Mississippi State, Mississippi
May 3, 2007
High fuel prices give many people
a reason to complain, but they also may drive the resurgence of
an industry that was big business in Mississippi 100 years ago.
David Nagel, vegetable specialist with the
Mississippi State University
(MSU) Extension Service, said fuel prices have made it more
difficult for vegetable growers on the West Coast to ship
produce across the country and still make a profit.
“With $3 diesel, folks wind up paying more in freight than they
do for carrots, onions, potatoes, lettuce or whatever it is that
they need to ship,” Nagel said. “Now companies are once again
interested in developing a commercial-size vegetable industry in
the southeast, and Mississippi is one of the areas they are
looking at.”
Nagel said his office in MSU’s Plant and Soil Sciences
Department has received numerous inquiries from companies that
can vegetables, supply the fresh market, or process frozen
produce.
“They’re interested in what we can supply, how long our market
window is going to be, and how much we can supply,” Nagel said.
Vegetables being considered for mass production in Mississippi
include potatoes, onions, carrots, southern peas and green
beans.
Even things like collard greens, turnip greens and mustard
greens, staples for truck crops and backyard gardens, are in
demand nationally.
“City folks don’t grow their own greens, but since dietitians
have touted the health benefits of greens so widely, there is
more demand for them,” Nagel said. “Consumers demand for these
greens to be sold washed and cut, so producing them requires a
planter, field hands for harvest, and equipment to wash and cool
them so they can be shipped for processing.”
A major consideration for those thinking about starting to
produce vegetables on a commercial scale is the equipment
needed. Nagel said planters used for soybeans or cotton can
plant Southern peas, and most modern combines can harvest this
crop. Other vegetables such as carrots or potatoes need
specialized planters and diggers.
Nagel urged any Mississippi producer interested in diversifying
their operations by beginning or expanding vegetable production
to contact their local Extension office. He said Extension
Service personnel could be a great asset to producers trying to
determine if they should begin vegetable production.
Roy Nichols is supervisor and co-owner of Delta Harvest in
Indianola.
His farm has 56 acres of greens, 10 acres of cabbage and 1,100
acres of sweet corn that they grow under contract to Wal-Mart.
They plan to increase acreage of each of those crops
dramatically in the next year or two.
“We’re growing as a direct result of high fuel costs,” Nichols
said.
“We’re a lot closer to some of the distribution points than some
growers in Georgia or Florida.”
Delta Harvest got into the produce business almost eight years
ago growing cantaloupes, watermelon and corn in Pelahatchie
before he moved his production to the sandier soils around
Indianola. The acreage being turned into commercial vegetable
production is coming from cotton and field corn.
“You look at what cotton prices are doing and what field corn is
doing, and you look at what this will do,” Nichols said of the
decision to take land from these traditional row crops for
vegetable production.
Nichols is finding better profits with the vegetable production,
but he said there have been many expenses along the way, such as
specialized equipment and the cost of meeting high production
standards required of produce headed to stores.
By Bonnie Coblentz, MSU Ag
Communications |
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