By Clint Thompson A couple of weeks into Jim Bennett’s first season and the Alabama strawberry producer already regrets not planting more acres than he did. “We’ve talked about planting strawberries since we opened. This year it kind of worked out and decided we’d go for it,” said Bennett, owner of Bennett Farms in Heflin, Alabama. “It’s right at two …
Quality in Question: Fried Defends State’s Produce During Hearing
The quality of Southeast produce was called into question during the U.S. International Trade Commission hearing on squash and cucumbers. Industry leaders took exception to the notion that consumers prefer Mexican produce over what’s grown in the United States and that has contributed to the domestic market decline for both commodities. Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried was asked about the …
Georgia Produce Farmer: (Mexico) Doesn’t Care About Costs
What should be an advantage to Southeast producers against Mexico is anything but, believes Georgia vegetable farmer Dick Minor. Freight prices continue to spike, which has only worsened since gas prices continue to increase. But that doesn’t matter to produce originating out of Mexico, Minor added. “High freight rates are our friend or should be technically our friend from a …
Farming’s Future: How Will Technology Impact the Industry?
What does the technological future look like for vegetable and specialty crop producers? In an era where they compete in a global marketplace against rising imports, producers can no longer rely on cheap land or labor; they must compete on the basis of technology and innovation. What does that future look like? Come find out at the Ag Tech Expo, hosted …
Market Manipulation: Vegetable Farmers Vulnerable to Increasing Imports
The vegetable and specialty crop sector is vulnerable to market manipulation. That makes what Mexico is accomplishing through its increased imports of cucumbers and squash dangerous for the future of the American farmer, claims Georgia farmer Dick Minor. “In 2018, the combined acres planted into fresh market cucumbers of the top five producing states was less than 30,000 acres,” Minor …
Fried: We are Losing a lot of Farms
The economics of farming in Florida is not adding up for some vegetable and specialty crop producers. With land prices continuing to increase across the Sunshine State and imports continuing to flood the U.S. markets, it has created a crossroads for some growers, explains Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried. “When our growers can’t compete and they are seeing job losses, …
FFVA Issues Statement Following USITC Hearing on Cucumbers, Squash
The Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association (FFVA) issued a statement following Thursday’s U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) hearing regarding the impact of imports on the Southeast domestic cucumber and squash crops. The statement read: “Today’s hearing was a positive development in our ongoing efforts to secure trade relief for Florida growers. For decades, unfair trade practices from Mexico and other …
Fresh Produce Association of Americas: Mexico Cannot Be Blamed
Not everyone believes there is a problem with Mexican imports and their impact on the domestic industry. In fact, Lance Jungmeyer, president of the Fresh Produce Association of Americas, believes “Mexico cannot be blamed” for many of the issues Southeast farmers are trying to overcome. “In reality, many of the problems facing the Southeast growers – labor, hurricanes, real estate …
Representative Response: Austin Scott, Darren Soto Pen Letter to ITC
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Reps. Austin Scott (R-GA-08) and Darren Soto (D-FL-09) co-led a bipartisan letter to the International Trade Commission (ITC) on Tuesday expressing support for a Section 332 investigation for cucumbers and squash as American specialty crop producers struggle with unfair trade practices that negatively impact operations. “Seasonal cucumber and squash imports from Mexico continue to dramatically impact U.S. …
Voice of Leadership: Congressman Scott Sounds Off on Mexican Imports
How can you stay in business by selling a commodity for less than the inputs required to produce it? While it may sound like simple economics, it’s a financial game that’s just not adding up for many Southeast vegetable and specialty crop producers? What’s the ‘X’ factor? Imports from foreign countries like Mexico, Peru and Chile. If they continue to …