June 2021 - 11

effort. Blood, sweat and tears go into what
we do. It's why we are doing this. "
Availability of labor and water are
among the biggest challenges pressing
California growers. Increasing labor costs
risk grower survival,
Mabs said. The
heightened costs can
dog growers because
more labor-intensive
organic production
requires manual
weed control, for
example. Because
there may not be
enough water to
satisfy current farming, Mabs worries
new state water regulations will remove a
lot of farmland from production.
The ever-increasing minimum wage
SCOTT MABS
also takes a bite out of grower returns.
The rate jumped $1 in 2020 with another
$1 increase scheduled for 2021. The
escalating labor costs also jeopardize
packinghouses, with growers footing
higher packaging costs.
" Everything continues to go up, " said
Mabs.
Organic growers hope technological
advancements will help counteract some of
the daunting costs.
" We have to continue to improve
technologies so we can bring cost savings
types of methods that will offset what is to
be done with labor, or we're just wasting it, "
said Mabs. " We must continue to employ
new technologies to make our farming
viable for the future. If technology doesn't
continue to take steps forward, it won't be
viable to farm here. "
Consumer confidence
Success in organics requires consumer
trust and confidence. Usually, shoppers
cannot detect differences between
organically and conventionally grown
produce on produce aisle shelves.
Consumers must rely on statements
growers make on product labels about
organic certification. Believing stores
and growers must never give consumers
reasons to doubt a product's organic
integrity, Homegrown works to verify
certifications are current with proper
documentation.
When Cherie France, marketing
manager, talks with people she meets in
her travels, one of the first questions they
ask is why organics are so expensive.
" It's the education of the consumers, "
she said. " Some do and some don't
understand. "
While organic grapes are priced closer
to conventional grapes, the differential
with citrus is much higher because it costs
more to farm organic oranges.
" There are costs involved as organic
farming's costs are higher with yields
lower, " she said. " It depends on the
commodity. "
The lack of access to the same tools
in the toolboxes used by conventional
growers requires organic growers to
forecast imminent hazards differently.
" The conventional industry has quick
fixes that we don't, " said France.
Organic growers, for example, cannot
use conventional herbicides to fight weeds
and depend on insects and manure instead
of nitrogen inputs.
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" There is nothing quick nor easy about
organics, " she said. " Because consumers
are extremely sophisticated, to be a
successful farmer of organics, we have to
be sophisticated as well. "
All in the family
Cherie France is daughter of John and
Cindy France, who started Homegrown
in 1998, and is the founders' only child
currently working in the business.
Similar to other businesses, the Frances
began the company as a necessity. John
needed a place to get his fruit to market.
In those days, when organics weren't as
popular as they are today, there weren't
many outlets for growers. The larger
conventional buyers growers worked with
didn't always want organic.
In 2010, Homegrown's owners partnered
with AgriCare Inc., also of Porterville.
Started in 1990, AgriCare, a full-service
farm management company owned by Tom
and Karen Avinelis, provides multi-level
management and consulting services for
West Coast conventional and organic farms.
AgriCare manages Homegrown's
production. Initially, the Frances grew
oranges and later added grapes and stone
fruit. In 2008, they began blueberries,
which are also grown in Oregon and
sourced from Chile.
Homegrown is part of a " family of
companies " run by family farmers
operating throughout the ag industry. The
companies' motto is " Quality from root
to fruit, " with organic farming as " just the
beginning. "
" With AgriCare and Homegrown
Organic together, there's a lot of
value placed on families, " said Mabs.
" Obviously, our team members, our
employees, they are supporting families
and trying to do that in a manner that's
honorable. "
Because of the different ways organics
are grown and marketed, changes in
Homegrown's farming, packing and even
the sales arena are relatively new.
" It's not like this industry has situated
and existed in the last 50 years, " Mabs said.
" Even 12 years ago, it wasn't like one could
find all these people that had backgrounds
in organics. It has been doing things that
are new in so many areas, which requires
creativity and bringing solutions by being
able to think outside the norm. " FGN
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FGN | JUNE 2021 | 11

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June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2021