Dorene, this problem is not local to Pa. farmers.
The same problem exist in some Texas areas. I have been trying to get our local
farmers to make changes but no luck. They still want to do things like Grandpa
did and it isn't working. Today is a different world. Change or go broke.
TexasBill
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http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/opinion/local2/10382947.htm
The
most pressing problem with Pa. farms: Pa. farmers State's growers are
suspicious of change and mired in outmoded traditions. By Mike
Genuardi
In their Nov. 30 commentary, "Family farms, healthy
foods," Dennis Wolff and Maria Magnelli van Hekken say that Pennsylvania needs
to improve the infrastructure that connects its farmers with its consumers.
They add that transportation and distribution problems "are significant
hurdles that need to be addressed."
While I heartily agree with both
statements, I approach the issue with a different point of view that I hope
would offer some insight into the problem.
I was the director of
produce operations for Genuardi Family Markets for four years (1994 through
1997), during which I dealt first-hand with the issue of locally grown
produce. The real problem I saw was not the retailers' lack of support for
locally grown produce, nor was it the consumers' lack of support in purchasing
the product. Rather, the problem began at the farm level.
I had the
opportunity to visit farms all over the country and found that the vast
majority were modern, efficient, labor-sensitive and quality-driven
operations. I further found them open to new technology and ideas to improve
their profitability.
Sadly, I can not say the same about the farms I
visited in Pennsylvania. Here, I mostly found farmers who were suspicious of
change and steeped in traditions that led them to make the same mistakes year
after year.
Most frustrating to me was their inability to get their
product to market. It's one thing to grow a great crop of tomatoes,
cauliflower or strawberries, but it's an entirely different matter to get them
to the retailer/wholesaler. It was not my job to go out and find this product.
I needed it to be brought to me. And not on a store-by-store basis, which
would have been too much trouble.
As the authors suggested,
Pennsylvania retailers who want to sell Pennsylvania produce need an effective
distribution system of consistently high-quality produce - not hits and
misses, which has been the track record for many Pennsylvania
farmers.
If I was planning an ad and needed 2,000 cases of corn, I
didn't have the time to contact numerous farmers to set up deals and make sure
that they would deliver a quality product on time. It was a lot less difficult
to buy the product from out of state, where distribution systems were set up
that allowed the product to be delivered fresh and on time.
You don't
have to look too far (New Jersey and the Delmarva peninsula) to see how
farmers and their respective states have worked together to get their product
to market. Forget throwing money at store-level point-of-sale signs, or
retailers' ad budgets. What's important is to break down the barriers that
prevent the product from getting from the farmer to the
retailer/wholesaler.
This can be done, but not overnight. It will
require farmers to change the way they farm, harvest, pack and ship. They will
need to upgrade their equipment and infrastructure. The Pennsylvania
Agriculture Department also must do a better job of bringing farmers together
and helping them get their products to the retailer/wholesaler. Unfortunately,
all this requires a lot of money, both from farmers who are probably up to
their necks in debt and a state that is facing its own financial
problems.
Retailers and wholesalers will buy fresh produce from
Pennsylvania farmers, but it needs to be graded, processed, packaged and
priced properly. The vast majority of the state's apple growers do this very
well, and when I was produce director for Genuardi's, we supported them every
year. But when a farmer tries to do things on the cheap, such as in packaging
and grading, everyone loses. The retailer is turned off by the hassle, the
consumer by the poor quality of the product, and ultimately the farmer by not
getting a reorder on the product.
In Pennsylvania, about 700 family
farms go under each year, which means that tens of thousands do not. Instead
of focusing on failed farms, we should direct our attention to the survivors,
analyze what they do best and see if their successes can be taught to other
farmers.
Are they lucky or are they good? I suspect a little of both,
but they're still standing and should be held up as examples to
others.
Mike Genuardi is a vice president of the Genuardi Family
Foundation and lives in Gwynedd Valley.
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