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Ohio Tomato Grower Shuts Down Operations For This Year

Avatar for Paul Rusnak Posted by Paul Rusnak|June 25, 2013

In Oak Harbor, OH, the largest fresh-market tomato grower in the area is halting operations for this summer. According to an article in the Toledo Blade, the closure this summer will cost the grower millions. The decision to close is based on a lack of harvest workers.

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According to the article, the grower, Charles Jones of Charles Jones Produce LLC, had told the Toledo-founded Farm Labor Organizing Committee of his plan, union President Baldemar Velasquez said.

It’s not an isolated problem as other specialty crop producers in the U.S. have also decided to cease operations this summer, said Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives.

“Seventy percent of the agricultural work force, including the milk industry, is performed by an undocumented work force,” Conner told the Toledo Blade. “It’s a problem. Our work force is at risk.”

Click here to read the complete story in the Toledo Blade.
 

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Paul Rusnak is the Senior Online Editor of American Vegetable Grower, American Fruit Grower, and Greenhouse Grower magazines, all Meister Media Worldwide brands. He is based in Northeast Florida. See all author stories here.

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Avatar for moon1234 moon1234 says:
June 27, 2013 at 2:46 pm

Meaning he was hiring illegal workers for less than minimum wage. Granted farm labor is allowed to be paid less. Farm hand labor is a big problem in this country. People want cheap food, but they don't factor in the single biggest cost to farmers is labor. We are just a small farm, using family labor, but it is VERY difficult to get all of the work done, especially is the weather is uncooperative. This year, with all of the constant rain, we can not cultivate many of our veggie crops in a timely manner. This means a LOT of hand labor that we just don't have time for. That means weedy crops with reduced yields to transplants that are too old, etc. We had to wait almost three weeks this year to transplant our melons. The first crop of melon transplants was a total loss due to fields that were too wet to walk in for weeks. We rely on high school labor to help during the summer, but even that labor source is drying up. Teenagers are unwilling to work on a farm when they can sit at home and do nothing, work in the mall for better wages that I can pay, etc. The ONLY source of labor that seems somewhat willing is our CSA customers who will trade some labor for a reduced price on their CSA share, but that labor is usually only there on the weekends. It has rained every weekend for the last five weeks. Every year I invest in more and more equipment to try and do what required hand labor previously. Some things are just not possible or economically feasible at my scale of operations though and MUST rely on hand labor. Picking tomatoes, raspberries, strawberries, melons, etc. all require hand labor. We have added things like tool cats that follow pickers, in field wash basins for lettuce, etc. to try and speed up operations, but it only goes so far. The cost of production has gone up so much in just the last few years that is makes it hard to re-coup costs. Urea for example was almost 600/ton this year. That is crazy expensive and makes me seriously look at growing as many legumes as possible just for the green manure. I went to school with a man who now farms almost a thousand acres. Even he is looking to grow some of his nitrogen just due to the cost of inputs. I don't know how the US farmer can compete with foreign imports unless you are one of the very biggest operators with serious automation or you can get a premium price for your product. The only way we are still in business is selling direct to food service and institutional customers. We can charge close to retail and still make decent money, but with the economy the way it is there is pressure from even these outlets. I have found that same day picking and delivery of high quality produce will allow me to charge full retail pricing to my higher end institutional customers. Growing items like Pac Choi, Kohlrabi and other greens that are not easier sourced from distributors yields me MUCH more profit than things like head lettuce. I only grow leaf and baby lettuce varieties now since customers are willing to pay more for delivery of produce picked the same day. Items like new, baby potatoes can return $2.50 to $3 a lb and I have had no complaints about the price. This is 4 to 5 times what the price of mature potatoes return and I can get a 2nd crop in after the new potatoes come off. The farm labor problem will only get worse. "Undocumented", better known as illegal, workers will NOT solve the problem. They will eventually want better pay or they will become your competition. A good example is the Hmong population around me. Many work on market farms around me to see how to run an operation and they then become the competition, often times undercutting your price to the point that you don't break even. They can do this by using family labor, who do not get paid. The root problem for the American vegetable grower is a lack of work ethic at the bottom of the pay scale (why work when the government will give you more for free) and the unfair competition of imported produce where the workers do not have to be paid a living wage. For my family, we only make money by not paying cash to our younger children who are working on the farm. Their payment is in school/college funds set aside for them, toys (dirt bikes, etc.) that are bought by us, etc. That only goes so far though. My 13 year old daughter, who used to not complain about picking berries, etc., now would rather babysit my sisters toddlers for $60/day while she is at work. It becomes a fight to make her see the cost of keeping a roof over her head, food in her belly and all of the other things parents are supposed to provide. Does anyone have a solution other than more automation?

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Avatar for Southern Tier Farmer Southern Tier Farmer says:
June 28, 2013 at 6:28 am

So each farmer knows that 7 out of 10 hired hands are law breakers. This farmer is a mega farmer. I wonder how many smaller farms would be able to step up to support the demand for tomatoes? I am thinking there are a few that will. Another area of concern is the Toledo-founded Farm Labor Organizing Committee and union President Baldemar Velasquez a farm labor organization represents 500 farm workers who are usually employed by the tomato grower. This guy knows that 350 of the people are law breakers and doesn't do anything about it and is making money on the backs of these law breakers. It seems that if this mega farmer is serious about farming and labor then maybe he needs to be talking with someone about getting the welfare system reformed to move welfare recipients and the unemployed to work for these corporate giants. Maybe offer tax breaks to both parties. It was mentioned that the law breakers spend their money in the communities they are hiding in, well so would the citizens who are currently having to receive govt handouts which equate to tax dollars taken from US citizens. I know all about the fact that our people seem to be too lazy to work. Instead of saying it and then going out to find law breakers to do the job maybe the effort needs to be placed in restoring the work ethic. Besides what if you made all the law breakers legal citizens? Do you really think they would continue to work on the farms? Really? No, they would look for other jobs that pay better for less work, then you would be looking for more law breakers. Enough said for now. I think I have upset enough people.

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