Season Extension Possibilities for Your Fruit And Vegetable Crops

by Lynn Kime, Sr. Extension Associate, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education

Selling produce and small fruits before or after traditionally produced local crops usually commands higher prices.  Think of what you pay for produce in the store during the "off-season" and what you pay for the same things during the traditional, local "in-season."  You almost always pay higher prices early and later, or when produce is delivered from non-local sources.  Capturing these higher prices with season extension can be something to strive for with your own operation.  Your customers will appreciate having these products from a local source instead of purchasing products from non-local sources.

It may be too late to consider season extension for your small fruit and vegetable operation for this spring, however, planning now for fall season extension may still pay dividends for this crop year.  There are several methods to extend your growing and marketing seasons for this year.  These include row covers, high tunnels, and greenhouses.

Strawberries growing under row covers

Row covers are traditionally used during the early spring months to "push" the plants to flowers and produce earlier than without row covers.  These may be the least expensive and easiest to use since they are installed in the field but are usually removed during the morning hours to allow the soil to warm.  If used for strawberries for example, you may be able to begin harvest one to three weeks ahead of producers not using this method, allowing you to market earlier and capture the early season market.  Prices can be as much as 10% to 20% higher which usually offsets the additional costs.

High tunnels can be heated or not heated.  If using a heating system, you will be able to plant earlier than without additional heat and remain in production later in the season.  The earlier you plant, the earlier you can produce and market.  Tomatoes and peppers are common crops produced in high tunnels for spring and fall, but you can produce these crops and greens later into fall and capture the locally grown, late season prices for your production.  For example, early season tomatoes may sell for $15-$40 per box as opposed to $10-$20 per box during periods when other producers are harvesting field grown tomatoes.

Peppers growing in a high tunnel

I know one grower who produces strawberries into September and October in his high tunnel.  I asked him what price he can expect for locally grown strawberries in October.  His answer was "Whatever I want."  This marketing strategy has worked very well for his operation.

Greenhouses may be used to start plants in early spring to reduce the cost of purchasing plants on the open market.  You can also produce more plants than you need for your operation and sell the excess to other producers or your customers at farmers' markets.

Crops growing in a greenhouse

Greenhouses will also extend the harvest through the fall and beyond as long as you can produce the crop(s) and still remain profitable even when including heating costs.  You will need to track all costs and keep your budgets up to date to be sure you still maintain the profit margin you desire.

I know this is a busy time of year, but you can still have a tunnel installed in time for fall use.  You should determine if you can market the additional production and what prices you may receive.  The research may expose an additional marketing opportunity for your operation and result in additional income and profit for the year.

Emerging Food Trends--Peruvian Items Are On The Rise

If you're involved in the ethnic foods industry (whether that's growing, selling, education, or just plain consuming), I suggest joining the Ethnic Greens and Herbs Workshop Facebook group.  This group was formed to disseminate helpful research information and news regarding the ethnic produce industry to growers, wholesalers, retailers, Extension personnel, researchers, and association representatives.  


Fellow blogger Kathy Kelley recently posted a link to the article "From Aji peppers, amaranth and pichuberries to purple corn and quinoa, Peruvian cuisine is hot, says Packaged Facts".  In the article, results from the 'What's Hot in 2014' survey of American Culinary Federation chefs shows that 57% of respondents "voted Peruvian cuisine the top trend in the ethnic cuisines and flavors category".  The article also reports that "the UN declared 2013 the 'International Year of Quinoa' (a Peruvian staple) and the Culinary Institute of America has declared 2014 to be the year of Peruvian cuisine".

So what kind of foods are popular with Peruvians?

• Purple corn- most commonly used to make chicha morada (a drink) and mazamorra (a pudding). 

  

  Purple corn being sold at a farm market. Photo taken by Kathy Kelley on a 2013 trip to South America.

• Aji peppers- a species of chili pepper.  Aji Amarillo, Aji Panca, Aji Rocoto, Aji Mirasol, and Aji Limo are the most commonly used varieties of Aji peppers in Peruvian cooking.

  

  Aji panca pepper.  Photo from TheHotPepper.com.

• Amaranth- a grain with a high nutrition value; the seeds are consumed whole toasted or milled into flour. 

  

  Amaranth harvest.  Photo from NationalGeographic.com.

• Pichuberry- a polyphenol-rich fruit.

  

  Pichuberry. Photo from LAMag.com.

• Pisco- a grape brandy produced in Peru and Chile.

  

  Two different brands of Pisco.  Photo from wikipedia.com.

Why is this trend important to you, the food producer?  Hispanic and Latino populations in the United States are seeing dramatic increases.  According to the 2010 Census, 16% of the US population were of Hispanic or Latino origin.  (The US Census Bureau defines "Hispanic or Latino" as a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.)  The Census also shows that between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population grew by 43%, which was four times the growth in the total population.  

With this tremendous growth, Hispanic and Latino customers are not to be ignored.  Are you looking to expand your product line and/or market to a new target audience?  This might be your answer, but as always, do your research to find out if you should start selling any new product or marketing to a new audience.  

Surveys of mid-Atlantic consumers conducted by Penn State researchers part 11

Continuing with the Penn State research I've been writing about the past few months, a series of questions asked participants to indicate their purchasing behaviors towards new varieties of fruits and/or vegetables. If participants indicated that they noticed and purchased a new variety of a fruit or vegetable, they were then asked to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with a list of reasons for purchasing a new produce variety.

For the participants who noticed and purchased a new variety, they reported, on average, that they “somewhat agreed” to purchasing a new produce variety (an average of “5,” according to a scale, with “1” equaling “strongly disagree,” and “7,” “strongly agree”) because of the “visual quality” of the produce, that the “appearance of the produce was appealing,” and that they “enjoyed trying new foods,” as shown in the graph below. Participants also reported that they “somewhat disagreed” (an average of “3”) to purchasing a new produce variety because the “item was featured in an advertisement.” Additionally, they reported being “neutral” (an average of “4”) towards “price” of the new produce variety for choosing to purchase.



To read more about this topic, please see the press release.

As you can see by the graph, "visual quality" and "appearance was appealing" are 2 of the 3 highest ranking reasons for trying a new produce variety. As an ag entrepreneur, how do you showcase your new offerings? As a consumer, how do you agree/disagree with these results? What are your most important reasons for trying a new produce variety?

Can convenience stores extend the shelf life of fresh fruit?

When purchasing a snack at a convenience store, more and more customers are looking for a healthy option. Many convenience stores are starting to sell fruits and veggies, but are facing problems with the very short shelf life. For a store like 7-Eleven (which is estimated to sell 27 million bananas this year), this is a major problem.

7-Eleven has partnered with Fresh Del Monte to create a plastic wrap that slows respiration by keeping most oxygen and moisture out. By wrapping a green banana in this wrap, a banana will stay firm for about 5 days as compared to an unwrapped banana which has a shelf life of only 2 days. 7-Eleven will be testing these wrapped bananas in 27 Dallas-area stores. If the test goes well, the chain expects the wrap to be used in most of its stores by early 2010.

banana wrap article

As an ag entrepreneur, would you use this wrap on your fresh produce? Do you think that this wrap will help you sell more produce and allow you to sell in new venues (like convenience stores, gas stations, rest stops, etc)? As a consumer, would you buy produce wrapped in plastic?