Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Latest State of the Fruit and Nut Industry Survey
When a journalist messes up at math, he or she will inevitably brush it off by saying, “That’s why I write for a living.” If I’ve said that once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Or maybe two thousand, who’s counting? The irony is that most of us love writing about numbers, particularly survey results. As the adage goes, behind every statistic is a real person. Real farmers, in our case.
Which brings us to this month of February, which appropriately is one digit longer than usual in 2024. There is a lot to cover on the survey front.
STATE OF FRUIT AND NUTS
On Feb. 1, for starters, American Fruit Grower formally opened its annual State of the Industry survey. Want to participate? You can find the link by clicking here. The deadline to respond is March 31.
We typically receive between 600 and 800 responses, the results of which are reviewed and turned into stories that will comprise our State of the Industry Report in the combined June/July print issue this year.
Here, we will publish all state of the industry stories and results — including those from our sister publication, American Vegetable Grower — throughout the second half of 2024.
Last year’s fruit and nut survey, on average, took 12 minutes to complete. Besides compulsory background questions, we typically beckon your thoughts on issues such as crop inputs, pests, technology, farm management, and weather.
What are my favorite survey topics on the receiving end?
Production: Two years ago we began breaking down production trends by every type of fruit and nut. Most interesting to me is learning which crops were discontinued altogether and which ones were introduced.
Top Concerns: Last year, the Big Three (among six selections) finished in almost a dead heat: higher input prices, extreme weather, and labor. We’re all very curious to see if any of those issues hopefully diminished in 2023.
Pests: I’m hook, line and-sinker when it comes to reading about the top diseases, insects, weeds, and wildlife.29
Biologicals: The tide seems to be turning on this topic. My impression upon attending the Great Lakes Expo in December is that growers are really warming to biocontrols. Will our survey reflect this?
Technology: Likewise, I think the interest is there. Who doesn’t go to the car show to check out the Jaguars? But what about the financial means to follow through in this period of higher inflation and interest rates? We shall soon see, based on your survey input.
U.S. CENSUS
While our 2024 State of the Industry survey is just beginning this month, the final results of the 2022 Census of Agriculture was released Feb. 13 by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
Conducted once every five years, the ag census was mailed to more than 3 million producers across the U.S. and Puerto Rico in 2022. NASS concluded its data collection last summer, with a preliminary national return rate of 61%.
Again, stay tuned as we break down the fruit and nut portions of the census. Between USDA’s results and our state of the industry survey, 2024 promises to be an exciting and certainly telling year.
Subscribe Today For
