New Insights Into Ag from Industry Experts

In addition to offering their thoughts on how the present economic situation will impact the industry (Rise To The Challenge), AVG asked industry experts and growers about a facet of their specific area of expertise that others may not be aware. Here is what people had to say:

Karen Bonaudi

Assistant Executive Director
Washington State Potato Commission
The Washington State Potato Commission not only works on today’s issues, but also invests heavily in the future, allocating nearly 25% of its annual budget for research with its partners: Washington State University, Oregon State University, and the USDA Agricultural Research Service. Some commission-funded research addresses pressing problems requiring quick solutions, while other projects are more basic or long-term in nature.

Most of the projects address cultural practices, such as pest management, new clones and cultivars, fertilizers and field conditions, and storage. In the last several years, however, some research projects have also looked at consumption, including potatoes as a rich source of dietary nutrients, and potato consumption and the prevention of oxidative stress and inflammatory damage in humans.

The commission additionally takes an active role in providing scientific input to publications and conferences, as well as actively educating producers and other industry members.

Wendy Fink-Weber

Director of Communications
Western Growers
While Western Growers is well-known as a trade association representing the political and business interests of specialty crop growers, handlers and shippers in Washington, DC, Sacramento, and Phoenix, we also offer a variety of products and services to keep our members competitive and profitable. We provide health benefits, third-party administration, commercial insurance products, transportation programs, human resources training, and financial services for members and industry affiliates in California, Arizona, and now, in Texas.

In 1957, Western Growers Assurance Trust (WGAT) was established to provide members with plans, options, and prices for healthcare benefits that were not obtainable from commercial insurance carriers. Today, WGAT is the largest insurer of benefits for the agriculture industry.

Reggie Brown

Manager
Florida Tomato Committee
There is a tremendous amount of capital that is put at risk in the production of tomatoes. Growers have invested $12,000 to $15,000 in each of the 35,000 to 40,000 acres produced in the state. This represents more than a half billion dollars! The industry’s significant impact on the economy in the major tomato production regions in the state is generally missed by the average citizen. However, it will provide jobs and revenue to keep the state’s economy from completely collapsing in the current downturn.

Mike Bush

Extension Agent
Washington State University
Despite the challenges faced by the Washington agriculture over the past decade, most commodities continue to grow and build capacity.  There are fewer producers and maybe less acreage of crops in the ground, but our potential for record harvests in many crops continues as growers plant more intensive and productive blocks and fields, strive for higher quality, targeted, produce (rather than quantity), explore and open new niche markets on the domestic and overseas fronts, and expand their crop variety portfolios.   WA vegetable growers seem to be investing heavily in strategies to extend the cropping, harvest and marketing season.

Scott Horsfall

Chief Executive Officer
California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement 
Many people are not yet aware of the level of attention being paid to food safety by all players in the leafy greens industry. Since the advent of the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement two years ago, the focus being put on water tests, environmental assessments, worker training, etc., has been remarkable. The industry’s commitment to raising the bar for food safety and to keep risks at a minimum is something we’re very proud of. Virtually the entire industry supports the LGMA program and is subject to its mandatory government food safety audits.

Chris Pawelski

Pawelski Farms, Goshen, NY
The facet of our industry that is not unique to vegetable production but is an issue affecting virtually all of agriculture in the U.S. is that the average prices we have received for our onions has been virtually the same for roughly 25 years. We have typically received $6 for a 50-pound bag of yellow onions. We are not talking about adjustments for inflation figures, we are talking dollar for dollar. Over the past 25 years, the costs associated with onion production, our seed, fertilizer, pesticides, fuel, equipment, including repair costs, taxes, land rent rates, labor, have all risen. Most of those costs have risen significantly and substantially.

I cannot continue growing a crop at 2009 production costs and sell it for 1984 prices. If our outlets do not provide a better price for growers, more of us will go out of business.

Do we want to continue to have domestic farming or not? O, do we want to rely on places like China for our vegetables? If we want to have people continue to farming here we better start improving on the financial and other incentives or we are going to lose our farming base.

Brent Jackson

Owner
Jackson Farming Co., North Carolina
The labor issue is very real! We all want and need a legal workforce and even though shortages were not reported this season as in seasons past, shortages are coming again and everyone needs to urge their Senators and especially their Congressmen to take a stand and fix the immigration laws and provide all employers with a means to have a fair and legal guest worker program.

Another point to be made is that the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables can’t be told enough, and we are extremely thankful for the wording and financial support put into the Farm Bill for fresh fruits and vegetables. With the obesity problem throughout our nation, there has never been a more important time to continue spreading the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables daily, and we need to continue to educate consumers of these great benefits.

Judith Redmond

Partner
Full Belly Farm, Guinda CA
One of the most interesting trends in California and even national agriculture that shows up in USDA data is that the sector of farming that is growing the fastest is in the smaller scale farms owned by women and ethnic minorities. I farm 250 acres of fruit, nuts, and vegetables in California.
It is also of interest to note that while public discourse on various aspects of diet, food, and agriculture is at an all-time high, public investments in agricultural education have declined precipitously since the 1990s.