico. I have grown fresh market as well as processing fruits, vegetables,
sod, hay and grain on conventional and organic farms up to 40,000 acres in size.
I have grown most of the common vegetables, i.e.: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, melons, potatoes, onions,
beets, sweet corn, strawberries, peas, radishes, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, kale, slicing cucumbers, pickling
cucumbers, spinach, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, herbs and greens as well as the newer and more unique
varieties. I have grown most of the common grains, i.e.: corn, soybeans, sunflowers, wheat, barley, dry beans
and oats. We have always tried to stay on the cutting edge of new varieties and new production methods. We have
used different color plastic mulches to heat the soil faster as well as repel insects. I have grown the vegetables on
raised beds with plastic mulch and drip tape as well as on flat ground with overhead irrigation. We have used
floating row covers for frost protection as well as trying hay as a cover for frost protection. I have grown
vegetables in High Tunnels so we could extend the growing season. I have worked with hydroponics by using
pots and bags in vertical towers for growing strawberries and other vegetables. I have grown lettuce in a
hydroponic NFT system. I have grown vegetables on raised beds with no plastic using ditch irrigation in
combination with overhead irrigation. We grew potatoes, onions and cabbage in NY that was put into storage for
packing out in the winter and sold to various markets in the Northeast and Midwest. We planted apples in some
of the first high density orchards in NY State. We grew Peaches and Pears for Gerber baby food. We sold our
produce at farmer’s markets and stores throughout the area. We had a large scale packing line for our pickle crop
that was cooled, packed, sold by us and shipped by our trucks throughout the Northeast and Midwest.
While at the Research Stations for the two seed companies where I was employed, I worked with Scouts to
develop a spray program that used softer more safe biological chemicals in conjunction with the recommended
program so that the Breeders and employees could access the fields more often. We also sprayed at night to get
better coverage and better control on insects which tend to be out in larger numbers. This also results in less
exposure to employees. One of the benefits from this was beneficial bugs were not harmed so our use of sprays
went down which benefited everyone including the environment.
We were one of the first growers to switch to growing soybeans with a drill in narrow rows instead of with a
conventional planter at 30 inch rows on a large scale in NY State. We also were one of the first growers to switch
to direct cutting our dry beans vs pulling and win rowing them. We had our own grain mill so we could
market all of our grain as well as buy and sell grain. That way we could dry it and mix it with ours then load it on
railcars to make it more profitable. We were one of the first growers in NY State to buy a large four-wheel drive
Self Propelled Sprayer to spray our crops as well as do custom spraying. We were also the first farm to use four-
wheel drive combines as well as articulated four-wheel drive tractors in NY State.
I have helped install computerized farm management programs that would enable a farm, by planting date, to
develop a schedule of all jobs to be done so that the next crop could be planted to maximize the use of all fields
during the course of the planting year. I also helped develop a manual SOP for each crop based on a planting date
so all necessary work for each crop would be completed on time. I have also, on three separate farms, installed
chemical reporting software in order to track all equipment and chemical usage by field. The program includes
rates, times used, safety equipment needed and the time applied for each application, as well as all costs associated
with each field. I recently helped install a completely computerized drip irrigation system. This system can be

2. monitored remotely from anywhere in the world by using a laptop or tablet. It includes sensors above ground and
in-soil that measure soil temperature, soil moisture, EC and air temperature at ground level. The sensors are
installed at 6, 12 and 18 inches deep and are relayed back to the main station wirelessly. All fertilizer plus acid
used to balance the PH to meet our requirements needed to grow the crop is injected through the drip tape by the
system. The system was also used to control all functions within our greenhouses. All information gathered was
then used to make decisions necessary to provide the right water and nutrients to grow the best crops possible.
We also developed a system to inject fertilizer and chemicals at each valve in our drip irrigation system with a
portable rig based on the acres per valve so as to be very accurate with their placement.
I have been involved in all aspects of farming, operating as well as managing, equipment operations such as
tillage, planting, spraying, green bean harvesters, sweet corn harvesters, potato harvesters and grain combines. I
have been involved in equipment purchase, training, hiring and managing of employees. I developed a training
matrix used to base employees starting skills as well as development so bonuses and raises could be disbursed
fairly based on improvement at work and commitment to the job. I have been involved in all fertilizer and
chemical decisions. I was involved in a trucking business in which I was a driver as well as manager of the
business. These trucks were used to haul our grain and vegetables to various markets throughout the eastern US.
I have worked with both organic and sustainable farming to develop a safer and long lasting approach to help
create a market for local produce that people can see as well as enjoy.
I have recently helped set up a small research farm at the Edgewood Children’s Ranch here in Orlando, Fl. The
Ranch takes at risk kids 6-18 years old, houses, educates and provides church for them. They all spend a .5 hr. a
week with their class working on the farm with my wife and I. It is incredible to see the difference in their lives
after 1 year of doing that. We plant, harvest and let them try new things to eat each week. The produce grown
feeds the kids at the ranch as well as a small CSA. We also make donations to the Salvation Army and other food
banks.
Along with my farming experience, I was involved in a Leadership Program through Cornell University for two
years. This program involved traveling to Ottawa Canada, New York City, Washington DC, Albany, NY to study
business and government in action. The group also went on a two-week study trip to Texas and Mexico to study
agriculture in those regions.