Strive To Find Solutions For Vegetable Production Issues In 2016 [opinion]

Rosemary Gordon

Rosemary Gordon

I’m sure you noticed we embarked on something new this year with our first annual State of the Industry report. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people — the bulk of whom were growers — who opted to take the survey and even provide their thoughts about where we are and where we’re headed.

We had more than 400 people take the online survey, which, in addition to growers, included researchers, association personnel, and industry suppliers. Based on the number of respondents, this tells me many of you are interested in getting the word out about the industry, specifically your area of expertise, and tell us what is on your mind. In particular, you told us what is going well, and what is not going so well.

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Labor, water woes, the economy, and the increase in government regulations continue to plague many of you. In fact, several people mentioned labor as a critical issue, and it wasn’t just the large growers making this claim. Those
of you with relatively small farms expressed this concern, too.

In spite of those issues, many survey respondents had positive stories to tell. It was good news to learn that for several vegetable crops, production is scheduled to increase in the coming year.

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Plus, several growers mentioned Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) as a means to help improve profits. Some simply opted to start one, some increased their vegetable offerings, and others increased the number of people they were serving with their products.

Another positive story to tell focuses on the new technology being developed to help combat labor issues. According to our View From the West columnist, Richard Smith, automatic weeders, harvesters, and transplanters are being tested, and some larger growers in California are currently using automated thinning equipment. (See page 34.) Smith also talks about the potential uses of unmanned aerial vehicles in fields and the positive impacts all this technology will have on commercial vegetable production.

This is an industry that when faced with problems, instead of throwing up its collective hands, works toward finding solutions. We may not have answers for all of these long-term problems yet, but rest assured, they are being worked on.
In some form or another, a solution or a way to deal with the problem will be developed because after all, you have a job to do: feed a growing nation and world.

Here’s to 2016! May it be a productive year and one filled with more solutions than problems.

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