By Clint Thompson
Low crop prices and high input expenses are forcing specialty crop producers to modify their farming operations. How business is done today is different than it was 20 years ago; maybe even 10 years ago.
Alabama tomato grower Destiny Allman Gladden has to be more conscious of the business decisions she makes in hopes of improving her bottom line.
“We try to be more conscious in the items that we purchase and we use,” she said. “It’s gotten to where we try to be more conscious of what we’re buying and what we’re using. It’s a more conscious decision of the things that we do purchase. Used to, we would just go to the co-op and buy everything from one place because it’s convenient. But now it’s, let’s sit down and look at all of our options. Who has the better deals? Is it the same quality, even though they may have a better price?”
Gladden is expected to start harvesting this year’s crop during the first week of July. She started planting this year’s crop around mid-to-late April. Pricing remains a major hurdle to a successful season, though Gladden’s retail store provides a boost to her farming operation. Local customers are expected to flock to the Chandler Mountain region to purchase fresh, local food.
“We do try to push our retail store further and further every year. That is a market that we see growing. I think I see it growing across the United States all the time,” she added. “We try to push our retail market. They know they can come get it from us. We want that market to grow because there’s much better profit there for us than in the wholesale side of things.”