By Clint Thompson
Alabama growers need to know where their fruits and vegetables will be sold before the plants are put in the ground. That’s a message that was emphasized during the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) Conference on Feb. 5.
AFVGA President Taylor Hatchett talked about her own farming operation’s experience when speaking at the conference. She said if growers have their crops sold beforehand, that alleviates a lot of stress once harvest time begins.
“When you’re talking about fruits and vegetables, especially specialty crops, you’re talking about a pretty short shelf life. You’ve got limited time to get that product moved. For me and for our farm, we have found that being very proactive and working ahead to make sure that we are only growing something because we’ve got a customer base that wants it,” Hatchett said. “Whether it’s through our CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture), whether it’s through our farm markets, wholesales, schools, we know that we’ve got someone that wants that crop before we put it into the ground.”
Failing to sell beforehand could leave growers vulnerable to low prices at harvest time. If they have failed to move their product prior to harvest, producers are left scrambling to sell at the last minute. Buyers will have the upper hand, leading to drastically lower prices.
“When you scramble, that’s when you get into that push type of situation where prices just fall. A lot of times I’ve seen growers with an amazing product selling it for less than what it cost them to produce it. That’s the worst situation that a farm can be in,” Hatchett said.