More Fruit Growers Willing To Invest Back Into their Business

All growers have been there: In a tough financial environment, are you better off cutting costs or improving returns? Most ag economists argue the latter route is more likely to succeed. Simply cutting costs can lead to a “death spiral” of sorts as your quality and yields continue to slowly dwindle. In this year’s State of the Fruit and Nut Industry survey, growers were decidedly upbeat about their prospects for this year, perhaps in part because 2024 was finished.

Last year was a tough year for fruit and nut growers of all types. One in four growers stated their production was down more than 10%, the most in any single category.

In contrast, just 15% of growers reported production was up more than 10%, with the remaining 60% of growers falling somewhere between. The survey asked these growers one simple question: What was the best thing you did to improve profits in 2024?

A total of 233 growers took the time to write out their answers, though most of the responses were understandably just a few words. But apparently the message the ag economists have been preaching is sinking in, because twice as many growers, 91, said they were going to invest, compared to the 40 who said they were going to cut costs. (The remainder mostly said they were going to do a combination of the two.)

CUTTING COSTS

Not only did fewer growers take this route to greater profits, they had fewer ways of achieving the goal. After all, there is only so many ways you can say “cut expenses” or “reduce expenses.” Other answers included “closely monitor inputs,” “cut chemical usage,” “cut labor,” “try to reduce labor costs,” “prune less,” “left fruit unharvested,” and finally, “more work for myself.”

IMPROVING RETURNS

Some growers emphasized their orchards or vineyards, others talked about improving equipment, and still others changed their financial/sales strategy.

In the field, growers listed the following: “installed a new irrigation system,” “grew better fruit,” “remove some unprofitable varieties,” “correct equipment deficiencies,” “added frost protection,” “plant cover crop for 5 years in a row,” “apply hail netting to all of our production blocks,” “replace old orchard,” and “started a U-pick orchard of 3 different blackberry varieties.”

Some growers, such as those who do pick-your-own, have different problems. “We are 100% retail,” one grower replied. “Profitability is totally tied to fall weekend weather, which was rain free for peak 2024 weekends.”

Other initiatives growers tried included “mechanized,” “more mechanization,” “diligent spray schedule” “increase soil health,” “took out unprofitable varieties,” “use SmartFresh,” “installed drip irrigation and automatic timer,” “bird-proofed my blueberries,” “removed trees,” “abandoned several vineyards,” “install bird repellent system,” and “adopt growing methods to overcome dicamba spray drift damage which nearly killed my entire vineyard in 2021.”

Some growers “planted some new varieties,” “install irrigation,” “change irrigation operations,” “implemented labor task software,” “limit bird damage,” “limit hand harvesting,” “installed wind machine,” “invested in the 151 Stihl chainsaw to speed up pruning 50%,” “removed aged vineyards,” “more proactive insect control,” and “treating each tree as an independent chemical reactor, treating each tree for what it needs.”

Still other growers who invested in improving returns focused on sales: “we promoted more direct sales to local customers, “added another retail sales location,” “got help with sales,” “improve our direct-farm marketing,” “buy crop insurance,” “demanded higher sale prices where we could,” “more value-added products,” “select adequate crop insurance, “sell for more money,” “raise prices,” “advertising,” “social media,” “had more on-farm events,” and “contract with school districts’ farm-to-school programs.”

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Click here to check out more insights from the 2025 State of the Fruit and Nut Industry report.