April 2019 - 4

EDITOR'S LETTER
Fruit
Laying it on the line
There's nothing more revealing as a
member of the agriculture media then to
stand face-to-face with a grower along his
field or in his orchard and have him describe
exactly how world affairs are impacting his
bottom line.
That's what happened as part of the
recent North American Strawberry Growers
Association's annual meeting and tour. Carl
Grooms, president and co-founder of Fancy
Farms in Plant City, Florida (see story, Page
14), explained exactly how two of the
most important issues - international trade
relations and farm labor challenges - are
threatening his industry.
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" The berry industry in Florida has had hard times the past 10 years and
it's getting harder, " Grooms said. " With the NAFTA (North American Free
Trade Agreement) with Mexico (and subsequent U.S.-Mexico-Canada
Agreement - USMCA) there's no money paid on (Mexico's) part any more
to come across the border. Mexico has gone from a couple thousand
acres (of strawberries) 10 years ago to now picking 40,000 acres of berries
the same days we do here. They get to bring them right in here on top of
our markets. We can't even imagine making a challenge out of that deal
but we're trying to. "
Grooms noted the Florida vegetable industry has not received " any
reprieve from the president (Donald Trump) on that. He did give some
reprieve on other agricultural commodities, but not product out of
Florida. Mexico's government subsidizes (growers) with land, money,
infrastructure. Our government does not do that for us. It's an economic
driver in Mexico. It's wide open, and they're loving it. But it's at our
expense because we cannot take the volume of acres (2,000) and
compete with 40,000 acres in the marketplace. Their labor is $2 a day.
I pay Mexican labor through H-2A $11.29 with free housing, free rides,
free toilet paper, free everything but the food they eat. It costs me a lot
of money to get a crate of berries done. "
The Florida produce industry, including strawberries is " not on the
same playing field, or for peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, it's all the same.
Our vegetable and winter strawberry belt in Florida is in dire straits. If
we don't get it changed where we can get a higher price and not be
competing with them, we're going to be in real serious trouble trying to
stay in business. You think you're farming, and you don't have to worry
about politics. You have to worry about everything. "
Grooms also correctly lamented an agriculture labor situation that is
making it difficult for growers to maintain profitability.
" People wonder 'why in the world do we have to bring people out
of Mexico to come up here to work when there are so many millions of
people in the United States who don't have a job?' People don't want
to pick strawberries. Years ago, they'd pick strawberries, but now they
don't. The Mexican people who used to do it, they moved up the chain.
The kids became educated and they got good jobs - a better job than
picking berries. We don't have people who want to pick strawberries
for the duration of six to eight months. They'll come out on Saturday
and Sunday to pick berries. You have to have a crew here every day. The
berries don't operate with a light switch. "
Fancy Farms uses 170 " reliable " H-2A workers to help meet its
production needs. But the burdensome regulations and high costs
involved in the worker visa program could make that option less
attractive.
Grooms is enthused about mechanization, including the Harvest Croo
Robotics project. " It's the next exciting thing. Machines will be paramount
to what we have to do to grow strawberries for people to enjoy. "
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THEY SAID IT
It's an exciting area, and our local strawberry
growers have been great in allowing us to
demonstrate the technology on their farms. "
- NATALIA PERES, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
P. 10
4 | FruitGrowersNews.com
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US
blueberry growers preparing for first
shipments to Vietnam
The news that Vietnam has opened up its
doors to blueberry imports from the U.S.
has been welcomed by blueberry growers
and shippers across the country.
Cornell University experts are preparing
New York state vintners to succeed in a
competitive canned wine market.
Michigan tree fruit growers approve
continuation referendum
Michigan's apple, cherry, peach and plum
producers have approved a referendum to
continue the Michigan Tree Fruit Research
& Development Program.
Apples in storage 11 percent less than
March 2018
The total number of apples in storage
on March 1, 2019, was 91.8 million
bushels, 11 percent less than last March's
total of 103.4 million bushels and 6
percent below the five-year average for
that date.
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April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2019
