5 Most Common Themes From the Latest State of the Vegetable Industry Survey

We asked growers to share their thoughts on the 2025 State of the Vegetable Industry survey. Here’s what they told us. The five most common themes from grower comments include:

1. Costs and Input Prices

“A lot of uncertainty. Flat demand, rising input cost and poor market pricing. Plenty of open ground.”

“We are in really tough times because of high input costs [and] labor costs and availability.”

“Input costs are just way too high!”

“The industry is struggling because of increased imports, increased labor cost and increased production cost.”

2. Labor Challenges

“Industry is in a position to crush small growers and that’s what you’re seeing now. Labor costs are out of control. Most farmers don’t have any leverage when it comes to raising their prices.”

“I think labor is going to be our biggest challenge in years to come. If it wasn’t for the H-2A program, we couldn’t grow sweet corn at the capacity we do because all of our sweet corn is hand-picked and packed.”

“We are in really tough times because of high input, labor and availability costs.”

“We find that reliable labor is currently available. But the expense of the labor is the largest cost to our farm. Every other cost has gone up as well. Technology to replace some labor is getting better but very costly. We are hitting a threshold where even to replace old equipment with new equipment is a struggle because crop margins are SO low.”

“Local labor availability is not predictable.”

“Domestic labor is not interested in work in in agriculture.”

“The cost of labor has steadily gone up and supply has gone down.”

“It’s a hard physical labor and you have to love it to do it.”

3. Imports and Market Competition

“There are a lot of small growers everywhere in our state and it makes competition tougher.”

“Fraud in the organic imports diluting U.S. organic markets.”

“Access to labor and the associated increasing costs as well as being forced to compete with low price veg imports will continue to force growers out of the market.”

“Government regulation around the H-2A program and program costs. Cheap imports from Mexico and Canada pulling our market prices down.”

4. Regulatory Burdens

“Money doesn’t stick anymore. All costs are up, and regulation is a huge burden. Farms near here aren’t selling like they used to because the numbers don’t work.”

“Vegetables are under increasing scrutiny for regulations. This regulation will continue to pressure the production to lower numbers and higher prices for the consumer.”

“Government regulation and rising input costs are biggest threats to industry.”

“Difficult to remain in business. Too many factors to deal with. Regulations and public opinion are killing the industry.”

5. Technology and the Future of Growing

“Indoor growing is the future, especially with high transport costs.”

“People need to know ‘NO FARMS NO FOOD!’ Future is not looking good if this continues.”

“The decline in community support. Not sure why people and schools are shying away from farms.”

“How did we let one individual dictate the future of our economy and agricultural industry?”

“Let’s take a stand. We feed America and the world.”

“Most of this technology is not affordable for small farms.”

“Increased mobile phones technology leading to increased efficiency of work being coordinated and completed with less farm workers.”

“Seeing interest from growers in precision technology and increased investment from companies and suppliers. We also see an increase in interest in on farm research, and in OH, OSU Extension is now publishing an on-farm research report specifically for specialty crops.”

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What are your thoughts on these common themes related to the latest State of the Vegetable Industry? Leave a reader comment below.